Winter Went
At the moment it seems like winter has loosened its grip on Central New York. The smaller lakes have lost their ice and the last of the northern courses are coming to grips with what may prove to be a hard spring. At Tuscarora, we've been fortunate with our turf and climate. Nothing out of the ordinary presented itself over the colder months, and for the most part, we were able to keep busy with our winter projects.
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| PG temporarily under ice. |
The most noticeable change players will see this season is more room beneath, and between the trees. It was short of clear cutting, but the sheer amount of lumber to hit the ground sometimes made us wonder. The results for the golfer are a more open feel to the course and more options when playing a shot from out of the rough. The results for the turf are better air flow, more resilient turf and more consistent conditions.
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| A small pile of hardwood limbs waiting for a home |
Green Stuff
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| Nice pic highlighting the many varieties of grasses within our greens. |
The course is beginning its spring growth surge that happens every year. As greens, in particular, go from dormant and fast, to lush and slow, it's good to remember that it's a physiological response to warmth and day length that we have little control over. We try to mitigate this change with growth regulators and controlling fertility but for May and early June most places are happy to just keep up with mowing. The trick has always been balancing enough growth to keep up with daily wear from golfers and mowing equipment without sacrificing reasonable ball roll. Every course has unique needs and conditions and some are easier to bring through this time than others. As the grass evens out with the onset of hotter weather, greens get more predictable and manageable.
Brain Drain
New drain pipe going in across 11 fairway to alleviate a plugged line that was creating the sogginess in the landing area. We'll also be installing drainage into the fairway bunkers on 11 later this fall as a part II to this project. Thanks for your patience as we dry this area up.
