September 2020 — Course Conditions Update
September 3, 2020 —
“Do whatever it takes to get to October.“
That is the state of mind of every blade of grass on our property right now.
While still very playable, the courses are starting to show the wear and tear as a result of record play and arid days. Like many other areas throughout Nebraska, we’re really feeling the effects of little to no rain fall in 2020.
Our edges are starting to fade from green to brown. With hundreds of acres of mowed turf, it’s becoming obvious which areas struggle to receive water where our irrigation coverage doesn’t reach.
In two months, we’ve received as many inches of rain.
For those who love classic looking links golf, it’s fantastic for visual aesthetic. For turf managers, a little bit of precipitation would be a welcome sight.
After the Labor Day weekend, we will be devoting time to our big fairway and tee fertilizer application, an annual tradition of fall. It’s a sign of the days nearing an end.
Our heroes this fall are the unsung ones. The staff is stretched a bit thin on man power, but they haven’t complained, keeping fairways mowed and bunkers raked.
The forecast doesn’t seem to pay much mind to the calendar. With days still climbing toward 100 degrees in the coming week (c’mon, it’s September), it will be smart for golfers to stay hydrated. Our grounds crew will be!
Dunes superintendent Jeff might be especially sweating. He’s 600 short of quota after bailing 850 square bales of hay already this summer. We’ll need 1,400+ of those suckers to fill bunkers once we hit closing day. He’s been working hard.
The courses will look forward to a breather in October when we start our fairway aerification and begin the shutdown process.
But while the courses are still humming in the final month here, we still plan to needle tine our greens and hopefully find a small window to apply a top-dress them.
This should improve and strengthen the roots as we enter the final days of play.
More to come with our winterization process as the holidays come around. If you haven’t seen us yet in 2020, we invite you to come see the property.
Have a great September!
— The Prairie Club Maintenance team
