Thank you for reading this fall edition of The National Quarterly. We have lots going on during this part of the season and I will cover those items in this issue. We also have a few additions to our staff that I will Introduce to you as well. Aside from some thin spots in high-traffic areas, the golf course came through the summer months in very good shape. It is my experience that you start the next season the way you ended the previous one. This is the time of the year where we can make a big impact on the 2022 golf season. Things like aerification, seeding and sodding are the maintenance practices that have the biggest impact. Late fall fertilization of our rough and greens also pay big dividends for next year. I will touch on each of these practices throughout this update. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding golf course maintenance at The National. Thank you for your support.
Regards,
Gary Sailer
Director of Golf Course Maintenance The National Golf Club of Kansas City garys@fivestarlifestyles.com
Some of the high-traffic areas in enter/exit zones and around greens got thinned out over the summer. These areas have recently been overseeded. Some spots will be replaced with sod in October. The sodded areas consist mostly of cart path edges and places where seeding was not successful. Seed usually takes 7 to 10 days to germinate. We like to have this process done by the middle of September to make sure the new seed is mature enough to withstand the frost and cold temperatures that will come in the following months.
Fescue seed germination on #2 rough
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The Golf Course Maintenance team is getting ready to make our first application of PoaCure for the fall. A second application will follow two weeks later. We have interseeded new Bentgrass seed into the smaller weak spots on the front of #3, #7 and #17, and have sodded the larger areas. The seeded spots will gradually fill in over time. As the PoaCure starts working, you will notice the same yellowing of the poa that was present last spring. The yellowing should not be as severe since much of the poa has been removed since then and replaced with new Bentgrass. Overall, we are very pleased with the progress we have made in mitigating poa on the greens in the first season of using this product. We expect the greens to be even better next year and the year after that when the process is complete. We are on the right track.
Bentgrass germination on #3
Bentgrass sod on #3 green
The GCM team aerified all of the fairways on August 16th with the exception of par 3s. We focused on the areas from enter post to exit post with some exceptions outside of that area where compaction was a problem. The team used a 5/8" diameter tine and went six inches deep into the soil. We have already seen improvement in many of these areas both in appearance and how the fairways take water. This process also helps grow deeper roots which helps to reduce winter stress. 3
√ The new housing development on hole #15 is moving along and, according to the contractor, the work should be completed in the first or second week of October, weather permitting. The property line for the back of the lots can be seen in the photo below which is indicated by the red line. The photo on the next page is a drone shot of the tee complex on #16 to show how it will change. The cart path will be routed to the west of the champ tee and tie back in near the purple tee box. It will be slightly elevated above #16 champ tee so a stone retaining wall will be installed between the cart path and the tee box with steps leading down to the tee surface. This new routing will also serve as the temporary cart path to be used during construction of this area. It will be covered with rock to avoid muddy conditions in the event of rain. When construction is complete, this path will be paved with new concrete. The tee will end up being 876 square feet which is about the same size that it is right now. The tee will shift slightly to the left to make up for some of the tee space on the right side which will be given up to make room for the cart path. You’ll receive regular updates on this process as it moves along.
The property line for the back of the lots is indicated by the red line. 4
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This drone shot of the tee complex on #16 shows the changes to come. The cart path will be re-routed along the red line.
This diagram shows the grading plan for the lots and road for hole #15.
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Announcing some changes that have been made to the Golf Course Maintenance staff in the past month.
Trevor Reid
Austin Hall
Trevor Reid has assumed the Lead Assistant Superintendent role which came open when Cesar Villanueva left last month.
The advancement of Trevor Reid to Lead Assistant Superintendent left an opening for a Second Assistant Superintendent position on the Golf Course Maintenance staff. This position was filled by Austin Hall.
Trevor has been on staff as Second Assistant Superintendent for the last two years and was an assistant at Crestview Country Club in Wichita before joining the GCM team.
Austin has work experience at Ryan Lawn and Tree as well as Jefferson City Country Club; Oak Hills Golf Course in Jefferson City, Missouri; and Quail West Golf and Country Club in Naples, Florida.
Trevor has a degree in Turfgrass Management from Kansas State University and has proven himself as a leader on our team. His knowledge of this facility and our staff makes him very qualified to take on this new role.
At the University of Arkansas, Austin studied Biological Sciences. He went on to earn his Turfgrass Management degree from State Technical College in Linn, Missouri.
We are confident that Trevor’s contributions will continue to make The National one of the best private clubs in the Midwest.
Austin joined the team on September 13th and we are excited to have him on our staff.
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We invite you to visit the Golf Course Maintenance facility to meet the team and get a behind-the-scenes tour. Please email me and we’ll schedule a time to get together: garys@thenationalgolfclub.com.
Gary Sailer Director
Trevor Reid Lead Assistant
Frank Keller Twigg First Assistant
Austin Hall Second Assistant
UPCOMING EVENTS LGA Closing Day .................................................... October 12th Veterans Day Scramble ....................................... November 11th
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Drone shot of #10 and #12
6700 N. National Drive Parkville, MO 64152 816.746.0200 www.thenationalgolfclub.com
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