Today is the first fairway cut of 2014. The temperature was 39* this morning so we are far from ideal growing conditions. They still look good getting the burnt leaf tip off the turf.
We are still focused on the daunting task of getting the property cleaned up. In fact, I had to bring in an additional 5 temporary laborers in order to be finished by April 1. That means we have a total of 10 non HCC staff working (in addition to the 12 I have) to ensure the course is clean for April 5th.
When we try to squeeze all of our agronomic practices into the window of our closed season, damage does occur. On fairways, aerifying and verticutting back to back on dormant turf with a weak root system will lead to some minor damage. A crew is out this morning in the cold prepping areas for the bentgrass sod that is expected to arrive tomorrow morning.
You can see 5 poplar trees were planted on the right side of the driving range, about 20 yards in front of the tee. 10 years ago, I received this advice from the Fazio Group. By placing trees on the right side of the range, it forces the golfers to aim to the left. It will draw the golfers eye away from the area in question. I have been meaning to plant these trees since I received that advice by they always found a way to work their way down the priority list. I chose Poplars because it is an upright growing tree and grows faster than most.