March is upon us and the winter months have left their mark both physically and psychologically. With our spring juices beginning to flow, project total optimism that this will be the year that March weather will be kind and lend support to some early outdoor golf and tennis. That would also bode well for our Grounds Department activities as we try to get a jump on a wide range of undertakings at the beginning of the season. Even with reasonable support, early month conditions still restrict our access to grounds to only the lightest weight equipment. Toward the end of the month, with plans of accomplishing some more critical processes requiring larger equipment, reasonable conditions are essential. A typical outline of our intended activities do include:
Early March
1. General consolidation and removal of significant debris throughout all entities.
2. Annual restoration of sod liner pins in the South bunkers, the degree of which is dependent upon severity of winter freeze and thaw conditions.
3. Complete any off season construction areas including regular bunker maintenance, stump area repairs, select areas of sod repair from winter snow plowing damage, etcetera.
4. Finish Pub patio and regrade grass border area for proper drainage and turf restoration.
5. Initiation of spring fertilization and seeding program for primary rough areas.
Late March
1. Aeration of all turf entities of the South Course, Short Game as well as the Putting Green.
2. Spring rehabilitation of all Clay Tennis courts both traditional har-tru and hydro-courts.
3. Pressurize irrigation system.
4. Prepare South Course for April opening.
Early spring can be our most vexing period of the season. Early assessments for March weather may more resemble in like a lion, out like a tiger, with the lamb hiding until sometime in April. All we can do is wait and see. The transition from winter into spring always seems to be a slower process than we hope for and our greatest challenge is sometimes maintaining patience. Though the waiting game with Mother Nature typically proves frustrating, we look forward to the warmer temperatures of late April when we can get back into our daily maintenance routines.