Welcome to the Maintenance Blog for Radrick Farms Golf Course. Visit this blog to view pictures and other information about golf course projects and maintenance practices on the golf course.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Why Does the Golf Course Close?

Why does the golf course close when the forecast has a couple more nice days left?

The Maintenance Team needs the right weather conditions to apply fungicide to all bentgrass surfaces, topdress greens and pickup all the accessories from the golf course. These next couple of days look like the right weather to "put the golf course to bed" for the long unpredictable winter ahead.

Plant protectents are applied to all bentgrass surfaces to protect them against gray and pink snow mold. These diseases thrive in the cold wet conditions with or without snow. The conditions needed to apply the products include little to no wind and no moisture from rain or snow. They need to dry on the plant. The next couple of days look like our window to apply these products before the weather turns and stays cold.

Another important process is heavy topdressing on greens. This layer of sand helps protect the greens surface from desiccation from the wind during the Winter. It also "tucks-in" the crown of the plant for the long haul until Spring. This topdressing takes place after the fungicide has been applied and has dried.

The last steps of winter preparation include cleaning all leaf and tree debris off the golf course, storing all the accessories from the tees and bunkers, roping greens, and installing silt fence around key bunker faces.

The Maintenance Team has appreciated our customer support for the entire 2013 season. We thank you for your continued understanding and support of the maintenance practices here at Radrick. We hope you have a great holiday season and look forward to seeing you in the Spring of 2014.