Dear Pelican Marsh Members,
The golf course will officially open for the season on Saturday, October 3rd. All of the necessary maintenance practices have been completed and a successful and an enjoyable seven months of great golf can be expected
During our last five day closure, several important tasks were undertaken to ensure the quality of the conditions you deserve are apparent. A light verticutting of the putting surfaces took place to reduce any grain and to enhance the smoothness of our most important three acres. We followed up with a sand topdressing that washed in nicely.
The new and improved tee fittings were installed around the greens irrigation loops and the most up to date sprinkler heads were added at no expense to the club. This same sprinkler head will be installed throughout the entire golf course during the 2016 summer golf course renovation.
The teeing grounds received one last three quarter inch aeration, combined with a heavy organic sand material which aids in water retention throughout the winter months. The recovery of this surface is extremely quick.
Every greenside bunker was inspected for silt build up, contaminated sand, bunker liner exposure and bunker sand depth. On a case by case basis, sand was added, removed or relocated depending on each circumstance. All new bunker sand was compacted heavily, especially along the faces. This compaction is a critical task that is extremely labor intensive but necessary in an effort to avoid ‘fried eggs’ in the sand traps. The end result is a more consistent playing surface with a striking white color sand finish.
Although we experienced a lot of rainfall (over 3 inches) during our five day closure, we managed to apply a granular fertilizer to the entire property. This specifically selected blend contains all of the necessary macro and micro nutrients specific to our current soil conditions as indicated from our latest soil and leaf tissue testing process. Expect to see the turf grass aesthetics increased within ten days and for the following 6 to 8 weeks due to the application of this material.
Thank you to the entire membership once again for providing your Turf Team the opportunity to close the course. This affords us the opportunity to position ourselves for fantastic golfing conditions moving forward.
Compaction of new bunker sand
Light grain reduction on greens
New and Improved Tee Fittings on Greens Loops
New greens sprinklers installed
Sand topdresssing of putting surfaces
Tee Aeration
Wiring of new greens sprinkler heads
 Brook Maxwell
Director of Golf Course Operations |
