- Course Layout

- Maintenance

GOLF COURSE NEWS:

As fall 2001 approaches it is time to get the golf course ready for winter. This will require increasing the height of cut for all the grass on the course, with the exception of the greens.

After the greens heal from the aerification; we will start lowering the height of cut. This will result in an increase of green speed and smoothness. We will also resume our rolling, top dressing, and verticutting.

Aerification went well this fall. The increase of heavy topdressing has greatly improved the profile of the greens, especially on the backside. As you may know, the backside greens are clay-based, and the front greens are sand-based which are built to U.S.G.A. specifications. I can remember a time when the back greens were less than 20% sand. Now, I think its safe to say that they are about 45% sand and improving each year.

There have been many questions about how and why we aerify the way we do. The backside greens are clay-based and that makes them firmer than the front. By the greens being firmer, it allows us to double aerify without hurting the turf. By double aerifying, we are removing twice as much clay and replacing it with sand. This will greatly improve the profile of the soil that will in turn improve the quality of the turf.

The front greens that are sand become very loose and rough after the first aerification. If we do not give the greens a week to become firmer and smoother when we aerify the second time, we peel the turf and leave bare places on the greens from pushing off the plugs.

We are following the guidelines set by the U.S.G.A. for aerification at the September 2, 1999, meeting. I would like to remind everyone that aerification is a necessity, and to please bear with us during this process each year. Aerification is preventive medicine for the greens, and will only insure their survival. I would like to apologize for any inconvenience to you during this process, and thank you again for all your cooperation. If you have any questions about this process, feel free to ask.

 

J. D. Murr, Grounds Superintendent

  

Every morning, as the early sun drapes the course in soft light, the maintenance crews man a small armada of sandrakers, trimmers, mowers, shapers, and take to the holes of the Green Meadows course. Spreading across the fairways, they work diligently to insure the fields are ready for even the earliest risers among the Club members. Dedication is the name of the game when it comes to keeping a golf course in top form.

To insure that its maintenance schedule is as efficient and as effective as possible, Green Meadows employs a variety of manual and riding mowers produced by the Toro Corporation, an industry leader in quality groundskeeping equipment. Toro's vast array of maintenance products are the equipment of choice at 75 of the top 100 PGA courses in America; these same machines are utilized daily by the crews of Green Meadows to create the ideal golfing experience.

Pictured on the right are two of the primary machines deployed by Green Meadows every morning; the Sandpro 2020 and the Reelmaster 6500-D. The Sandpro, as the name implies, is used to resettle and finish the sand traps punctuating the course, while the Reelmaster is a superb selection for creating beautiful fairways.

The greens themselves receive just as much attention as the rest of the course layout, if not more; a putt can only be as good as the terrain it must negotiate. To insure that every golfer can enjoy a finished putting surface, Green Meadow takes special care in the maintenance of its product.

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