July started out wet after we received 3.17" of rain from only 3 events in the first 4 days. That was followed by 2.16" of rain from 9 events over the next 23 days. The month concluded with .94" of rain from 3 events over the final 3 days, resulting in our wettest month so far this year with 6.27" of rain from 15 events.  Our historical average rainfall for July is 3.9" and we are still running a deficit of .62" below our year-to-date average precipitation since January 1st. On a positive note, there were only 4 days of Cart Path Only restrictions even with all the rain.  Keepi ..read more

 The USGA recently published a great article on why golf courses hand water during the summer and how it affects playability. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE ..read more

 The courses have finally dried out after receiving 3.2" of rain since last Saturday.  Overall, the turf remained in good condition given the intense storms and temperatures in the upper 80's.  Unfortunately, the bunkers on Orchard and Grove did not fair so well and required several days to repair the washouts.  The new bunkers on Lakes also had some washouts, but they were minimal compared to previous years ..read more

We received 2.98" of rain this month from 9 events, but only had 2 days of Cart Path Only restrictions.  The first rain event was on 6/12, which was 22 days since the last event in May.  Our historical average rainfall for June is 4.15" and we are currently running a deficit of 3.79" below our year-to-date average precipitation since January 1st.  This was the second wettest month so far this year (January received the most precipitation), and the second driest June over the last 6 years of record keeping ..read more

 The recent stretch of hot and dry weather has made it challenging to keep the turf fully hydrated, and as a result we're seeing brown spots throughout the property.  Keep in mind the brown spots only indicate dry areas, not dead turf.  A natural defense mechanism for grass is to go semi-dormant which involves minimal top growth and a loss of green color.  The areas you're seeing brown out, normally occur when we have this kind of weather and will start to look better when the daytime high is below 85 degrees and there is more available soil moisture.  According t ..read more

 Now that the season is well underway I thought it would be a good time to remind everyone about divot repair.  When you hit a shot and the divot stays intact similar to the first picture below, you want to replace that divot.  If replaced within 24 hours of being removed, it has a very good chance of surviving.  Obviously you want the soil side down, and once in place you want to step on the divot to smooth it out and make sure the existing roots contact the soil.  If the divot explodes when striking the ball there's no reason to try to gather all the little pieces.&n ..read more

 The new bunkers on Lakes require a different method to properly maintain them compared to the existing bunkers on Grove and Orchard.  We've tried several different techniques, and have settled on what most folks call the "Aussie Style".  The new angular sand in the Lakes bunkers will compact much more than the old, contaminated sand.  This will allow the edges, or perimeters, to be smoothed and eventually create a hard crust that will not allow a golf ball to stay on the sloped areas, but roll down to the raked bottom.  The new sand was chosen for this reason and it's ..read more

 We've had quite a few warm, dry days with very low humidity (40% or less) this month that caused the putting greens to dry out and become discolored.  The brown turf sure looks ugly but it doesn't indicate disease or death. It's the result of a natural response by the plant to go dormant while sacrificing the leaf tissue to protect the crown, which is the main growing point of the plant.  When enough moisture rehydrates the plant, either thru irrigation or natural rainfall, the growth process resumes and new, green leaf tissue emerges.  We've had some timely rains the seco ..read more

 This morning we discovered some vandalism on Orchard 7.  We believe a golf club was used to remove chunks of turf out of the putting surface, and inappropriate words and pictures were drawn in the bunkers.  The maintenance staff raked the bunkers and repaired the damaged turf prior to play.  We will monitor the areas to see if additional repairs are necessary.  Please call the golf shop if you have any information about this incident or call the police if you notice any unauthorized activity on the courses after hours.  Thanks for your help to protect our beautif ..read more

 Total rainfall in June is 4.76", which is .61" above the monthly average of 4.15" and we're 4.98" above our average annual rainfall since January 1.  May and June were wetter than average months, but you wouldn't know it with how the courses look.  Warmer than normal temps and very low humidity has dried out the soil and the turf is showing signs of dehydration.  The color change is a natural response to the lack of soil moisture and turf plants will go into a semi-dormant state to protect the crown and roots, while sacrificing the leaf tissue.  Once ample soil moistu ..read more