Year in Review - 2013

The 2013 season is coming to a close. Here is an in-depth look from an agronomic perspective.

 

Over the past ten years, the club averages 354 AF of water to irrigate the grounds each year. A late winter and timely rains only led us to use 330 AF. Harriman Reservoir was back online in 2013, it was used toward the end of the season.

 

According to the National Weather Service, this season was tied for the 6th hottest summer on record in Denver. Click here for a tally of the 20th hottest summers of all time in Denver. The glaring statistic in this table is that six of the top ten hottest summers are within the last eleven years.

 

According to our on-site weather station, we received 12.47" of moisture on the year, which is only 0.61" more than 2012.

 

Even with a wet spring we experienced no disease activity on the golf course, especially on putting surfaces. With the change in watering practices we are finding better stands of bentgrass, better water percolation through the soil profile and most of all the need for less applications of water which create a firmer playing surface.

 

Other improvements include leveled tees on 5, 12 & 17, a newly renovated fairway bunker on 18, which is a trial model for future construction. Irrigation upgrades on holes 3, 7, 10, 18 and #2 Pfluger. Drainage projects were completed along the cart paths on 16 & 18.

Our golf course fertility program has been fine tuned over the past two seasons. Our organic approach to fairways and roughs is showing extraordinary results. We are seeing a reduction in the amount of fertilizer needed for the property through the season. By treating the soil with this form of nutrients, we are seeing three months pass before needing another application. On greens we have reduced our amount of nitrogen by more than 50% since 2011.