On to November
We put the first mowing on the new bluegrass seed on the Sabot this week. The rain has helped move the turf along and it really is further along than expected. It will be very interesting to see what it looks like after a few frosts shuts the bermuda down. Either way we should have a really nice surface in early spring and a smooth transition next fall.
One surprising thing we have discovered in the bluemuda conversion is how much ryegrass was still hanging out from last years overseed. The dark blotches of grass you can see out on the Sabot are rye that survived the summer. It was basically invisible up to two weeks ago. We will be able to spray out most of it in the spring and it will continue to thin out and die next summer.
The lime green tufts of grass on the Manakin are Poa annua. The young bermudgrass here really limits our pre-emergent weed control options for the fall. What is not limited though are the herbicides we can use to take this poa out once the Latitude goes dormant this winter. A small growing pain that was expected for this first winter.
The Manakin got one final cut for the year this week and is still holding plenty of color. We will see if we catch a frost this weekend. We have our colorant paint on site and ready to go in order to keep the fairways and green surrounds green through the winter over here. Carts are still running on the Manakin but those days are numbered. The frost and mother nature will tell us when to restrict traffic very soon.
The Driving range tees have just about had enough for the year. We have been keeping the baskets on the top tee the last few weeks in order to let the bottom tee recover and be ready for the spring. Both tees have also been overseeded with bluegrass in order to help stretch a few weeks into the shoulder seasons. The lower tee will be blanketed for a few weeks and then allowed to harden off for the winter. This weekend will be the last weekend on the turf and then the balls will only be set up on the mats for the rest of the winter.
Today and tomorrow are going to be big leaf days! Please be patient as we work around wet areas and try to keep the courses clean for play for the fall.
We have started a number of small fall projects. One is getting rid of the bird baths on low areas of the paths. The sod is lifted, re-leveled and replaced so that water can move off the paths properly.
Stone pavers are starting to go in to replace the inconsistent rock and cobble curbs on both courses. The pavers provide a nice clean look and do not get in the way of the mowers.
New traction matting is going down on all the walk and cart bridges on both courses. We found some surplus conveyor belt that provides great traction at a very reasonable price that will hold up for a long time. We are hoping for a bit of dry weather next week to continue on with these smaller projects and many others!