GolfCourseMaintenaceCommunicationNewsletter

WINTER GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE HIGHLIGHTS

Wishing you all a very happy New Year from the Golf Course Maintenance Department! As we enter 2024, I would like to provide an update on some of the things happening behind the scenes on our golf courses. WEATHER We are in the grips of an El Nino weather pattern, which traditionally means cool, wet winters in South Florida. Wet and cloudy conditions prevailed in December, with fewer than ten sunny days during the month. The sun intensity has been so low that our solar powered osprey camera on 9 South has had intermittent outages as there hasn’t been enough sunlight to fully charge the backup batteries. Additionally, we had 250% (or three inches) more rainfall than average, which creates challenges for our warm season grasses that thrive on warm temperatures and abundant sunlight. We must manage our moisture levels as best we can through the use of wetting agents to move water through the soil and take multiple moisture measurements each day to help guide our irrigation decisions. MAINTENANCE We have been very active in managing our turf grasses to provide as much help as we can to combat the weather challenges. Specific practices being employed include:

1) solid tine venting of the greens to allow air to reach the root zone to promote gas exchange and aid in water infiltration, 2) vigilant monitoring for disease issues on the turf and appropriate treatment, 3) increased hand watering to ensure water is applied only in areas where it is needed (according to hand-held moisture meters), and 4) the use of black sand to topdress the greens (pictured).

Black sand is used in cool months or in periods of low light intensity. Unfortunately, both conditions are currently present. It is the same topdressing sand that has been used for the past five months, but has been dyed black (the same process used to produce green sand). The black sand helps draw in heat from the sun in the same way that someone wearing a black shirt (or driving a black car) will feel warmer on a sunny day. In past trials I have done, I have found a soil temperature difference between 6- and 7-degrees Fahrenheit, which translates to a 10-15% increase in our soil temperatures this time of year... something that is invaluable to the health of the turf. TRAFFIC

By now you have noticed some different traffic control measures on the course. In lieu of the previous stake/rope system, we have shifted to green/white stakes (pictured) to direct traffic. These stakes will be placed in areas where we need to encourage carts to avoid, which is mainly around tees, greens, fairway entrances and exits, and any weak areas that develop. These stakes are less obtrusive than the larger stakes and ropes and allow for a safer traversing of the course for those that may walk. However, they don’t provide a constant barrier, so it is important to be mindful of their presence and not drive through the areas they have been set, even

when a cart may fit between them. Additionally, there will be new fairway exit blue stakes arriving soon to help guide carts back to the cart paths before the green complex. If players abide by these traffic control measures, we will have a much better shot of ensuring better turf health and playability into the spring. PIN MANAGEMENT One exciting thing that has been implemented is our new ezLocator pin placement software. This software relies on scans that were done in late summer to map out the slopes of each of our greens. This slope data, along with green speed data and certain set parameters, allows the web-hosted software to generate pin locations each day. After extensive internal training and testing, we are excited to introduce it to our membership. Each day, a pin sheet will be available to those that would like to access it. The pin sheet will give the coordinates of each pin, based on the number of paces from the front edge and from either the left or right side of the green. It will be available as a printed copy upon request at the Golf Shop, or at the Starter Shack. Additionally, there is a smartphone application available that will display the pin locations, but please note that you should check the rules of individual golf groups, golf associations, or tournaments as to whether the usage of a cellular device is allowed. In instances when phone use is discouraged or prohibited, the printed version will be available. On page four of this update, you will find a brief description of the application and the software from ezLocator. -Bill Schmit Director of Agronomy

AND YOU

AND YOU

AND YOU

New addition for you! We are excited to announce that we have added ezLocator to our facility. How does this benefit you? ezLocator has been added to improve your game! ezLocator will provide you with the exact pin locations for the day on a handy mobile app for your ease and reference. New addition for you! We are excited to announce that we have added ezLocator to our facility. How does this benefit you? ezLocator has been added to improve your game! ezLocator will provide you with the exact pin locations for the day on a handy mobile app for your ease and reference. New addition for you! We are excited to announce that we have added ezLocator to our facility. How does this benefit you? ezLocator has been added to improve your game! ezLocator will provide you with the exact pin locations for the day on a handy mobile app for your ease and reference.

Benefits of having ezLocator Benefits of having ezLocator Maximize usable hole locations through 3D Green Scans Increased variety of daily hole locations Tool to plan for special event hole locations Custamizable daily pin sheets for print and mobile use Better overall green health through the use of traffic dispersion Maximize usable hole locations through 3D Green Scans Increased variety of daily hole locations Tool to plan for special event hole locations Custamizable daily pin sheets for print and mobile use Better overall green health through the use of traffic dispersion

Benefits of having ezLocator Maximize usable ho locations through 3 Scans Increased variety o hole locations Tool to plan for spec hole locations Custamizable daily sheets for print and use Better overall green through the use of t dispersion

3 steps to an easier game!

3 steps to an easier game! Scan the QR Code Download the app Find your course 1. 2. 3.

Scan the QR Code Download the app Find your course 1. 2. 3.