Soccer work and green surround sod

Last week was our big push for maintenance on the upper soccer field. Aeration, seed, sod, compost, and fertilizer are all accomplished. We also had left over sod from that work, so last week we also sodded a few spots out in the green surrounds.

We usually lay some green surround sod every year at this time, usually with left over sod from soccer. What is significant this year is how little we had to do. With only half a pallet (about 25 pieces), we were able to get to all the worst areas around the golf course. Small sections at 2, 3, 4, 7, 13, 14, and 17 were all completed. While that is a long list, we only needed to do 3-4 pieces of sod at each hole.

We believe that a few factors have led to the improved health of the turf around the greens. First, while it has been dry, it has not been an overly hot summer. We have sprinkled in a few hot days, but not a prolonged heat wave of many days in a row. Anytime the weather is cool, the rough will be better. Second, we have managed the dry conditions by diligently sticking with our hand watering program. Lastly, the significant effort we have made to over-seed the rough around the greens is paying off. We have slowly started to shift the dominant species of turf around the greens to one that is more tolerant of heat, traffic, and drought. We will continue to work on everything that we can control and are optimistic that improvements can continue.

Did we sod out every single little bare area? No, because at a certain point, the bad areas are too small to sod because the sod won’t survive, or the area is a better candidate for another recovery strategy. We will still work to improve the places that didn’t receive sod- first, with seed a little later into the fall, and second, we will have more sod to potentially use when we do bunker renovations or other work later in the year.

We must share resources between the golf course and other areas of the property, including soccer. Most times, it is the golf course sharing with soccer. But in August, soccer gives sod back to the golf course for late summer repairs.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

When parking your cart at a tee or green, please keep all 4 tires on the path. See pictures below for a visual aid:

 

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org