Glen Eagle Maintenance (9/9/26)

The Rain Came…and Then It Left

Well, the rain finally showed up (last week) and then apparently decided it had somewhere else to be.

We received 0.3” of rain yesterday afternoon, but that came after six straight days without a drop. According to reports, Naples is currently 6.93” below normal rainfall for the year. September normally brings us around 9” of rain, and so far we’ve received just 1.8” this month.

So, while we’re certainly happy to see the rain, we still have a ways to go before we can put a serious dent in our annual rainfall deficit and pull us out of the moderate drought conditions we continue to see. Until we get some more help from Mother Nature, that nearly 7-inch deficit is going to stick around.

The good news is the forecast looks promising. There are good chances for additional rain over the next 7 days, and at the moment, we have plenty of water available to meet our needs. So, for now, we are in good shape. We will keep our fingers crossed and let the clouds to their part.

Despite the being a bit behind on rain, the golf course continues to look really good, including our new tees. The work that went into getting them established is really starting to pay off, and it’s great to see them become part of the golf course.

Course

Tees

Superintendent’s Revenge

We did something a little different around here for Labor Day. Some may say I went a little crazy but we call it the Superintendents Revenge. We normally are so serious about the quality of the course and the perfection of the course setup but for one day that all went out the window.

Lucas talked to me about doing this tournament a while ago and it took me a bit of convincing to get onboard. In my entire career, I had never done this type of event and I was a little skeptical about how it would turn out. Would the members enjoy it? Would my staff enjoy it? Would anyone still be speaking to me after the tournament?

As the day came closer, and I started coming up with a plan to get my revenge, I couldn’t wait for the day to get here. In the end, we had 99 people sign up for the tournament, which is quite a few more then we normally have for an tournament this time of year and both members and staff had a great time with the event. There were plenty of laughs, some very interesting looks, and even a few choice words directed my way…all in good fun, of course. A perfect time, near the end of summer to not take golf so serious and have a little fun with it.

We are looking forward to this becoming an annual event and I am already thinking of ways I can get my revenge next year.

For those of you who were not in town, here are pictures of all the challenges from the tournament.

Hole 1 - Raised cup

Hole 2 - Pin placement on the hill near collar

Hole 3 Tee - Hit thru the Hay Bales

Hole 3 Green - Hit thru the carts

Hole 4 - Pin in the bunker

Hole 5 Tee - Blower, blowing on player while teeing off

Hole 5 Green - Rakes around cup

Hole 6 - Pin cut in collar directly behind bunker

Hole 7 - Hose on green

Hole 8 - Tees behind palm trees

Hole 9 - Blower on pin/cup

Hole 10 - Putt with bunker rake

Hole 11 - Choose your cup (normal size)

Hole 11 - Choose your cup (miniature)

Hole 12 - Put opposite handed

Hole 13 - Use kids clubs to tee off

Hole 14 - Scattered tees on the green

Hole 15 - Random course accessories on the green

Hole 16 - Drainage pipe across the fairway and approach

Hole 17 - Ring of flags and stakes

Hole 18 - Range balls on the green

Of all the challenges, the pin in the bunker on #4 and the blower facing the pin on #9 were the most talked about. My personal favorite was the blower on #9. So many good putts were blown away, often further than where they started.

Now that we had our fun, we will focus on our last maintenance closure of the year, starting next Monday (9/14) going thru the following Monday (9/21). Greens will be aerified, topdressed then injected with sand with a process called WetJecting to prepare them for the what looks like could be a challenging season with the El Niño predicted. Fairways will be heavy topdressed too - more on all of that next week.

Common Grounds Update

Quick update with more to come in next couple weeks.

We are working on adding some plants at the clubhouse, just some small changes and fill-ins.

Also, our Davis and Glen Eagle Blvd Capital Landscape project starts today. We are removing the current landscape (except trees) in the center islands coming into the property and replacing them with a new design and plants. I will be taking pictures along the process and posting them here. Please pardon our mess while the old landscape is removed.

I look forward to seeing everyone on the course, and as always, if you have any questions, flag me down or shoot me an email. I always enjoy talking turf!