June Newsletter 2024

NORTH COURSE CLOSURE PLANS & SUMMER UPDATE

Greetings from the Golf Maintenance Department! After a difficult winter with many challenges, the courses have both regained their vigor and are performing nicely. As the temperatures heat up and the demand for golf slows down, the workload in golf course maintenance picks up. The turf is now growing at over 90% of its peak growth potential and will require our full efforts to keep up with maintenance. This is also the period where we perform our aggressive summer cultural practices.

On Monday, May 20, the North Course will close and will reopen on Monday, July 29. We aim to accomplish a great deal during this closure. We will be aggressively vertical mowing and aerating all surfaces. This helps reduce thatch build up, promote new growth, and healthier turf. There will be multiple rounds of these practices that occur followed by heavy sand applications to further dilute organic matter and promote firmer, healthier playing surfaces. In total, we will create over a quarter billion holes, remove over 200 cubic yards of organic material, and apply 1000 tons of sand on the North Course! Additionally, there will be selective weed control, sodding, and a healthy amount of bunker sand adjustments.

One project that will happen is the removal of the greens liners from the low points of each green (pictured). These hard plastic liners are installed during construction. However, if not properly drained, they will trap water below the green’s surface and lead to poor plant health. We can expect better turf health and performance in these areas after the project is finished. Another project is selective repairs on bridges to shore up weak areas and repair any damaged decking. Our goal will be to accomplish the bulk of the practices in the first seven weeks of the closure. The final three weeks will be for healing the turf and working on details in preparation for re-opening the course on July 29, 2024. Additionally, we will be aerifying the back tee on the South end of the range and the North tee during the first closure. While the North Course is closed, the South Course will accommodate

our daily play. There will be minor practices that will be on-going through the summer, but we will leave major tasks for the closure period. On-going practices that will occur are selective applications of organic fertilizers and compost to traffic areas and weak areas in fairways. This will encourage better soil and, in turn, turf health now and into the future. We have begun to perform this practice in areas (pictured). There will be a focus on selective weed control and general maintenance on the South Course leading into its closure period beginning in July. 14 Frenchman’s Creek