Spring must be here as we are finally mowing the short grass on the
course! Fairways, tees and approaches
have all been cut down to remove the winter “duff”. By mowing them short in the spring we expose
more of the plant to direct sunlight in an effort to encourage the green-up
process. There was a ton of grass on the
fairways in particular. Since we have mowed the fairways, the ball rolls out better
and there is not as much “grain”
to them. We are also changing some of
the mowing patterns to enhance the aesthetics of the course. This will also make it play a little fairer around the greens in particular. This will be a work in progress and changes
will be made as needed.
Greens have been slow to heal with the cooler temps this year,
but are almost back up to regular playing condition. We applied more topdressing this week to
smooth them out, and have been keeping them wet in order to grow the grass in
quicker over the aeration holes. The sod around the greens is greening up, but
will take much work to get it smooth enough to mow at collar height. Right now we are mowing a pass with the
approach mower outside the green itself.
We look to institute a walk mower wide collar by the end of the summer
at a lower height.
Lastly, we have been cutting some walkways in between the tees and
fairways for the walkers.This will be a nice touch once the rough comes
in.
The Bermuda is greening up nicely in most areas. The low spots are the slow areas but seem to
have grass in them. We are mowing
fairways and tees twice a week right now, and will be applying fertilizer as
soon as the temperatures stabilize. This
is the ugliest time of year for Bermuda courses, but hopefully we will be solid
green soon!! Greens are doing well and
have healed fully from the aeration.
They are now on a growth regulator program to control top growth and
improve putting speeds. The walkways
from tee to fairway are coming in nicely and should be a great touch for the
walking members.
