GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT
NEWS LETTER
JULY 2020
Dear Member / Property Owner,
Following on from the Golf Course Superintendent’s News Letter sent to you in June, 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 July 2020.
JUNE COURSE MAINTENANCE UPDATE
Verticut and Topdressing Greens
The greens have been verticut in two directions and then lightly topdressed twice to promote a more vertical growth and remove the grain from the greens. This results in improved ball roll, speed and firmness of the green.
Tee 1 Landscaping
The 1st tee landscaping renovation has begun. The area has been cleared of old plant material and cleaned and a pre-emergent herbicide has been applied. The planting of the new material is scheduled to be completed in the fall when the temperatures are conducive for both the introduction and establishment of new plants.
Hydrogen Peroxide application to Greens
Hydrogen Peroxide is a safe disinfectant that has recently been introduced into golf course maintenance programmes. The use of hydrogen peroxide in the greens provides numerous benefits; it is ecological and environmentally friendly; it helps in the control of thatch that can cause greens to become soft and spongy, and it is highly effective against the majority of diseases that can occur. This results in less use of fungicides and a more sustainable maintenance programme.
Clearing & Cleaning of Desert Areas
Large desert areas on holes 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 have been cleared of weeds and smaller vegetation. This has greatly assisted our programme of rabbit control which is ongoing.
Verticut and Aerate Tees
The tees were verticut and scarified to assist in encouraging the paspalum turfgrass to cover the entire tee.
Golf Course Grass Conversion Works
Work has been completed with the conversion of the ryegrass to paspalum Pure Dynasty with videos of the work carried out posted on our official social media sites.
Fairways were shock cut then verticut to thin out the ryegrass and to help the paspalum seed to have a better soil seed contact.
The seeding progamme has been completed and an irrigation schedule has been applied to ensure that the surface is maintained moist to allow for germination.
JULY COURSE MAINTENANCE PROGRAMME
Hydrogen Peroxide application to Greens
Hydrogen Peroxide is a safe disinfectant that has recently been introduced into golf course maintenance programmes. The use of hydrogen peroxide in the greens provides numerous benefits; it is ecological and environmentally friendly; it helps in the control of thatch that can cause greens to become soft and spongy, and it is highly effective against the majority of diseases that can occur. This means less use of fungicides and a more sustainable maintenance programme.
Cleaning of Desert & Tee Areas
Designated areas of the desert and tee complexes will be cleaned of old plant material and if needed new planting will be added.
Verticut and Topdress Greens
Greens will be lightly verticut weekly and topdressed every two weeks. This will help improve ball roll, speed and firmness of the greens.
Bunker Face Renovation
Many of the bunker faces/slopes on the golf course need to be renovated to improve grass density. Over time sand is deposited on the bunker faces from windy weather conditions and bunker shots. This continuous topdressing of sand creates a deep sand profile where grass cannot thrive during the summer months due to the accelerated drainage rate within the sand profile. The excess sand will be removed, the bunker faces reshaped back to the original soil profile and turfed.
Due to Covid -19 that has resulted in limited staffing levels, the bunker face renovation will commence when we are able to dedicate enough resources to both start and complete a bunker, to ensure that the work carried out is to Indiana course maintenance standards.
2020 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 2020.
- Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th September
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 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,
Zachary LaPorte
Golf Course Superintendent
