August Turf Update
28 AUG 2024
Its that time of year …
With the days getting slightly shorter, cooler nights and crisp mornings autumn is just around the corner. Our fall shut down procedures have begun. Through our major club events (member guests, club championships, member member, etc.) and now September 1 is right here, we start the long process of shutting down our courses and operation. Yes, I know it seems early but it takes so long to get things ‘put to bed’. We have begun the annual cutting down of our naturalized fescue/areas, we do this for a few reasons. Its been a somewhat bad year for weeds and these areas are almost unplayable rather than the 1/3 to ½ stroke penalty that they are supposed to play like. We weed spray these areas in the spring and fall to achieve the playability we want. Our equipment begins to get shut down and we go through the process of super cleaning and prepping for our off season service and repairs. Our students have all returned to school and we are a bit thin on staffing for a good three weeks until we get our first frosts. This is when grass will slow down and we can reallocate our cutting labour to other areas. Do not be sad as the end of golf is no where near and we get to enjoy some great conditions for another couple of months.
With our students back to school I would like you to help with the course etiquette side please. Raking of bunkers properly and placing the rake back in the bunker where it should be. We place them inside for a few reasons but mainly for visibility, encouragement on where to enter, and for a maintenance perspective (so that our mowers do not have to constantly move them to cut grass). Repairing ball marks and divots and quite simply respecting the three things I continue to remind everyone of. Respect the golf course, respect the player behind you and respect the turf crew and assist them in maintaining our beautiful courses.
I am sharing something that I found very disappointing and to be honest shocking. Below are two pictures. The first is pre Men's night shotgun and the second is at 6:30 a.m. the next day. Please, this can be so much better. Challenge yourself and challenge those that you are playing with to be better. I do apologize for the negativity.
Construction update
We are close oh so close to being finished!
As I write Sidewinder 6 is being sodded and another hole is complete, the two bunkers on #5 are being drained and shaped, and #4 is starting it's rough shaping and new design. We are really excited about the design decisions of #4. We are moving to a one fairway hole that will be directed solely down the left side. The island bunker will be a singular right side fairway bunker and there will be some risk reward challenge to the tee shot. The right side fairway will be filled in with fescue and the majority of it will be sodded. There will be considerable risk reward to the tee shot as the carry fescue will be angled towards the upper right side closer to the green. This change creates some forced elevation change that we do not get to experience on just about any other hole we have. I do look forward to a much smaller fairway …. I have to say there had to be a sale on bent grass seed during original construction!!
Current
Planned
Please Note: Yellow = Fescue, Green = Fairway, White = New Bunkers