Although some effects of the cold winter and cool spring still linger in a few places, overall the golf course has been in remarkable condition for the events previously mentioned. Firm and fast fairways make for a fun test of golf, and one area that has not shown any ill effects the past month is the putting surfaces. I do believe right now the greens are the best they have ever been with regards to the combination of surface firmness, smoothness and speed, and that is what we have been striving for as we head into our final event this spring... the 54th North Carolina Amateur Championship conducted by the Carolinas Golf Association!
Hopefully by now you have seen the letter from Will Barr, Club President mentioning the historical significance of Carolina Golf Club hosting the CGA's North Carolina Amateur Championship. I can assure you, we here in golf course maintenance are very excited for the club and the challenge before us. In a memo I recently presented to my staff outlining our work schedule next week I wrote, "Carolina Golf Club is honored to have been selected as the host club for the 2014 North Carolina Amateur Championship. This year's tournament will mark the 54th playing of this competition. The tournament will consist of two days of practice rounds (June 3-4) and 72 holes of stroke play (June 5-8). This is the single biggest event ever contested in the history of Carolina Golf Club. Our job is to prepare and present the golf course to the competitors each day in peak condition. Our members are very eager to showcase their golf course to the best amateur players in the state, and it is our mission to ensure our members are not disappointed. I have absolutely no doubt we will be successful in our mission!"
Next week I will be blogging about our experience as we prepare the golf course for this prestigious championship. I will not be emailing daily updates (Twitter followers will receive notification), but feel free to check out the website each day for a behind the scenes look at what goes into preparing a course for true championship golf.
In other news, from this moment forward I respectfully request all cart traffic on the golf course be limited to the fairways. Yes, you heard me correctly. When weather conditions permit golf car traffic on the course (which is most of the time), please access the fairway quickly and then REMAIN ONLY in the fairway until you exit back to the path prior to reaching the green. I am making this recommendation in an effort to grow consistent turf in the roughs. Carolina is a popular place to play, and we do a fair number of cart rounds. High traffic volume increases compaction leading to thin, low growing areas with poor performance and this is detrimental to overall golf course definition. I know this will take some getting used to, and yes you may need to walk a few extra steps to reach your ball in the rough, but over time you will see a dramatic improvement in turf color and density in these areas. Thank you in advance for your cooperation!
As we close this year's spring golf season and transition into summer here are a few key notes on what to expect on the golf course before fall. We will be aerating the putting greens June 9th and 10th. This is a small core aeration (0.25" diameter tine size) we perform annually at this time of year. This aeration targets the compaction from the extensive mowing and rolling associated with our busy spring season, and helps promote gas exchange in the root zone as we enter the critical hot and humid months. We will also be installing the fans on those greens equipped with them for the remainder of the summer season. Friendly reminder these fans are critical tools for our bentgrass greens, as they assist with air circulation in those portions of the property with compromised micro-environments and I ask you refrain from turning them off.
June 16th and 17th marks our annual fairway aeration. I already know what you're thinking, but this year you will be pleasantly surprised as we will be performing a solid tine aeration (no cores) and topdressing with sand (remember the old bunker sand we replaced this past winter). Over the next two months (mid-June through mid-August) we will be making every effort to cultivate healthy bermudagrass turf on the golf course. We will be aerating, topdressing, fertilizing, verticutting, etc. on tees, collars, approaches, fairways and roughs in order to assist the turf in fully recovering from the ill effects of last winter and ready itself for another busy fall tournament season.
Finally, I know several of you are wondering when we will open the newly constructed range tee located at the far end of the range. That tee will open for use on Wednesday, June 11th. Until then...
See you on the course,
Matthew Wharton
Golf Course Superintendent
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