Rain Returns

It was good to have the rains return this last week.

The wet weather changes our strategies for how we proceed with the turf conversion. The first rains of the season have boosted the growth of our new turf, however it is weather that annual bluegrass thrives in so the control strategy changes correspondingly.

This strip was low on seed 

Any area where the seeding was thin  is an area where weeds and annual bluegrass will try to establish and herbicide is applied.

Poa annua after herbicide was applied

These herbicides are doing a good job of getting rid of the weed grasses. In the picture above a thin area has resulted from where the annual bluegrass has died. Some of these areas are being re-sodded but the majority  is being re-established from seed.

I was really pleased to see how the first fairway drained during the rains this past week. The area remained very playable and there was no standing water in places that I saw water accumulate last year. This was true for the rest of the course fairways where the heavy topdressing was added.  This was reward for the work done during the turf conversion.


Kevin

Bunker Sand Refurbishing

We are in the process of refurbishing the sand in the bunkers.
You may notice some color inconsistencies in the next couple of weeks as we blend the new and old sand together. We are blending a new sand that is a shade darker than the existing sand for performance reasons. The existing sand when wet becomes heavy and does not drain properly producing poor playing conditions. By blending in a better draining sand we will improve the condition of the bunkers.

Bunker at #11 Green Complex




Kevin

This past week we lost a Ben Tapia to stroke / heart attack. Ben was a 29 year employee of La Rinconada golf course maintenance and was very well liked by his co-workers. We appreciate the person Ben was to us, and he will be greatly missed by all.


Kevin

Course Re-Opening Tomorrow

It is exciting to get the course back open. The time closed has allowed maintenance to make a lot of positive changes in the look and playability of the course.



The establishment of the new rye fescue blend has been a large part of this project but it would be short sighted to not mention some of the other items that impact the course.

6,000 tons of sand added to all the fairways
Mulching the bases of trees throughout the course
Re-draining of the first fairway
Re-building the 15th green
The fall season of tree maintenance completed
Cart path re-pair
Curbing added on the service road to the clubhouse
Numerous greens enlarged back to their original size
Bunker re-furbishing with sand added
All the course aerated
The kirby marking system abandoned and sprinkler heads will be marked with yardage

It has been very enjoyable and satisfying to do this work, and I am anxious for you to enjoy what we have accomplished so far. In the coming months more trees will be mulched, the rye and fescue will thicken, the greens expansion will assimilate into the existing surfaces, and the changes will be established so that they will feel like they have always been that way. In the mean time I hope you enjoy playing the course and watching the progress continue into spring.



Kevin