Two months without rain, none in sight

Despite the drought our bluegrass project on the Sabot is moving along swimmingly. We have been able to manage the moisture adequately without any significant rain. The seedlings are popping out now and looking good. We may begin restricted cart traffic for a week to ten days or so while the seedlings try to mature. The bermuda will continue its path to dormancy and we will start pushing these bluegrass seedlings along with fertilizer. Again, this will be a slow fill in process over the winter but the product will great in the spring.

The bluegrass on the tees is looking good. We probably went a little early with the fertilizer there which has helped the bermuda keep its color. This transition into the winter will be very interesting!

Your new golf carts arrived this week and there is more to them than cushy seats and lithium batteries. As the screens get installed over the next two weeks, they will provide gps yardages and also allow us to set up a "geo-fence". A geo-fence sets boundaries within the golf course where we do not want cart traffic concentrated. As a refresher, check out our golf course care rules below.

The geo-fence will mostly be concentrated to keep carts away from the greens and tee boxes. Some of the paths where golfers tend to jump immediately off the path and drive straight up the fairway will be blocked as well. There will be a slight learning curve but in the end both courses will benefit. One of the bigger changes we have supported this year is taking the cart off the path on par 3's. Especially with the bermudagrass this is a non issue. The rules above are cast the same across both courses, there is no difference between the fairway area on a par 3 vs a par 4 or 5. We want you to come out and enjoy yourself!

With the bermuda slowing down we have afforded more time to take care of some detail work across the courses. Keeping the irrigation heads clean helps water distribution and helps maintain a well kept look on the course.

We have also cut down some of the native areas through the Sabot. Mowing is the best weed control during this time of the year. Areas that have done better with weeds and have more attractive native grasses will be kept higher going into the winter.

While the Sabot greens finish filling in from aeration, we continue to work hard on the texture of the Manakin greens. Another light grooming and topdressing was done to help tighten up the bentgrass on Monday. These processes allow us to keep dropping the mowing heights down giving some more consistent putting speeds.

The Latitude on the Manakin continues to impress and hold its color. The greens are getting pushed a little as the weather continues to improve, just need some rain!