Golf Course Report

January 2017

Details, Details, Details.  This is our mantra as we prepare for a record breaking golfing season.  Our major cultural practices have been completed and our small projects are out of the way.  It is time to focus on the finer points of golf course maintenance that tend to lead to proper presentation.  The little things go a long way in defining the golfing experience. 

Playability and presentation have always resided at the top of the list when it comes to preparing a golf course.  Healthy turf and proper growing conditions allow us the flexibility to alter these factors.  A minor shift from plant health to soil health has paid dividends.  Two major products were added to our regime this year after careful consideration and multiple turf industry lead education seminars.  Worm Power and Holganix are both products that focus on enhancing microbial activity in the soil.  Proper soil health results in lower Organic Matter, increased nutrient uptake, firmer greens due to less thatch, improved moisture retention, healthier roots, a decrease in fungal activity, and a consistent more predictable growth pattern for our greens.  These products will be added to the Tees and Fairways in the coming season.  The new products are a contributing factor in the success of the new sod on some of our historically weak areas of the greens.   With the right soil biology the turf has a better chance to thrive.

As we move forward our focus will be on tournament preparations and DETAILS; fresh pine straw, freshly painted yardage markers and hazard stakes, properly placed flowers, proper edging of hard surfaces and everything in between.  We continue to look for ways to make the course more playable and research every possibility to open up the surrounding areas. 

We are positioned to have our best Season ever and I want to remind everyone that is the responsibility of all of us to make Stonebridge the best it can be.  Fixing ball marks, repairing divots, avoiding wear areas and practicing proper golf etiquette can make the round a lot more enjoyable for those that follow.  

Some Old Friends and Some New Friends

With every New Year we welcome back our friends from the North.  We are looking forward to a very successful and enjoyable 2017.  It is always a great pleasure to see our Seasonal residents return to "Paradise".  As we prepare the golf course for the busy golfing season, we also take immense pride in providing a thriving habitat for local and migratory wildlife.  Below are a few photos of some new and old species taken in the last month.  Please make your reservations for the Audubon tours, you will be glad you participated.  Happy New Year!

Belted Kingfish

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Snipe

Osprey

Golf Course Report

November 2016

Due to the buzz of activity during the month of October, this is my first report since the torrential rains of September.  How ironic, as I write this update it has been close to 4 weeks since our last rain event.  While preparing to write this report, I took the time to review the November Report from 2015.  At this time last year we were experiencing 90 degree temperatures with high humidity.  That weather was a prelude to a strong El Nino weather pattern that produced record amounts of rain throughout the winter months.  This year is a little closer to “Normal”.  As with any weather pattern, we will adjust and protect as dictated. 

The “buzz” I referred to in the previous paragraph represents the arrival of a whole new fleet of equipment, installation of our new recycled-water wash area, a fresh coat of pine straw, planting of our winter Annuals, Palm tree trimming, pressure washing all sidewalks and all the other little things that may go unnoticed. 

The new technology represented in our equipment has already paid dividends.  The setup of the mowers are more consistent, providing less stress to our turf and producing a healthier more vigorous growing medium.  We are very optimistic for this Season, our sod project on #17 green has taken well and we continue to enhance our other weak areas.  As we work toward “Tournament Season” we will pay special attention to the details and other factors effecting playability. 

We evolve every year; our goal is to present an enhanced and different experience each and every Season.  The improved landscaping, the new mowing patterns, the state of the art fairway program and the multitude of little things will provide an enjoyable experience for all of our members and guests.

Healthy turf and proper growing conditions give us the flexibility to adapt to the wants and needs of our clientele; the ability to make the greens firm and fast, the ability to make them fair and receptive and everything in between.  We are looking forward to a “Banner Year” at Stonebridge. 

It is my goal to be perfect.  We are better this year than last year.  We will be better next year, and we will continue to improve until perfection is achived.

The Final Push towards Season

 Our final greens aerification was a success and we typically use this time to push the root growth to enhance the turf health as we head into season.  I must sound like a "broken record" as I point out the horrendous weather we have endured during the entirety of 2016.  I have to thank my team for keeping my spirits up, even in my most frustrated moments they remind me of all the good things we can do in a short period of time.  With that being said we have decided to re-sod the perimeter of #17 green.  With the improvements in the drainage and the active progression of drying the soil profile, we are more confident than ever that this new sod will establish and provide proper play-ability throughout the season.  

Below are a few photos that show the extensive work being done to the effected areas.  Close to 6 inches of soil was removed and replaced with new greens mix.  This will help with drainage and promote a healthier root system. Through October we will consistently topdress this area and gradually reduce the height of cut to match the rest of the course.  Although this project may seem"a little late in the game" we had to ensure that we were past the worst of the weather to increase our probability of success.  

