Remembering how the course used to be

The night prior to typing this blog we received 1.25” of rain. The course handled it well. It is important to remember how much we have invested and improved the infrastructure of the course after weather events like this.

This wasn’t the most rain we’ve received at once by far, but it was still a quick, high-volume storm. Luckily, it did not include the fierce wind like the storm from almost exactly one year ago. But the rain still washed out the bunkers, overwhelmed the drains, and left standing water across the property. However, without the Master Plan renovation work, subsequent small tweaks that we have made, along with regular upkeep, the damage would have been worse and repair slower.

Prior to the renovations, the lower portion of the course- holes 3, 14, 15, 16, and 17 especially- had no drainage. The holes were extremely flat, and water could not move across the surface and could not percolate into the soil fast enough. We were left with large areas of standing water for days on end where no grass could survive.

15 fairway 2 days after rainstorm, prior to 
drainage installation

Once the drainage was installed, water could find a way off the surface and off the course. Now, water backs up at drain inlets for a matter of hours rather than days, and even that is only after the largest storms. We occasionally must deal with clogged drains but even then, water is still moving better and faster prior to the drainage installation.

The old fairway bunkers on #18
prior to renovation

The idea is the same with the bunkers. Prior to the bunkers being rebuilt, the design of the original bunkers was not conducive to withstanding heavy rainfall. The sand was pushed high up the slopes of the bunkers, and nothing was holding it in place when the water came rushing down the edges. Once that sand was washed away, next came the erosion of soil underneath. All this contamination led to water being unable to drain out of the bunkers properly. The silt and soil fill the gaps between sand particles, and it becomes nearly impenetrable. The water would puddle in the bunkers indefinitely, until we manually pumped it out. Across the course, pumping the bunkers could take 2-4 days depending on how much rain had fallen. That time frame does not include shoveling the sand back into place. Full bunker repair from a big storm could take our entire staff a full week to complete.

The old approach bunker on #18
prior to renovation

Fast forward to the storm yesterday and nearly every bunker had some extent of sand erosion along the edges. But not soil erosion because of the new design of the bunkers with grass down the slopes to where the sand is nearly flat at the bottom. The drainage inside the bunkers all functions properly and there is no silt contamination within the sand, so water very rarely puddles. If there is a puddle in a bunker, it is because the water draining out of the bunker must wait its turn to flow into the same drains as everything else. It is only a matter of a few hours or less for the water to clear. We don’t have to pump bunkers anymore, at all. And repairing the sand now takes anywhere from a few hours to possibly a full day depending on the severity of the storm. Yesterday’s storm took four hours to repair.

The old fairway bunker on #10
prior to renovation

Sometimes it is hard to remember how the course used to perform during heavy rainstorms. Now, we must look at old pictures to remember how poorly the course would handle the storms instead of still dealing with the repair work. Making the necessary changes to the course and continuing our regular maintenance of that infrastructure has paid off.

On of the renovated bunkers after the storm

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don’t stand in one place for an extended period to practice putting. Your footprints can be worn into the green.

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

The good, ok, bad, and ugly

We are over halfway through the summer, and in the middle of the hardest stretch. The course has weathered the season fairly well so far. As is the case, nothing is perfect and we have some good, ok, bad and ugly as well.

First, the good: the Bermuda grass. Our Bermuda grass has been very strong since early spring. Now, coupled with nearly perfect Bermuda grass growing weather- warm, humid, and plenty of moisture- the fairways and tees are nearly flawless. We just completed our annual vertical mowing process and they are set for the home stretch. We still have aeration to come, but healing will be swift, and the Bermuda grass will play great the rest of the season.

The greens are just ok. Our predominant grass on greens is Poa annua, which does not like the heat at all. Luckily the species is very adaptable and has learned to tolerate the heat and stress that we subject it to, but it is still a battle. The greens take constant monitoring, and even with that, we have struggled in a few areas. As the soil temperatures rise, root growth stops, and roots even shrink. Water-logged soil can exacerbate the loss of roots and what we are left with is very weak plants that are susceptible to all stressors. With short roots, we also must deal with small areas that dry out even when we recently received rain. Here is an easy way to think about it: short roots are like a short straw in a cup- there might be plenty of water further down in the cup, but the straw can’t reach it. That can be the case with the roots as well. The soil may have moisture even just an inch or so down in the profile, but short roots cannot access it. Lastly, weak plants necessitate more babying, which leads to slower green speeds. It is a fact at this time of year that greens are slower, but we have kept them smooth and true and most importantly: alive.

