Growth is Huge

Shaped and Ready for Sod

13's bunker was much more work than I even thought it was going to be but the good news is that we started sodding yesterday.  I am hoping we will be done by this weekend, but it will be another week until it is ready for play.

Three Days and Finally Ahead of the Growth

All of the humidity and rain of late has lead to exponential growth of the grass.  Yesterday after several days of mowing everyday the fairways we have finally somewhat have caught back up.

Rain to the Valley

On Friday we got a touch of the incoming storm and on Sunday it wasn't a let down.  It was one of the heaviest rains I have seen in the desert in quite some time but provided some much needed moisture to the soil.

Over this upcoming week we will be mowing quite heavy to try our very best to stay ahead of the growth that will be the results of these rains.

High Humidity Results

Mowing 18's Fairways

If you were look at the picture above you may ask "how long has it been since they last mowed fairways?"  The answer will surprise you ... it was the day before.  Thanks to higher then normal humidity the growth of the turf has been through the roof.  We have also been double mowing the greens daily.

Working on 13's Right Greenside Bunker

13's greenside bunker is still in work.  We have been working very hard on the bunker and removing tons of excess soil.  Our hope is to be complete by the end of next week.

Hot Spots?? And Bunkers

Apparent Hot Spot?

Not all hot spots or dead spots are what they seem.  The other week we finally addressed some of the out of control nutsedge around the golf course by spraying it with Monument.  As you can see by the below picture we killed it dead.

Closer Look Reveals Dead Nutsedge - Currently Spraying

14's bunker is finished but today we will rope off the area since I saw one of our members playing the sand trap ... he liked the lie and there was no issue, however, the newly sodded area is another story.  Please do not play the new sod and take the free drop so it can heal.

14's New Bunker "Flash"

We got the loader fixed this morning and continued the roughing of 13's greenside bunker.  It has a long way to go but hopefully we will be done by next week. 

With the high humidity lately the grass is growing out of its skin.  The last two days we have double mowed the greens, and now we are cutting the fairways everyday just to keep up with the growth.  Clean up of the clippings will start today.

Bunker Project and Green Speed

Sodding the New Hill Behind 14's Fairway Bunker

Yesterday we mostly finished two of the bunkers involved in the bunker project suggested by the designer a couple of years ago. 

The Addition of the Flash on the Bunker of 14

14's fairway bunker had the hill added as a backdrop behind the bunker and has the front edge flashed slightly so it could be seen from the fairway.  However, this bunker will remain GUR for at least a week as the sod roots into the ground.

Five Loads of Sand Added to 12's Right Greenside Bunker

12's bunker was a simple fix.  We added several loads of the cleanest sand we could find from 13's greenside bunker and then smoothed it out.  A few years ago this bunker was part of a unsuccessful testing to find a solution to the playability issues ... now it is fixed.

13's greenside bunker will be in work for at least a week.  Yesterday our loader need to remove excess sand broke and stopped dumping.  Once it is fixed we will be able to finish the bunker, however, work will continue today on it.

Green speed:  Yup, it has dropped since last weeks aerification.  But yesterday we applied a growth regulator and today we start the double mowing program.  Today is seven days since the completion of the aerification and the great news is that thanks to the high humidity and heavy fertilization you can barely tell they were aerified at all.

Bunker Project Finally Starts

13's Right Side Green Bunker

Today, we will be addressing two bunkers - right greenside 13's bunker and 14's fairway bunker.  Both of these bunkers are quite large projects and will not be finished quickly, thus during the time of work these bunkers should be considered GUR.  Additionally, we are taking "clean" sand to fill into 12's right front green bunker that we performed tests on two years ago ... those tests did not work.

Building the "Hump" on 14's Fairway Bunker

Removed the Humps Out of 13's Bunker

Clean Sand Addition to 12's Greenside Bunker

Please realize that we have limited staffing so during this project we will have to "rob" Peter to pay Paul.  Meaning there may be other items that will be short changed.

Bunker Project Finally Begins

Today, we will be starting the bunkers project that has sat on the sidelines due to labor issues.  We are starting on two bunkers: the one on the right side of 13's green; and the other is the fairway bunker on 14.  Please remember these are GUR until healed.

With aerification finally complete for the year we can start again focusing on the details around the golf course.  There is lots to do and we will be busy for weeks.