Things happen. We are all human.
The other week we fertilized the tees and during the process
the spreader came out of calibration, unnoticed at the time, but easily seen
once the striping began showing on some of the tees days later. After we became aware of the problem, we used
a drop spreader to fertilize between the stripes. We used a rate less than the
original so that we could do our best to match up, but it’s purely an estimate
based on observation. I can’t for sure say how much fertilizer the tees originally
received and didn’t receive, so it’s not a clear fix. And, being the first time
I have dealt with this, it’s a new experience, so I don’t have a lot of
practice with it – a good thing!
The bottom line is that the fertilizer won’t last forever,
and in a little time, the striping will disappear.
Regarding the tees on 7, the areas that were in play throughout
the winter and not covered are not healing in very well. It seems the Bermuda
cannot take too much wear when it is dormant. This is something I will need to
address – I may try another type of warm season grass, cover all the tees each
winter, or just expect to sod the wear areas every spring. The reason we are
using Bermuda on these tees is that the areas get no air circulation and too
much heat in the summer months for cool season turf to survive. It’s better to
have turf in summer when it counts, and only the Bermuda has given us
consistent results in this respect.
Overall, the course is coming into early summer very strong.
Roots are good, there are no disease concerns right now, and we are pretty much
on schedule with our preparations. The weather has been the real challenge –
hot days, frost, snow, wind, rain, etc – what weather we have had, has always
come unexpected! So we have done our
best to “thread” these needles and to keep up with things the best we can.
Thanks to all of you who have asked about my AK spots which are
being treated with cryotherapy. So far so good, except for one area on my ear
that is fighting back! The doctor said it’s pretty common to have a spot or two
that requires a few repeat treatments. It surprised me that after I published
the post, many area superintendents shared stories with me of their experiences
with pre cancerous areas, and cancerous areas. Many of our members have also
shared their personal stories dealing with this same medical condition. It seems
to be somewhat common, so everyone needs to be checked.
One again, I thank everyone for their support and
encouragement. We have a great course only because we have a great membership!
