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.

Cate 9 Update

    On June 15th, the maintenance staff of The Members Club closed down the Cate 9 section of their golf course to convert the greens from bentgrass to MiniVerde.  The many processes involved with this change are highlighted below.

    First, all of the greens were sprayed with Glyphosate, more commonly known as Round-up, to kill off all of the existing bentgrass on the greens.

    Next, the greens were covered and gassed using Methyl-Bromide to ensure that the entire soil profile was sterile.  This step is an important part of the process because it ensures that the crew is starting with a blank canvas on the new greens.

    After five days under the cover, the greens are ready to be planted.  When planting the greens, the MiniVerde is established using sprigs.  The sprigs come in refrigerated burlap sacks and are put down evenly over the putting surface.  The sprigs are then disked in with a tractor and immediately topdressed with sand.  It is important during the time following the sprigging process to water the greens often.

    As of now, the greens are actively growing.  Grayson Grainger and his crew cut the greens for the first time at the end of last week.