On the other hand, spots on collars and green surrounds are bad. The biggest contributing factor to this is the weather. We are not using the weather as an excuse, but it is undeniably the single most important factor in turf management. Very hot, humid weather is good for the Bermuda grass but not for the other turf. However, the weather is not the only cause. We made some mistakes this year with some of our cultural practices also, and we need to make some adjustments, which we will. We are not making excuses, but we will learn from this and improve for next year.

Which brings us to the ugly: we have been without one or both of our large rough mowers since early June. Both machines have had major mechanical and electrical problems and have been at the dealer for repairs. We expect both machines to be back today (Monday 7/21). We have been struggling to mow rough with any other machines that we can, but we haven’t been able to keep up. This has left us with long, inconsistent rough around the fairways and other open areas.

The summer is not over yet, and it has already been long and hard. As always, we are not throwing in the towel, but we are aware of the poor areas, and we will keep working to get things better this year and beyond.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don’t stand in one place for an extended period to practice putting. Your footprints can be worn into the green.

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

Another drainage issue

After another rainstorm this past week, a puddle formed and lingered at the drains on #16. We found another root ball, in the same pipe, about 15 feet away from the first one.

Two weeks ago we cleared a very large root ball  out of the drain pipe on #16. Water had been very slow to drain, and puddles had formed around the inlets. After some exploration and jetting with a hose, we determined something more solid was blocking the water. We found a very large mass of roots.

This is a phot of the root ball from late June

Last week there was standing water around the same inlets on #16. Again, we tried to jet the pipe with a hose, assuming the chances of another blockage that soon was unlikely. The hose was quickly blocked again though and we didn’t waste any time before starting to dig. And unbelievably, in the same pipe, within 15 feet of the first root ball, we found a second one that was just as big.

 

As similar as the photos appear, this is
a picture of the second root ball from early July

Somehow, clearing the first ball of roots cleared enough space in the pipe to give the appearance that everything was free flowing. As soon as the first one was removed, water raced down the drains. However, the next heavy rainstorm showed that to be short-lived and we were right back to square one.

Here is a picture showing the excavation 
of the second root ball. To the right, outlined in red, 
is the replaced sod from the first repair

We checked the location of the drains early in the morning after the rain and we were shocked to see how much water was still not draining. We were even more shocked to find a second root mass. Nevertheless, we think the drain is clear, for now, but who knows what will happen next!

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don’t stand in one place for an extended period to practice putting. Your footprints can be worn into the green.

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

Fairway vertical mowing

Vertical mowing of playing surfaces is a very good way to ensure the best conditions possible. We verticut greens in the spring and fall and complete the process on the Bermuda grass in the summer. This week we are starting the fairways.

Last year was the first time in several years that we were able to complete a full fairway vertical mowing program. Weak turf, new turf, or both prevented us from aggressively thinning the Bermuda grass. But the turf was ready last year, and we are in an even better position this year.

Vertical mowing cuts down into the plant and soil as opposed to cutting across the surface. For grasses like Bermuda grass which have stolons and rhizomes- which are horizontal stems that grow on or just below the surface- cutting vertically can encourage new, fresh growth. Also, by cutting and removing some of the stem tissue, it opens the canopy and revitalizes the existing turf.

Verticutting the fairways is a time consuming and aggressive procedure. We have a large acreage of fairways, and the machine is only 5 feet wide, meaning lots of passes up and down to cover all that space. The process also produces lots of debris which must be cleaned off the fairways. After the vertical mowing we will drag the fairways to knock any good soil back down to the surface, and to help break apart the stems that have been cut. Then we will blow as much loose material off the as possible. Then we mow the fairways to cut all the stragglers that are tufted up. Lastly, we will blow again to clean off the clippings from the regular mowing.

