Ladies Golf Camp Begins and Fairway Verticutting Topdressing Moves to Front 9

With the great sunny day yesterday we were able to complete the back 9 verticutting and topdressing and free up that side of the course for today's Ladies Golf Camp starting at 9am.

The front 9 will be open for regular member play.  The verticutting and topdressing will be conducted on the front 9 today also, so conditions will be less than ideal while we do our best to clean up the excess thatch and mat in the topdressing sand.  Please exercise lift, clean and place for today's round.

Thanks for your patience during this important process.  The program of verticutting is done twice per season to physically remove thatch.  Thatch is unwanted undecomposed organic matter which interferes with water penetration into the soil.  More water is required with excessive thatch conditions, and we've seen an reduction in water requirements over the years as a result of this program.  Less thatch also makes for firmer conditions for greater ball roll and bounce on drives, and less scalping from the mowers.

The topdressing fills in the verticut slits with channels of sand that allow water to get directly into the soil without any interference.  Less water will be required to wet the soil to the optimum level which is an environmental benefit.  The sand also smooths the surface for more ball roll distance and provides a firmer surface under your feet.  Our topdressing program consists of 330 tons of sand applied three times per year with goal of applying 1000 tons per season.  The continued buildup of sand (like sand capping fairways) helps prevent damage from golf carts during wet conditions as displayed in this week's Dave Ellis Pro Am.

Please avoid the rough during wet weather, and stay high and dry on our firm fairways!

Have a great round!