Pool work

The temperature swings of the Mid-Atlantic continue. Last week we had a morning that dropped to 27 degrees (and walloped the Bermuda grass) and this week we will have multiple days reach 90+. Despite those ups and downs, our recent labor has been spent at the pool facility. In no time, Memorial Day will be here, and the pool needs to be ready.

Even though we are well over a month away from opening the pool, because it isn’t touched all winter, there is a lot of cleanup to do. Over the winter leaves, sticks, and other debris accumulates. Before we can do anything else, all of that must be cleaned up first. The second step in our process, and main reason that we start weeks before opening day, is to replace several thousand square feet of sod that doesn’t survive the summer. This timing also works well with balancing labor between the golf course and pool. The pool work takes nearly our entire staff to accomplish, but we are still just early enough in the season to be able to send the manpower up to the pool and not allow anything to suffer on the course.

Between long stretches without rain, no irrigation, and tremendous amounts of pool patron traffic, some grass areas at the pool are decimated by the end of summer. So, each spring, we replace those specific areas with new sod. Removing the old sod and laying new sod doesn’t take too long, and we have our routine down pat, but we’ve learned over time that the earlier in the season we can lay the new grass, the better it survives the summer. Allowing the grass to establish a strong root system and acclimate to its new environment prepares the turf to better withstand the stress of summer. Early April fits in our schedule and is a good window for laying the sod at the pool, so it has been our program for several years now.

Our initial cleanup process is complete, and we will start laying new grass this week. This first shot of summer heat does not like it will last too long so the sod will be fine. We will finish the sod work quickly and be ready to focus back on the golf course as the Bermuda grass starts to kick into gear.

Maintaining the pool grounds is a good challenge, another piece of the large Bretton Woods campus that we manage. Timing the work correctly is key, and we have found that now is the best time to get this work done.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please keep carts on cart paths for the entirety of par 3 holes.

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