11 Days of Unbelievable Heat

and Amazing Effort!

As stated previously, our July closure is usually our most aggressive.  Larger tines are employed throughout the course to remove more Organic Matter, verti cutting all short grass areas to remove thatch and improve play-ability, followed by a heavy topdressing to improve porosity and wear tolerance, and finally a healthy dose of fertility to enhance recovery.  This is the "nuts and bolts" of our program and it seems quite simple when you put it on paper.  In reality it takes an Army of heat resistant, fatigue resistant soldiers to accomplish all of this in the proper time frame.  The TEAM we have assembled has once again showed me that they truly are the best in the business.  All of these processes require multiple ancillary tasks to prepare the work space and clean up the mess created, before we can move on to the next step.  On many occasions, our Battle Tested Team has completed the task at hand and voluntarily moved on to the ensuing assignment without command.   They know the importance of taking advantage of favorable weather even if it means staying until nightfall.  This gumption led us to overcome some equipment issues and a few added projects throughout this closure.  I couldn't be more PROUD of our team!

During this closure we added a "new to Stonebridge" cultural practice.  A common affliction with greens in SW Florida is Collar Damming.  This is the build up of years of topdressing and prevents surface run off.  These dams create standing water on the perimeters of greens. causing weak or declining turf.  Collar Stripping removes approximately 1/4 inch of material around the greens allowing proper surface drainage.  Below is a couple of pictures showing the first day post sod cutting and day 7 of recovery.  At first glance, the bare collars are nothing but soil.  However, there is a great population of stolons and rhizomes that eventually shoot up and produce fresh leaf growth.  It will take some time to fully restore a proper playing surface but the long term benefits far outweigh the short term inconvenience.  The other project completed in the last 10 days was the conversion of the cart path on #11 from asphalt to concrete.  This new path is much safer for all of our members and guests.  Our contractor did a wonderful job and will be returning during the last closure to replace the asphalt the connects #13 green to #14 tee.

Although the recovery will be a bit longer than the first closure, we will all reap the rewards of the War on Bermuda Grass.  Thank you all for your patience and understanding.  Great things lay ahead and these are all mere building blocks of a sustainable, maintainable golf course.

Form Boards on #11

Finished Product

Verti Cutting Fairways

Collar Stripping Day 1

Topdressing Fairways

Collar Recovery Day 7