Week of 12/5/2016





Finally, we had some measurable rain last week and last night. We received just under 1” of rain last week and today (12-5-16) we have received just over 1.5”. This will only help with the overseed, especially in the fairways, tees, and other lagging areas. There is a cold front moving in this weekend and hopefully by then we will have a good, consistent stand of ryegrass.    The guys have really worked hard during my first week and I am grateful to have a crew who show a lot of passion in what they do each day. While we are waiting for seed establishment in the short-cut areas, we have concentrated on debris, pinestraw, and keeping our tees, fairways, and greens clean from any leaves and pinestraw from the windy days we’ve had. Last Wednesday, we received the majority of the rain (.70”) for the week. We didn’t have a lot to blow or pickup and so we were able to continue with keeping the golf course clean going into the weekend. We will continue with more of the same this week as we’ve received even more rain.

We did concentrate on detailing the bunkers last week, too. All bunkers were hand raked, cleaned out, runners on some of the edges were removed and a few washouts from the storm on Wednesday were addressed. Bunkers will again be fixed and cleaned out from the rain this week.

The temporary irrigation pump was given a bit of a break with the rain and the cold front that moved in late last week. I noticed immediately the affect the .10” of rain on Monday had on the overseed and it has only improved with the rain on Wednesday. There is nothing like like a good soaker and warm temperatures compared to turning on irrigation heads.

With all the rain and optimal growing conditions, sooner or later it’s going to be time to mow. We rolled the greens on Friday and left them alone over the weekend. Today, because of the rain we were not able to mow the greens and collars. I hope to mow the greens and collars on Wednesday after the rain passes and the greens get some time to drain. When we do get on a regular mowing schedule, greens will be mowed daily, but there will be days where we will only roll. I hope that the fairways and tees won’t be too far behind where we can start mowing them as well. Those areas will be mowed 2-3 days a week depending on the weather. Once we have a good establishment on the greens and we’ve mowed them for a week, I plan to apply a granular fertilizer at the rate of ½ pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet. This will only perk things up and my plan throughout the winter will be to keep as much green in them as possible with a little bit of Iron and some foliar nutrients. Speaking of which, I am taking soil samples this week and sending off this week so that the foliar program I use will be centered around those results. This will ensure the greens are consistent and healthy going forward.

Overall, I couldn’t ask for a better first week. It was definitely a great week to build from. I was very pleased with the hard work of the crew and I feel that the guys we have provide a solid core. I am hopeful that we can add a couple guys to the team once the warm weather returns. Again, I believe I have mentioned it before, but concentrating on details is just as important as providing great consistent playing conditions. I am excited about what the future holds for Sunset Country Club and I am thrilled to be apart of the team. Please feel free to reach out with any questions/comments that you may have by using this blog, Facebook page, or emailing me at davisjoey@hotmail.com. Thanks for reading!

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