Welcome Back

It is good to see familiar faces and play on the course again.  I hope everyone enjoys the course and the conditions post over-seeding.  As noted in my monthly newsletter, the ryegrass will be maintained at a higher height of cut until it matures.  With the day time temperatures still in the upper 80's/90's the soil temperatures have yet to drop below the critical temperature for the bermudagrass to be less competitive. 

Overseed Day 8 Oct. 11, 2011 GERMINATION

Day eight brings signs of significant Ryegrass seed germination.  The true leaves of the immature plant, which is intermingled within the recently over-seeded Bermudagrass canopy, have begun to emerge. With sunny days and temperatures in the mid 80's  (high of 92 degrees today) we were anticipating to see signs of seedling germination on the holes seeded on Monday of last week (Day 1).

Overseed Day 4- Oct 6, 2011

With the bulk of the seeding completed yesterday (prior to the rain), on Day 4 we finished up hand seeding some difficult to reach areas and re-seeding a few areas adjacent to cart paths where the rain washed the seed.  Rain following the spreading of the seed is always welcome, but hopefully the minor bouts of heavy rain did not create any large scale disturbances.  We received approximately 1.43" of rain Wednesday throughout the day and evening.

Overseed Day 3- Oct 5, 2011

Day three begins and we are greeted by drizzle and impending rain.  The extended hours put in the past few days have proven valuable and an intelligent decision.  We are working this morning to finish up seeding ancillary rough areas and applying a starter fertilizer to the green surrounds.  If the weather holds off, we will begin removing the seasonal annuals in preparation for the new "winter seasonal" plantings.  My hat is off to the staff for their dedication and efforts during this process. 

Drizzle in the a.m.

Overseed Day 2- Oct 4, 2011

Another extended, busy day in an attempt to out pace the rain.  We completed fairway, tee, primary rough, and collar seeding, as well as performing a second brush on the greens and an organic fertilizer application.

Pre-plant fertilizer being applied Sunday evening

Full Lely containing Ryegrass Seed

Hand Brush of the green prior to fertilizer application

Near empty seed storage- a very good sign

Overseed Day 1- Oct 3rd, 2011

The first day of course closure for the over seeding process was a productive one.  We elected to take advantage of the window of fair weather and work longer than scheduled in an effort to pre-empt potential delays due to the imposing severe weather warnings.  As a result of the extended shift, we were able to complete the topdressing and brushing of all of the greens, seeding of 85% of the fairways and approaches, and the complete seeding of all of the green surrounds, clubhouse lawns, and street entry ways. 

Subtle wind

Topdressing #1 green

#8 green - post brushing

Seeding #10 fairway (the second direction)

Rotary spreading seed in the green surrounds

Dragging in the seed on the fairway

The First Cut & Opening Preparation

Freshening up the Hardware

The second week of closure has allowed us the opportunity to clean, repaint, varnish, and "freshen" up the course supplies in preparation for the upcoming "winter season".  The tee markers look brand new after a light sanding and quick coat of fresh paint.  The sand trap rakes and divot boxes are next on the agenda with tree pruning continuing as usual. 

Overseeding Day 12

Day 12-


Seedling growth and fertilization application to promote more:

Overseeding Day 10

Day 10-


The weekend of sustained higher than average temperatures and wind has passed and we are starting to see germination in multiple areas.


The frequent irrigation cycles provide moisture to soften the seed coating/shell which begins the first stage of germination.  This volume of water in turn activates an enzyme within the seed, respiration increases, and plant cells duplicate.  When the embryo reaches a certain size the seed coat splits open allowing for the immature plant to emerge.  The root tip is the first thing to emerge, allowing the embryo to absorb water and nutrients from the surrounding soil or medium.

Overseeding Day 5

Day 5-

Today we finished seeding the outlying rough areas, fertilizing the entire course, applying an organic fertilizer to the greens, and global cleaning of areas that we do not want the Ryegrass seed to populate, including cartpaths.

The watering cycles begin with every head on the golf course operating every few hours to maintain consistent moisture for the seed to absorb. The expectation is to have seed germination within three to five days.

Overseeding Day 4

Day 4-

A big day for seeding the roughs and fertilizing the greens and tee surrounds. We also were able to finalize the seeding of the collars and sneak in a quick cutting of the greens.

In conjunction with the overseeding process, we are sharpening all of our the reel mowers on the spin grinder. The sharpening of the units is required to ensure a quality clip and prevent "pulling or tearing" the newly germinated Ryegrass out of the seedbed when the time comes for the first mowing.

Overseeding Day 3

Day 3-

The on and off rain showers limited progress on Wednesday. The seeding of the driving range and primary roughs began, but was abandoned after noon time. On a positive note, the mowing has been completed and the seeding of the collars has begun.

Overseeding Day 2

Day 2-

The cooler than normal weather and light drizzle made for very comfortable working conditions, but slowed progress comparatively to Day 1. The final mowing of surrounds and roughs continued with clean up of those areas close behind. Topdressing and brushing of the greens was completed. The fairway seeding, tee box seeding, and green/tee box complex seeding were 95% completed.