At this stage last year we had the fairways aerated and were waiting until the scheduled closed dates to get the greens done - this year with two weeks left to the shut down, we still have to start them. Luckily since the tees are sand based I was able to get a start on them on Thursday and we are already 2/3 done.
Hopefully the rain forecast for tomorrow will not amount to too much and I will be able to start fairway aeration this week with the goal of having it finished by the time the greens are scheduled. Since we only get to aerate fairways twice a year I want to make sure it is done correctly so they need to be on the drier side to ensure the cores pull, hence why the melting snow and rain delays the process.
The crew have been busy cleaning the woods out between 17 green and 18 tees - There is still a little left to do but due to the location of the remaining trees, we need to wait until it dries up a little more to get equipment in. The guys also have been working clearing the wood between 13 tees and 10, although again due to the slope we are waiting until it dries a little more to get safely back in to finish it up.
The turf is slowly waking up, and I plan on mowing greens Monday - weather permitting. From there I'll start fertilizing as they slowly wake up and mowing as needed until they are fully back. Cool season turfgrass roots start growth above a soil temperature of ~50F. Our turf sensors relay this info to me so I know when I can start mowing while ensuring the plant is actively growing roots and can handle the stress of the cut - which in turn ensures it is stronger through the season. This is the graph from March 16th to today and although the nights are still cold, the daytime temperatures are (finally) increasing so the averages are getting close to 50F, which is great news after what feels like a never ending winter.
