Brian Beckner and Tour #1

December Tours

During the month of December we conducted tours of the course centered around our involvement with Audubon International.  Our guide on these tours is Brian Beckner.  Brian is the owner and operator of Native Bird Boxes, a company that builds, installs, maintains and monitors bird boxes for the purpose of providing a habitat for our cavity dwelling birds.  Each box is "species specific" and situated in the proper location for nesting.  Brian's knowledge and energy provided for an informative and entertaining session.  We have hosted three tours to date and close to 60 members have participated.  Brian's passion for the outdoors goes well beyond wildlife.  He has done a wonderful job of educating our members on our entire ecosystem and how it impacts our property.  There are six categories that are required by Audubon International for Stonebridge to maintain certification and Brian covers all six: Environmental Planning, Wildlife and Habitat Management, Chemical Use Reduction and Safety, Water Conservation, Water Quality Management and Outreach and Education.   

I hope everyone will get a chance to participate in a tour or attend the presentation scheduled for January 27, 2015 in the clubhouse.  Stonebridge is a unique property that provides habitats for a wide variety of living creatures.  We take great ownership in our responsibility to maintain a healthy environment for our Members and "ALL" of our guests.

Wood Stork in flight

Great Egret 

Great Blue Heron

Golf Course Report

December 2014

Some of us at Stonebridge like to refer to this time of year as the “Pre-Season”.  This is especially true this year.  With record rounds in October and a very busy November we have a glimpse of what lies ahead for the remainder of the season.  December usually gives us a chance to catch our breath before the onslaught of the New Year.  Typically, during the Holiday Season, the golf course sees a little less traffic and a few more open tee times.  The golf course maintenance staff will take full advantage of any opportunity to improve the playing conditions.

During this month we will employ a strict protocol to push the growth of our improving weak areas.  The greens will receive multiple “needle tine” aerifications to infuse oxygen into the root zone.  This will be followed by supplemental fertility to enhance growing conditions and light topdressing to maintain surface playability.  The entire course will be treated with liquid fertigation and the tees and fairways are scheduled to receive an application of foliar spray before the end of the month.  The entire course will be scouted and monitored for any remaining pest issues.  We are looking forward to a very productive December. 

From all accounts, we had a great November. I would like to thank the entire Stonebridge team for an excellent representation during the Stonebridge Cup.  We always take a lot of pride in hosting guests at our course.  It is nice to see “The Cup” stay in Naples for another year.  We will take this drive and determination and put it towards our upcoming member events.  Thank you for a great 2014 and we are looking forward to a better than ever 2015. 

#13 bunkers

Melbourne Method

 What's New on the Course!

Just a short note to point out a few changes that are happening at Stonebridge.  November brought some cooler temperatures, the golf course was extremely busy and some of our feathered friends are returning, just in time for our Audubon tours.   

We had a couple of rain events during November, followed by unusually cold temperatures.  This tends to increase this disease pressure on our turfgrass.  Thanks to our strict preventative measures, we avoided most fungal activity.  The greens continue to improve and we are looking forward to a successful season.  

After some concerns regarding plugged lies in our bunkers faces, we have adopted a new raking regimen.   This "Melbourne Method" is directly pulled from Melbourne Country Club in Australia, the host of the Australian Masters.  This club is widely known as one of the most well conditioned courses in the world.  The goal of this method is to firm up the bunker faces and hand rake the playable center.  We have started to train our staff this week and we hope to provide improved bunker play ability this season. 

Below you will find a picture of a "Common Gallinue" just in time for our first Audubon Tour.  We are excited to have Brian Beckner lead a series of tours throughout the course over the next few weeks.  The wildlife is beginning to return and it should be an entertaining and informative session.  

Common Gallinule