We are very pleased with the overall condition of our turf on the golf courses. The Bentgrass on greens, tees and fairways look very good. There are damaged spots on some of our intermediate roughs, these are areas of poa annua (annual bluegrass). This is an undesired turf species and some of these areas will come back on their own, while a few of the other areas we will sod out to get rid of the poa. This will be a great opportunity to introduce the correct species in those areas.
The million dollar question all spring is when will the remodeled 9 holes open? The answer is April 27th. There will be a special outing on that day so please check with the pro shop for some details on that.
Our North Course staff has been very busy trying to tie up loose ends on that remodeled 9 holes. We still have some haul roads and small construction areas to reseed. One of my biggest concerns is the condition of the sod that was installed late in the year. This sod is almost a 100% rooted down, it just needs a couple of weeks of some warmer weather and it will be completely rooted in place. Please remember that all areas of construction are very tender areas. We will have some areas marked as Ground Under Repair, these areas we do not want you to play out of. All golf cart traffic will be restricted to the cart paths on those 9 holes until the sodded areas can handle the traffic.
The new bunkers have a little bit of soil contamination on top from the open winter. We had dirt/dust blow into the sand and we had some erosion from the construction areas that surround the bunkers. We are working to remove the top 1/4” so sand and are installing new sand to “freshen” them up.
The new bunkers are built completely different than our existing bunkers. Please enter and exit these bunkers from the low sides of the bunkers. Please do not try to exit up the steep banks. This could result in injury to the sod that surrounds these bunkers.
All of the newly sodded tees look very good. We do have several of the seeded tees that have been reseeded and they will take a long time before we can use these tees. So please keep off of these areas.
The new green on #18 looks very good. We are mowing this surface at a higher height of cut and we will not be pushing to get it to our regular height and speed until we feel it can take that kind of stress. So please keep it mind this green will not putt like the other greens. We are going to keep the new practice green closed for another month or so until we feel it can also take any stresses put on it.
We know you are anxious to play these reconstructed 9 holes, but please remember to pay attention to the roped off areas and the areas that need a little time to heal in. Thank you for your patience during our times of construction. I know it is not easy to lose 9 holes of play and we are trying our best to get you back out as soon as we can. If you have any questions about the golf courses please stop me or send me an email.
Rick