The January weather has been unbelievably mild for the middle of winter! However as I write this blog post I am reminded that winter is only ½ over and we can still experience some very nasty February and March snow storms.
Yesterday I had the chance to get out of the office and walk around the NE 9 holes that we had renovated last fall. With over 10 acres of sod on the ground I was a little concerned how the sod was faring with the open winter that we have experienced so far. I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised how well the sod look and how it is rooting down in many of the areas. We have had some timely rains and snow storms that have melted and kept the sod moist throughout the open periods.
The new turf on the new greens and tees that was established last fall is surviving quite well under the covers. There has been many windy, open days this winter and that is the true beauty of a greens cover – protection from those drying winter winds. There are several tees that were seeded last fall and many of those will need to be re-seeded this spring to ensure that they grow in promptly in the spring. We experienced that same thing this past spring and it should not slow down the progress towards opening that 9 holes.
We have lost a little of the new sand due to wind erosion and the lack of cover. We will address the sand depths first thing in the spring when we get out and start replenishing the sand where it is needed.
We have been in contact with the contractor and as soon as sod is being harvested in our area they will be here to finish the bunkers on #9 and #10. This work should only take about 7 – 10 days to complete.
Overall it has been a very good winter so far for our turf. We know we typically still have about 6 weeks left before we can get out and do some spring cleanup work. We hope the rest of your winter is a good one and we will see you in the spring.