LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR OF AGRONOMY
Dear Member ,
6
March was a tough month for the courses . The greens struggled due to some key factors . One of the major factors was the cold temperatures in late February along with many overcast days . This combined with poor drainage on the greens unfortunately made for ripe conditions for disease . We had a combination of Pythium and leaf spot get us at the same time . The leaf spot was more noticeable on the collars in the common Bermuda , the Pythium was more prevalent on the greens . We treated it as soon as we noticed it and continued to treat into the second week of March with a combination of two products . I have to say in 30 plus years , I have never seen a disease work that quick .
We ninja tined and top dressed up until the member guest tournament . Last week we used a solid ¼ ” X 6 ” solid tine to get more air movement into the greens and allow water to penetrate the soil . Currently , the water is up top and not percolating through the soil as fast as it should . This causes excessive moister in the top inch of the turf and creates an opportunity for the disease to occur . After using the solid tine , we then rolled the greens to make them as smooth as possible . This was followed up by mowing , top dressing , and fertilizing . You can see this process in the pictures below .
This summer we plan on 3 rounds of aerification on the greens . When we do , we will be amending the soils with a porous material , that will keep these air chambers open and allow for better air exchange and help the drainage issues , promoting stronger root growth . The goal is to minimize the effects on playability , however at times this is unavoidable . We appreciate your understanding as we work through our cultural programs .
We continue our weekly foliar fertilizer program to stimulate new growth and to continue feeding the plant . We continue fertilizing fairways and tees bi-weekly . We rotate between granular and foliar fertilizers .
We also plan to do a wall-to-wall aerification on both courses this summer . This will generate healthier turf throughout the courses . The plan is to start Turtle Run the last week of May , and then Deer Run during the closures for irrigation renovation . Once all the aerification is complete , we will do a wallto-wall application of fertilizer with Ronstar which is a pre-emergent . This will give us weed control and feed the turf .
We have continued projects on the golf courses , adding some additional coquina areas and plantings . We hope you enjoy it . We have also added some rip rap to the pond banks of # 10 Deer Run and # 16 on Turtle Run . We ask that you please don ’ t walk on the rocks as it could possibly damage the liner . We also don ’ t want you getting hurt . They will become slippery when wet and may be loose . We have also repaired the cart path behind the 16th green of Turtle Run .
April will bring warmer temperatures and with that the grass will begin to grow more vigorously . We will soon be mowing full time again . We look forward to getting the golf courses healed back in and continue improving the product .
For those that are heading back to their summer retreats , we hope you have safe travels and look forward to your return !
Best Regards ,
Jimmie Murphy
Director of Agronomy