I know that you have a lot of cool season turf (turf that stays green all year round) on the course so I’m guessing the range has it too.

Cool season turf can be grown from seed quite easily and it is very common for the areas that have been disturbed to be seeded. This can be done on a daily basis or on a weekly basis.

As far as the putting surface is concern – is it a green that people putt on or do they hit a lot of full shots too? A chipping green so to speak. Some maintenance practices may differ in how they maintain a chipping green versus a putting green. As far as ball marks are concerned – I feel it is the responsibility of the player to fix these, even if he/she is practicing. It’s just good golf etiquette. Leaving the conditions the same or better for the next golfer.

I would love to actually talk to someone about this as have numerous questions. We also have a practice green that is kept very hard because maintenance says would have ball marks otherwise. It has no resemblence to the actual greens on the course. I say it is of no use and that maintenance should take care of the ball marks and make the green like those on the course.

They also decided after being rained out not to sand the greens or fairways this spring. What are the ramifications of this decision.

Thanks for any help to any of the questions.

Michael

Thanks for your question about the renovation.

The practice bunker and chipping green was seeded to bentgrass a couple of years ago. There was nothing experimental about trying bent.

We will be looking at some possible fairway grasses in the near future. Nothing has been planted yet.

Total eradication of poa is probably not feasible in this location and climate however we can make the conditions it prefers much less favorable.

Here’s my concern. If you leave any Poa on the course at all, it WILL get in the bent and ruin the greens eventually. I know this because the putting green at Del Monte was redone with bent. It very quickly became infested with the Poa from shoes after walking on the golf course. They have on of the worst putting greens in town now. I was on it yesterday in the morning and the ball wobbled to the hole traveling over the different grass types.

I’m very interested in your responce.

Thank you,

Robert

This time of year many courses have carts on path only policies as winter rains can create some soggy conditions.

The main reason courses implement the policy is for safety concerns and damage to the golf course.

I’ve attached a link to an article regarding how golf carts can damage turf.

http://turf.lib.msu.edu/2000s/2004/041111.pdf

Most golf courses in Northern California do not have the soil drainage capabilities to have carts on the fairways immediately after a rain event.

The soils would have to be sand based to allow the water to move through the profile and yet have a dry playing surface.

If the soils are wet and the carts are entering and exiting the fairways in the same place – compaction can be a severe problem later. The soil particles will be pressed down like a stack of paper plates. When this happens – air and water will have a hard time separating the stack of paper plates which will result in more difficult growing conditions for the turf.

I know it sounds complicated, but the golf course superintendent has good reasoning for keeping carts on the path.

Thanks for the questions.

Let’s answer them in order.
1)My typical reply to this question is if your divot is a large and deep one made from a scoring club and the divot is in tact, then it is advisable to replace it. If you hit a shot and the divot flies into a bunch of small pieces then using the sand/seed mix is preferred.
2)Playing golf when frost is present is not generally recommended. Frequently superintendents ask the Pro Shop Staff to hold golfers until the frost has been thawed before letting golfers onto the course. Any type of damage to turf when it is frozen has the ability to damage it. Wait a few more minutes, enjoy a second cup of coffee, before heading out when frost is present. Be sure to check with the Pro Shop prior to teeing off.
3)Repairing ball marks is not a difficult exercise. Here’s a link to the GCSAA website with a graphic that demonstrates the proper way to repair a ball mark.
http://www.gcsaa.org/solutions/facts/ballmarks.aspx
As golfers – it is our responsibility to fix our ball marks and replace divots. We need to leave the conditions as good if not better for the next golfer.