Upgraded driving range tee planters

Planters and flowers help to break up a space and add some beauty. Such is the case at the driving range tee, where new planters were recently placed to improve the aesthetics.

We previously had planters up at the driving range tee. They were plastic and performed quite well. Unfortunately, being in a location where golf balls and golf clubs are constantly flying around, the planters were also easily broken. Several of them had chunks taken out. When we replaced the driving range mat, we also purchased new planters and they were installed last week.

The new planters are made of recycled plastic and will handle not only the elements, but also the occasional errant ball or club. These boxes are also larger than the previous ones and fill the open space better. Like other locations around the clubhouse, we planted lantana in the planters at the driving range.

Although it is a small touch, the flowers at the driving range are nice. After upgrading the mat, having new planters also helps to complete the space.

 

 

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

Tree planting recap

Many years in a row we have been planting new trees on the property. Although trees have fallen in storms, or we have removed trees for other reasons, we are still significantly net positive in our tree population. This year’s batch of trees were just planted last week. Our top priority areas to address this year were: between 12 and 13 fairways; between 1 and 10 fairways, and between 1 tee and 18 fairway.

The area between 12 and 13 had lost several trees over many years. We developed a plan to replace most of those trees lost, but with some new species as well as placement that was better suited to the health of the Bermuda grass. In order to plant as many trees as we felt necessary, we split this particular area into a two year project. Last year we planted 5 trees in this spot and this year was another 5 trees. The trees include: 2 Sugar maples, 2 Sweet bay magnolias, and 1 American beech.

In the space between 1 fairway and 10 fairway there were two dead pine trees that we removed this past winter creating a much larger void than before. Cautious to avoid creating too much shade we opted for smaller, minimal shade producing trees. However, we were still able to plant 4 trees in the space. These trees include: 3 Crape myrtles (that will help complement the crape myrtle that is already in place between the fairway bunkers of 1 and 10), and 1 Dawn redwood (which ties in nicely with the 3 Dawn redwood we planted on the other side of 10 fairway last year).

Finally, between 1 tee and 18 fairway was another open area that had been populated by pine trees as well. The pine trees were causing shade issues on the Bermuda grass as well as fading in health. In place of the pines, this year we planted 3 Japanese snowbell. This is a new species to the property and will add some great interest with their flowers.

Being able to add new varieties of trees is wonderful for the property. Being able to place the new trees in spots that add interest when playing the course but do not adversely affect the Bermuda grass is great too.

 

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

Next step for the Bermuda grass

Update: After this post was already written, and posted, we decided to delay the slicing process by 1 week. As always, the weather plays a huge role in what we do or don’t do, and the temperatures for this week don’t look as good as we would like, including an overnight low near 40. This is not conducive to Bermuda grass growth, so we decided to wait. The information below is still relevant, the work will just be done next week instead.

We finally had a full complement of good Bermuda grass weather- a warm day AND warm overnight. It was only one day, but it made a difference. The Bermuda grass is trending in the right direction now and we are on to the next step of our program: slicing. We will be working on slicing the fairways and approaches this week.

For several years now we have been using our large slit-seeder as a slicing tool for the Bermuda grass. We empty the hopper of any seed because we are only interested in the discs. Bermuda grass has growing points all along its roots, rhizomes, and stolons. If those structures are cut anywhere along their length, they can root and grow a new plant- like a sprig. However, for us, we aren’t purchasing sprigs, we are simply taking one existing plant, cutting it, and getting two plants. This process can help to fill in weak areas, as well as increase the overall density of any area because it creates two growing points and a new plant that will start to move laterally.

We have settled into this routine of slicing early in the season for one main reason. The Bermuda grass is always weak coming out of winter. Granted, some springs are stronger than others, but overall, the weakest time for the Bermuda grass is spring. So instead of being more aggressive and truly vertical mowing the Bermuda grass- which digs down into the canopy, cuts the growing tissue and removes excess organic material and thatch- we still perform the cutting part but not the material removal part. Especially in weaker than normal areas, vertical mowing can take out too much material, including ripping out the small amount of grass that may be trying to survive.

Slicing is a less stressful practice for the grass but still provides the benefit of cutting and encouraging new growth. It gives the Bermuda grass a nudge towards new growth, without hindering the weakest areas too much.

 

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

Compost for the Bermuda grass

This week we will be making a compost application to the Bermuda grass. We are still working on managing the recovery of the fairways and the compost is part of the plan. We have been making compost applications for many years, including several spring applications.

Just like for other plants, if the soil is healthy, the Bermuda grass will be healthy. The compost helps build healthy soil on the course by feeding the microbial population. The microbes break down the organic material in the soil and release nutrients back into the profile. Adding compost also improves soil structure. Compost can aid in relieving compacted soils and help create a loamier soil. This in turn creates more pore space for air and water. Having more pore space allows for the exchange of oxygen, but also in water management. Water is more easily able to infiltrate and move through the soil.

A secondary benefit of the compost application is related to the material itself. Not only is the compost warm, but it is also very dark in color. The dark color warms up quickly in the sun and can raise the canopy temperature as well as raising the temperature of the soil surface. At this point in the season, any added warmth is a boost to the Bermuda grass.

Though we are still struggling with winter kill related to water and shade, the program we have established for the health of the Bermuda grass is working. Areas that have adequate drainage and light are off to a great start this season. Compost applications are part of that program, and we will continue the process.

 

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

Current state of the Bermuda grass

We continue to manage the recovery of the Bermuda grass from winter damage. As much as we want everything to be perfect immediately, we still must wait for the conditions to be right.

We did suffer winter kill on the Bermuda grass, almost certainly from the 2-week period from the middle of December thru the end of the year. Most of the winter was relatively mild, but damage can be done in a short time.

The most common factors for winter kill on Bermuda grass are excess moisture and cold temperatures: in this period of time in December we received nearly 5” of rain combined with average overnight lows of 21 degrees, including several nights of single digits. The rain that fell did not have time to soak in or sufficiently move off some Bermuda grass surfaces. You can still see the evidence of this on the course- low lying areas, areas near drains, and areas where the water flowed across the grass are the most damaged areas. With all this moisture in place, the temperatures plummeted and stayed cold for a couple of weeks.

Luckily, the vast majority of the Bermuda grass is healthy, though all our focus will be on the deficient areas. At the time of posting, we still have not had true Bermuda grass growing weather yet. Overnights have still been very cool, including a few frosts. Although daytime temperatures have been comfortable, they have not been great for the fairways. This means that the best weather is still to come and natural recovery will occur.

This is an example of a place where
the water ran across the Bermuda grass. We even
installed a drain in this exact location last fall, but
there was too much water and temperatures were too cold, and the water
could not move off fast enough.

From our perspective, we are also prepared with additional fertilizer for all the bad areas. Once the weather is conducive to Bermuda grass growth, we will apply fertilizer weekly to encourage rapid recovery. We also have our annual spring compost application upcoming, likely starting the week of the 8^th. This will also aid in healing. Next, we will slice the Bermuda grass, severing the growing points of the tissue and encouraging new growth at each cut. Lastly, some areas will take too long to recover on their own and will need to be sodded. We have already contacted our sod supplier to order new grass. However, the sod supplier’s Bermuda grass is also still recovering from the winter and is still too immature and weak to be harvested, so there is no timetable yet on when sod will arrive.

Unfortunately, there is no perfect grass for our region. Bermuda grass is our best option and provides many benefits to Bretton Woods. But Bermuda grass also comes with drawbacks and dealing with issues leftover from winter is one of them.

 

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