Winter Weed Prevention

Over the past few days, we applied a product to the entire course called Specticle. This is a liquid pre-emergent that is very effective against most common cool season annual weeds, especially poa annua, or annual bluegrass. We used this product for the first time last season, and saw great success in suppressing not only the winter weeds, but many of the weeds that we expected to see an emergence of in the spring and summer months. This product works by creating a barrier atop the soil surface, so you will notice that we will be running some water around the course behind the application. Last season we were only able to use this product on our well established roughs since our re-surfaced tees and fairways didn't have enough time to establish. Because this product works by suppressing new plant growth, our short grass needed more than a year to develop and grow. This year we will be applying this product to the entire course except for the greens. Not only will this process provide us with a significant reduction in weed emergence, it will also give us the opportunity to focus our daily tasks on more detailed touch up work in other areas of the course.

Watering in the product on hole #2

Divot Patterns

  As we enter the busy golf season, our practice facilities will see much more action than in the summer season. Since the turf is slower to recover in the colder months, it is important to understand which divot patterns will result in the quickest turf recovery. This will help insure that there is minimal time needed to re-grow these areas in-between range station rotations and will promote smoother and more consistent practice surfaces. Please take a few minutes to read this article from the USGA which explains this in more detail.

http://www.usga.org/course_care/regional_updates/regional_reports/midcontinent/Does-Your-Divot-Pattern-Help-Or-Hurt-The-Golf-Course----September-2014/