Grounds

Winter has arrived, as evident by the dormant IronCutter bermudagrass on the Driving Range field. To enhance the member practice experience throughout the winter, we apply Endurant turf colorant to the zoysiagrass target greens at the back range. These paints are applied to get the look of overseeding with cool season grasses, but at a fraction of the cost. While the Driving Range and West Course tees were established with bermudagrasses that were bred for cold tolerance, we still install turf covers on the Driving Range tees and tees that were established last summer. While there is no guaranteed way to prevent winter injury, covers provide the best level of protection for bermudagrass grown during periods of extremely low temperatures growing on a sand base. These special covers also allow air, water, and sunlight to penetrate, which acts like a greenhouse effect by increasing the surface and soil temperatures. Also, by leaving the covers on longer in the late winter and early spring, the covers have been shown to aid in the spring transition from the dormancy period.

In addition to utilizing these covers on warm season grass, this fall marked the return of the family putting green, which was temporarily covered over pending completion of Phase 1 construction. The green was sodded with 007 XL creeping bentgrass, and a small approach was added utilizing low-mow Kentucky bluegrass. The green has been covered to aid in the maturation process, and we look forward to opening this green for member use next spring. As we prepare the courses for the 2023 season, one of the final practices we completed on the West Course greens was drill and fill aeration. This process drills holes up to 12 inches deep into the putting green on six-inch centers, removing soil and backfilling each hole with sand to create deep sand columns in the root zone. This is a proven method for modifying the root zone without totally rebuilding to improve turf quality, and greatly improve internal drainage on the portions of an entire greens that remain soft and wet following rain events. On behalf of myself and the entire Golf & Grounds Maintenance Team, we sincerely appreciate your generosity with your donations to the Staff Holiday Fund. Have a great winter season. ◆

Tim Kennelly, CGCS Head Greenkeeper

Coming Soon

See page 11 for more information