Course Preparation

Until this week the weather has been extremely unseasonal for this time of the year. We have had a busy week preparing the golf course for the season.
First cuts on the tees, fairways, and some rough areas where completed. Course clean-up has begun, including blowing off main playing areas and picking up branches. Some trees that came down over the winter were also cleaned-up. Greens have received their second cut of the season and tarps were left on the injured greens to help in their recovery.

 The greens are coming along from a hard winter and the remaining areas on the course are strengthening up and looking good. Early spring traffic on greens that are not actively growing could lead to turf thinning and bumpy surfaces. The turf may be green but not actively growing and therefore unable to recover from wear injury. Additional fertilizer, topdressing, aeration and rolling may be necessary to promote growth for recovery from traffic stress and smooth the putting surfaces. In the spring turf produces a healthy and deep root system, which will prepare for hot summer conditions.  Early spring traffic means a longer period needed to build a deep, healthy root system before summer. Also turf diseases may become active earlier. We may need to make initial applications earlier than normal and potentially require more total applications for the season. The issues discussed are also applicable to all other turf areas on the course. Tee divots and fairway/rough traffic areas for example will not be recovering until the turf is actively growing.

Just remember that with all the benefits of the early spring warm weather, there are season-long implications for the turf and operating budget. Golfer patience and understanding become very important.