New Divot Mix Boxes

New re-conditioned ballwashers

Scatter Signs (Road less traveled)

New Flags and Flagsticks

Golf Course Report

November 2015

November brings the official start to Season.  The transition seems to be a little more subtle this year, our summertime numbers felt a little like “Season”.   All cultural practices were accomplished and the course is responding well.  Our team worked extremely hard this summer to provide great playing conditions for all of our members and guests.  As November begins, we want to put our best foot forward.  This includes new Flags, Flagsticks, re-conditioned Ball Washers, Winter Annuals, fresh pine straw, and new Divot Mix boxes for the Par 3s.  My team always seems to get re-energized during this time of year.

The fate of a golf course lies in the hands of the weather.  Even the best Agronomist cannot grow grass without sunlight, or air movement.  I am happy to report that after a dreadful August and September, October delivered excellent grass growing conditions and November continues to follow suit.  Nobody likes 90 degrees in November, except a Golf Course Superintendent in Florida.  We continue to push the root growth which will sustain a quality playing surface throughout the season.  As we look forward, El Nino is the talk of the industry.  They are calling for a cooler, wetter winter for our region, which provides its own unique challenges.  We will keep a close eye on the forecast and adjust accordingly.

We like to always look forward in my department, always striving to be better.  Recently, I sat down with a long time Member to recall where we have been and where we are going, it was quite an education.  We are putting the programs in place to sustain a superior community experience for our entire membership. 

On a personal note, I would like to ask our membership to give a “thumbs up” to our team.  My staff is always on the course or Common Grounds and they always receive a pat on the back from me, but a “thumbs up” from a member goes a long way.  These are the guys that do all the work, from mowing the grass to raking the tennis courts and everything in between.  No words are necessary, just a “thumbs up” as you drive by.  Thank you for all of your support as we strive to improve the course conditions.

Golf Course Report

October 2015

The October Report is always a favorite of mine.  The summer is behind us and we are ramping up our preparations for Season.  When I sit down to write these reports, I tend to take a look at last year’s synopsis.  Last year I reported on 28 days of no sun in September.  This year we had 26 days of no sun in September preceded by 25 days of cloudy weather in August.  The good news is, we are in better shape heading into Season than our previous years.  We have adapted a program to enhance the sustainability of our poorly constructed greens, #15 and #17.  As the sun shifts to a more Southern rise, #13 and #11 will improve rapidly.  The bad news is, we have a few wet areas around the course that have exposed themselves in the recent weeks.  These are ear-marked for drainage improvements next summer. 

The 11 day September closure was action packed; a full aerification on greens and tees, a light slicing of fairways and roughs and our final Dry-Ject on the greens.  We had 8 days of rain during our 11 day closure and I am unbelievably proud of my staff as they completed these tasks in the worst of conditions.  The record number of rounds this summer has kept everyone on their toes.  Our goal is to constantly provide a visually pleasant experience coupled with excellent playing conditions.

October is also a good time to look ahead.  The overall presentation is reflected in the details.  We will spend 7 to 10 days without ball washers as they will be removed, re-conditioned and painted for the season ahead.  New flagsticks and Flags are on order for Opening Day.  Other activities that are planned for this month include a fresh coat of Pine Straw, winter annuals and palm tree trimming.  We are confident in our progress and we are looking forward to a great winter season at Stonebridge.

On a side note, when I came to Stonebridge, my goal was to change the perception of our club.  To make it something that our members could be proud of.  This past week, we hosted the SW Florida Chapter of the PGA.  These are Erik’s peers, the best of the best played Stonebridge and they had a great time.  Our members should take great pride in their property and the team that makes it happens.  We are moving in the right direction, identifying issues, correcting problems and striving for perfection. 

Summer Home

I haven't added too many photos this summer, so I thought I would throw in this picture of a squirrel occupying a Screech Owl box.  As our migratory birds head to parts unknown, our "year round" residents enjoy the Penthouse!

Golf Course Report

August 2015

The August Report is typically a recap of the summer projects and a preview of our last closure in early September.  This year is a bit different; the record amount of play has been the story of the summer.  Whether it is the golf course, the Pro Shop staff or the unbelievable lunch special; the entire team should be proud of their presentation.  We have no scheduled closures for August, so I expect that our numbers will continue to set the bar for years to come.

Our July closure was very successful in the fact that we completed every task on the schedule.  Unfortunately, the skies opened up on the eve that we were to open.  Seven inches of rain kept us close for 4 more days.  Those four days of rain was followed by 10 days of overcast days, effectively eliminating any chance of proper recovery.  The July closure is always our most aggressive, this coupled with the untimely weather, lead to less than ideal conditions upon opening on July 29^th.   Thin Fairways due to heavy verti-cutting, greens that were double aerified and Roughs that could not be mowed because of the heavy rains.  I was embarrassed to open the course on that Wednesday.  There is a silver lining; we have positioned the course to have a superb season.  As we look forward to our last closure, the schedule is full with greens aerification, Dry Ject application and Fairway topdressing.  Through the remainder of summer we will focus on improving the entire property.  We have some minor drainage work to attend to, the coquina paths need attention and the bunkers will receive some much needed TLC. 

