Agronomy Update 2-28-24
Every winter when the weather turns and the grass goes dormant, we have time to reflect on the previous year and think about how we can make improvements in our operation. This year we will be updating this blog regularly to increase our communication. At times, there may not be enough "GCM News" to warrant an email blast, but we can blog progress pictures or just a few notes about a day in the life of GCM. Our website will be www.stonebriaragronomy.com and will be active within the next few days. We will send a communication once the site goes live.
We have experienced several beautiful days of weather over the past two weeks, but Mother Nature always has a way of reminding us it is still February. Soil temperatures reached 60 degrees for the first time this year last Thursday. That is the soil temperature at which the bermudagrass will begin to break dormancy. We have seen some bermudagrass begin to green up, but we are still several weeks away from actually seeing the growth potential high enough for growth. Keep in mind, even though the weather app on your phone says 80+ degrees, we need soil temperatures above 60 degrees consistently and abundant sunshine to make grass grow. The golf courses have endured a lot of golf traffic this winter with no recovery. The grass will grow when the conditions allow.
Bermudagrasses are completely temperature driven in the spring. The rule of thumb is that until the daytime high temperatures and nighttime low temperatures add up to 150 degrees, bermudagrass will not be actively growing enough for recovery. While we would all love to promote bermudagrass growth and see improved bermudagrass density in March, it is all weather related.
Range Tee
We will be on the grass for two days each week until the weather allows the turf to grow enough to recover divots. We are beginning a new method to rotate the tee line to maximize the time for recovery. Here is a diagram showing how the tee line will be rotated when on grass:
· Start back right, move forward, then back left
· When on grass, please use only the dedicated tee line stalls
· Remember to use the linear divot pattern as shown
Range Cart Path Replacement
We recently completed replacing a section of the cart path at the driving range. Here are a few photos of the project and the final product:
Before:
In Progress:
Completed:
Dye 6 Walking Bridge
We installed the walking bridge on Dye 6 back in April 2022. After discussing the design of the bridge with a few members, we decided to add handrails for safety purposes and applied a darker stain.
April 2022 February 2024
The GCM Team is looking forward to the growing season. See you on the courses!
