Busy August and looking forward

August was HOT!  It was our warmest month so far, but as I write this it is 58 degrees.  This morning was beautiful.  Fall is on the way.  With that said, we will soon be doing cultural practices to prepare the course for cold weather.  Tuesday September 8 we will close the course for our final core aerification of the season.  We will get more aggressive with the verticutting, pull a 1/4" core, topdress heavy and fertilize.  I anticipate full recovery in 2 weeks.  We will also begin to monitor the temperatures, that will dictate raising the height of cut and reducing the amount of growth regulator applied.  The days are getting shorter, we need maximum growth going into Fall.


September is the time in which we Pre-emerge the course for winter weeds.  Last Fall we had perfect timing and I am hoping for similar results this year.  I would also encourage you to do the same on your lawn.  There are many products out there and I can help steer you in the right direction.


NCC's annual Club Championship was held August 15,16 with a field of around 70.  Carson Vaughn won with rounds of 75-75.  Pick Parks won the Senior division, Ernie Bell won Super Senior and Ms. Nina Fanning claimed the Ladies Championship.  The course was playing tough.  The roughs have become thick and greens were fast.  In fact, I have had quite a few folks mention that they have never been as fast as they were for the tournament.  Yes, I would love to keep them like that, but it's just not that simple.  Overall I was very proud of the condition of the course.  I heard many positive comments.  It is always nice to hear those nice things after putting in the hours to get it there.


Call2Cut tree service was out Monday to remove 5 dead pines.  The most noticeable was on the left side of 9 fairway.  It was struck by lightning  July 19. 


We received 4+" of rain last week and we are just over 5" for the month.  We are slightly ahead of our annual rainfall total.

July Recap

Well, we continue to be busy on the course.  I am very proud and appreciative of my staff for the effort they have put in this season.  Working conditions have been tough and challenging.  July 6 all greens were verticut, aerified, sanded and fertilized.  We were fortunate to receive a few timely rain events to help with recovery.  The recovery process went very well, in fact we aggressively verticut and sanded them again 7 days after aerification.  This really helped smooth out the surface.  We had 19 days to have them great for The Kirby.  We accomplished that.


Speaking of The Kirby, I thought the course was in great shape.  Greens were rolling smooth and with a good pace.  I played this year and heard numerous compliments, all positives!  Brad Harden won this year with a +1 total.  The course was playing tough.


We received 5 1/2" rainfall in July, bringing the yearly total to 38".  We are just above average for the year.  And although we have received adequate rainfall we are pretty dry.  The intense heat dries us out very quickly.  Last rainfall was July 19.


We are preparing for Club Championship, August 15,16


I have sprigged a nursery green at the far end of the Driving Range.  I anticipate 8-10 weeks grow in.  This will allow us to utilize plugs from there instead of the chipping green when repairs are made.  Speaking of repairs we plan to address the front of #12 green and back of #13 green in the coming weeks.


Next Greens Aerification---Tuesday Sept 8, day after Labor Day. 


See ya on the course!


Andy