GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT
QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
OCTOBER 2024
Dear Member / Property Owner,
Following on from the last Golf Course Superintendent’s Newsletter, which was designed to keep you up to date with all the important maintenance procedures which were scheduled to take place on The Indiana Course, we are pleased to be able to give you an update on the works carried out and to inform you of the schedule of works which shall take place through the fourth quarter of 2024.
QUARTERLY MAINTENANCE UPDATE
Cleaning of Desert Native Areas and Detailing of All Areas
Our dedicated landscape team has cleared the entire stretch of the river from the 8th tees to behind the 10th green complex of canes, weeds and unwanted trees. This effort has allowed us to recover the views of the golf course from these holes and the feeling of cleanliness and spaciousness of this area.
We have completed the clearing and removal of weeds and other vegetation along the right-hand side of Hole 1. This work involved manually clearing weeds, trimming and removing plumbago, and pruning trees and bushes. Additionally, the areas around cacti and rockeries have been carefully cleaned to enhance the natural beauty of the landscape.
The natural areas surrounding the tee complex on Hole 8, featuring cacti, have undergone a thorough clean-up. Dead and aged plants were removed, with the remaining plants pruned extensively to eliminate dead material, encouraging vigorous new growth. Additionally, cuttings from these plants have been placed in pots, allowing us to transplant them back to the area once they reach an appropriate size. This will help create a dense and vibrant line of plants around the tee complexes.
The driving range has undergone a complete renovation, with just a few final touches remaining—the introduction of new planting within the earth mounding to the left-hand side of the range and the enhancement of the earth mounding along the right side of the driving range fairway. Additionally, two flags of each colour have been strategically placed to mark distances, making practice sessions more effective.
The presentation of the 14th hole has been significantly enhanced. Boulders have been strategically placed along the lake’s shoreline, and yellow sand now covers the beach area, adding to the aesthetic appeal.
An earth mound has been built around the Championship and middle tees, and olive trees, along with some cacti, have been planted. The final step is to repopulate the area around the tees with additional plants to complete the transformation.
Fairways
The fairways are currently in exceptional condition, offering top-tier playing surfaces characterised by unmatched density, uniformity, firmness, and consistency. These outstanding results have been made possible through the diligent maintenance work carried out on the paspalum grass over recent months.
Roughs
The rough has shown noticeable improvement across most of the holes on the golf course. However, we still need to complete the roughs’ full conversion to Paspalum. To accelerate this process, we have sodded many areas of the rough that had the most significant grass coverage issues. Currently, we are also reseeding any remaining problematic areas of the rough.
The rough remains the most critical area needing attention. The main issues include:
1.Clay Soil: The rough consists of clay soil, which has a high tendency to accumulate salts and is prone to compaction.
2.Grass Species: The established rye grass has little tolerance to such adverse weather conditions as we experience.
3.Diseases and Pests: Frequent diseases and pests effect the rough negatively.
4.Irrigation Differentiation: A lack of differentiation between fairway and rough irrigation leads to deficiency in respect to the roughs’ irrigation needs.
Greens
The greens of the Indiana course have generally remained in good condition throughout the hot summer months with very good rolling and speeds between 8-9 feet on the stimpmeter. We are currently between 9-10 feet and we will get to between 10-11 feet for the next major events that will be held on the golf course.
We have continued with the greens maintenance plan established in the annual maintenance plan, the most important actions of which are summarised below:
- Flushing of salts in soil profiles.
- Irrigation strategy. More spaced irrigations in time with more quantity of water to wash salts in each irrigation cycle and enhance root growth in depth. In order to carry out this type of irrigation strategy, it is necessary to support greens with manual and localised irrigation by applying water and a wetting agent each week.
- Fertilisation programme with foliar fertilizers and bio stimulants. This type of customised fertilisation provides the plant with everything it needs in the right amount and at the time it demands it in such a way that we achieve 100% healthy turf grass.
- Greens Aeration Programme: We have continued to micro aerate with solid small tine (Procore 648S) and to inject air at high pressures through elongated tines (Air2G2 machine), which alleviates soil compaction, enhances drainage, and delivers essential oxygen to the root zone.
UPCOMING COURSE MAINTENANCE PROGRAMME
Cleaning of Desert Native Areas and Detailing of All Areas
We are going to continue with the clearing and cleaning of the desert areas in general. Some areas that are pending this type of work are:
- Right side of Hole number 1. We are scheduled to finish clearing remaining weeds and thinning out the plumbago where it is overgrown. Thereafter, the Yuccas will be pruned, with the dry leaves being removed.
- River on the left-hand side of Hole number 18. We will remove the roots of all aquatic plants and weeds that are in and around the river.
Following the path of the integral improvement of the Indiana course, we shall commence a recovery programme of natural areas around the tees and green complexes with a clear objective of returning these areas to what they were originally.
We will start on Hole 1 by repopulating the tee complexes with plant material and replacing the deteriorated wooden sleepers for each tee.
We will eradicate invasive species, foster the growth of native plants, and preserve the indigenous habitat, thus creating areas that are not only visually appealing but also environmentally responsible.
Consistent with our previous initiatives, we will persist in restricting access to certain desert native zones around the course. This strategy is critical for protecting the native wildlife and plant life, and for supporting their natural expansion and flourishing. We are also restricting access to all par 3´s and temporarily to some holes with compaction problems. In this way we have the possibility to recover and improve the presentation of these holes.
Palm tree pruning will be carried out for several weeks, giving priority to the palm trees in holes 1, 3, 14, 15, 17, 18 and the practice area.
Ongoing Course Improvements
Through to November, we are implementing the fairway rough and antigreen rough improvement programme. This includes verticutting, aeration with solid tines, overseeding, and top-dressing with sand. This maintenance schedule is essential for the overall improvement of the course, particularly in respect to enhancing soil quality and aerating the plant roots, leading to better plant health.
Additional planned course improvements include:
-Improvement of academy short game practice area with the benefit of the reconstruction of the Palm Springs Creek with an operational water fountain.
-Improvement of golf course signage
-Improvement of the presentation of the course furniture; wagon wheel chairs, ball washers, bins, sand boxes, etc.
-Refurbishing and updating the railroad sleeper steps leading to all of the tee complexes.
2025 Greens Hollow Coring Dates
In the knowledge that all Property Owners and Members need to have as much notice as possible concerning particular aspects of the golf course maintenance schedule that may temporarily affect the playing conditions of the green’s surface, thus enabling them to plan particular holidays, accordingly, please see below the hollow coring dates in 2025.
- Monday the 12th, Tuesday the 13th and Wednesday 14th of May
You will be able to keep up to date with the full tournament and social calendar, format and any additions, information of how to enter, and much more, by visiting either our official website desertspringsresort.es or by contacting the resort reception at Desert Springs.
We and the staff at Desert Springs look forward to seeing you on The Indiana course in the near future.
As always please remember to fix your ball marks and replace your divots.
Kind regards,
Ricardo Gonzalez-Carrascosa Almenara
Golf Course Superintendent
