Recovery efforts

Cooler temperatures finally arrived in August and September, so recovery efforts can finally commence. And we took full advantage over the last couple of weeks laying sod and sowing seed.

Although the season is not over, we have crested the toughest stretch and can start to assess how difficult of a summer 2025 was. May and July were both 5+ inches of rain over normal; the summer was warmer than normal overall throughout, but June had a stretch of extreme heat like we haven’t seen in several years; although August was cooler than normal, it was also abnormally dry. So, throughout the summer we had excessive rain, excessive heat, and drought. Our agronomic consultant placed 2025 as a top 3 hardest summer over the last 20 years, and we would agree.

So, after a summer like that, some turf loss is inevitable. No excuses- we could have made some different decisions- and we will learn from that. Nevertheless, repairing the damaged turf is vital.

-          Greens performed above average across the board. They handled all the weather extremes very well. The lone exception is a small area on the back of #16 green. Some of the stress placed on this particular location is self-inflicted and we have already made some corrections to limit the damage that we cause. We have also seeded this location, and the new seedlings have germinated, emerged, and started to grow vigorously. We should see full recovery here.

-          Collars performed below average this year. We will make some changes to our programs in this situation also. But right now, the focus is healing, and all the collars have been seeded as well. Like the patch on 16 green, the new seed on the collars is off to a great start. Also, larger areas of damage will be replaced with new sod very soon.

-          Green surround rough was another area of the property that had a tough summer. The repair of this rough is more nuanced than the greens or collars. We sodded out some of the worst areas immediately. That sod is rooted and ready for regular play. Golfers will still notice areas that are thin around the greens though. Those were areas that we deemed still viable enough to recover from natural growth and then supplement with seed later in the fall. There are two factors dictating why we are waiting on getting seed in the ground in the rough. First, we apply a pre-emergent herbicide in the spring to prevent summer annual weeds- namely crabgrass and goosegrass. This herbicide does a great job as evidenced by the lack of these weeds. But the herbicide will also prevent any new plant from emerging, including our new seed. It takes about 4 months for that herbicide to break down in the soil enough to finally allow new plants, so we must wait for that window to open. The second factor for the delay is that the seeding process is disruptive. There tends to be some collateral damage, the 1 step back for 2 steps forward idea. We use a large slit-seeder, and it does a great job, but it is aggressive. Some healthy grass will be cut and die. Sometimes some healthy turf will be ripped out of the ground and must be repaired. And sometimes the tractor tires can tear some grass also. All of this is manageable, and we have improved our ability to lessen the impact, but doing all this right before the Match Play Championship is unwise. The course is starting to heal itself with the shift in weather, so we are trying not to make it worse right now. The seeding will take place, but just later in the fall.

We want the course back to healthy as much as anyone. But making it happen can take some patience. Weather must cooperate, seedlings take time to mature, and other conditions must be met, but we are on the right track and have a plan to improve moving forward.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not climb up the steep face of the bunkers.

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

New family tee plaques

We have had the family tee plaques  on the course for many years. These are tee markers specifically designed for young and/or beginner golfers. Last week, we put out an updated version of the family tee plaques.

The new family tee design

The family tees are very forward tees that were designed for people just learning golf. The original plaques that we placed on the course were made by the PGA of America as an introductory program for new golfers. There are two sets of markers- gold and blue, with gold being slightly further back than blue. When we originally placed the markers, the PGA of America provided specific yardages based on player ability, and we placed our plaques accordingly. Out on the course, there is a plaque glued to the cart path with another plaque in the fairway or small tee box on par 3’s from where golfers hit. The system is actually very good for new golfers, and we do see a fair number of people using these markers.

Over the years that they have been out on the course, some markers have been broken, or they unstick from the cart path and are lost. Several years ago, we were able to purchase a few new ones each season for replacement. But, like so many things, the original family tee plaques are not being produced any more. Searching online did not yield any options either. Because the concept is solid and the family tees are utilized, scrapping the program was not considered. Instead, we worked with one of our tee marker vendors to design a simple, custom design of new plaques.

An example of the raised pyramid on
the cart path

During the design process, we also took the opportunity to make a few adjustments. As mentioned, there is a corresponding plaque glued to the cart path to help in locating the actual family teeing ground. However, these plaques are small, and very flat, which makes them very difficult to see on the cart paths. So, this time around, we opted for a raised pyramid on the cart paths that are much easier to spot.

Last week we put the new plaques out on holes 1-5. Since this was a mid-season, somewhat unplanned upgrade, we are making the transition slowly. The goal will be to swap out more next year, but how many we change is still to be determined.

We hope that golfers continue to use the family tees. And we hope that everyone enjoys the new upgraded plaques and pyramids.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not climb up the steep face of the bunkers.

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