It’s been an interesting year agronomically… the growing season started unusually early – mid March … but the temperatures throughout most of the second half of March, April, and half of May seemed below average. We had hard freezes right through yesterday morning when we recorded a low temperature of 26 degrees! And today… a high of 82 degrees! The cooler temperatures to this point haven’t discouraged the annual bluegrass (Poa Annua) so prevalent in our short turf… tees, fairways, and green surrounds. You can see masses of seedheads now. When temperatures are cool and the ground is moist the Poa thrives and its density makes for a putt-able surface for you Texas wedge fans. It survival is quite weather dependent and its shallow root system and generally weakened state make it susceptible to a variety of pathogens and draught. I’ll do my best to keep it alive but mother nature will have her way.
Perhaps you’ve noticed marking flags in front of the fifth green (The Oasis)… I’ve been slowly reducing the height of cut and will be aereating and overseeding that area to expand that green making it once again the largest green on the course. We used the same process last year to expand the first green; that lower tier will also be overseeded with creeping bentgrass seed right after Memorial Day weekend.
Perhaps you’ve also noticed that sand hazards have been re-excavated (last fall) and will shortly be refilled with the sand I purchased and had delivered from Poland, NY … Members Casey Sidorowicz (Bryant Brook Landscaping, Andes) and Dustin Hall have generously donated their skill, labor, and equipment to restore the hazards on the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th holes (so don’t blame me!). They should enhance both the look, and the challenge of … as Dustin calls it … “Club Mead (pronounced MED)”
