May started dry but ended wet. We received a month's worth of rain in the final 2 weeks of the month for a total of 3.81". Between the showers and storms, grounds staff was busy preparing the course for daily play while finishing spring projects. The summer months bring a shift to the grounds department as we focus on daily maintenance and grooming while projects and improvements wait for the fall.
After the final frost in late May Assistant Bob McCallum led a crew planting nearly 1,500 flats of annual flowers throughout the golf course, clubhouse grounds and pool areas.
Assistant Todd Vermillion marks a shamrock on the 4th green for Celtic Day. A nice idea by Golf Pro Chris York.
Greens were "pencil tined" on Monday to create air channels during the recent wet conditions. These 1/4" solid tines penetrate 6" deep and heal very quickly on the surface. The air channels created allow the turf roots to breath and help the green dry down during this extended wet period.
Sand topdressing was also applied and brushed in on Monday. We strive to topdress greens bi-weekly as weather allows to provide smooth, firm, healthy greens.
Granite Path #1 "Before" - Inconsistent width and granite depth, worn edges and ruts.
Granite Path #1 "After" - Our experiment in restoration provides a uniform width and sharp, clean edges. We are experimenting with different equipment and methods to find the most cost effective way to revitalize and maintain Ridgemoor's 10,000 linear feet of existing decomposed granite cart paths.
Tree vs Turf - The tree always wins the battle by shading and outcompeting the turf for essential sunlight, water and nutrients. Nevertheless, we will continue to do our best to seed and nurture these rough areas until a long range plan of tree thinning and pruning is implemented.
