This past week has been a trying one for the golf course. You will notice that the greens are not as fast as they were for the Norgren Cup, just over a week ago. We have received 3-5 inches of moisture over five days. Marble sized hail fell on the course Tuesday afternoon, again Wednesday and once again on Saturday night. The greens have been through a lot.
The greens were given immediate attention as vertical mowers were put into action Wednesday morning. Greens were cut in two directions to maximize the amount of impact to the putting surface. These mowers help stand the plants up, relieve depressions and encourage new growth. This was followed by rolling to smooth the surface and the final touch was adding a light sand topdressing to fill in any other depressions.
We pulled a lot of material out of the greens on Wednesday with the vertical mowers. The blades are set 1/4' below the normal mowing height. Couple this vertical mowing with sand topdressing and you have a real smooth surface.
After Wednesday night's events we were left with just rolling the greens to smooth them out. The greens were still soft, but not as dimpled as the previous day.
Saturday night's storm was not predicted to produce hail, but with these recent weather patterns, I guess anything is possible. It also rained the most on Saturday, with saturated soils, storm water run-off was high.
As most of you know, the Pinehurst ponds are part of an urban drainage corridor. We take on additional water from neighborhoods up stream.
Sunday morning, the lower holes of the course (2-6 Maxwell) were flooded and unplayable. Fortunately the water subsided by mid-day and the course resumed play.
The hail made an impact on greens once again Saturday. However with saturated soils Sunday morning we decided to let the course drain off first and give the greens some rest.
Today we have verticut greens for a third time in five days. We are not sure how much more they can take. We normally verticut greens three or four times in one year. Getting some warm dry days will help greens firm up and return to the great playing conditions we all desire.
Greens were not the only ones that suffered this week. Trees were shredded throughout the property. You will notice blowers and sweepers around the course trying to clean up all of the debris. For the most part it is early enough in the season where they will recover. However if any weak trees lost enough foliage, they may struggle preparing for the heat of the summer.
The flowers around the club took a noticeable beating as well. Some beds in may have to be re-planted, other beds may take a week or two to determine if the flowers can recover or not.
Finally, with all the hail, tree debris continued to clog drains around the course. The staff has been terrific responding to all drains on the property to keep them clean. Fortunately there has been no erosion or damage with run-off.
We also understand that the grass is getting long out there. Saturated soils makes it difficult to mow efficiently. We will remain busy all week getting everything cut. Thank you for your cooperation.
The greens were given immediate attention as vertical mowers were put into action Wednesday morning. Greens were cut in two directions to maximize the amount of impact to the putting surface. These mowers help stand the plants up, relieve depressions and encourage new growth. This was followed by rolling to smooth the surface and the final touch was adding a light sand topdressing to fill in any other depressions.
We pulled a lot of material out of the greens on Wednesday with the vertical mowers. The blades are set 1/4' below the normal mowing height. Couple this vertical mowing with sand topdressing and you have a real smooth surface.
After Wednesday night's events we were left with just rolling the greens to smooth them out. The greens were still soft, but not as dimpled as the previous day.Saturday night's storm was not predicted to produce hail, but with these recent weather patterns, I guess anything is possible. It also rained the most on Saturday, with saturated soils, storm water run-off was high.
As most of you know, the Pinehurst ponds are part of an urban drainage corridor. We take on additional water from neighborhoods up stream.
Sunday morning, the lower holes of the course (2-6 Maxwell) were flooded and unplayable. Fortunately the water subsided by mid-day and the course resumed play.
The hail made an impact on greens once again Saturday. However with saturated soils Sunday morning we decided to let the course drain off first and give the greens some rest.
Today we have verticut greens for a third time in five days. We are not sure how much more they can take. We normally verticut greens three or four times in one year. Getting some warm dry days will help greens firm up and return to the great playing conditions we all desire.
Greens were not the only ones that suffered this week. Trees were shredded throughout the property. You will notice blowers and sweepers around the course trying to clean up all of the debris. For the most part it is early enough in the season where they will recover. However if any weak trees lost enough foliage, they may struggle preparing for the heat of the summer.
The flowers around the club took a noticeable beating as well. Some beds in may have to be re-planted, other beds may take a week or two to determine if the flowers can recover or not.
Finally, with all the hail, tree debris continued to clog drains around the course. The staff has been terrific responding to all drains on the property to keep them clean. Fortunately there has been no erosion or damage with run-off.
We also understand that the grass is getting long out there. Saturated soils makes it difficult to mow efficiently. We will remain busy all week getting everything cut. Thank you for your cooperation.
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