Fine Fescue

In late April we treated over 28 acres of Fescue for a number of uninvited guests.  This included products to control grassy weeds, broadleaf weeds, insect pests, as well as a plant growth regulator to limit the plant density.

Several years ago, it was believed that golf courses could reduce costs by adding additional acres of these "low maintenance" areas.  Perhaps this is true if it is a truly out of play area allowed to go through the stages of ecological succession.  

However, if the goal is to keep these areas playable (allowing a ball to be found and advanced), and relatively weed free, it is now being stated that they actually require greater resources than mowing them once or twice per week as we do in the primary rough.  The time and expense of our latest multi-product application certainly helps to confirm this view.

So would removing all of the Fescue be a good idea?  Probably not, since it provides wildlife habitat and slows runoff.  Additionally, for a links style course, these areas are important aesthetically, as they help to frame the hole.  

The bottom line is that you can call this eye-catching turf outer rough, native areas, naturalized areas, or the Fescue area, just please do not refer to it as a low maintenance area... 

I should have made a left at Albuquerque...

Just when you think you've seen it all on a golf course, you're greeted by something jaw-dropping. Such was the case when the team arrived at 5:00 on Sunday morning and discovered a vehicle--with the driver still inside--in one of the greenside bunkers on #8.

In looking at our security cameras, we found that the car arrived shortly before 1:00 a.m., so you can only speculate as to whether or not a festive Saturday night led to some incredibly poor navigating skills.  

Fortunately the driver was unharmed, and there was no damage to the course.  We may never know the exact reason why the individual thought they were on a road, but perhaps some additional signage might be helpful:

  

The finishing touch

We always appreciate member feedback on how we may possibly improve the golf experience at the Club.  A good example of this was when someone had seen logoed cups at another venue and asked if we might be able to do the same.

After a quick check, we had the answer:  Yes we can.  

What made this idea even better was that it was inexpensive and very easy to implement.

The Importance of Check Plots

Spring is when we find Poa producing seeds like crazy, potentially making the greens bumpy.  In order to reduce the seeds' impact on ball roll, multiple applications of two plant growth regulators are made on the greens.  So how do we know if these preventative treatments really worked?  

With many plant protectant applications, we try to leave an untreated check plot, which serves a couple of purposes.  First, it allows us to see how effective our treatments were.  In this case, if there is little difference from a treated to an untreated area, perhaps we need to revisit our plan for controlling Poa seeds.  

Secondly, it shows us if the specific inputs to the turf are really needed.  For example, if we are spraying preventatively for Take-All Patch on fairways, a check plot (which may be an acre of untreated fairway) helps us to know if we need to continue making these applications, or not.  That is, if both the treated and untreated areas don't have Take-All, then is there really a need to continue making treatments in the future?

Having the greens covered throughout the winter and into March adds another variable which we need to account for when timing these Poa seed applications.  Obviously the tarps capture heat and create a much different growing environment than a green without a cover is experiencing.  This will change the timing of Poa seed production.  While far from perfect, it does look like our treatments have worked fairly well this year.

Welcome back!

This is the third year that we have participated in the H-2B Visa program.  With  a limited number of visas available each year, a lottery system is used to determine what group you fall into.  We were extremely fortunate to receive a "Group C" assignment this year, allowing the guys to get here much earlier than the prior two years.

What this means is now having the manpower to hand mow greens every day, knock out projects such as tee aerification without missing a beat, and devote additional resources to bunker maintenance.

Javier and his twin brother, Gabriel.

Our six employees for 2025 are the same great guys who were all here last year, so when they landed, they were prepared to hit the ground running.  Arriving late Saturday afternoon, they were ready to work on Sunday morning.

Progress protecting property

While the golf course maintenance facility is still far better than a barn, after 30 years our operation has outgrown it, and the structure is now undersized.  One of the consequences of this has been the need to store equipment outside.  

We are always mindful of protecting the Club's assets, and with a rough mower costing $100,000, having equipment exposed to the elements year round is definitely not ideal.  In order to limit the potential damage, we recently installed a carport.

Nobody enjoys climbing onto a tractor in the morning and sitting on a soaked seat.  The carport isn't 100% weather-proof, but it definitely is an improvement.

Play it as it lies?

 As most players know, geese on a golf course are not a great combination.  With 16 ponds and 40 acres of wetlands at Laurel Creek, it is an ongoing battle to prevent the goose population from exploding.  

If you do happen to get near one of their nests, you will find the geese acting like most parents, actively protecting their offspring--or potential offspring.  Interestingly, in some cases not everything that they are honking and flapping their wings about is likely to produce goslings:

Yes, not one, but two of the current nests on the course contain golf balls (along with a duck egg in one of them).  While not quite a fried-egg lie, it is undoubtedly a birds-nest lie, and the winged spectators won't approve of playing the ball as it lies here.  Should you find yourself in this situation, your best option may be to reference Rule 16.1b and take free relief.