Blustery With A Touch Of Rain

Yesterday afternoon into last night saw the region get hit with yet another rain event, this time with gusty winds. The course received just over 20mm of rain and some very gusty winds. This will not only make for a damp round but many leaves have also fallen from the trees.

This morning, greens will be cut, blocks will be rotated, bunkers will be pumped/ cleared of any tree litter and the greens will be blown off ahead of the cut. This is not to say leaves will not be on the green mid day as the deciduous trees are in the process of shedding their leaves and it doesn't take much wind to knock them off.

This past week, the greens crew was very busy with one of our most important practices of the season: verti-cutting the fairways. This is a process that we do twice a year (once in the spring and once in fall) where we do an aggressive removal of thatch in the fairway. A little bit of thatch is okay, but too much thatch can lead to serious problems. The problem that stands out from a golfers standpoint the most is moisture retention. Thatch will inhibit/ dramatically slow down the penetration of water into the soil. This leaves a very wet surface which results in plugging, virtually no ball roll and sometimes standing water. Thatch is also a breeding ground for turf disease. The aggressive removal of thatch in the fall allows the plant to better ready it self for the winter months and will lead to less chance of snow mold spores to survive. By not removing this decaying plant matter, it can potentially lead to increased pesticide use.

Thatch removal on 11 fairway

With drizzly and damp conditions expected throughout the weekend, it appears our sun filled Muskoka golf weekends could be behind us. If you find yourself out golfing today, the course is still in fantastic shape and will still be a pleasure to play.

Enjoy your day and have a great round!