Marc Francoeur
Happy Fourth of July and Happy 150th Canada!
We are through this year’s bunker renovation and the project went well. So far the feedback has been positive, but I am yet to test them myself because I never hit it in the bunkers! We still are adding sand to the bunkers that were not renovated, to try and get some consistency through out the whole course. Any suggestions on which bunkers should be done first would be greatly appreciated; we have a list on which ones I think need sand. Quick little FYI the newly renovated bunkers will be hand raked from now on, the machine we use to rake the sand is partly to blame for the sand contamination! We don’t want to have to replace the sand in the near future.
We have started looking forward to next year’s bunker renovation plans. Along with Kevin Norby; I have put some preliminary numbers together and what section of the golf course will be done next. It’s early yet but we have discussed greenside bunkers on No. 6, No. 11, No. 12, and No. 13. I would love to complete the project in one year. However we need to spread it out over a few years due to the cost and funding of the project.
I would like to thank Kevin Norby for his work and vision; he pretty much donated his time for us! Mr. Norby’s input has been valuable to SunBird’s overall future goals in playability and function!
In the beginning weeks of August the Turf Care Department will aerate the greens with solid tines. However this will not impact the playability of the golf course and we will not need to close the course at any time during this process. The holes will be small and hardly noticeable, I will topdress ahead the machine and all we will need to do is work the sand in the aeration holes after. This might take a week because we will do what we can in the morning before the morning tee times and shotguns.
Thank you to all the people who have already donated to the green-up fund, it’s never too early to think about overseeding! I have already started the quote process with our vendor’s on seed prices and will most likely have the seed reserved by the end of this month. I don’t foresee any changes to the grass varieties that we used last season on the golf course. So don’t forget your donations because every little bit counts.