# 3 Continues to Improve

Since the re-opening of the course in October, our approach to maintaining hole #3 has been slightly different than the rest of the course. You may recall some areas being slower to fill in and develop than others, mainly just beyond the tees and a few areas in the fairway. We ultimately determined that the largest contributing factor to this issue was a slight buildup of toxicity in the soil profile that was holding back plant development. We initially applied a wide variety of fertilizers to encourage the sprigs to fill in all the way, but after seeing a less than desirable response, we applied charcoal to test the possibility that there may be an issue of toxicity. Charcoal works by neutralizing these toxic materials within the soil profile, and in our case showed a vast improvement in our problem areas. We will continue to monitor these areas and make both charcoal and fertilizer applications as necessary to promote growth and development in the future.

The right side beyond the ladies tee showing improvement

Root structure overall continues to gain strength and density

An area where charcoal was applied is filling in nicely

Everyone Plays an Important Role in Our Success!

As we progress further into the busy season here at Avila, there are a few important things I would like to touch on. We are very pleased with the way our new Champion greens have withstood what colder weather we've had so far, but must remember that we are still in the season of slower growth and recovery. Our greens have certainly held up to their reputation of being more tolerant of the elements, but we ask that everyone do their part to help them remain true and healthy by repairing ball marks. Besides potentially disrupting putts, ball marks that go unrepaired will take significantly longer to fully heal, especially during the cooler seasons, as well as leave damaged and unsightly spots. This goes for filling divots as well, as our non overseeded turf is already experiencing slower recovery times. Properly filling divots helps the turf recover more quickly and evenly.

An un-repaired ball mark: Damaged turf and an uneven surface

A properly repaired ball mark is almost unnoticeable  2 days later

So far this season we have been fortunate in the fact that we have not had any severe frost or extended cold snaps, combined with rather warmer temperatures than usual, which has helped our new grasses continue to develop and remain strong. It will be important to remember that the coldest weather is still ahead, so continuing to practice good habits of filling divots and repairing ball marks will benefit everyone.