Getting into The Swing of Things

Spring is in the air in Payson, Arizona.  Flowers are starting to bloom and the golf course is beginning to green up.  We have had a productive winter and we are planning for the season.  With the economy in shambles we are still plugging along, doing our best to adapt.

Our winter consisted of many different projects.  We started out getting most of the course firewised.  This has been a property wide effort and it looks as though most everybody has done a great job thining out the vegetation on their lot.  We have gotten 70 percent of our vegetation thinned inside the cartpaths.  We also dabbled on some rock placement along the paths.  The was to help with the erosion that plagues us during the monsoon season.  Our last project that the members are noticing the most is the mulch on the walk-ups to the tees and some of the drive offs.  We have concentrated on rejuvinating these areas to get a better ambiance on the golf course.

The project that we are anticipating for the upcoming months before the weather gets hot is drainage and pig damage repair.  We are planning to install some drainage in the 9th, 10th and 16th fairways.  Last year these fairways struggled the most when the over abundance of rain from the monsoon season could not drain quick enough before the temperature rose.  We are excited about these projects.

The Javelina damage has haunted us all winter.  Our plan to repair these areas is to scout areas along the perimeter of the course where the Ky. Bluegrass has encroached into the native areas behind the sprinkler heads.  We will harvest the grass and re-plant native grasses behind the perimeter heads.  The grass we harvest will be used to repair the worst javelina effected areas.   

The summer is going to be a tough road ahead with the economy being so poor.  As superintendents we learn to adapt quickly and that is why we are the most important employees to the golf course.