Another Month Gone

Well August is past and September is here!  Wow, did September come in with a bang though.  Yesterday we topped out at 88 degrees but with the added humidity it felt much warmer.  Today is to be a bit more extreme but then the temps begin to drop with some rain in the forecast for Saturday.  Heat and humidity have been welcomed though as we need a bit of a boost for the turf.  Since beginning seeding on the 17th temperatures have been moderate but I feel may have slowed development a bit.  Last weekend we barely broke 70 degrees along with night temps in the mid 50's, ideal for maintaining good turf health but not the most ideal for growing in new plants. 

Greens and approaches are filling in nicely.  Some areas are a bit behind so this past Wednesday we did some overseeding along with an added fertilizer application to give a boost.  With new turf constant fertilization is needed as the plant takes up a great deal, almost like a growing kid.  Some of these areas were thin as a result of the .75" of rain that fell on Saturday the 20th right after we had finished seeding.  We believe some of what happened was sand that was on the surface washed and buried some of the seed.  One thing about this seed though is that all it needs is warmth and moisture for germination.  We're happy though with where we are at and we feel that progression will be great over the upcoming weekend with some warmer temps and maybe a shot of rain, hopefully not to much.  Here are some pics from Sept 1st:

#8 Approach and Green

#14 Approach and Green

#16 Approach and Green

Bunkers are moving along quite smoothly.  Mother Nature has been a great aid in this process with very limited weather interruptions.  This past Wednesday we wrapped up removing sand in all the back 9 bunkers and believe that we will be completely finished this Saturday morning.  With Monday being Labor Day no work will take place but Tuesday drainage installation will begin and along with that the installation of sand.  Ryan has been working very hard and I thank them for their great work and hustle.  Our crew members that have been assisting Ryan as well as instituting some bunker alterations have been hustling as well and I greatly thank them for their dedication and hard work.  If we can keep this pace moving I feel we could be completely finished by mid October if not sooner.  Once we begin to wrap up getting bunkers filled we will begin aerification around the greens to alleviate compaction caused by equipment traffic in those areas.