ON THE GREENS: LOOK AHEAD

s we move into late spring/ early summer, both courses are playing well and the overseed has provided excellent playing surfaces during the winter and spring golf seasons. The Agronomy team is preparing for our busy summer maintenance and project schedule as we implement essential course maintenance.

Poa Annua

I would be remiss if I failed to mention that pesky Poa Annua (Poa) weed that we and most courses in the Lowcountry struggle to control. We currently have nine Berkeley Hall Poa plants being tested at the University of Tennessee for herbicide resistance. We should have some results this summer and will use use that data to help guide our decisions in late summer and early fall when it comes time to treat for Poa.

Overseed

Over the next few weeks, the Bermudagrass will begin to overtake the Ryegrass in the fairways. If the weather stays on the cooler side, we may use some products to encourage Bermudagrass over the Ryegrass, but we will wait to see how the weather plays out. We did overseed the par 3 tees and #18 tees on the North Course as a trial. With rounds at all-time highs and Poa pressure we thought it would be more aesthetically pleasing and recover better during the winter and early spring play. We are encouraged by the results and may look to do more overseeding of the tees next season.

Summer Projects

This summer will be exceptionally busy for the Golf Course Maintenance team, as each course has two summer closures. We are adding a new process to the South Course tees this year called “fraze” mowing. This process involves an aggressive cutting of the tee surface. It has shown great results in battling Poa because it mechanically removes the seed from the soil underneath the tee. The North Course greens will receive an aggressive verticut to work on the organic layers and grain. We will also be doing the drill and fill to North Course greens as well.

During the summer closures we will be focused on reducing some of the bunkering on the South Course while increasing the size of a couple tee areas on #5 and #16 South. We will also be repairing a few problematic bunkers on the North Course. During the heavy rains of August last year, we identified some areas that need additional drainage, and we will add more drainage in these areas to help us reduce cart path only days.

The Golf & Greens Committee is working with management on the entire scope of work for the 2025 North Course closure. We will provide more insight later this summer on plans for the North Course. It is important the plan is in place so we can secure contractors and materials for 2025.

As stewards of our two spectacular Tom Fazio courses, our continuing mission is to provide the premier golf experience that our membership enjoys. We look forward to seeing everyone out on the greens!