Annual Report To The Olde Florida Golf Club Membership April 2024 Prepared by: Darren J. Davis, CGCS Golf Course Superintendent darrenjdavis@oldefloridagolfclub.com (239) 353-4441 - Office www.DarrenJDavisGCS.com Golf Course Update After four back-to-back winters in a La Niña weather pattern, with numerous heat records and ample sunlight, this year we experienced our first El Niño weather pattern since 2018-2019. This winter turned out to be an extremely strong El Niño weather pattern, resulting in the most difficult winter to manage turfgrass in my 31-years at Olde Florida. El Niño is a c ..read more

Recently I was asked by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) to co-present a webinar that addressed impacts the strong El Niño pattern was having on golf courses. The title of the webinar is, “El Niño’s Effect in Florida: Explaining it to Golfers, Boards and Owners.” A link to an abridged copy of the webinar can be found HERE.  I was joined by J. Bryan Unruh, Ph.D., University of Florida. Dr. Unruh is an Associate Center Director and Professor of Turfgrass Science. Unruh focuses on providing real-world solutions for today’s turfgras ..read more

After years of back to back La Niña winters in Southwest Florida, we are experiencing our first El Niño weather pattern since 2018-2019. El Niño is a climate interaction linked to warming sea temperatures in the central and east/central Pacific Ocean. The warmer waters cause the jet stream to move south of its typical position.  During an El Niño winter the southern third to half of the United States experiences cooler than normal temperatures, increased cloud cover and an enhanced chance of precipitation.  Forecasters for the National Weather Service have said there is a greater t ..read more

A new year brings excitement for the future, but it's also a good time to reflect on the past. I find that self reflection provides the opportunity to appreciate the things you experienced and discovered, as well as determine the things that made you happy. I enjoy photography so one way I reflect on the previous year is to sort through photos I took in the last 12 months. These are a few of my favorites.     The north range tee at sunrise 1/7/23 10 green at sunrise, 1/8/23 A light frost on hole 1, 1/16/23 Using irrigation to remove frost at sunrise ..read more

Today is December 21... and all southern golf course superintendents are aware of the importance of this day. It means the winter solstice has arrived! To be exact, it will arrive at 10:27 p.m tonight. This is a key date for those of us living in the northern hemisphere because it marks the shortest day of the year.  The winter solstice is the day when the sun rises and sets to our south at the lowest angle. Because the earth orbits around the sun on a tilted axis, between September and March the entire northern hemisphere gets less exposure to sunlight. It’s not surprising that these mo ..read more

While attending The Pennsylvania State University in 1991, my mentor and famed turfgrass scientist, Dr. Joe Duich asked my fellow students and I, “What is the most fundamental aspect of successful turfgrass management?”  Dr. Duich, known for his wit and challenging teaching style had many leery to respond. After a few failed attempts by my classmates to answer his question, Dr. Duich responded, “It’s not rocket science, if you want to be successful at growing turfgrass, you need drainage... drainage... drainage!" He continued, "Surface drainage, air drainage and subsurface ..read more

A common question in the golf industry is, “Why do you aerify greens when they are in great condition?”  The quick answer is that weather plays a large role in recovery. Therefore, performing aeration when the weather favors turf growth leads to quicker recovery. Aeration is also stressful on turf so performing the task when the turf is in "great" condition is also vital.  Practice Green 7/4/23 - 7 Days after Aerification  We are fortunate in Southwest Florida this coincides with the time of year the majority of the membership has left for the summer. At Olde Florid ..read more

Over the course of every summer Olde Florida closes for five weeks so the agronomy team can perform necessary, aggressive cultural practices. The cultural practices, which include aerification, vertical mowing and topdressing are vital to help insure the turfgrass remains healthy and the golf course is in the best possible playing condition for years to come. The first closure of the 2023 summer began the day after Memorial Day and it was a WET, but ultimately productive week!  The weather in SW Florida in the summer can be unpredictable! We are hopeful that Mother Nature will cooperate w ..read more

Vanderbilt Beach Road Extension Update  The Vanderbilt Beach Road Extension project is an approximately 7-mile extension of the existing six lane road.  The extension will begin to the west at Collier Boulevard and it will end to the east at 16th ST NE. The county reports the project will take approximately three years to complete. The project began in the fall of 2022.   What we will see over the next 6-months is more of we are currently experiencing. Clearing and organic debris removal will continue, but there should be no more burning. The contractor will also continue to dig ..read more

As many do, I take the holiday season to reflect on life and things experienced over the last year. This blog entry provides an Olde Florida Golf Club, "Year in Review" through photographs.  A greens foliar application   1/19/22 LED light towers, practice green   1/25/22 An employee wearing an LED headband while operating the Hydroject on the practice green   12/23/22 The agronomy staff begins work each morning at 6:00 a.m., with the exception of tournament days when the start time is as early as 4:00 a.m.. Most ..read more