Marc Francoeur, GCSAA
I’m sitting here in the office wondering if everything we have done to the golf course to improve the playability will be reflected at the time of this article being published in February. I am going to go out on a limb and say that what we have been doing has improved the esthetics and playability. However, we still have areas to improve but, of course, this is always the case on a golf course.
The ropes and stakes we have put out on the wear areas to control the cart traffic seem to be working. It is on us here in the turf care department to identify these areas before they go too far backwards and rotate these areas around so we don’t wipe out the Bermuda grass. Some of these areas we can manage by overseeding them next year. This will give it structure and protect the Bermuda grass that is dormant.
We have changed up some of our cultural practices during the winter season and started to aerate worn-out areas with our new tractor and the aerator that we can use because of the new tractor. Maybe you have seen it out there operating. We have been using solid tines for minimum disruption to the surface while keeping the playability.
Along with these efforts and the Adopt the Hole program, I believe these are the contributing factors for the improvement of the course.
This month’s article has a co-author, and I will pass it on from here to them.
Finally, a comment about golf course stewardship – We have been discussing in our Greens Committee meetings what appears to be an ongoing problem with un-repaired divots on the fairways and tee boxes and ball marks on the greens. By means of this article, I am asking all of our golfers to practice good stewardship by taking the time to sand their divots and repair their ball marks as they play and also, if time permits, to take care of any that may be near where their ball lies. The result of good stewardship is a better and more playable golf course, and it frees up time so that our employees can give attention to other maintenance issues. To help with this issue, it is recommended that all power and pull golf carts have a sand bottle on board, and the golfers should carry a ball mark repair tool. Extra sand for bottles is available near the bathrooms on holes 4 and 13, and there are sandboxes located on all of the tee boxes. The task is easy. The cooperation and participation of all of the golfers is and will be greatly appreciated.
Finally, the Greens Committee and Turf Department will be hosting an appreciation for all the volunteers on March 16 out on the patio at the clubhouse. We will have the time posted around the Pro Shop and other bulletin boards.
Thank you,
The Collaboration v