Much Needed Rain

We have been blessed with over 5 inches of rainfall in the past week.  The course and reservoirs have benefited from the moisture.  The drought isn't over yet, but it is a great start!  It is pre emerge time on the course.

Divot Recovery

Practice makes perfect!  The practice facility at any country club is an asset that helps grow the game of golf.  Reid and his golf shop team do a great job of teaching the game to players of all skill levels.  The practice tee area at River Crest sees quite a lot of traffic throughout the year, especially due to its small size.  I often get asked about how I prefer divots to be taken on the practice tee.

I have attached some photos from our practice tee to help explain how I would prefer you scatter practice shot divots. 

The picture above illustrates how NOT to take practice shots on the tee.  You can see the large area of removed turf from just one practice session.  The turf on the outer perimeter of the area will have to cover about two feet of area!  It will be at least a month before the grass will heal in this area.  It is simply too large of a bare area with no turf between divots to aid in recovery.

This picture clearly demonstrates how I would like to see you hit practice shots.  Notice none of the divots are touching each other.   The player has left plenty of turf in between divots to help in recovery.  The turf in this area only needs to spread a short distance from the edge of the divot the completely heal.  Spreading out shots can help this area recover completely in about a week!  There is no comparison.  Simple isn’t it?  Please help educate others on the tee as you practice.  As a player, you can have a big impact on how we recover from normal wear and tear.

The leaves are falling, and the course is in tremendous shape for fall!  See you all on the course!!

82 Degrees and Sunny

These are the days that make us happy to be in Fort Worth, Texas!
Absolutely perfect weather for golf!

Biostimulant and foliar nutrition podcast with Golf Course Industry magazine

http://www.golfcourseindustry.com/bionutrition-111111-rivercrestcc-texas-drought.aspx

Click on the above link to watch my podcast with Kyle from GCI magazine.

Course Winterization at River Crest Country Club

As we head into the winter months in North Texas, our focus is maintaining adequate soil moisture for turf health as temperatures drop.  Bermudagrass can be especially susceptible to freezing temperatures when left in a wilting state.  We continue to monitor soil moisture on tees and fairways, even though there is no visible turf stress.