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GOLF PRACTICE FACILITY UPDATE

Many members are asking the question;

“When will the new practice facility be ready for use?”

Having consulted with Golf Course Architect, Spencer Holt and Louis Miller of Golf Development Construction, the Board of Trustees has determined that it is in the best interest of our investment in the new golf practice facility, that it remained closed until further notice.  There is a high likelihood that this means our practice facilities will not be opened for use until the spring of 2011. 

Construction has been completed and The Board of Trustees and management team are very pleased with the finished product delivered by Spencer Holt and Golf Course Development.  At this stage, only a few tweaks remain outstanding and these will be addressed in the coming weeks.  Today, all areas that have been sodded including; the bent grass approach to the short game green, the Bermuda grass tee and bank surrounding each target green banks are healthy and reaching maturation.  Unfortunately, all the areas that have been seeded including; new tee boxes on hole #1, short game green, putting green and the majority of the target greens and fairway are struggling.  This is primarily due to the unpredictable weather put upon us by Mother Nature since the project’s beginning.

What happened?           

The frequent and heavy rains from late April through mid May delayed our construction timeline some 3-4 weeks.  We had intended on having seed in the ground by Derby Day.  Once the soil dried out and was finally ready and seeded (June 10), we endured the hottest June EVER and our seeded soil quickly became too warm for germination and maturation.  This also makes the newly seeded areas more susceptible to disease so we have a watchful eye on those areas as well.  

What do we need?                 

Right now we need two things.  1) Cooperation from Mother Nature and 2) Membership Patience.  Basically, Mother Nature needs to provide us some cooler overnight temperatures to allow the soil to reach the optimal temperature zone for seed germination and maturation.  For the past 7-8 weeks, our overnight lows have been consistently in the mid 70’s.  Until we see some shorter days and overnight temperatures in the lower 60’s, we just cannot expect any improvement in the seeded bent grass surfaces.

This is an excerpt from a publication produced by the Des Moines Forage & Turf Seed Company.

“When to open for play”- Generally,sand based greens can be opened for play in 5-9 months depending upon environment,grow-in conditions and management requirements. If play begins in 5 months or less, summer openings should be discouraged. The juvenile nature of new creeping bentgrass and summer induced stress may provide opportunities for improper establishment and problematic greens in the long run. Fall conditions are best when play is on the decline and conditions are conducive to creeping bentgrass growth (shortening day length and decreasing soil temperatures).

We thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 491-7877, ext. 1101. 

Richard Schmitt                                                                                                                                   

General Manager