Season's Greenings

The 4th and last edition of our quarterly turf blog is a look back at the past season as well as a look ahead to the next. It'll be picture heavy. 

A good year for golf

A 'good year' on a golf course depends on what you're measuring. For our grounds department, it's how the turf held up and how many more people fixed their ball-marks than last year.  By those measuring sticks we had a good year. Greens were predictable, fairways were less plagued by worms, and carts were let out more than they were kept in.  Dry conditions benefit everything from  quality of cut to effectiveness of greens rollers.  

I don't know what to attribute the increase in ballmark fixing to. I want to believe it's because members and guests appreciate the conditions and feel it's important to do what they can to help keep things nice. Maybe a little pride is a part of it too..in any case, we'll take it!

Sir, you can't park there..

 

     

Bag of the year

Projecting as we do..

Over the years Tuscarora has gotten comfortable tackling projects 'in-house' that are normally contracted to professional construction companies.  We do it not only to save money, but because we often do a decent job with it.  Whether maintenance departments should be doing course construction is a fair question but we feel like we can walk and chew gum at the same time and consider it a value-added service. 

While it's true we're not golf course architects, we are dedicated to improving the property. Though 2025 was unintentionally heavy with projects, our goal is always to avoid harming the integrity of the course or unduly impacting the bottom line by outsourcing minor projects.    

Had a couple minutes in April while the course was waking up

Good vision and plan. Great group effort and not awful looking

Paving cartpaths - the project that kept on giving (and taking)

Prep work was extensive

Traffic vs. germination battle

1 green - right side bunker removal

Fairway extension incoming for 2026

1 green left - drainage and re-shape

Beginning re-shape 

Assistant Superintendent, Mason Wicks, giving 2 green
 it's annual fall 'rip' to reduce organic matter

 8 Green

Work on 8 green was started in November. Some background will help explain why the project was undertaken. 

As cart path routing was agreed on in 2024 it was clear to the board that removing the path right of 8 green opened up a possibility that the green could be expanded to accommodate new pin locations. 8 green's struggle is common with older courses. Green speeds prior to the 1980s were not what they are today.  Those old contours and shapes are fine if greens are rolling 6 or 7 which was the norm when cutting at 1/4 inch.   While this is a favorite hobby horse for many superintendents and architects, it's enough to say here that 8 green became  basically un-cuppable save for a few pins in the back left quarter of the green. 

Without radically changing the style of the green, we raised the lower surrounds on the right side and created a puttable grade.  We replaced the sod and supplemented the rest from our greens nursery. 

Work on the putting surface was completed in 2 weeks and at zero extra cost in materials or labor beyond what we had on property and what staff was already on payroll. 

The bunker on the left was removed and the bunker on the right will be reshaped and drained but with no change in style or character.

Sod will spend the winter 'knitting in' and we expect to open the green with the others in the spring.  Cups won't be placed in the new area until we see things firm up. We expect minor settling and are prepared for it. Adjustments will be necessary as roots grab and the sod fills in.  The surface will tighten up as mowing heights are lowered over the course of the spring but expect a full growing season before the expansion becomes indistinguishable from the original.  

We hope to have pins down there by Memorial weekend and if not, by 4th of July.  We're happy with the outcome so far.  

8 green before tree removals and looking over the old cartpath

8 green looking at expansion zone

Creating the cavity for drainage and greens mix

Mason and Kyle beginning sod removal 

Affected area

Grade stakes set to a 1.5% pitch - flat 
enough to putt and still drain surface water

Greens mix - mostly our own topdressing
sand with peat and a whiff of soil added

Mix compacted and sod going back on

Scrutinizing the grade for the nth time

A long winters nap coming up

From the grounds crew and Deedee: 

Have a fantastic and safe winter.  We hope to see you back, ready to go, and hopeful for another great season.  Deedee says to send any dry cleaning bills she may have caused to the pro shop. 

Birds-eye view of a great place to be.