Glen Eagle Maintenance (9/30/36)

Fall Is in the Air — and the Tees Are Back In Play!

We received a nice little cool-down last weekend, and while it didn’t exactly feel like what most areas of the country feel in the fall, for Southwest Florida in late September, it felt very nice! The break in temperatures provided just enough of a slowdown in turf growth to help everything on the golf course look more consistent. Course conditions remain good, and we are happy with how things are coming together.

This week has been a bit soggy, and the forecast looks like Mother Nature isn’t quite finished with rainy season yet. The rain is great news for our lakes and water supply, but it’s not quite as good for course conditions and play. It has also continued to delay one of our remaining summer projects — fairway topdressing.

Every time we think the fairways are finally dry enough to bring out the heavy sand trucks, another round of rain arrives and puts us back on hold. Those trucks are great at moving sand, but they aren’t nearly as good at floating across wet fairways! We will get the remaining fairways completed as soon as conditions allow. For now, we’ll let the weather have the final say.

As we move into October, our focus is beginning to shift away from major cultural practices and toward the details that make the property look its best.

Our crews will be spending more time edging, trimming, cleaning up and putting the finishing touches on areas that have seen plenty of activity and growth throughout the summer. In other words, we’re moving from “big projects” mode into “make everything look sharp” mode as we prepare for the upcoming season.

The Tees Are Back!

The big news is that the tees reopen October 1!

Our tee renovation project is officially complete, and the golf course will return to its full length. We are very happy with the overall project and excited to have the new tees back in play.

With new turf comes a little bit of change in responsibility. As we move into our busy season, we will need to carefully manage traffic and wear on the new tees. The grass will continue to mature and strengthen as it establishes its root system, and how we manage the tees this season will play an important role in getting them fully established.

We encourage everyone to take a few minutes to read the USGA article regarding newly constructed tees. It does a great job explaining what the turf will go through during its first season and why the grass will continue to improve and become significantly stronger as we move into next summer.

https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/course-care/green-section-record/64/issue-17/reopening-after-a-renovation.html#returnable

Common Grounds

Our work on the common grounds continues as well.

The landscaping improvements at the Davis Entrance medians are now being installed, and we are also beginning to sod several areas along GE Boulevard. These projects will continue to add some finishing touches to the property as we head into season.

There is still plenty to do, but the transition is underway. The major summer work is winding down, the finishing touches are beginning, and the golf course is getting ready for a busy season.

And if the weather would just cooperate with us for a little while, we might even get those last fairways topdressed!

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!