Skip and Dreama Fumia
Our overseed project has benefitted from Mother Nature’s bountiful rain! Now, with cooler temps, we should be able to watch our tender, new rye grass continue to grow. Somebody once described something boring as “exciting as watching grass grow—.” Well, for golfers, watching grass grow may indeed be exciting! We’re all hoping for perfect weather conditions that will help our winter grass grow strong and provide us with wonderful playing surfaces throughout our course, throughout the winter.
As you likely know, this year our overseed project included overseeding our greens as well as our fairways and tees. Our default strategy is to not overseed our greens in order to promote their long-term health but this year, based on the condition of our greens during an August assessment, the Green Committee (upon the recommendation of Course Superintendent J.R. Kies and agronomist Jimmy Fox) and General Manager Mike Taylor recommended to the POA Board at the August 17 Board meeting that we overseed the greens this year. Spring damage to our greens earlier in the year led to this assessment and recommendation. The Board unanimously accepted the recommendation and voted to overseed our greens this year.
So, other than the actual overseeding effort, what other golf happenings were going on during this time? J.R. and his crew took this opportunity to clean up and spruce up other areas of the golf course in need of attention. Head Pro Joel Jaress and his crew were working off a projects list for the Pro Shop and surrounding areas aimed to improve and enhance the experience of all our resident golfers.
Now, what’s the significance of this “beyond overseed” time? First, there will be a period of cart-path-only play (should be three weeks, but watch What’s Happening announcements for exact dates). As you read this we should be just coming out of our cart-path-only restrictions. Once the cart-path-only restrictions have been lifted, please remember to take extra special care of our course as you play; repair divots and fix ball marks. Take note of the improvements and enhancements you see around the course and in the Pro Shop. Thank a staff member!
With the efforts of our Course Superintendent, Head Pro and their team members, our upcoming high season for golf should be spectacular! Prepare to enjoy.