GOLF COURSE UPDATE

A reprieve from the extreme heat and humidity this week is just what the golf course needs. It will help, but it’s not enough. As you have seen the condition of the course is not up to your, or our, expectations. Much of the visible turf discoloration is cosmetic and will recover on its own, but the severely damaged areas will need a lot of work as well as different maintenance practices in the future. While we are focused on the entire course, our primary concerns are the greens, collars and fairways which are simply not acceptable.

Along with changing some of our practices, we invited the OB Regional Agronomist to come and assess our course. They reviewed everything from mowing practices, chemicals, fertilizers, irrigation, drainage, venting practices, equipment and much more. We will list below things that are being done now in order to help the course recover.

- All greens were aerified to alleviate compaction and to get air into the ground. This will not only help greens dry after rains but also cool them down.
- A calcium product was applied to greens to flush our root zones.
- Collars and fairways are being aerified where possible.
- Hand mowing of greens are being done more often to alleviate scalping.
- Seeding will be taking place in areas of heavy turf damage.
- If greens are really wet we may just roll them.

The damage to 1/6 Vale greens was more extensive. The decision has been made to take these two greens out of play and use temporary greens. Both greens have been seeded and top-dressed and will require frequent light watering throughout the day to promote seed germination and establishment. We are hopeful this is a 2-3 week process.

We ask for your patience and understanding as we work through these processes and get the course back to all of our expectations. We are seeking counsel from multiple sources and our staff is working hard on our recovery. Many members have asked what they can do to help…

- Keep carts on paths around all tees and greens
- Keep carts on paths on all par 3’s
- Feel free to drive in middle of fairways in healthy turf, try and not drive through discolored turf
- As always, repair ball marks and fill divots (empty that divot bottle before you are done)

As always, thank you for being a part of the Echo Valley Family. If you have any questions please let us know.

Matt Matthias, General Manager