A Cover Update

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about covering portions of our driving ranges that are in need of recovery.  The covers the golf course maintenance crew put down were moved two weeks later and the results were excellent.  Below are some pictures that were taken on the Reserve and Members Club ranges.  The first picture is on the Reserve Club range after the cover had been moved.  As  you can see the covered turf has recovered nicely.

The second picture we have added is on the Members Club range and it shows perennial ryegrass seed that has germinated while being covered for 2 weeks.  The area directly under the cover was topdressed and seeded directly before the cover was put down.  As you can see the ryegrass has germinated well under the cover.

Wait a Minute!

     If you have spent any amount of time outside during the "winter" months thus far, you have probably noticed that the temperatures have been abnormally warm.  This is great news.  Sort of.  One problem with the warmer temperatures is that the bermuda grass on the golf courses is being tricked into thinking that it is time for spring green up.  Well, the time to break dormancy hasn't come just yet.  Below is a picture that was taken in the dormant rough beside of a tee on # 2 at the Founders Club.

      As you can see here, there is a lot of green grass showing in the dormant rough.  When bermuda grass greens up prematurely, there can be a negative implications on the turf when it tries to break dormancy in the spring.  When there is an early green up, the grass plants use stored carbohydrates as energy to grow.  Therefore, when it is the appropriate time for growth in the spring, the plants have used up most of their energy for the early green up.  

     

New Range Covers

      If you have been on the driving ranges at St. James this week you may have noticed some black covers on certain spots of the range tees.  These covers have been placed on spots of the tees that need recovery and seed germination.  While we believe that this idea will prove to be a success at St. James, we can not take the credit for it.  Troon North, our sister course in Scottsdale, Arizona, have been using covers similar to this for a while and have found them to be a great tool for regenerating used parts of their driving range.  The areas under the covers will be checked during weekly range maintenance on each course and will be moved to different portions of the range as needed.  Below is a picture of the covers on the range at The Reserve Club.  We will post pictures of the turf after the covers are moved in a couple of weeks.

  

Driving Range Improvements

Recently, the driving ranges at the Members and Players Club got an upgrade.  Shapemasters, a local golf course construction company, laid a concrete slab on the back of the driving ranges at both the Members and Players Club.  These concrete slabs will soon be topped with golf range mats that will be used at various times for practice throughout the year.  We have posted a picture of each slab that was laid below.  Thank you for patience as we constantly strive to improve your golf experience at St. James Plantation.

Players Club Driving Range

Members Club Driving Range

Greens Maintenance

     For those of you that do not know, the USGA has an excellent set of educational videos for all golfers to view concerning important parts of golf course maintenance and the game of golf.  Recently, I came across a video that details what the golf course maintenance crew does in regards to greens maintenance.
     Greens maintenance is the main focus of any golf course maintenance operation.  We spend most of our time and energy trying to ensure that the greens at St. James are in good condition.  Please take time to view the USGA video we have linked below to better understand the maintenance practices that we routinely use on your golf course greens.

http://www.usga.org/videos/2013/03/05/video--making-a-great-putting-surface-2205021413001.html

Flooding at The Clubs at St. James

Last night, The Clubs at St. James received approximately 7 inches of rain during a 6 hour span.  As you can imagine the courses are extremely wet and impassible in spots.  Virtually every bunker on all of the courses was washed out and will require a lot of repair. We will be working diligently in the next couple of days to get the courses back into optimum playing shape.  We appreciate your patience during this time.  Below is a picture from #2 at the Founders Club.

It's a Plane?

     Last month the golf maintenance team on the Members, Founders, and Players Clubs at St. James continued a tee leveling project that began last summer.  Several tees were leveled using a Turf Planer.  Basically, the Turf Planer runs over the entire surface of the tee and shaves down areas that are higher than the other portions of the tee, leaving a more level tee surface.  The picture below shows what the tees at Cate 2 looked like immediately after being planed.

The next picture is of the same tee 2 weeks later.

As of now the tees are closed to being fully healed after regular fertilizing and topdressing.

Transition, What Does it Mean?

    Every year at The Clubs at St. James Plantation we overseed our tees and fairways to ensure better-playing conditions for our membership.  Essentially, what happens is that the cool season grass overtakes the bermuda grass on the fairways and tees that are going dormant.

     It is because of this process that we go through a transition from late spring into early summer when the bermuda grass is actively growing and the cool season grass is fading because of warmer temperatures.  Please understand that the courses at St. James will look different during this time, but this is natural.  Please click on the link provided below to learn more about golf course transition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq0mdjXcdRg

Pesticide and Herbicide Applications

Here at St. James, we routinely apply fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides to help provide you with the best possible playing conditions on your courses.  The most important point that we want to communicate with our members is that all of our applications are made by trained professionals.  All of our superintendents on staff are licensed pesticide applicators in the state of North Carolina.  In addition to this, all of our licensed operators go through many hours of continuing education classes throughout the year to stay informed of new products and restrictions as it pertains to pesticide and herbicide use.  All of the courses at St. James keep detailed records of when and how our pesticides and herbicides are applied.  All pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers at St. James are stored in accordance with the laws of the state of North Carolina.  We are routinely checked by state officials and have had no issues with compliance to all of the regulations set forth by the state.

We take pride in the fact that we are careful when it comes to the surrounding environment.  All of the courses at St. James are certified by Audubon International for being environmental sanctuaries.  We strive to take care of our surroundings.  Please take the time to watch the video that is linked below to understand better what we do when we spray our products.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp9C-SEqTDU&feature=youtu.be

Soil Testing

     Soil testing is used to determine nutrient levels in the soil and an important component in developing a fertilization plan. Over the next week, samples will be taken from greens, tees and fairways on all four golf courses at St James Plantation. Homeowners would benefit from soil testing as well. To watch a short video on sampling techniques, click on the link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-nCCxjomlE

     The golf course maintenance crew uses Brookside Laboratory in Ohio to read all of our soil samples.  However, the closest place to get your soil samples read is the Extension Office at N.C. State University.  If you have any questions about soil sampling, feel free to ask the golf course management team at St. James.