Willow Ridge Country Club Turfgrass Chronicles: Fall Ball and More

It's that time of year when trees begin to steadily shed their leaves, the full spectrum of hues can be seen among the trees, and incidentally (this is a person preference) this is prime time golf weather. Autumn brings in cooler temperatures and tends to push out the humidity that does it's best to cling on to this metropolitan area. It also signals a change in our maintenance practices or I should say at least the frequency of practices when compared to the peak summer months. With cooler temperatures and a great reduction in solar intensity, the growth habit slows, water requirements are reduced, disease pressure is greatly reduced due to lower humidity, and inputs as a whole are greatly reduced. This allows us to alter our mowing schedules, spray schedules etc., which happens to be great timing, allowing us to focus on other practices that correlate to the autumn months.

The transition in weather correlates directly to our transition in maintenance focus. As cumbersome as it is to stay on top of leaf cleanup, it's something that must occur. It does in fact suck up a good portion of our maintenance crew, however as mentioned earlier the weather acts as a universal growth regulator slowing down the otherwise voracious pace of mother nature.

You'll notice that the greens have been aerified just this past week. The crew worked exceptionally hard, and with cooperative weather we couldn't be more pleased with the results. This may in fact be a bone of contention for many, but it is imperative that it be done, and frankly they're still relatively smooth. Aerification signaled our last significant cultural practices, and now with autumn weather in full swing our focus can begin to shift to other projects that need our attention. We have completed the resurfacing of the men's blue tee on the second hole, and we are poised to begin other tee projects the scope of which are more substantial than the second tee. Ironically enough the weather while slowing the growth habit of the course in preparation for the looming winter months, has accelerated our work habit toward other ancillary projects, which will all have a positive effect on the not too distant 2015 season. Enjoy the fall ball, and we hope to see you out there.