Early April Update

What a tough few weeks.  Daily adjustments to how we live and work continue as we try to figure out how to get through this challenge.  It's nice to be considered "essential", but I'd like to get back to normal ASAP. 

The COVID 19 crisis is going to have an impact on what we are able to do on the course.  Fewer people on staff will mean that tasks take longer to complete.  Many routine details and all project work will be put on hold.  Routine mowing and course set up is all we will have time for with a skeletal staff on reduced hours.  Our priorities will be keeping everyone healthy followed by greens, green surrounds, fairways, tees, roughs, bunkers, and natural areas in that order.  Until recently the turf has been dormant, but the spring growth spurt is now underway.  Roughly 80 more acres of grass to mow has just been added to the weekly to do list.  

RECENT PROGRESS

• The landscape is almost complete at the front and sides of the clubhouse.  We still have some small areas of grass to install, but for the most part we are finished.  The back lawn and landscape is on hold due to virus related issues.  Hopefully we can get that smoothed out soon.

• The 18th green surround / back lawn of the new Lakeside Grille is undergoing some irrigation work and will soon be seeded.  We had to add some irrigation to cover the larger area of turf between the green and the patio as well as reposition some existing irrigation to avoid overwatering areas.  Wind kept us from seeding the area last Friday, so that will happen next week.  Once seeded, the new irrigation will be used in short frequent cycles to get a quick response.  You'll have to park as soon as you cross the bridge for the next few weeks in order to avoid the newly seeded areas.

The back green bank will be seeded with tall fescue

We had to rip up the soil in order to grade the surface and take out the lumps left from construction

Mike working on irrigation installation

Trenching for pipe installation around the back of the green.  

Bermuda was installed between the parking lot and new cart parking area.  This will
be much more durable in the summer heat.  It's not pretty now, but it should wake up soon.

WHAT'S COMING

• Mowing zoysia will start this week we hope.  Rough would normally be mowed twice a week now, but once will have to do.  That will also crank up this week.
• We have some timing sensitive applications to make for weed prevention and annual bluegrass weevil (ABW) control.  This will take us at least a week to complete around mowing and play.  Hopefully we can catch a break from wind and rain.  Those have been problems lately.  

GREENS AERATION

• This is scheduled for April 20-22 and will include a deep tine aeration as well as our standard core aeration.  A contractor performs the deep tine process and we follow immediately behind him with our machine.  Once we've cleaned up the mess, we topdress to fill the holes with sand.  It will take us a long two days to get the first steps done and then we'll come back to do some touch up topdressing, clean up, and rolling.  As a test run for our equipment, we'll likely aerate the chipping green April 14th...ish.