We’ve been spending a considerable amount of time the past two weeks doing on-course training. You can see by the photo above that we covered all things dealing with bunkers, specifically the expectations when it comes to raking and edging. I hope this gives you an idea of how serious we take these tasks because we/I want consistency the whole way around the golf course.
Another minor task that consumes time each spring is spraying broadleaf weeds. You can see above, a headwall below #15 tees that has some dandelions growing in the turf. Unfortunately there is no magic spray application that can prevent broadleaf weeds; the only way to eradicate them is by spraying them post-emergently, that is, after they pop up. On the other hand, we are able to control grassy weeds (like crabgrass) with herbicides that prevent the germination of such grassy weeds.
These final two photos probably don't get you as excited as they get me! Today will set pins for opening day and before the cups were set, I was looking at the cross section of the soil profile. All of the white sand you see amongst the darker sand and organic matter is sand that has been incorporated by the various forms of aerifications we do each year. What you see here is the result of a commitment to managing the putting surfaces with aggressive, yet sound agronomics. In short, this is why your greens still drain at a rate that is not far off from the rate they drained when they were new.
You can also tell by the photos that the greens are progressing nicely and we aren't too far off from being in peak condition.
