It is supposed to look this good!

 

It is bermuda season so it really should not be a surprise that the warm season turf is thriving. 90 degrees, humid and plenty of moisture in the soil means we are in great shape. We are just starting to firm up a bit in time for some more thunderstorms this weekend. Try to remember next March when it is 48 at night and 70 during the day what today feels like so then there is no question as to when the bermuda will start growing!

With the bermuda growing nicely we felt comfortable going after some summer weeds, mainly goosegrass. These thinner areas from the spring are more susceptible to weed breakthrough. The earlier we can take the goosegrass out, the more time the bermuda has to get filled in and ready for the winter. Areas here like 16 fairway really have about half the growing season that a fairway like 10 or 18 has on Sabot. 

Selective herbicide (actually 5 different chemistries) was applied Monday to select areas and it is easy to see yellowing of the bermuda today. The goosegrass should continue on its downward spiral and the bermuda will bounce back in the next week or so. 

This past Monday was the first Monday in a few weeks that we had the property to ourselves until 1:00. These maintenance days are a huge benefit to get messier and more centerline adjacent work down. All 39 greens were edged to keep the bentgrass separate from the bermuda on the collars. Next Monday the 17th and all the way through August we will be closed all the way until 3:00pm. On Monday the 24th we will have the Manakin closed through Wednesday the 26th for fairway verticutting and topdressing.

All the sprinkler heads on the Manakin fairways and tees were edged Monday, a job that is basically impossible in play.

All the greens were topdressed lightly as well Monday. The topdressing brushes right in later in the day and then the greens are mowed as normal in the morning. The sand helps smooth ball roll, protect from foot traffic and help heal ballmarks.

As the heat persisted through the week we ran out and got some hot asphalt from the plant up in Rockville. A few more bumps were taken out of both courses.

Enjoy the heat! Boomer is not a fan!