The days are getting warmer and warmer, and the crest is getting better and better. The agronomy team is getting into a good rhyme. It feel like we are over half way done our big spring time push of applications, project wrap ups and program starts. Hopefully, this nice spring weather stays with us for a few more weeks.

Greens
Over the next few weeks our staff will be plucking the poa annua out of our putting greens and collars. Poa annua is a pervasive weed on our A1/A4 creeping bentgrass greens that if not aggressively manage can take over in just a few years. Hand picking every spring is a practice started by my predecessors, it is very successful. This labor intensive practice is worth it in the long run. Below is a staff member identifying and removing poa annua from number 1 green.

Fescue
This is also a critical time of year for our fescue program. We are mowing all of the fescue down one last time before it begins to go to seed for the season.  After it is all mowed we will apply selective herbicides to keep out the weeds.

  

April is always a wild month for the agronomy team. Many critical applications, processes and programs for the season all need to be started and established in a month that sees days barely above freezing, then highs in the mid-80's. The crest has made great strides to being in mid-season form and our team is rolling with the weather trying to get things as dialed in as possible before the heat of the upcoming summer.

Greens
The greens continue to get better everyday. For the first time all season I heard, "that the greens were smooth this past weekend."  While they are not completely healed over they are starting to roll much better. We will be looking for opportunities to topdress and verticut the greens as it gets warmer and GAP matches are completed. 

Fairways
This past week the team spiked the fairways. This practice will continue much like last year, being done monthly. Spiking the fairways opens up large pore space in our soils to facilitate the exchange of gases to the roots and for water to work deeper in the soil profile. 

Irrigation system
This past winter we had our irrigation pump sent out for repairs. The video below shows them being lowered back into the pump house. The team has had a busy spring checking and repair any broken irrigation heads. Getting this system with its miles of pipes, wires and hard/soft ware in shape is no small task, but is critical during the upcoming heat and dry spells of summer.

Thank you all for support, and please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
tge@rivercrestgolfclub.com

The golf season has officially started, and the grounds crew is working hard to get the course into mid-season form. It's hard to believe we had snow on the ground less then a month ago. With gap matches and tournaments just around the corner, the golf course is marked and ready for competition.

Greens
The recovery from our winter aeration has been over a month slower this spring as compared to last spring. The cold winter combined with several cold snaps this spring has not allowed the greens to fully come out of dormancy and grow out of aeration. To aid in their recovery we applied liquid fertilizer to the greens this morning. Our hope remains that they will be fully recovered soon.

Tees
The tees are looking really good this spring. Our efforts over the past few seasons seem to be paying off. As we continue to look for ways to improve our tees and our member experience please be aware that this spring we are going to experiment with more none traditional tee marker locations. Some tees will be way back while others will be way up. 

Fairways
The fairways are also looking good this spring. We still have some minor patching to do from rocks that were pulled up during last January's deep tining. Our plan to move tee markers we hope pays dividends on the fairway divot pattern as well, by shifting the landing areas. 

Bunkers
All of the bunkers have received their spring maintenance and sand will be added to those that were thin in the next week. The new bunkers on nine will be opened for play this weekend as the sod in the area is starting to knit in.

It is wonderful to see the golf course green again and golfers out there. Please try to avoid any of the new sod as we hope to keep carts on fairways as often as possible this year. Thank you for all your support and please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Tim