Spring has sprung early this year and the Turf Care Department are beginning the process of course clean-up and preparing the course for play. Most of the greens fared well over the winter but there are signs of stressed Poa annua. This is mainly due to low temperature injury, despite the fact it was generally a warmer fall/winter. The extended fall and warm start to the winter prevented the turf from truly hardening off and preparing for the coming cold. The ridges and mounds on the sunniest greens became exposed during one of the melt events and the turf that was not prepared for winter was subjected to sub-zero temps. Most of this is superficial and will recover once warmer weather becomes more consistent but we have taken steps to speed the recovery process. Affected greens have been aerified, verticut, seeded and the four worst greens were covered with tarps.
All this means that greens will be unavailable for the immediate future. We are asking members to avoid the greens for a short time. It is a small sacrifice to ensure they are in the best condition possible for the bulk of our season. I anticipate greens to be open by April 1st, but it may be sooner than that. For now temporary greens are in play. Cart availability is evaluated on a daily basis. The course was drying out fine but we have received nearly 1.5" of rain between March 13th - 16th and that will set us back from allowing carts out on the course.
There are still lots of spring clean-up items to be checked off the list. We will begin the process of removing sticks and debris, rebuilding bunkers and putting out accessories (rakes, tee markers etc.). The goal would be to have all of these done before April 1, but if we open before keep in mind its a work in progress and we will continue to chip away at it daily.
Thanks,
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