Agronomy Update - December 5, 2024

Preparing golf courses for winter always impacts playing conditions, but the transition from fall to winter is a reality that golfers and golf course management must face. Remember that having a great spring depends on getting the course through winter in the best shape possible.  

Please help us provide the best winter playing conditions by:  

• Keep carts on paths as much as possible 
• Filling your divots and repairing ball marks (yours plus one!) 
• Rake bunkers and always enter / exit at the lowest point closest to your ball 
• Avoid high traffic and wet areas when carts are allowed off paths 
• Be careful with the flagstick – it can be damaging to the green, especially the cup 

Greens
Raising mowing heights on greens will affect putting on some days. If we get a warm front that lasts a few days, the greens will grow enough to slow the greens down. However, this is necessary to keep the greens from becoming unplayable during cold, windy weather when we have no growth. We will also utilize the target rings again this winter, beginning Friday, December 13. This allows us to use the same hole location for more than one day. The result is more available hole locations and fewer old cup plugs that do not heal due to no new growth. Please repair all ball marks! 

 

While we have enjoyed above-average temperatures for several weeks, we all know Old Man Winter is lurking. We have staged the greens covers on the golf courses in preparation for our first covering. Hopefully, we won’t need them, but we all know we will. Covering greens is a very labor-intensive task. We are fortunate to have tenured employees who understand the importance of greens covering and know how to complete the task in the most efficient way possible. We can cover all greens in under five hours in normal winter conditions. 

Tees
The tees were overseeded again for winter play. This provides a better playing surface during winter conditions. We also use pigment, a colorant to darken the surface, which helps draw in heat to germinate more ryegrass seeds during the colder months. We lowered our seeding rate from previous years to lessen the likelihood of transition issues in late spring / early summer. Please fill all divots! 

Fairways
No fairways were overseeded this year. This will allow us to focus on the health of the bermudagrass and provide better conditions in late spring through summer without dealing with major transition issues. While not overseeding the Fazio fairways is the right decision for this year, there will be some inconveniences during the winter months. The ryegrass overseed is aesthetically appealing, provides a better winter/spring playing surface, and absorbs water during winter months. Since we have no ryegrass, we can expect wetter fairway conditions, potentially translating to more “Cart Path Only” days. This is yet to be determined but is certainly a possibility. Please avoid driving carts in any areas that appear to be wet! 

Winter Projects
We will be starting to cross items off our winter project list next week. There are multiple drainage projects on the docket that will make an immediate impact on the golf courses. We will begin drainage work on the right side of Dye 4 cart path and Dye 5 cart path next week. While winter projects are in progress, play these areas as “Ground Under Repair.” We may not always see that you are about to hit your shot. Please inform us of your presence and allow us time to get out of your way!