Weed control

We are getting ready for the VSGA Women's Team Matches
and Member/Member by cleaning up some summer weeds.

Picking goose grass

We are almost finished with #8 and have another group walking the rest of the greens.

Goose grass

We've received multiple questions regarding the increased goose grass populations on the putting surfaces.  Goose grass is a summer annual that is currently in the peak of its life cycle.  We address these plants in the spring and early summer with pre emergent control.

It is in my professional opinion that due to increased earl summer rain, these plants had plenty of moisture to germinate.  With the onset of increased temperatures through July and August, our protective barrier was degraded early by hot and humid weather.

Post emergent control can damage vulnerable cool season turf in the heat of summer, hence the reason we have not been aggressive with those post emergent chemistries.

We are not the only course with increased populations of goose grass this summer. Academia is seeing it in multiple locations throughout the southeast and mid-Atlantic.

We are actively hand picking these plants each day to decrease current populations.

With cool weather approaching, this summer annual will not tolerate the cooler temperatures and will start to fade away.

Venting

We continue to see new roots from our weekly venting process.  This agronomic practice increases gas exchange out of the soil profile and supplies necessary oxygen to the plant.

Rain

We had over an inch last night but had 3.5 inches last week.

Better Billy Bunkers worth the investment!

Increased nutsedge

With the rains of late spring and early summer, we've seen increased populations of nutsedge around the course.  

Today we're backpacking around greens and using the big sprayer outside the greens complex. 

We should see die back starting over the next 5 to 7 days.

Bridges

The final two bridges have been secured and the walkways installed.

#12

#1

Green speed

With two weeks of hot, humid weather under our belt, the greens are showing slight signs of stress.  In an effort to be proactive and protect them from future damage, we have limited our aggressive practices that typically increase green speed.  

We switched to less aggressive mowers, eliminated growth regulators from our program, we are limiting roller use and increasing fertility.  This combination will typically cause growth, and ultimately plant resistance as the ball travels to the hole location.

With cooler temperatures like today, the turf will recover sooner than later, allowing us to ramp up our practices for future tournaments such as the Club Championship and Member/Member.

We appreciate your patience!

Black spots on greens

With increased heat and humidity we are seeing black algae on the putting surfaces. Please be assured, although not ideal, these spots are more cosmetic in nature than detrimental to the turf.  Our weekly topdressing program, chemical control and venting practices will help keep these at bay until we see the cooler temperatures of fall. 

Turf growth

The warm season bermuda, which covers our playing surfaces, has enjoyed the hot, humid weather.  We can always tell by the clipping yield when we mow rough and fairways on Monday's.

Venting

To increase oxygen exchange we are venting greens today.  This is a modified form of aerification that has limited distribution of the putting surface.

This is a counter active measure to the hot humid weather we've had over the last couple weeks!