Although it will take 7-10 days for the fairways to heal from the verticutting, taking one step back leads to two steps forward. The fairways will be in better condition and better health after this work than they are prior.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don’t stand in one place for an extended period to practice putting. Your footprints can be worn into the green.

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

Shockwave

Soil compaction and drainage are two of the most important factors for growing good, healthy turfgrass. Dating all the way back to construction, we have dealt with some severe compaction issues from the earth moving equipment that performed the renovations. Especially, in some approach areas, the compaction has led to struggling turf over several years. Last week, we tested a different type of aerator to help alleviate some of the tight soils.

The machine we tried is called a Shockwave and it is a linear aerator. Instead of poking holes down into the soil vertically like a traditional aerator, the Shockwave has 12” knives that slice down into the soil and then carve a channel linearly as the machine moves forward. Working depth can be set from 4-10”. The blades are offset on the shaft so that across the machine there are always blades in the ground, and multiple blades per position so that a blade is always down in each channel creating a continuous slice. The Shockwave is very good at breaking up hard soil, and it can also help with drainage because water will follow the new channels.

It is hard to see, but this is a photo of
the knives that slice down into the soil

Since we were only testing the machine, we prioritized our most troublesome areas to work through first. We made multiple passes across every approach, with some approaches getting more attention than others. We ran the machine in several different directions, trying to break up as much compaction as possible, and we also made some angled passes from higher points to lower points to help move water more efficiently. Although the machine must be operated slowly- the company recommends .5-1 mph- it was very easy to use and left a clean, playable surface behind.

After completing the approaches, our next priority was some drainage swales on #15 fairway, a large portion of #17 fairway, and a large portion of #18 fairway. These were all areas that were heavily excavated and compacted during construction also and that give us trouble throughout the year. Finally, we did a section from about 100 yards and in to the green on #1, two small sections on #4 fairway, all along the right side of #5 fairway, everything from 200 yards and in to the green on #7 fairway, and a few very small areas on #11, 12 and 13 fairways. We finished with the machine over on the soccer field, which interestingly enough, had a few areas of soil that even the Shockwave couldn’t penetrate!

All this work was done at a depth of about 4.5-5”. It will take some time to see the full benefits of the aeration, but we did break through some hard soil, which can only help the health of the turf. As the turf continues to grow through this season, it should be able to root better and slightly deeper because of the lines we cut. This better rooting will lead to a stronger plant now and for the winter, and the stronger the plant is for winter, the better it breaks dormancy in the spring. Moving forward, if we were to purchase one of these machines, we would work on cutting deeper in some of the trouble areas, as well as slicing more acreage in total.

In the short term, there are some stolons of Bermuda grass that were cut by the knives and wilted and died, though fewer than we expected. The healthy Bermuda grass will heal in over these lines in a short time and all the scarring will disappear. There should be some immediate impacts on water movement through the sliced areas as water will find these channels and flow easier.

Even though we were only testing the machine, we were able to work through all our top priorities before our time was up. This is not a cure for all that can hurt the Bermuda grass, but if we can slowly work on reducing the factors working against the turf, the turf health will continue to improve.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

When you splash bunker sand onto the green after your shot, please brush away any large piles or clumps that may have ended up on the green.

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

Another drainage update

The weather dictates nearly every aspect of our operation: what we can and cannot accomplish, and what problems we must deal with. Due to the rain in the last couple of weeks, dealing with water issues has been our focus.

Work at #13 green

#13 green

Early on last week we dealt with two more drains that were not emptying in the best locations, just like we wrote about in the previous blog. This time, work was done at #2 green and #13 green. #2 green was very simple- the drain ended about 15 feet short of where we wanted it, so the trench was extended, and new pipe was added. #13 was slightly more complicated because the last junction box for the drain line had no exit. Water simply filled the box and overflowed out into the surrounding area. Sometimes this is ok- letting the water surface and run away is what we do when we terminate at cart path edges. However, in the case at #13 green, the overflowing water was not getting away fast enough and was turning the whole area into a wet, muddy mess. Again, we trenched in a new pipe, and this was connected into the box to provide an outlet for collecting water. #2 and #13 were relatively easy fixes and probably should have been done sooner than they were, but we finished them, nevertheless.

