Shadow Hills Golf Club Maintenance Update

Hello Golfers,

I thought I would take a minute to share some information about some of the things golf maintenance has been doing and about some other things that will happen in the upcoming weeks.

Spring Transition

Spring is upon us. The golf maintenance department will be doing some things in the next few weeks to prepare for the transitioning of winter rye to summer Bermuda.

  1. Venting the greens. Punching small holes in the greens will help air and water get into the root zone. This will help wake up the Bermuda. This is a good practice in general and we will do it as much as possible time and manpower permitting.
  2. Lowering the height of cuts. This will expose the Bermuda to more sunlight and help remove the winter rye.
  3. We will make a granular application of fertilizer. Again, we are trying to get the Bermuda awake and growing as we prepare for the next step.
  4. Spray out the remaining winter rye. We will spray a selective herbicide that will kill the rye and eliminate any competition for the Bermuda. This should take place in the first week of May.

Raising and Leveling Sprinkler Heads

The correct installation depth and adequate trajectory are important for good sprinkler head performance. Sprinklers cannot function properly if they are position 3” – 4” below grade. Trajectory, radius, and distribution uniformity are all negatively affected by low sprinkler heads. You may have noticed we started working on sprinkler heads around the greens. We will continue through the remaining greens and then move on to fairways and tees. This will be an ongoing process. There are many sprinkler heads that need this attention.

Some of these things will happen during play. If there are concerns, please bring them to me, not the crew trying to do the work.

Thanks,

Tom Johnson
Golf Course Superintendent
760-200-3375 x 2318