No More Photos for a Bit (Updated 12-6-12)

The last couple of posts you may have noticed I have been unable to post any photos.  Well for now this is true since I have utilized all of the space given in the hard drive of the blog.  I have e-mailed them to discuss options and hopefully soon will be able to post pictures soon.

Today, we are foliar applying fertilizer to the fairways to promote growth and fill in.  Also slated for this week we have another granular fertilizer application and some spot seeding in traffic worn areas and just in weak areas in general.

Yesterday, Mr. Clapper, the Green Committee chairman, and I drove the golf course and discussed a few issues and concerns.  The first issue has been the abundance of bees in the carob trees.  Recently, on holes 9 and 14 the carob trees have been a "buzz" with bees feeding on the blooms.  Bees like humans like the chocolate flavors that come from the carob trees but thankfully they are posing no harm at the present moment.  Second concern was the weaken areas such at the start of 2's fairway and the "lines" still remaining from the overseeding. 

As far as the weaken areas after further investigation it was determined that these areas were located mainly in the concentrated traffic areas and are recovering slowly.  We will and have been putting additional seed in these areas but if you as the members will help us by scattering the recovery will come quicker.  I have heard we applied less seed this year but let me assure you we have not ... so far the fairways have 1,260 lbs of seed per acre not including the additional 3,200 lbs we have put down in weaker areas.  The main reason we differ from most in the Valley at this time of year is because we lack wall-to-wall cart paths that most golf courses force you to remain on until Thanksgiving ... thus improving their quality of turf before cart traffic.  The good news is that as always in January we look better than most of them.

Rows in Question are Along the Right Side of the Picture

The last thing that Mr. Clapper and I looked at was the last few remaining "rows" from the overseeding process.  It has been only seven weeks since we finished up the overseeding and six weeks since that seed has germinated.  As the newly grown in turf finally tillers these areas will be completely gone.  December, thanks to shortened daylight and cooler temperatures is the time of year that ALL golf courses in the Valley look their worst -- hence the term given by Valley superintendent's December Gloom.  The good news is that the conditions will improve day after day as the Primo we applied on Nov 1st and the bi-weekly applications continue strengthen the turf.