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.

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.

  

New Evergreen Covers

            On Monday, January 4th, the temperatures in St. James dropped to the mid to high 20’s.  At these low temperatures, the warm season greens are subject to winterkill.  Recently, the golf maintenance staff purchased Evergreen Covers to be placed on every hole when the temperatures drop to unacceptable levels.

 

When the covers went out on the greens on Monday, this was the first time the crew had fully covered every green.  The next morning the covers were removed and played resumed at 12 o’clock.  In the future, please be aware that some time will be needed to remove covers before play.  Thanks for your understanding while we try to keep your courses in the best playing conditions possible.