It has been a great year at The Bay so far this year. We had a sluggish start due to the harsh, prolonged winter weather that stretched into the spring but the course has rebounded in championship fashion. The agronomy staff has been hard at work giving the course some extra TLC by aerifying weak areas, sodding areas that needed a quick recovery, and applying extra fertilizer and growth stimulants to the course. We have also had some special projects going on that are making a huge impact on the playability and look of the course.
Deep Tine Aerification of Tees: Our tee boxes are notorious for firming up during the hot summer months, so firm that it is difficult to get a tee in the ground. This is due to the native clay soil they are constructed from with little to no sand base or incorporation of sand to help them stay soft and user friendly. We have tried over the years to use our greens aerifier to cultivate the tee surfaces, removing cores and trying to work sand into the holes to help this issue. The success has been very limited because our greens aerifier is designed for the soft features of the greens and not the hard clay base of the tee complexes. So in order to remedy this issue we purchased a used Wiedenmann Terra Spike XP deep tine aerifier. With this powerful machine we are able to use tines that penetrate deep into the soil surface to aerate the soil. This time around we are using 3/4" solid tines that are 11 inches long on a 4" x 4" spacing allowing 8 inches of this tine will penetrate the surface.
Smoother Cart Paths Courtesy of Flatpaths: You may have noticed that the ride around the course is much smoother in areas and some of the bumps in the cart paths no longer exist. That is courtesy of Jim from Flatpaths, a company we contracted to grind back down areas of the cart paths where tree roots have buckled them up. Jim did a great job and we hope to have him back out to finish the course the next time he is in the area. This process was very quick, with limited debris, and was much, much more economical and less disruptive to the course compared to removing or resurfacing the cart paths throughout the course.
Native Grass Area Renovation: We are very proud of our native grass areas on our course as they provide movement corridors and nesting/brooding habitats for the residents, help eliminate runoff contamination from the short turfgrass before reaching the waterways, and gives defined definition to the golf holes. As with most things in life there comes a time when some renovation has to occur and for our native grass areas that time is now. We usually only have to do this process every 3-4 years and it is a good thing because with close to 100 acres of low maintenance areas it takes quite some time.
The course looks quite different with her skirt down and there are many golf balls which have gone astray from their intended target that are getting a second chance at life, but the best part of the renovation project is this is the best time to disperse the seed from the native grasses that are present in these areas. We want a variety of plant species in our native grass areas, not a monostand, as this improves the diversity of wildlife that can call the golf course home, gives different food sources at different times of the year, and looks more natural. Bill is working hard to stay out of everyones way and get this project done. The areas will be back to their glory in no time and we ask that you continue to obey the standing cart rule and not enter these areas with your cart.
We hope you have had a great year so far and we look forward to seeing you on the course.
Deep Tine Aerification of Tees: Our tee boxes are notorious for firming up during the hot summer months, so firm that it is difficult to get a tee in the ground. This is due to the native clay soil they are constructed from with little to no sand base or incorporation of sand to help them stay soft and user friendly. We have tried over the years to use our greens aerifier to cultivate the tee surfaces, removing cores and trying to work sand into the holes to help this issue. The success has been very limited because our greens aerifier is designed for the soft features of the greens and not the hard clay base of the tee complexes. So in order to remedy this issue we purchased a used Wiedenmann Terra Spike XP deep tine aerifier. With this powerful machine we are able to use tines that penetrate deep into the soil surface to aerate the soil. This time around we are using 3/4" solid tines that are 11 inches long on a 4" x 4" spacing allowing 8 inches of this tine will penetrate the surface.
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