Monday, April 28, 2025

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 8th 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

Monday, April 21, 2025

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

Monday, April 14, 2025

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

Monday, April 7, 2025

New clubhouse patio

Temperatures have finally been conducive to regular outside activities, including sitting out on the patio. As more people come out to the club this spring, everyone will see the new patio that was added this year.

The club is busier than ever, across all areas of the property. The original patio has been one of the best improvements over the last several years and it might be surprising to know that it has been 9 years since it was built. In that time, it has been nonstop busy- outings, weddings, member socials, and regular dining and free space. The patio has been so popular that it was becoming crowded.



This year we added a second, smaller patio, adjacent to the first. This new patio will serve as additional space for any occasion but will also be very handy when the main patio must be set for dining, but space is still needed for a bar, grill, or other large items. Freeing up space on the main patio will help to accommodate larger events, without sacrificing outside service.


Construction of the patio was completed a couple of weeks ago, but with several other projects underway, the Grounds department was just able to provide the finishing touches to the patio last week. We cut out the old sod, graded the soil to make a gentle slope coming away from the edges, and laid fresh sod. Now the new patio is ready for service.



Adding new amenities to the property is exciting and providing the finishing touches to projects is rewarding. We are ready to see how everyone enjoys the new patio.

 

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