2011 Golf Season

The 2011 golf season is officially underway at Warnimont and the course has come out of the winter in better shape than ever. The parks forestry crew came through this winter and cleared alot of trees and undergrowth around the greens and tee boxes. They have done alot over the past couple of years and it has made a noticeable different in the pace of play and health of the turf in these area. Pruning trees and clearing undergrowth is very important for fine turf. This allows for increased sunlight and air circulation, which is vital for photosynthesis and decreasing disease pressure to the greens. When a green is surrounded by trees, moisture tends to sit on the turf canopy longer, because the trees block out the light and air movement. Moisture is one of the biggest environmental factors for dollar spot and snow mold(which are our biggest disease pressures), and with the trees around the greens removed and pruned it should alleviate these problems.

My main goals for this season are to continue repairs and maintenance to the irrigation system and mowers. We will also control the crabgrass in the fairways and the cutworms in the greens. I also plan on buying new tee makers, flag sticks and ball washers to keep the course looking nice, and we are also just about done painting the benches and the tee signs which have been much neglected and weathered over the past few years. Now that we are on top of the course aesthetics we can now pay more attention to the fine details, this year we should make huge strides to the agronomics and aesthetics of the course!