2017 GOLF SEASON IS
HERE!!! I hope everyone has had the
opportunity to get outside and enjoy some of the bonus days we received in
February and now at the beginning of March. Here at the course we have been
working diligently on refurbishing the golf course accessories, along with starting
to mow some of the playing surfaces on the course.
Head Professional Pat
Bayley and I will be putting an emphasis on filling divots, fixing ball marks,
and course care during the 2017 season. This picture is of an unrepaired ball
mark from the first couple days of play. The biggest issue with opening in
February as we did this year is the soil temperatures are only in the mid-forties.
This means the only grass growing is Poa annua. Bentgrass, which is our preferred playing surface on fairways,
greens, and tees, does not start growing until the soil temperatures hit 50
degrees. Unfixed ball marks and divots give Poa annua an opportunity to
establish, which will increase the amount of our poa annua populations and
diminish playing conditions over time. The diagram above shows the proper way
to fix a ball mark. The correct way to fill a divot is to pick up and replace
as much of the divot as possible and then put a small amount of sand around the
edges to help seal the turf back down. After applying the sand step down the
area level so the fairway mowers don’t catch it in the reels. I think most of the time we do a nice job
with all of these and I know some of our members are overachievers when it
comes to course care, but if we can get everyone pulling on the same side of
the rope, we will all be proud to be members at the club.
The grounds
department has been exploring new ways to communicate with all of the members
in the past couple of months. We have started a new turf blog along with
Twitter and Instagram accounts. Our goal is to give the members of Panther
Creek up to date information about what is being done on the golf course. We
will be using both lines of communication on a regular basis.
Twitter: @PantherGrounds
Instagram: PantherGrounds
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