AROUND THE GREENS   By JD Clarizio 

    Turf-grass Recovery Program Update: I've never been so thrilled to see the month of April with its longer days and warmer temperatures.  The greens are making steady improvements with each day of sun.  After attending several meetings with other local superintendents the overall consensus is we need time, warm temperatures and sunlight to heal the greens throughout the Northwest.  The four greens that are the greatest concern are holes 4,5,6 and 7.  They will heal, but they may need much more time than the rest.  Opening date for these is April 9."Will we aerify?" Aerification is scheduled for April 12 and 13.  At this point I plan on aerifying all the greens except 4-7 and all tees and approaches.  I have concerns about the dead plant material that has created a mat layer on the surface of the out of play holes.  I may use other options to help eliminate this problem rather than the more aggressive method of aerification.  I'm afraid more damage than good would be done to the putting surface by using aerification equipment. 

   The "mowing season" is upon us! Nothing smells better on the golf course than freshly cut grass on a sunny spring day.  As the days are getting longer and the sun begins to show up our mowing schedule is about to kick into full gear...here is what it typically looks like:

    Greens--every day                                                        Tee & Collars--Monday, Wednesday, Friday

    Fairways--Monday, Wednesday, Friday                        Rough--Continuously

    Green & Tee Surrounds--2 times a week                       Driving Range--Monday & Thursday

This is a normal routine of mowing.  These schedules do change due to inclement weather and tournament schedules.

Now that the grass starts growing, one of our maintenance strategies is to slow it up.  We do this by spraying on products called 'growth regulators'. These products not only help up keep up with the mowing but help produce healthier turf by allowing the plant to concentrate its energy into the roots rather than into the leaf blades.

  As we launch into the golf season I would like to remind you of the "Fundamentals" that all golfers should participate in with course maintenance.

1. Repair ball maks properly. I would like to emphasize 'properly'. When a ball mark is correctly repaired it should be almost unnoticeable, not a bare spot of dirt.  When repaired correctly the ball mark recovery is speeded up significantly, which means a nicer playing surface fore everyone.

2. Replace all divots. A divot that is replaced will heal within a couple of days. They do grow back very quickly! Please take the time after your shot, especially on par 3's to replace your divot.  Our crew will continue to sand seed as needed, however, it takes over 3 weeks for the seed to fully mature in good conditions.

3.Keep power carts away from greens. This is just good golf course etiquette.  It definitely helps reduce compaction and general wear and tear on the grass.

4. Protect the cup.  The goal of golf is to get the ball into a 4 1/4" cup. Please protect the edges of the cup for other golfers by 'carefully' replacing the pin back into the cup. Never use your club to get a ball out of a cup.

5. Rake the bunker 'properly' and put the rake back. Again, 'properly' is the key word. After hitting your shot out of a bunker you should proceed to rake the location of the shot along with all of your foot prints as smoothly as possible. The rake should be replaced back in the bunker.

6. Please discard broken tees and cigarettes. Broken tees and cigarette butts don't biodegrade and disappear. Please discard them into the garbage can or tee caddy.

7. Play ready golf. Although this doesn't have anything to do with the maintenance of the course it definitely is a fundamental that needs reminding.

By following these fundamentals we can have smoother greens and a better kept course for all players.

Enjoy the season!

J.D. Clarizio