Course Update Mid-May 2021

The Crest is having an excellent spring season. It has been relatively dry with timely rains to keep the grass growing and helping our team with watering in different applications to the golf course. All the course accessories are out, including the blue bird houses. At the club house summer flowers are being planted and extensive work has gone into the waterfall features this spring. It is hard to believe that the member-member is just around the corner.

The Greens
Our putting surfaces have been terrific this spring. The programs to improve the health, density, and ball mark recovery are working very well. We have been able to provide very good putting conditions this spring, it is always nice to hear guests from other local clubs comment on " how fast our greens are." Our program does require regular verticutting and topdressing. The agronomy team completed this practice Tuesday afternoon, along with a granular fertilizer application. With the warmer weather we expect to be back to smooth greens in just a few days. Our next scheduled agronomic practice will be a solid tine venting, verticutting, and topdressing of the greens after the member-members. Thank you for your understanding as we complete these vital programs.

The Tees
The seedhead emergence of the poa anna and the need for some spring fertility has the tees looking a little off. We will be working a few tees at a time over the next two weeks to aerate, topdress and fertilize all the tee boxes. Our super agressive aeration over the past two seasons seem to be working.  This year we are only looking to aerate the tee boxes 3 times, now, august, and at the end of the season.

The Fairways
This past week we applied an early season fertilizer to the fairways, and they are looking excellent. We have made a barrage of chemical applications to the fairways this spring including but not limited to different weed controls, insecticides, liquid fertilizers, and fungicides. The nice weather, sod patching, chemical controls, and all the cultivation practices of the past two season has the fairways primed for a great season.

Rough and fescue
During this time of year all cool season grasses go to seed. The seedheads in our fescue will be turning purple then brown into June, giving RiverCrest it's signature look. Unfortunately, this also makes the primary rough very thick for the next few weeks. Please bare with us as we do our best to keep it mowed down. Also please remember do not drive through the fescue after it has gone to seed. Once the seedhead is crushed by cart traffic it will not stand back up.

Thank you all for your continued support.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Tim