This is an exciting time of year for the maintenance staff.  We can see the “light at the end of the tunnel”.  The Long, Hot and Wet Summer, that was full of demanding cultural practices will slowly turn into daily precision maintenance for our members to enjoy.   We are all counting the days until our first cold front.

What Have WE Been Up To!

This is our second closure of the Summer.  We kind of eased into the process during the first closure, this time we really got after it.  The greens were aerified in two direction with 5/8 inch tines.  Close to 100 tons of sand was applied to the greens to fill the holes.  Removing this amount of material will result in a more consistent playing surface for years to come.  Through our first two closure, I am confident in saying "we have removed more Thatch and Organic Matter, then any year previous".  This statement is true for the entire course but the greens will be the biggest benefactor of our improved program.  

The greens were completed on schedule, last Tuesday and Wednesday, despite the rain.  The weather did play a role in delaying the Tee, Fairway and Collar program.  An aggressive verti-cutting of the fairways was scheduled during this closure and was accomplished during very wet conditions.  The end result will be a longer recovery time for the wetter areas.  We have experimented this year with some extra topdressing on a few fairways; #1,#2,#3,#18.  All the fairways receive one topdressing per Summer, these 4 will be topdressed 3 times.  I am interested in seeing the improvement in these fairways.  

In the chaos of an aerification closure, we also find time to complete many other minor projects.  The list for this closure includes: drainage improvements on #3 and #14, play-ability  upgrade for #7 back tee, sod touch ups for wear areas and a multitude of detail work to prepare for opening.

We are blessed to have the cooperation and understanding of our great Membership.  They allow us the time and resources to complete the necessary agronomic programs to ensure a successful Summer.  The dividends will be reaped this Fall and Winter.  It is our goal to improve the golfing experience on a year to year basis.  

My entire staff has bought into the idea of being the best.  They prove it every day when they seek approval or suggest a better way to accomplishing a task.   We will continue to work diligently towards our goal, solving one issue at a time and adding to the enjoyment of your course. 

Golf Course Report

July 2015

The “Dogs Days of Summer” are upon us.  Heat, Humidity and the continuous likelihood of afternoon thunderstorms are more than enough to keep us on our toes.  The aggressive cultural practices and tight schedule make for a planning nightmare.  Our team has bought into the goal of completing all the necessary work and presenting a playable course on a day to day basis.  With the increased demand for our course this reciprocal season, we have treated every day like opening day.  Details are what define a golf course and typically during the summer months a private club will allow some concessions, this is not true at Stonebridge.  We take pride in hosting outside events and golfers that are new to SBCC; this requires a keen eye for detail and a proper plan.  Jeff Ratthe our Golf Course Superintendent, has been instrumental in forging this culture throughout our staff. 

The golf course continues to improve from an agronomic standpoint.  Last month we received two new Fairway mowers equipped with Groomers.  The ability to groom the fairways will promote a stronger more dense turf.  During the summer the Height of Cut (HOC) is lowered to reduce grain, shorten internodes and assist the Celebration to out compete the “off-type” grasses.  As we raise the HOC for Season, the groomers will allow us to stand the turf up for a better quality of cut and a finer playing surface. 

An aggressive herbicide program is being employed to clean up the golf course.  Some of our most noxious weeds (Crabgrass, Signal grass, Goose grass, Torpedo grass) are being spot treated.  This tends to discolor the surrounding turf as the target weed is eliminated.  We will push the recovery to ensure no re-germination of the weeds.

July and August is usually high season for Lake Algae.  An algae bloom tends to follow a stretch of weather that includes high heat and humidity and little to no rainfall.  Most of the surface algae that we see are the result of dead or dying submersed Niad.  Rest assured that it is all being treated on a weekly basis and will dissipate shortly.

Summer time is project time.  Sod work was completed on all the effected cart path wear areas.  We have experimented with an erosion type matting under the sod that is designed to reduce compaction and extend the life of wear areas.  We are also in the midst a few landscape projects.  The hedge along the III tee on #15 was removed and will be replaced with a less obtrusive planting.  This will improve the turf on the tee and provide better sight lines.  We are also planning to re-landscape the area behind #16 green to enhance the backdrop with consistent color. 

We do stay busy during the “Dog Days”, with our eye on providing a vastly improved golf course for the coming season.  I want to thank all of our members for their patience while we complete some of this disruptive work.