I have finally found a free minute to post on here. I know it has been almost a month since I have posted about the golf course, but we have been extremely busy preparing the courses for play. There are currently quite a few projects going on. The turf came through the winter very strong. We had a few areas in question, but now that the turf has started growing, things have started to look a lot better. We have applied our first few applications. Maintenance is starting to become pretty routine. I guess the title of this post could apply to any time of year, and it certainly seems like we say it enough. However, it really does apply to this week.

We will be aerating greens on the North course. I know, the greens have just finally smoothed out from the winter, but aerating greens is very essential to a healthy surface for the entire season. The irrigation system has been audited and we are ready to begin. The front nine of the North will be aerated on Monday and the back nine will be aerated on Tuesday. Tees will be aerated starting a week from tomorrow, and a heavy emphasis will be placed on tee improvement/turf density this year. Bunker projects will also begin soon, and we will be selecting holes that need the most attention first. We are continuing to make improvements to both golf courses. For more information regarding aeration, please refer to this previous post: https://stowacresturf.com/2010/04/30/aeration-over-already/

You can also watch this informational video:

http://www.golfcourseindustry.com/gci-video-aeration.aspx

Thanks for your understanding during this very important cultural practice. See you on the course!

-Jason VanBuskirk, Superintendent