#13 green

Replacing the sod at #13 green

The backup of water to the left of #16 was a different story. In all the previous examples, the troublesome pipes were installed many years ago, and things changed over time, so adjustments needed to be made. The water near #16, however, was sitting over the top of drain inlets, that we helped install relatively recently, and are fully aware of where the pipes start and end. Seeing water sitting for so long directly over the top of drains was concerning. Unfortunately, with so much rain, it was difficult to decipher what was draining slowly because of sheer volume and what was moving slowly because of a problem.

The backed up water at #16

Another blocked drain at #16

Finally, once the rain stopped late last week, we were sure that some other problem existed besides too much water. Probing up into the pipe, we discovered a blockage about 25 feet up inside that was restricting flow. We excavated at that position and discovered an enormous root ball that had penetrated the pipe, exploded in size, and choked off nearly 95% of the flow through the 6” pipe. Once the root mass was removed, water rushed down the pipe, and the stagnant water above the drain inlets was gone in a matter of minutes.

The root mass that was inside a 6" pipe on #16
sitting next to a hat for size reference. 
We didn't weight it, but I would guess it weighed
at least 7 or 8 pounds!

We haven’t mowed much grass recently, which we will make up for this coming week, but we were not short of other issues to work on. We solved some issues that the excess water presented. No matter what the weather is doing, one way or another, it keeps us on our toes.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

When you splash bunker sand onto the green after your shot, please brush away any large piles or clumps that may have ended up on the green.

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

Drain extensions

Sometimes a shift in the weather is all it takes to give a new perspective on the course. In this case, May was a very wet month, and the excessive water highlighted where two drains were not working as intended. This past week we made some changes to handle water in these places in the future.

One of the most important, but also the most difficult aspect of installing drainage is locating where to daylight the pipe. Extremely long runs of pipe, surface topography, or other factors can make locating an exit point hard. Getting this wrong can lead to correcting a wet spot in one place only for the water exiting your drain to cause a new wet spot because you didn’t get the exit point located correctly, which only leads to more work. This was the case with the two drains we worked on last week, one on #9 and the other on #12.

Both drains have been operating correctly- water has been removed from the surface and flowed in the pipe as intended. Unfortunately, the exit point has become a secondary wet spot and causes us some issues with mowing. In both cases, most of the time there are no issues with the location of the drains. The water weeps out at the end and soaks into the surrounding soil. However, when the surrounding soil is saturated from rain and the water keeps seeping out of the drain also, then the water can’t percolate down, and it becomes a sloppy mess. We can’t mow the section that is too wet, or if we accidentally do, or if a cart drives through, we get ruts and destroyed turf.

So, the best solution that we have in most cases is to extend the drainpipe to a better termination point. Sometimes that might be to another drain, maybe to a point much further away and less in play, or in some cases, right to the cart path where the water can wash onto the path. For the drain on #9, we chose this last option: extending right up to the cart path. The drain still bleeds out onto the surface, but now it is onto a hard surface that can be driven on by carts and machines.

 

It turns out we were so busy with many different tasks, 
that we did not take any pictures during the project! Here is
a quick shot of the completed work on #9.

The drain on #12 was slightly different. We didn’t have a cart path nearby enough to get to and there was no additional drain into which we could empty. Instead, we extended this drain far enough so that it no longer impacts our mowing pattern and should be far enough away that most if not all carts will no longer drive through the exit point.

This is not the first time we have extended drains in this fashion. Just last year we extended a drain near #5 green and in the past we moved a drain at #13 green. The process is relatively simple, and we can easily finish in a day. Most of these drains are not very deep, so once we determine a new ending point, we hand dig a new trench to there, expose the old pipe, connect the new pipe, and backfill. In most cases we aren’t moving the drain further than about 20 feet, sometimes much less, so progress is made quickly.

Controlling and removing water is one of the most important aspects of turf management. Wet ground is not good for playing golf or managing grass. Sometimes getting the water just a little bit farther away can make all the difference.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

When you splash bunker sand onto the green after your shot, please brush away any large piles or clumps that may have ended up on the green.

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

Slow progress on storm cleanup

As summer approaches, we are at our busiest time of year. Every species of grass is growing at or near its full potential and must be cut regularly. All our regular, secondary tasks must be completed as well. This is why certain jobs, like cleaning up from the most recent storms, can take us longer to accomplish. We expect to finish the last of the cleanup and repair work this week.

