Recovery Time

With Labor Day Weekend upon us, it is time to take back what is yours. This past summer was typical in that the heat of July did damage some of the turf. Couple that with very little help from Mother Nature in the form of rain, we have all experienced some turf loss. Visiting courses the past few weeks and they too, in spite of larger budgets, have loss grass. But, the time has come to repair and recover the lost turf. We have fertilized all the tees, fairways, and approaches recently and have been able to adequately water these areas. With night time temps beginning to cool, this signals the time to begin seeding. You may have noticed several areas that have been damaged previously and we brought in soil, seed, and fertilizer. Some timely rains would be beneficial in speeding the recovery. Of course, now is the time for aerification too. Our plan is too get the tees soon, but wait for greens until the end of September and fairways in October. I will explain more on aerification at a later time.

So how does your lawn look? If you are not happy, now is the time to get after it. Why do you think they call it "Labor Day"? If you have any questions, I would love to help out.

Ring arounrd the Tree

Three weeks since my last post and a lot has happened. Most importantly is that Greg McGee is recovering from surgery to his knee and has started rehab. Not sure if he will be back this season but hoping recovery is complete. Last weekend, my oldest daughter got married to a wonderful musician and the wedding was excellent. Had a lot of prep time to go into the planning and the execution of the plan was outstanding. My greatest accomplishment was that I ordered great weather for the outdoor ceremony and it came through! The real accomplishment was walking my daughter down the aisle with tears in our eyes.

But, I have been busy on the course too. You may have noticed some rings showing up around the bases of many trees. I have started a maintenance practice of spraying round up around each tree to kill the grass and thus not have to come back and line trim. This will save in manpower and give a more consistent look to the rough. I add a product with the round up to extend the length of application will last the entire season. This product is very similar to the pre emergent you put on your lawn to prevent crabgrass. We have a lot of trees! I planned on doing this earlier in the season but priorities took over when I was able to get started. Most of the original course is done including the driving range. My plan is to finish the other side next week.

Oh, Wow

Time flies when you are having fun, or working hard and the days just go by. August already! Coming to work at the same time it is darker now with stars still shinning. The seasons keep moving on. Pretty much the dog days of summer. We keep up with the regular mowing and course maintenance. Same old, same old. But when the same work activities become boring, accidents happen. Last week, Greg McGee, stepped off the fairway mower on the wash area and slipped and blew his knee out. A 911 call took place and within minutes, an ambulance was here to take Greg to the hospital. Surgery has followed and he will be out of action for a while. That quick. A misstep and out of action. It could have been worse but it wasn't. Just a gentle reminder that the same routine can be disastrous. Take your time and do it right.