Our tee aerification that was postponed by rain on September 10th has been rescheduled for Monday the 22nd. The clubhouse and course are closed that day. Greens aerification is still on schedule for Thursday, October 2nd, and Friday, October 3rd. We will have 9 holes each day closed for play.
With the gradual improvement in the playability of the green surrounds, I have decided to hold off on an aggressive verticut. The fertilizer we applied late July has promoted growth of new leaf tissue that has, in most spots, provided a more consistent lie for any shots and I feel that I would be doing more harm than good at this time in the year by aggressively cutting the older stems off. We will be aerifying the green surrounds within the next two weeks in between play to further promote turf health. I will continue to monitor these conditions and communicate any practices that may be needed if they deteriorate again.
Finally, I wanted to provide an update on the 18 green project. Beginning on October 6th, the hole will be closed for play for the rest of the season. Two holes will be cut on #9 green, as was practice during the initial construction. Greg and I have been in communication with Shawn Smith, who is the principal architect with Hills and Forrest on the above schematic and the timeline for the project. Hills and Forrest also has secured Oliphant Golf as the contractor for the project, which has been performing great work at Oakland Hills in Michigan. Myself, Greg, and Shawn will be overseeing their work on this project. Mr. Hills has also expressed an interest
Oliphant's crew will begin mobilizing on the 5th to begin early morning on the 6th. The existing sod will be removed, and saved so as much as possible can be re-layed on the new green. Then, grade work will be performed in accordance with the above plan. Soil amendments will be added for turf health when the final grade has been achieved, and then the green and any surrounding turf affected will be sodded. Weather permitting, the project should take about 10 days.
As was the case in 2011, both Arthur Hills and Oliphant Golf have requested that there be NO interference from the membership or other individuals during the project. This includes being on the construction site while work is being performed, giving personal opinions of how the green should look when completed, interfering with the crew while working etc. They are very good at what they do and have a solid plan for improving #18. This is also for your safety as well!
I will be providing daily updates via the blog to keep you up to speed. This is an exciting project for Elcona and I cannot wait to start! If you have any questions on 18 green or anything else, please contact me at ryan@elconacc.com, or at 574-295-6374. Thanks, and have a great week!
Ryan
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