Finally, Cold Temps Moving In

Today was our first day to see frost on the ground. It did not effect any tee times but there was some on the driving range and native grass areas. After many weeks of summer heat and drought, we finally have broken the trend. We had about 5 inches of rain this week and the night time tempatures are creeping into the 40's. Moday we sprayed the majority of the golf course with our pre-emergent herbicides. We will finish #18 and the driving range on Monday. This application will help us eliminate many winter weeds from growing and keep the golf course clean with bermuda grass throughout the winter. Two weeks ago we put down our overseed on the driving range tees and par 3 tees on the course. We are starting to see this rye-grass fill in in some of these areas. We overseeded these selected tee boxes because of the wear and tear they receive from divots. When the bermudagrass becomes dormant and it is not overseeded it becomes very hard for it to recover. We have this same issue in the fairways most years. We have changed some fertility practices on the fairways leading into the fall and winter and I feel we are going to see positive results in the coming months. One thing to remember is to use the 90 degree rule throughout the winter. Cart traffic is the biggest contributor of the thinning fairways. The bottom line is the less traffic they receive, the better the lie will be. With that being said get out and enjoy the great golfing weather.

Carter Hindes
Golf Course Superintendent