#15 Tee

#15 Berm

 Burning the Midnight Oil

 

 

 









 The last week of October always has us scrambling to tie up all the loose ends.  This year is no different, except there seems to be an infinite amount of loose ends.  The winter annuals are in the ground and a fresh coat of pinestraw is being applied around the golf course.  Our wall to wall fertilizer with pre-emergent herbicide hit the ground on Tuesday.  This application will provide nutrients for the turf and aid in weed control throughout the winter months.  We are making progress with our stressed areas on the course and will continue to supplement these micro-environments until they are completely recovered.

A couple of projects that were delayed by the summer rains include; course wide Root Pruning and the new bulkhead on #15 White Tee.  The Root Pruning is done to sever the over-extended feeder roots that are competing with the turf for nutrients and water.  Root Pruning is acclomplished with a tractor mounted attachment that has two rotating blades that penetrate the soil to a depth of 10 inches.  This process does not harm the host plant, as it is only cutting the secondary root system.   The other major project that we squeezed into October is the construction of a bulkhead around the White Tee on #15.  This tee was moved to the right side of the cart path during the concrete improvement project.  The size and stability of the new tee led us to the decision to install a bulkhead with the goal of matching the rest of the tees on this hole.  The bulkhead is complete and the remainder of the fill dirt and sod will be installed early next week. 

Last minute projects, last minute fertilizing, last minute weed control and last minute detail work, that is what I love about this profession.  The chance to go "toe to toe" with Mother Nature and not back down.  The real challenge comes in having the patience to respect the process of recovery.  I look forward to an eventful season with an ever-improving golf course.






Root Pruner Attachment

Lines from Root Pruning





#15 New Bulkhead

#15 White Tee