Well, we have finally emerged from the dreary overcast, sometimes snowy, days of winter into our favorite time of the year...SPRING. Elliott and Eloise's eggs are set to hatch next week, hopefully giving us two more residents of the course, and the golf course itself is coming alive once again. Spring has to be the best time of the year for us as we get to look ahead at all the exciting times to come and the golfers come back to the course ready to enjoy our hard work. The greens are always the first part of the course to come out of dormancy and they went from 0 to 60 in about 48 hours over the weekend.
Over the past two days we have begun the process of removing the "winter coat" from the greens by verticutting them. Vertical mowing of the greens is done with blades which are set vertically, thus the name, and it lifts the old grass from the greens surface and exposes the new grass shoots to the sun. We do this very lightly at first just deep enough to scratch the surface, no where close to what we do in the summer when the grass is actively growing. This process will help stimulate new growth and help get the greens going after their long winter nap.
After the greens have been verticut we come behind it and mow the greens in two directions along the same line to remove all the grass that has been stood up by the verticutters. Again we are not going deep right now or trying to remove a lot of material, we are just trying to get them off and running.
It won't take long for the greens to get in tip top condition. Just some sunlight, proper fertility and water, and continued dedicated maintenance by your crack golf course maintenance staff and we will be set for another outstanding season. We are all looking forward to an exciting and fun season this year and hope you will come visit the course and enjoy it as much as we do.
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