The most recent storm was just over two weeks ago now, and we still haven’t finished the cleaning yet. A full tree remains down on #18, logs are still left on the driving range, and a few stump holes haven’t been repaired fully. There a couple reason behind why some of this is not accomplished yet. First, and most important, in certain circumstances, we don’t have the proper tools to manage larger tree cleanup like what has occurred in the recent storms. Large chainsaws, chippers, log trucks, etc. are not part of our fleet. We could cobble together the necessary machines if we had to, but it would take time and money. Contracting with a tree removal company is most efficient, even if it means that the debris lays longer than we would like.

Secondly, the time it would take for our staff to accomplish these tasks would be too great and would be at the expense of other jobs. Nearly all our labor would be consumed with just tree removal work and most other things on the course would not be done. Whereas the tree company labor is dedicated to the cleanup process. Mowing, changing cups, raking bunkers, among other things would be skipped. This would lead to a very poor experience for several days. At this time of year, using most of our staff on one single job would leave too much else unfinished.

Even jobs that are manageable for the Grounds staff can take longer for us to get to, and finish, because of the same time constraints. Often, these cleanup tasks are after all the typical course preparation for the day is complete. The average time for morning setup and mowing jobs is 4 hours. Even then, not the entire staff is ready or available to help after that, so things can take longer. Last week, we were able to get several old stump holes sodded and we will finish up the rest of those this week.

When you see a tree or logs left on the ground for extra time after a storm, it is not because we don’t know or don’t care. It might not make sense for us to do the work with our tools, or because our time is spent on other work. We appreciate your patience as we continue to get things back to normal.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

When you splash bunker sand onto the green after your shot, please brush away any large piles or clumps that may have ended up on the green.

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

Rough growth

It has been a while since we have discussed issues with the grounds being too wet. We were in a drought of some degree most of the last 3 years, even despite the more normal amounts of snowfall this past winter. However, May, and leading right into June, provided above normal precipitation. Keeping up on maintenance becomes an issue when the ground is wet.

May will end up being just about double the normal precipitation for the month, with the majority falling in the last two and half weeks. When the ground gets saturated, the first thing we fall behind on is mowing. We scrape by mowing the essentials with push mowers, but putting large, heavy machines out on the course causes more harm than good. But the grass doesn’t stop growing and wait for us to catch up, which leads to massive amounts of grass clippings.

Once we hit a stretch of weather dry enough to mow again, we try and catch up as much as possible. Greens, tees, fairways, and approaches are not as difficult to get a handle on again. We manage the growth of the turf on those surfaces and that helps to keep the clippings at a manageable level. Also, on greens, tees, and approaches we can collect clippings in baskets, so they aren’t left clumping in play. But our biggest hurdle comes with catching back up on rough height grass.

Green and tee surrounds, along with the general rough around the property is only mowed by large machines and we can’t collect the clippings. The result is grass clipping debris everywhere. We work to balance our mowing frequency to decrease clipping volume but not create too much wear and tear on the turf. We also use blowers to disperse the clippings once they have had a chance to dry. If we can get 2-3 regularly scheduled cuts on the grass, we can catch up and get things back in shape. Squeezing in between storms is the challenge because it takes a day or two after a storm for the ground to dry and lately there has only been a day or two before the next storm.

Cutting as much grass as we have been lately negatively impacts playability with clippings as well as increasing the hours on our machines. Please be patient with us as we work to get the rough back under control as quickly as possible

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

When you splash bunker sand onto the green after your shot, please brush away any large piles or clumps that may have ended up on the green.

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

Steve McDonald site visit

Sometimes a fresh set of eyes can help see problems in a new light and offer new or better solutions. Last week, we had a regional turfgrass consultant out for site visit for exactly this reason: to bounce questions off and get some helpful tips.

Steve McDonald has been doing course visits in the Mid-Atlantic region for many years. He has a keen eye for all things turf and playability related. He sees golf courses across the area encompassing the entire spectrum of facility types from high-end clubs to smaller, daily fee courses. With this background and knowledge, we invited Steve out to discuss some of our problem areas.

