Golf Course Maintenance Update

Scott Walwyn, Golf Course Superintendent • September 18, 2024

The San Vicente Golf Course is preparing for its most labor-intensive season with aerification, maintenance, and fertilization to ensure optimal conditions through fall and into winter while keeping the greens in excellent shape despite challenging weather.

Welcome to fall, fellow golf enthusiasts and residents! Most Americans are thinking about pumpkin spice, falling leaves, and cozying up by the fire with a mulled wine, but for a golf course superintendent, this time of year means one thing: poking holes in the grass and filling them with sand. Fall is the most labor-intensive time of year at a golf course.

Here at our beloved San Vicente Golf Course, we have big plans to aerate our greens—though they’re in excellent condition right now. It’s taken a lot of TLC, wetting agent tablets, extra syringing in the mornings and afternoons, and a few tricks of the trade to keep them thriving. We’ve endured about 30 days of temperatures soaring into the 113°F range, with turf surface temperatures reaching 125°F! When grass is cut at just .120 inches, growing grass becomes challenging, especially if the afternoon winds pick up. Credit goes to my team of watermen for their diligent hand watering!

I’ve been told that some unseasonably warm weather is still ahead in October, accompanied by the Santa Ana winds, and this contributes to one more hurdle for the season. Last year wasn’t too bad, so fingers crossed for the same this season.

Upcoming Course Closure for Aerification

Please mark your calendars: we’ll close the course on Monday through Wednesday, Sept. 23, 24, and 25, for aerification, and the Golf Shop and Driving Range will also close. After carefully analyzing our putting green profiles, I’ve decided to use 1/4” solid tines, or prongs used in aerification equipment, to puncture the ground to a depth of 5.5 inches. Our greens are still relatively new, and the sand base on these USGA greens remains in great condition. There’s minimal organic material, no anaerobic layers, and very little compaction. These solid tines will help relieve the existing compaction, release noxious gases, and improve air and water infiltration. If all goes well, I expect a complete recovery from the aerification process within 10 to 12 days. We’ll also be aerating the fairways, approaches, and tees during this time.

Preparing for Winter and Spring

Over the next six weeks, we’ll be busy with maintenance practices to prepare the course for next spring. This includes plenty of punching, spraying, fertilizing, and readying the course for winter dormancy. Please remember to repair your ball mark—and while you're at it, fix one other.

“The shorter the shot, the longer the excuse as to why you missed it.” – John Biro

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