GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT
NEWS LETTER
FEBRUARY 2019
Dear Member / Property Owner,
Following on from the Golf Course Superintendent’s News Letter sent to you in January, which was designed to keep you up to date with all of 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 in February 2019.
GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE UPDATE
Fairway Verti Draining & Spiking
With the exception of the 9th hole, all of the fairways have been spiked. The process of verti-draining the fairways and rough will follow in February, improving aeration and water movement throughout the soil profile.
Driving Range Tee
After a successful rye grass over-seeding recovery period, the driving range grass tee will be open to practice from on Tuesday 5th February.
Weather Station
The weather station project has commenced. Disruption to golf play will be keep to an absolute minimum.
Edging Bunkers
The bunkers have been edged on the Indiana course as per the maintenance schedule.
Solid Tining Greens
The greens were solid tined with 5mm pencil tines that were only open (noticeable) for the first 2-days causing no noticeable negative effect to the playing quality of the greens.
FEBRUARY COURSE MAINTENANCE PROGRAMME
Scarifying Tees
The Professional Tees will be scarified, overseeded and sand topdressed to improve grass density and divot recovery from the professional tournaments held in October & November 2018.
Verti Drain Fairways
The program of Verti-draining (solid tine aerification) the fairways will continue in February. This particular aspect of golf course maintenance is both extremely necessary and time consuming, so we ask you to please bear with us until its completion. Disruption to play, as always, will be kept to an absolute minimum.
Approach Hollow Coring
The approaches to the greens will be hollow cored and sand topdressed as part of the spring aeration program.
Weather Station
Trench work that commenced in January will be completed to see the installation of a new and fully automated weather station near to the Hacienda maintenance building. This machine will allow improved control of the irrigation system and conserve water consumption by calculating the daily watering requirements of the grass, by taking into account the changes in the weather using data collected from the station.
Winter Landscaping Projects
The landscaping team will continue to work for the next few months on the extensive pruning of the olive trees to promote new growth and the removal of the Agave plants around the golf course that have been affected by Picudo Negro. Additionally, an outside contractor will be pruning over 300 washingtonia palm trees throughout the course.
2019 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 schedule hollow coring dates in 2019.
- Monday 18th March
- Tuesday 7th May
- Monday 23rd September
In addition, the Putting Green, Chipping Green and Driving Range Facility will be closed for hollow coring on Wednesday 20th March, Wednesday 9th May & Wednesday 25th September 2019.
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 much more, by visiting either our official website www.desertspringsresort.es or by contacting the golf reception at Desert Springs.
We and the staff at Desert Springs are looking forward to seeing you on The Indiana course in the near future.
Kind regards, Kind regards,
Malcolm Lacey Anthony Brooks
Golf Operations Manager Golf Course Superintendent
