Friday, March 14, 2014

#12 wet area
#12 proximity to drain
If it's not one thing, it's another!

As the course begins to mature, the ground begins to settle and the inconsistencies in the construction process rears its ugly head.  A few wet areas around the property were excavated and repaired in the last couple of weeks.  As we dig these holes, we realized that the renovation of 2010 did not include the removal of the existing turf. This buried organic matter tends to hold water in concentrated areas.  As you can see from the pictures, this can pop up at any place on the course.  The repair for these areas include cutting out the saturated sod, removing the underlying organic matter, filling this area with sand and topping it off with new sod. 

As we move through the remainder of the Season, we face many challenges.  Last year we dealt with an outbreak of leaf spot(Helminthosporium).  This year it looks like Dollar Spot is our nemesis.  Dollar Spot(Sclerotinia homoeocarpa) is a minimally intrusive fungus.  Once detected, a low rate of fungicide coupled with a foliar absorbed nitrogen source will tend to eliminate the threat.  We pride ourselves in staying ahead of the curve. 
#5 Dollar Spot Symptoms

 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the committee members for their service and support throughout the previous year.  I look forward to working with the in-coming members to provide a consistent and detailed plan for the coming year. 

A special thank you to Tim Jones for restoring a "Team" atmosphere at Stonebridge.  I think I can speak for all the employees at Stonebridge, Tim has re-newed our spirit and focused our efforts on a brighter future for the entire Stonebridge Community.