Willow Ridge Country Club Turfgrass Chronicles: Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

The Greens Department would like to be the first to wish everyone out there a Happy Memorial Day weekend. I'm sure many of you have a very busy weekend planned with family and friends, and a bit of golf mixed in there now that the season is upon us. It's been a highly productive week on the course, with the completion of both greens and fairway verticutting. You may notice some faint lines in greens, and surely in fairways throughout the weekend. However this practice has allowed us to remove a little thatch from the profile, as well as remove some grain (laid over blades of grass). Eliminating grain on greens will assist in providing a truer, and smoother putting surface, thus rewarding a well struck putt on the proper line.

We also managed to apply a granular fertilizer product to the greens, to aid in fertility throughout a good portion of the season. Nitrogen at this point in the season is very important in both aiding in the recuperative capacity of the turf, as well as staving off a couple of diseases that could prove detrimental to the overall health of the greens. With the fertilizer application we will see an accelerated growth pattern, which could slightly slow greens speeds, however this is a moment of brevity in comparison to the length of the season. In other news we've completed the bunker on the eighteenth fairway, as well as sodded the once confused bed behind the sixteenth green. Lastly, we find it important to relay information that will benefit both short and long term goals that serve to benefit Willow Ridge. That being said, this week we did receive a couple large rain events, however in lieu of continually adding drainage, verticutting fairways, topdressing fairways, as well as dredging brooks, drying of the course has been greatly expedited. Now while this is great news, it's also a reminder that these practices must continue to be a staple in our management repertoire, otherwise we will begin to lose ground, and revert to softer, wetter days. Again Happy Memorial Day weekend, and don't forget to take some time to appreciate members of the armed forces who have dedicated their lives for a greater good. Cheers and we hope to see you out there.