Turf Talk

Let's Talk Turf

Spring appears to have sprung. It seems like it is a bit early this year. Normally we are not cutting greens 7 days a week in the beginning of March, but that is where we are. Our greens went from being dormant to actively growing, almost overnight. The good news is we don’t appear to have lost any grass from winterkill, desiccation, or disease. All of the greens made it through the winter healthy and whole. We have lowered heights of cut on the greens, topdressed them with sand, and continue to cut and roll them regularly. We should be at summer speeds in short order.

The soil temperatures are rising quickly. If we continue to see warmer temperatures during the day, and the nighttime temps stay above 50° , it won’t take long for the fairways and rough to start greening up. It is a great time to apply pre-emergent herbicide on your lawn. We just finished making our herbicide application across the entire property. While you may not be able to see the immediate effects of our application, we did leave a trail. If you see blue dots in the fairway, those are where the foam marker was dropped from the sprayer. We add a bit of dye to the marker in case the foam dissipates. This marking shows us where we’ve been and helps prevent misapplication.

One other sign of progress you might see on the course are two parallel lines cut into the turf along tree lines. We have been lucky enough to borrow a root pruner from our friends at Porter’s Neck in Wilmington. The root pruner cuts into the turf just deep enough to sever tree roots, but not damage underground irrigation lines. Trees tend to rob the turf of water and nutrients. Cutting these surface roots typically does not harm the trees, but often dramatically improves turf quality. We have also used the pruner along cart paths to prevent further buckling of the path surface.

We have a few projects planned for the spring and summer. Some funds have been approved to refurbish several of the worst bunkers. Near 9 tee, irrigation infrastructure will be replaced with a flexible pipe across the creek. Around the clubhouse, areas of overgrown shrubbery and landscaping will be removed, replaced, or dramatically pruned. After the azaleas bloom we will be cutting them back somewhat severely. In the short term this may not be pleasing to the eye, but please be patient. When the foliage returns the bushes will have a much better shape and be healthier after the procedure.

Get out there and enjoy the golf course and this beautiful weather. If you have questions about anything on the course, please do not hesitate to reach out. I always enjoy talking with folks about what we are doing to improve conditions. See you on the course!

Buckley Brockmann Brook Valley Superintendant