It has been fun to see numerous courses across the country tackling renovation, restoration or new construction projects this year. Everything from green expansions and fairway drainage to bunker renovations and new irrigation systems. Some facilities like The Olympic Club are even taking on an all-out renovation. With all this construction going on, there is an equal amount of new or disturbed turf that comes along with it. As superintendents begin to care for these areas, it is important to have realistic expectations for turf performance. Here are a few maintenance challenges often faced following course projects:
- Newly sodded areas will require more fertilizer, water and aeration to become fully established. This is especially true when the sod is used on a sand-based rootzone. These sodded areas are likely to behave differently than the “old” turf for many years.
- Seeded areas will need more fertilizer and weed control until they become fully established.
- Bunkers that have been renovated may require much more labor to maintain a different style of edging and the new bunker sand may take many months to get fully compacted.
- Turf that was under or near trees that have been removed will take time to adapt to the increased sunlight it receives.
- Drainage trenches, irrigation lines and sod lines will all require extra topdressing and rolling to smooth out any imperfections.
New projects are exciting, but it is important to plan for the additional time and resources that will be necessary to care for the finished product. Equally important is setting realistic expectations for golfers on how long it will take for disturbed areas to become fully mature. But rest assured, once renovated areas are fully established golfers will reap the long-term benefits of the investment.
West Region Agronomists:
Brian Whitlark, senior consulting agronomist – bwhitlark@usga.org
Cory Isom, agronomist – cisom@usga.org