Not the most predictable weather year for golf, but it's been idyllic for growing grass. Cool nights for most of the summer and regular rains do wonders for lawns, trees, and golf courses. June and July were uncharacteristically cool and wet. Casualties of the regular rains are distance off the tee for everyone, thicker rough, and wet bunkers. Unfortunately none of these has an immediate remedy. As August rolls in, we're seeing the fairways dry out and get tighter, and greens remain as true and healthy as ever.
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| 2017 Men's MG - nice weather for ducks |
Fairway program
This year, for the first time in the club's history, we've been treating all fairways with regular preventative fungicide and insecticides. What we see is improved vigor and an ability to get a better, shorter cut. To make the fungicides last longer on the plant, a growth regulator is added to stunt the plants. We're experimenting with what rate is the right rate for our situation and grass species and after some trial and error this spring, we've hit on the right mix.
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| Spring growth regulator injury |
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| Recovery 3 weeks late |
Bunker Conditioning
The biggest loser from flooding rains are the bunkers. Between sand washing off higher slopes, or silt and mud migrating upward from the bunker floor to contaminate the bunker sand, the bunkers are difficult to keep in consistent condition. Often they get so hard from being over-wet and compacted, they're mistakenly thought to not have enough sand in them. We're trying a longer "ripper" tine on the trap rake machine to see if we can fluff the bunkers up. So far the reports are positive and it's helping the consistency.
Gold Tees
The newest course feature the club is trying out is an addition of a forward set of tees we're calling the Gold tees. This was in response to numerous requests for the course to play more fairly for the higher handicapper. Tuscarora can be brutal to play for the player that doesn't hit a long drive. The tees will be rated when their positions are finalized. Feedback, so far, has been positive.
TBA: what tee sets will remain and what color they'll be.
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| 16 gold tee |
Home Lawns
It's the time of year to start thinking about home lawn care if you live in an area with grub problems or if you have a tenacious weed you want to rid yourself of -- we're at the beginning of the time to treat for them
If your lawn doesn't have a history of grubs or an especially bad weed problem, leave it alone. Most lawns can tolerate high populations of grubs without showing any signs of damage. A good indicator of whether you should apply is if you've had skunks or raccoons digging last year.
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| Skunk damage from looking for grubs |
Weeds, especially biennials like dandelions, are already getting ready for next year but are nearly invisible to the eye. Between now and Halloween is an ideal time to treat for them if you've had problems in the past.
Your local favorite hardware store will best be able to supply you with what you need in product and equipment to get the job done.
Feel free to contact me if you have specific lawn or shrub issues. I'm happy to help find solutions to your landscape problems.
Fall Projects
Fall/winter projects haven't been finalized, but what's been discussed are new rain shelters for the 4/7 tee area and 13/14/15 area, and improving drainage on the 16th green, and 11 and 12 fairway.
