Weed eating bunker faces and mowing rough at Flintrock

We started weed-eating bunker faces again this week.  The picture above is #11 fairway bunkers that have been completed.  Our goal is to finished these before July 4th.

We are mowing rough weekly.  Its thick and healthy!  This turf health will allow us to get through the hot summer months.   



 

Flintrock Creek Maintenance

Above are pictures of #3 and #9 creek that has been weedeated.  This will allow for easier play-ability and speed up play for our members.  11 of the 18 holes at Flintrock have creeks or water hazards that we need to maintain.  Its alot of work, but the finished product looks great!

Trees and Turf do not mix!

Above is a cedar tree at Flintrock that is 30% dead.  These trees are not sustainable and have a short life span.  This is why we have been and will continue to remove these cedars during the winter months.  You will also notice that the turf around this tree is not healthy.  Trees will always win the battle for sunlight, water, and nutrients over grass!   

Verticut, Mow, Topdress, Drag

The photos above show some of the tools we use during the summer months to produce high quality putting surfaces.  They are the verticutter, sand topdresser, and coco drag mat.  Here is the process-

1. Verticut to thin the turf canopy and stand up grass.  
2. Double mow to remove grass.
3. Sand topdress to reduce organic matter and fill in imperfection.
4. Drag green with the coco mat to distribute sand into small imperfections for a smooth putting surface. 

USGA Golf Course Labor Report

Below is a link to the USGA golf course labor report.

USGA Labor Report

It highlights many of the challenges the golf course maintenance industry is facing with finding and retaining quality employees.

Greens Scalping

The picture above shows scalp marks on the edge of #17 green from our greens mower.  The mower is setup and adjusted correctly.  The amount of grass on the green is the issue.  These scalp marks will go away as we continue to verticut, sand topdress, and double mow to thin the turf canopy.

Flintrock Course Cleanup

Flintrock received 4 inches of rain Friday night!  The pictures below show the aftermath.  This will be a busy week trying put the course back together.