Topics included the damaged Bermuda grass on #1 tee, and several approaches, and what some of the factors are that are causing the poor turf. We wanted Steve’s opinion on our pre-emergent weed control program in the Bermuda grass and improvements to make to keep Poa annua out. Luckily, we are not having any issues with greens, so we only briefly talked about the putting surfaces. For the full report and information, please see the link below to Steve’s report:

 

Bretton Woods Agro notes May 2025

 

We are happy with how the course has progressed through the spring, but having a veteran of the turfgrass industry visit is still a good opportunity. Gaining insight into some of our trouble areas and learning new strategies is always helpful and Steve’s visit provided just that.

Happy Memorial Day

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

After filling your divot with sand, either on a tee or fairway, please smooth the sand pile out so our mowers don’t cut through the sand.

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

Another severe storm

As we get into the growing season, it also signals the start of the severe weather season. Last Friday afternoon, we were hit by a glancing blow from a severe thunderstorm cell, causing quite a bit of damage.

Thunderstorms are very hit and miss- for several years it seemed as though we would miss most if not all of them, and the ones that did cross the property were tame compared to their potential. Suddenly that has changed over the last two years. Towards the end of July 2024 we were hit by a very strong storm that toppled many trees, scattered debris across the property and forced a center-wide closure for 2 days. Now, Mother Nature has struck again: a strong storm swept through las Friday.

About 20 trees were taken out and many more branches and smaller sticks were strewn across the ground. We did receive rain with the storm, but bunkers did not wash out. Power was knocked out to the lower end of the property- tennis, grounds, and the irrigation pump house- for 18 hours. This power outage also caused the tennis bubble to deflate and remain closed for an extended period of time.

Luckily, this storm was not as intense as the storm we endured last summer. Fewer trees in total were lost, and many more that were knocked down this time were in the native areas and much less impactful to golf. The storm on Friday was also much smaller and more focused: hardly a stick could be found on holes 4-9, while several trees fell on the driving range, 17, 18, and tennis, while the 2024 storm left debris and downed trees from one end of the property to the other.

Cleanup started immediately, and the golf course was able to remain open throughout. With the help of our tree contractor, we will have most of the cleanup done within a few days. We will leave some of the peripheral debris for a later time- whether that is later in the season or even possibly the offseason, depending on our priorities elsewhere.

One quick storm, moving through in minutes, can cause damage that lasts for days or weeks. This recent storm hit us earlier in the severe weather season compared to last year, which hopefully isn’t a sign of things to come. Cleanup will take time, and hopefully we don’t take another direct hit before our work is completed.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

After filling your divot with sand, either on a tee or fairway, please smooth the sand pile out so our mowers don’t cut through the sand.

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

Bermuda grass sod

Bermuda grass is always the topic of spring. The greens and rough are usually at their best, but the Bermuda grass is still figuring itself out after the winter. We have written about our work on the Bermuda grass recently, and now another follow up blog discussing the sod work we just completed.

After completing the compost, we finished our last major step of Bermuda grass work last week: sod. Unfortunately, some of the areas are repeat offenders in terms of winter damage. We will be discussing this topic specifically with a regional agronomist this week, and we have a few ideas for improvements to make. But in the short term, these areas still need to be repaired. In total, we ordered 5 pallets of sod, or 2500 square feet. When compared to the 45 acres of Bermuda grass that is managed across the property, this amounts to .1% of the Bermuda grass that needed to be repaired- overall not too bad.

The sod process is very straightforward; we remove the old sod, aerate the area to encourage rooting, spread some compost and incorporate into the native soil, and then lay the new sod. Once the new sod is down, we fertilize and water it. Even though we have been in a stretch of wet weather, we don’t want the new sod to be deprived of anything essential for growth in order to maximize its chances of survival.

After the sod is watered, we will be patient and let it grow for 10-14 days. Once it has rooted down, we will roll and topdress it with sand and prepare it to be mowed like the existing turf. After a few more weeks of slowly working it into our regular mowing schedule, the new grass will be harder and harder to differentiate from the old grass.

