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WORCESTER CC WEEKLY A Worcester Country Club Communication
The Work Continues
Golf Course Update Maintenance and Winterization As winter weather sets in, the closure of our putting greens marks the end to another great golf season at Worcester Country Club. 2018 brought some of the most challenging and record breaking weather conditions that most can remember, from start to finish. While we begin to put this golf season in the rear view mirror, it is an extremely important time of year for the golf maintenance team. The task at hand is to protect our golf course the best we can in preparation for the extremely harsh winters we often face here in Worcester. The goal of our winter preparation program is to identify the variables that are within our control, and build as many layers of protection for your golf course that we possibly can. The practices that we initiate through the fall and into the winter have a significant impact on next season. Believe it or not this process started in September with soil testing, aerification and beginning our fall fertility management program. While it is hard to prepare for every possible circumstance that could be faced this winter, we look at historical information as well as trends to determine the best course of action. Historically, the course has been adversely effected by a number of winter conditions including extreme cold temperatures, ice accumulation, freeze/thaw periods, high winds as well as winter storms. We obviously have no control over any of these events but we can employ a number of practices to help protect our golf course. David Otis from the USGA has stated that “Ultimately, turf that goes into winter weak won’t come out any stronger.� We strive to produce the strongest turf we can with a balanced fertility, plant protectant and water management plan and add additional practices that can help protect our finely maintained turf. These additional practices include dry-ject or drill and fill, topdressing, drainage installation, tree removals/pruning as well as the application of another insulating, anti-desiccant product. continued on next page