Winter projects

Dogwoods blossoming on #11

Daffodils have emerged, trees are blossoming, and the Bermuda grass has not gone completely dormant yet. Without a doubt, late fall and early winter have gotten off to a mild start. Warmer than normal temperatures and the absence of snow have also allowed the Grounds department to maximize our time outside, and have put us ahead of schedule on our winter projects.

Bermuda grass divot recovering

Following up on a previous post, the seeding we did in the rough could not have had better weather to establish. You can read the original post here. This fall helped the seedlings take hold and really encroach on the Bermuda grass that has escaped into the rough. We have seen solid germination in all the areas we treated, and the late warmth allowed more growth heading into the heart of winter than we expected. We are excited about this going forward and expect to increase the square footage seeded next fall.

Seed lines in the rough

The warm end to the fall permitted us to continue our bunker edge re-sodding project much later into the year than we had anticipated. We were able to finish the bunkers on holes 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 all by the second week of December. Now, we only have #8 left to complete in the spring and we will be done with all of the holes that were renovated many years ago.

We also mowed down all of the tall grass native areas on the property. This is a regular maintenance strategy to help with weed control as well as the overall health of the native area. This past season we tried several different strategies to minimize weeds and maintain more aesthetically pleasing native areas, but we were not as successful as we had hoped. This year we again have several strategies in mind and hope to show more progress.

Cart path edge before work began

We were also able to adjust the throw and replace the nozzles of all of the sprinklers that water around the greens. This was another step in our effort to manage, minimize, and eventually end the turf loss that occurs around the greens. The adjustments we made will ensure that all areas will get water, and the new nozzles will help to deliver that water more accurately and efficiently.

We completed our course-wide cart path edging project at the end of December. We have a specialized edger that is designed for asphalt and we spent two weeks working our way around the facility. Edging was the easy part. What was time consuming was the cleanup. In some areas we cut the over-grown sod back 6 inches or more. This amounted to a lot of material that needed to be picked up. Once, we were finished, though, the clean-cut look was worth the effort.

After edging, prior to cleanup

Prior to cleanup

After cleanup

After cleanup; notice the dirt-stained asphalt indicating where sod previously extended

Final product

Continuing last year’s tree trimming efforts, which completed the clubhouse parking lot and holes 1-9, we trimmed from River Road to the clubhouse, and holes 10-18. The cutting portion of the project was finished up last week and cleanup is about ¼ finished. Similar to last year, this work was done to improve turf conditions, improve playability around trees, improve our ability to mow under trees, improve the aesthetics of the trees, and improve tree health by removing dead limbs.

Trees down the right side of #18 prior to trimming. The pines in front of the tee have only 4-5' clearance above the ground

Now there is 10-12' clearance 

Both the cart path edging and tree trimming were winter-long goals. Having one project complete and the other nearing completion, will allow us to tackle even more this winter. As we do every year, we will repaint and repair our ball washers, tee markers, and other course supplies. We will also spend a significant amount of time cleaning around our shop and disposing of any unnecessary items.

There is never a shortage of things to do on our list, so it is great when we get the opportunity to finish some things earlier than expected; it makes it possible to get to some things that are further down the list! And Mother Nature probably still has snow removal to add to our list before winter is over!

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not let the flag drop on the green when removing it to putt. This can cause damage to the turf and/or the flagstick. Please lay the flag down gently on the turf.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org