A Different Look

For the last several weeks I have been playing around with a different look for the blog. I am still not sure of where it will end up, but after two years and many new golf course blogs using the same layout it is time to change.

I will once again try to come up with something that will visually separate my blog from the new ones that seem to come online on a daily basis.

Dormant Seeding

Now is a great time to begin addressing some of our native grass areas throughout the golf course.

The original native seed mix contained a nurse crop of Bluegrass that in many areas has taken over due to irrigation overthrow. With the new irrigation system being designed with hard line irrigation edges, we now have an opportunity to reclaim some of these overgrown areas.

We will begin going hole by hole and reintroduce a true native mixture into many areas that are both in play and in view. Other areas of focus will be any areas in which a full recovery from the irrigation installation has not yet occurred. It is my hope that we can once again have the contrasting colors of green maintained turf and brown flowing native grasses.

Dormant seeding will best take advantage of the upcoming seasonal moisture to help with germination and establishment. These areas will be solely reliant on mother nature providing the moisture from now on, which will shift the pendulum in the favor of the desired native grass species.

Dead Or Alive

Over the years I have always said that in Colorado I think it is harder to keep the turf alive in the winter versus the summer. Some of the reasons being that durring the winter we experience some of our lowest humidities in addition to high winds. These two factors combined rapidly dry out turfgrass as well as other plant materials found on the golf course.

Another key factor that effects winter turfgrass viability is exposure. Throughout the course there are many different exposures that leave the turf either fully exposed or completely under snow cover for several months.


It is not uncommon on any given hole to have to water only areas of southern exposure throughout the winter in order to keep the turf alive. This fact was utilized durring the design of the new irrigation system, in which I specifically located the new mainline on each hole in the southern exposure. The placement of the mainline in addition to frost free hydrants every 110 feet make the difficult task of winter watering far easier than it ever was.


Winter can be a scary time when looking at turfgrass because at first glance many times it appears to be dead, but upon closer inspection all is well. Throughout the winter we actively scout known problem areas for desiccation and proactively water them before a problem occurs. One of our favorite techniques in determining the health of the turf is "the foot rub". A simple rubbing of the turf with your foot removes the dead leaf tissue revealing viable green leaf blades below.

Feature Article

Several months ago I was approached to write an article for a trade publication called The Golf Course Trades.  The article is featured in the current issue and is also available to read online here 

Two Years Later

It is hard to believe that two years have passed since I started this blog. Originally the blog was intended for informational purposes directed at my membership, but has grown much larger than that.

The blog has received more than 33,000 hits over the two years with page views occurring from all over the world. This world wide coverage has given me the opportunity to have some of the items posted here published and even requests for specific articles to be written for publication. I would never have imagined this to be the case due to the fact that the written word was never my strong point.

I would have to say that the blog has allowed me to evolve both personally and professionally and I am looking forward to what the future holds.