Course Update

The fall weather is here in full effect with cool nights and warm days. MGC has purchased a Toro Triflex greens mower coupled with a set of true-surface verticutting units. The purpose behind this investment is the ability to verticut the playing surfaces, enable us to dry mow the greens in the afternoons, and provide a back-up greens mower to our primary units. The verticutting is the most exciting because we have not had the ability to do this process in the past. Verticutting is the process in which blades vertically cut into the turf stranding up the longer blades of grass that are lying down. These longer blades of turf are then cut providing a more upright growth pattern thus increasing density. What does all that mean, denser putting surfaces that provide smoother and more consistent playing surfaces. Along with all the benefits can be negatives if we are too aggressive during periods of slow growth like we are seeing currently. The greens have been verticut twice and dry mowed twice last week and the results were there this weekend. The plan will be to verticut this week again and do some dry mowing as conditions permit. The long term forecast seems to be leaning towards colder temperatures late next week putting the brakes on the verticutting process. We have the new machine dialed in and will be able to get going immediately in the beginning of next season.