5th and 6th Greens Update

     I met with the Greens committee on Friday afternoon to discuss the 5th and 6^th greens.  Unfortunately, both greens still aren't quite ready but they're very close.  We're erring on the side of caution; I'd rather wait a little longer and know they're ready rather than open them too early and have them struggle through the summer.  I’ve talked to a few superintendents who have gone through this same process and the one common takeaway point from them was to wait as long as possible before opening them.  A couple of them received pressure to open them early, which they did, only to see the greens suffer and they had to close the greens back down for a couple weeks for recovery.  This is obviously something we are trying to avoid at all costs.  The plan is to keep them closed for the coming week and then open them up the week of June 3rd, not sure on the exact day yet but it will obviously be before the Men's M/G. Both greens are being mowed and rolled on opposite days and we continue to lower the heights gradually.  The exposed seams are being seeded and topdressed as needed and we've definitely seen an improvement in overall quality.  We have moved the temporary pins a little farther back and mowed the turf a little tighter to try and simulate an actual green starting on Memorial Day.  I understand that this isn’t ideal but it is necessary. 

    

The renovation of both greens complexes was done to improve playability, turf and plant health, and overall aesthetics.  The project on the 5^th and 6^th holes was scheduled to begin at the beginning of October 2018 but we received some concerns regarding the greens being closed and members having to play to temporary greens for the Green and White tournament in the middle of October.  It was decided to push back the start of the project until after the tournament.  The project did not officially begin until the first week of November, delaying everything by over a month.  Both greens weren’t sodded until the first of December so they didn’t get a real chance to knit and begin the process of rooting as the ground was too cold by then.  This delay has pushed both greens back 1 month and is why they remain closed today.  The grow-in phase didn’t really begin until the middle of April as day time temps started to climb allowing for the sod to begin rooting.  This spring has been tough as it’s rained seemingly every other day and it hasn’t been ideal growing weather but we are making the best of it.  The cooler than normal spring temperatures have also played a major role in delaying the opening of both greens.   It’s tough to pin down the actual day when they’ll be open because everything is so weather dependent.   As I mentioned earlier both greens will be open in time for the men’s M/G on June 8^th.  If anyone has any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to ask me.  Thank you all for your patience.