Native area update

Our second native area mowing of the season occurs in August, and we just wrapped it up last week. The new areas that we marked earlier in the summer are slowly maturing and will be ready for a cut in December. We are also working on getting red stakes out to mark all the native areas.

Our regular mowing schedule for the native areas is May, August, and December. The cut in May helps to give the grass a jump start for the season and trimming back any weeds that are infiltrating as well. The August mowing is a good reset after a long summer of growth. Some of the grasses are at their tallest and thickest of the season and it helps to keep them from getting laid over and too unsightly.

The new areas that we established earlier in June are not quite ready for a cut yet. Most of them are still wispy, thin, and uneven. A few more months of growth and we will give them a trim. At that point they will much more closely match the existing native areas. The density will continue to improve, weeds will be managed, and soon it will be hard to distinguish old from new.

All our native areas are also marked as penalty areas with red stakes. The old areas in some cases had overgrown the stakes and made them difficult to see. We paid special attention this time around to getting the stakes set out, trimming the edges of each native area to prevent further encroachment out into the general rough, and reestablishing an edge for the stakes to be placed. We also finally received our order of more stakes (ordered in June- delivered in August!) to be placed around all the new native areas. This will ensure that all the course is marked appropriately and consistently.

Slowly the new areas are filling in nicely. We mowed the old areas, and the new ones will be ready to cut soon. In a short time, it will be like they have always been there.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

In addition to repairing your own ball mark on every green, please repair at least one other as well.

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