course update

This has been a crazy week, hopefully starting today things will get a little better. Lots of problems but we always seem to get it done and move forward.  Anyway, with so many different things going on I guess we have to have a few things go wrong to keep me on my toes.

 Monday we started to slit seed some of the stressed areas in the fairways.  We will complete most of the areas today.  Moving forward next spring we continue to add seed into more areas, hopefully the strong will survive.  I also continue to lightly verticut the fairways to remove excess organic matter and encourage lateral growth.  We have already completed all the fairways 2 times and planning on 1 more time this fall.  I am sure that you have noticed a difference in the fairways already.  The turf is standing up very nicely and many of the smaller weakened areas are starting to fill in.  Each time that we have verticut the fairways I have lowered the cutters to penetrate into the canpoy a little more.  Starting next week we will start to spike the fairways to help relieve compaction and allow for proper air and water movement.

This week we also started to verticut the tees.  This year with the heat and humidity I have noticed a big increase in organic matter on the tees.  You may have notice that some of the tees feel very soft and this is from excess organic matter or 'thatch'  I have a machine that has wider spaced cutting heads that can remove a lot of thatch from the tees.   In the photo right is the cutting head and the organic matter we are removing.Below left is the after cut appearance.  It's a slow process because the amount of material being removed but there is a noticeable firmness after each tee is done.     












Last week we double verticut all the greens and topdressed them.  I feel the greens are much firmer now and over last weekend heard many great compliments on the greens.  just as in last year the greens still seem to be holding some excess moisture in the top 2 inches.  I have not used the irrigation system to water the greens going on 3 weeks just hand watering as needed.  There are many reasons I feel as too this.  One being we have not put nearly enough topdressing sand down this year becasue of the hot summer.  The humid weather impacted the amount of organic matter on the greens as well not nearly to the extent as in the tees but still more then we want.  I will continue to apply sand as well as lightly verticut the greens throughout the rest of the summer and into the early fall.  this will help dilute this layer.  I WILL NOT be core aerating the greens this fall and rely on sand and verticutting to firm up the greens.  I do feel the greens are very good but being proactive will only help next year.

In the next few weeks we will start cutting down the fescue.