Golf Course Superintendent News – March 2023

March is here and it looks like warmer weather is as well. On the Maintenance side of the golf club, we are being patiently optimistic. What this means is that we are not going all in on fertilizer applications on the Bermuda grass just yet. Instead, we are using low rates of fertilizer to slowly wake the grass up, just in case that dreaded late frost comes. Greens are looking good and coming out of dormancy nicely. Last month I sent off soil samples from every green and our nutrient levels and PH balance look to be right where they should.

With the warmer temperatures we are starting to mow all the grass areas. Mowing these areas removes the dead leaves and thatch from the plants allowing new growth to emerge. This alsoallows sun and water to get directly to the newer growth areas for faster green up. Currently, we are not dropping the Height of Cut on the greens. We are mowing more frequently and in different patterns. On Fairways, we have lowered the HOC to .500 (½”) which is our standard Spring and Summer time HOC. On the Rough, we are starting out at 1.25” and remain here for most of the year.

A few other things we will be working on are: venting a few areas of some greens to improve water management, light topdressing to improve the quality of ball roll on greens, and some irrigation repair to get ready for the year. The maintenance staff has stayed hard at it this off season and I’m excited to get the growing season started.

Thank you all for playing here and remember, please fill those divots and repair all ball marks. 

Rusty Hill
GC Superintendent