Because Bermuda grass is not ideally suited for our region, it can be damaged in the winter. Laying some new sod is part of the spring preparation for the season regardless of the winter weather. We expect to make some repairs, and luckily, this year it was minor.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

After filling your divot with sand, either on a tee or fairway, please smooth the sand pile out so our mowers don’t cut through the sand.

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

Weed control

After the very dry fall we had to end 2024, we were left with some voids, mostly in the rough height turf. Nothing is more opportunistic than broadleaf weeds and they took advantage of the thin turf. We will be out in the next couple of weeks aggressively spraying to control those weeds and give the advantage back to the turfgrass.

Last fall was very dry. Despite our best efforts using the irrigation system, there is no substitute for rain. Most areas that are well covered by the irrigation survived the drought well, but areas outside the sprinklers or where coverage is less consistent, especially in the rough, suffered greatly. As the grass continued to dry down and die in some instances, this left gaps in the turf canopy and at precisely the time that our preemergent weed control from the spring was wearing off. Clover, chickweed, and other broadleaf weeds seized the opportunity to take hold in the newly created open spots in the grass.

We do not control all the weeds on the property. The acreage is too great and there really is no need to use that volume of herbicides. Even in years when the turf cover stays strong through the fall, weeds can still make their way in from the periphery through natural seeding and plant movement. So, spring weeds are not new, but there is a slightly higher amount than normal this year.

Aiming to keep a weed-free playing corridor, we treat about 40 feet around all greens, tees, and fairways with post-emergent herbicides. Green and tee surrounds are spot sprayed, while fairway surrounds are sprayed in full due to the larger area as well as greater penchant for weeds. Treating in this way keeps the most in-play areas clean.

Weeds are a natural part of the golf course- the most common definition of a weed is “a plant out of place”- which allows for many types of plants to at some point be considered a weed. For us, broadleaf weed control is a measured approach, working to keep the areas most in-play as clean as possible.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

After filling your divot with sand, either on a tee or fairway, please smooth the sand pile out so our mowers don’t cut through the sand.

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

Next moves for the Bermuda grass

Mid to late spring is the time the Bermuda grass transition hits the accelerator. Green-up is in full swing and our regular maintenance begins. Several cultural practices also start in this same window of time.

Right now, the Bermuda grass is looking good. It slumped after the extremely cold morning of April 8^th but has rebounded nicely. Air and soil temperatures are steadily climbing. With the Bermuda grass in a strong position, it is time to initiate the cultural practices that we employ to kick the Bermuda grass growth into high gear

We have written about the benefits of compost on the Bermuda grass before- here and here. Compost has proven to be a good tool for us. Even though there are a few downsides- picking up larger chunks and sometimes trash- the pluses outweigh the minuses. We have also worked diligently on improving our compost program: changing material when needed, adjusting our application process, and even altering our equipment to better deliver the material. So, this week we are making another application, and with a few more adjustments from last year to this year, we expect the process to go smoothly.

Once the dust settles from the compost application (pun intended!), we will evaluate whether or not the Bermuda grass needs to be sliced. Slicing is a less aggressive approach to creating more growth in the Bermuda grass. We do not slice every year; several years ago, we had too much winter damage and slicing would have been counterproductive. This year the Bermuda grass is looking strong enough that it may not need the extra encouragement to grow that the slicing provides. We may skip right past that step and save the turf the added stress.

The final piece to the puzzle of finalizing the Bermuda grass for the season is sod work. Because the Bermuda grass does start to quickly green up at this time, we are able to locate areas that are struggling. We identify these areas early on, then monitor for changes, and if they lag far enough behind, we tag them for sod. Sometimes, there is significant sod work to be done- like in 2018- and other years, including this year, the damage is very minimal and very little sod work is needed. Nevertheless, we do have some areas we will be fixing as soon as the sod is available from our sod source.

We have experienced very different winters over the last two years, milder and dry and cold and wet/snowy. The Bermuda grass has emerged strong out of both scenarios which is encouraging. Our program seems to be working. These cultural practices over the next couple of weeks are part of that program and we feel they are crucial to keep the Bermuda grass as healthy as possible.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not hit into the Grounds department staff because it is dangerous. Please be sure that we see you before hitting your shot.

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

More new trees

Spring is the season for planting. Many years in a row now, we have planted new trees across the property, and the program continued this year. The new trees were planted last week.

