We have punched holes in greens this week and now are waiting to topdress. Probably going to happen next week considering the wet weather. Again this spring we used small star and ¼” solid tines to aerate greens. This combo gives us numerous holes for water percolation and root growth but disrupts the surface very little. Putting quality is still pretty good and will quickly return to normal in about 10 days. We are quite pleased with the greens condition right now with good root development and healthy turf. The height of cut continues to go down and we are nearing normal mowing heights. That coupled with increased rolling should get the greens putting well by late next week.

May is the time when the turf really starts to move-not much happens in April. As you have probably seen there are some seedlings up in the winterkilled areas. Warm temperatures should get them moving along better in the next couple of weeks. As is normal in the spring, soil temperatures have been at the bare minimum to germinate seed so we are happy to see what we have so far, but more seedlings should be emerging soon and development will continue. This should help those thin fairway spots fill more quickly.

We will be trying a couple of new Poa annua control products on certain areas of some fairways so expect to see some discoloration or thinning in the next month in those areas. The rest of the fairways and surrounds are starting to look better every day with density and color starting to really shine.

The prescribed burn was executed on April 8 on a large portion of the perimeter of the course. Only theareas around 10, 11, 14 were left unburned due to an unfavorable wind. The rough has been a little bit delayed this year with the cooler temps, but expect thick gnarly wooga due to the ample soil moisture available this spring.

I am still trying to find a good time for the first course tour of the year so stay tuned for date and time for that.

Expect the course to start to come together in the next couple of weeks. Jmahar@live.com with questions or comments.

The turf has greened up but has yet to start growing. We have mowed greens once-fairways and tees probably will be due next week. As expected the greens survived the winter without incident and are looking good. Also as anticipated there is some ice damage in the low areas of fairways. Much like last year’s damage-some areas are better than expected and some are worse. Thinning occurred in many areas but those spots will recover on their own. Other spots like near 2 exit path and 6 exit path are complete kills. To remedy those situations we will double aerate and throw ryegrass seed into those holes. After that we will run the slit-seeder across those same areas with bluegrass seed. Then we wait-unfortunately cold soil temperatures hinder quick establishment so please be patient and when possible avoid running carts over those damaged areas as the new seedlings will be quite tender. Also to aid in recovery the damaged areas will be juiced up with extra fertilizer to encourage lateral growth and density.

We have just begun the aerification of fairways and that will continue into next week. Here again is the
spring aerification schedule:

April 1-12 Fairways (one or two holes per day)
April 15-16 Greens surrounds
April 22-23 Tees
May 6-7 Greens (mini tines)
May 8 Topdress Greens

Our prescribed burn will probably take place next week if we get the right conditions to execute it. We will be working on the outside permiter of the course and hope to make it all the way around if all goes well. Despite our mowing and burning, the rough is likely to be very lush considering the ample soil moisture available this spring.

We consider April the set-up month for good conditions to come in the summer. Much of what we do now pays off during the prime summer golfing season. Aerification, fertilizer applications, weed control, and rough management by burning of the “wooga” all are accomplished in this month. As we move into May our focus shifts to better playability in a more regular mowing routine, improved green speeds, more bunker maintenance, and daily course setup.

We are excited to see green grass again and are looking forward to a great year. You can always email me at jmahar@live.com if you have comments or concerns.