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Golf Course Report

September 2016

A September Report is quite the rarity.  Due to committee meeting schedules and the chaos of final preparations for season, I usually use the October report as a recap of the summer.  Our struggles through this last closure have prompted me to be a little more proactive in communicating the course conditions.  The weather affects every aspect of our operation.  This closure had its fair share of rain.  Each and every day consisted of a stoppage of work due to precipitation.  All of the scheduled cultural practices were completed within the allotted time; the issues arise from the lack of recovery period due to the inclement weather. 

The key elements in recovery are sunlight and fertilization. The lack of sunlight is documented by the daily rains and shorter days.  The inability to fertilize due to saturated conditions will prolong a proper recovery.  The three ways to fertilize are: conventional Granular (needs to be watered), foliar (course is too soft for sprayer) and fertigation (fertilizer injected through the irrigation system).  The solution was to apply a coated slow release fertilizer through a light weight spreader to minimize damage and reduce the need for irrigation.  This was our most challenging closure in my tenure.  We are equipped to push recovery as soon as the conditions improve. 

Our historical averages for the months of July, August and September are anywhere from 8”- 9” per month.  This July and August were each close to 15” and September is closing in on that number.  I have heard the question “Why are we so much wetter than previous years?”  The answer to that question stems from our wet winter.  The torrential amount of rain that we received from late December through mid-February caused our water table to remain at a much higher level.  Typically we can handle 40 inches of rain in the summer; this year is different due to the saturated soils leading into the rainy season.   With a forecasted “Dry Winter” on the horizon, we should have ample time to produce quality conditions throughout the property. 

Thank you for your patience during the next couple of weeks as we push to provide a healthier turf for the season to come.  We will re-open tomorrow and the course is nowhere close to where I would like to see it, but a solid agronomic plan is in place to take advantage of the favorable weather that is just around the corner.

Golf Course Report

August 2016

The “Dogs Days of Summer” are upon us.  A cooler than normal May was followed by a hot and dry June.  The skies opened up in July to the tune of 16 inches of rain.  August has followed suit with another 5 inches of rain through the first 15 days.  All this activity is on the heels of a record breaking wet winter.  Mother Nature tends to write her own schedule and we are left to adapt.  The results of this can be seen in our saturation index.  This is measured by Volumetric Water Content.  This year’s weather pattern has kept our lakes full and our soil moist.  Typically, a dry winter and spring will lead to lower lake levels and dryer soil.  This allows us to soak up the summer rains.  In an effort to “play the hand dealt” we have continued to enhance our drainage system, incorporated organic soil conditioners and increased aerification.  All of these practices help move excess moisture away from the surface where it does the most damage. 

A few highlights since the last time we met include the landscape project on #11, Fraze mowing of the DR Tee and the Drill and Fill on #17 green.  The overall theme of the plantings on #11 has followed my original vision however a few changes still need to be made before season.  The Fraze mowing is a new cultural practice which involves removing the top ¾ inch of material.  This removes the built up thatch and provides a level, more aggressively growing teeing surface.  The drainage issue remains and we will attempt to minimize the effects as we look forward to a complete renovation of the Practice Tee next summer.  The Drill and Fill was an aggressive approach to solving the drainage issues with #17 green.  We are looking forward to a few sunny dry days to help speed the recovery.   Having a green situated within a preserve that receives little to no morning sun and even less air movement we have to rely on excellent subsurface drainage to move the moisture through the profile.  We are aiding this process by cleaning out the previously clogged lines and creating channels that will carry water through the soil profile.  Those members that have played this week will have noticed that we aerified the perimeter and filled the holes by hand with kiln dried sand.  Another tool we are using is an industrial blower to force air through the green via the subsurface drain lines.  We will leave no stone unturned in our quest for perfection. 

Our quagmire of a summer is neither normal nor abnormal.  SW Florida weather is unpredictable; the law of averages does not apply.  We accept what we are given and we adapt our programs to produce the desired results, no excuses.  We have a lot of work to complete before the end of summer.  There is magic involved in providing short term results on our way to long term goals.

 News and Notes from the Summer

View along #11 Tee

Backdrop behind #11 Green

#11 new Plantings

Newly installed aerators

As you can see, this summer was full of projects.  The eagerly anticipated landscape project on #11 has drawn rave reviews to this point.  We will continue to monitor and improve this area as the plants mature.

We have been busy adding to our collection of aerators in our lakes.  This helps reduce algae blooms and increases the health and viability of the lakes.  The new aerators are marked with a red "bobber" that aids in location an preventative maintenance.  Over time these markers will blend into the environment and will be less noticeable.

The turf quality of the golf course continues to improve.  We continue to work hard on our our most troublesome areas(#17 green).  The challenges presented with the adverse growing conditions have slowed the recovery after the Drill-n -Fill application.  Lack of sunlight, low air movement and minimal drainage have proved to be a challenge.  Over the next six weeks we will continue to aggressively treat these areas to provide the best possible playing conditions for the season to come.  Additional aerifications and topdressings will be in order to speed the recovery of the most effected areas.  As always, I want to thank you in advance for your patience as we work towards a better Stonebridge.