Trying out the paint
Even after close to 3/4" of rain on Sunday we were able to get the greens aerated on the Manakin on Monday. 1/4" cores were pulled out of the upper 2.5 inch profile.
Our organic matter tests were very indicative of the need to continue managing the top layer of our greens. The key to firm, healthy and consistent putting surfaces through the season relies on this upper end of the profile to be lower on organic matter.
The cores were simply blown off and then scooped up with a shovel. The greens were rolled and brushed by hand to knock down any remaining sand. The holes are certainly visible but have very little impact on ball roll. Overall this is a minimally invasive process that serves our greens profiles well going into the winter.
The bluegrass on the Sabot is looking great. While still thin in spots, the surface is holding up and taking up enough water to continue letting carts out in most areas.
Originally as we planned out the Manakin re-grassing project, a main concern was having a fully dormant golf course for the winter. The solution was to use a paint colorant to maintain a dark green color for the fairways. As we are finding out, there are a ton of factors in getting paint down to make it look good. The wind, moisture on the leaf, tree leafs being in the way, nozzle selection, paint selection, sprayer speed, rate and pressure are all variables. This week we started putting the paint down and have been changing these variables to find a good application.
As of writing this blog we are still adjusting. This picture is the same as the one above but the sun angle plays with the color to your eye. The paint also tries to darken after a few days. We will be trying something to darken the color again in the morning. This is why there are random holes on the Manakin that are painted. Besides aesthetics, the paint supposedly will warm up the bermuda faster in the early spring. This is definitely a trial this year and not something we are committed to in the years to come. We welcome your feedback!
The guys on the Sabot continue on with their paver curbing work. We are running low on bricks so we thought this larger area on 2 green was necessary to get down before we get around the putting greens cleaned up.
We did a small part in decorating around the club, everything looks pretty festive!