Ready for some clouds and precipitation

 

That is another two week stretch without a drop of rain. For fun we went ahead and tied the high temperature record for May 20th on Wednesday at 95 degrees here on property. Monday and Tuesday were not far behind at 93 and 94 degrees. On Tuesday we saw an incredible .3" evapotranspiration rate meaning it could of rained over a quarter inch Monday night (it didn't) and all that moisture would of been gone by Tuesday afternoon. Our sprinkler system, acid injection, turfrad and handwater crew have been working hard this spring.

High temps or not we were scheduled to get some solid tine holes punched in tees, approaches and fairways this week. Our two tractor aerators made it through the zoysia on the South by Tuesday afternoon poking holes on a 4 inch spacing about 2.5 inches down. These holes will help with gas exchange in the soil, water infiltration and give the roots some air space to invade. With both courses drying out quickly this week we decided to wait until the North fairways received a shot of rain before running the tractor aerators over them. Next week after Memorial Day we will have each course closed one day to finish up.


The fairways were rolled with our pull behind rough mower before being mowed again at a slightly higher height. The zoysia is more than ready for some rain and humidity!

The walk behind machines punch a bit of a cleaner hole so it was no problem getting two of these machines around to all the tees and approaches on both sides this week. A full 8 hour day running this aerator yields almost 35,000 steps!

Along with the aeration we also lightly spread some sand topdressing on the approaches to help fill up the thatch layer and firm the surface. Our goal is to get a light topdressing like this down on tees and approaches about once a month through the growing season.

We were also able to dust the North greens with some dry sand from our silo and brush it in.

45 cubic yards of compost was also spread in some high traffic areas in the rough this week. The compost helps jump start the biology in the soil while also helping with water use efficiency. This material should break down and wash in over the next week or so.

Our summer pre-emerge weed control along with some pre and post sedge control was applied this week on the south. The rough just needs a little bit of rain and humidity and it will finally start moving.

The rest of our tee markers are back from the powdercoat shop and should all be back on their respective tees for play on Friday. The brown textured base provides a more finished look and the colors for each yardage a less noticeable now.

The horticultural team is making a final push on getting the rest of the summer annuals planted around the clubhouse grounds after getting things dialed in around the pool before it opened this past weekend. Here is a picture of the guys putting the final touches on the beds behind the grill and giving everything a little drink of water. The Olympia rose Begonias, Bubblegum wave Petunias, and Pinky Lantana will give us something to enjoy driving by all summer. Enjoy the holiday weekend!


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