We have a strong tree planting and maintenance program. Every year we work on maintaining the trees we have- cleaning, raising, and removing dead trees as necessary. We also plant new trees yearly, adding more species variety to the property as well as planting in proper locations so as not to interfere with the turf.

This year we added 8 new trees: 1 Japanese snowbell between 1 tee and 18 fairway. 2 Sweet Bay magnolias between 12 and 13 fairways. 3 red maples to the right of 17 fairway. And 2 sugar maples along the entrance road. Unfortunately, 4 of these new trees were replacements for trees that had just been planted in the last few years. Even though last year was not their first year in the ground at Bretton Woods, we believe the drought, coupled with the cold, was too much for them to handle. Nevertheless, we expect the newest trees to perform well, just as most other new trees have over that same time period.

The maple to the left is a replacement. The one to the right
was newly added to complete the line of trees.

The replacement trees were the snowbell, the 2 magnolias, and 1 of the 2 new trees along the entrance. Each was placed back in the original location, fitting back in with the original design, or in the grove of other similar trees.

The trees on the right side of 17 are a slightly different circumstance. In the past, there was a very large silver maple in a very similar location. However, over the last few years, the silver maple had declined rapidly. One season we cleaned out the dead wood and tried to reinvigorate it, but to no avail. Last year, it deteriorated even further and was in danger of dropping more dead wood. Along with its ailments, it also caused too much shade on the Bermuda grass fairway below. It had never been in a good position, and we even shifted the fairway away from its shadow some. Finally, we had no other option but to remove it. Once we removed the silver maple, it was clear from speaking with the Golf Committee, that a tree nearby would be important.

That is where the 3 new red maples come in: they were planted to replace the one silver maple. Although the new trees are not quite as close to the fairway, they are in a similar enough position to still add some strategic interest. They are also the same species- red maple- as 3 other trees along the same stretch to the right of 17 fairway. Now there is a nice grove of trees to provide some difficulty to shots lost to the right.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not hit into the Grounds department staff because it is dangerous. Please be sure that we see you before hitting your shot.

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

Bermuda grass weed control

Weeds in any grass can be unsightly. But weeds in dormant Bermuda grass are worst of all. This year’s weeds came on really late in the season, which has forced us to adjust our immediate weed control plan as well as change plans for other seasons moving forward.

Because the Bermuda grass is dormant, it is not competing against any weed that invades its space. Bright green weeds in the brown fairways stick out like a sore thumb. And once the weeds take hold, they can be hard to control. Even when the Bermuda grass starts to grow, it has a lot of catching up to. We employ several tactics, spread throughout the season to combat weeds, but timing and weather factors can tie our hands sometimes. In addition to short-term weather- mainly rain and wind- longer term factors are increasingly forcing us to change our strategies as well.

This year especially, the Bermuda grass was overwhelmingly weed free through early March. Within the last 10 years, we have seen a seasonal shift of the weather and this year we were caught. Normally we would make a post-emergent, non-selective herbicide application to kill weeds in the Bermuda grass while it was still dormant. Typically, this application would be made in January or February. This year we did not feel there were enough weeds to warrant the application. But the weeds came on late. And by that point, the Bermuda grass was breaking dormancy, and we missed the window for a non-selective application. We have more options, but unfortunately what has happened is now the weeds have matured, and the fairways look their worst. One of those other options is a selective herbicide that does not injure the Bermuda grass. Starting tomorrow we will be making this application and killing the weeds in the turf.

It will take some time for the weeds to die, but as the weeds slowly die, the Bermuda grass will slowly get stronger and stronger and mask the weeds more and more. There is a transition period that is less than ideal because the weeds are so visible. But this year’s situation has forced us to reexamine our schedule and timing of applications for weed control and start to develop a new plan. We have already outlined a new program and will be discussing it with our regional weed scientists and agronomists.

Nothing works out perfectly every time. The same program that has worked in past years looks as though it needs to be tweaked. We have largely controlled weeds well this year, but the barrier ran out at a different time than we expected. We will make the adjustments and be better in the future.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not hit into the Grounds department staff because it is dangerous. Please be sure that we see you before hitting your shot.

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