TURF TALK FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT

RENOVATION SCHEDULE 2026- BACK NINE GREENS

Below is the current schedule for the 2026 back nine greens renovation. The timeline will be like last year’s, with minor changes. Notably, the collars surrounding the back nine greens will not be removed. This decision reflects challenges experienced last year, when significant rainfall caused repeated washouts along green edges and collars after the sprigging process. Every effort will be made to minimize similar risks this season.

 Renovation Schedule and Guidelines

 March 23rd – The greens and a thirty six-inch perimeter will be treated with a combination of Glyphosate and Fusilade II. A second application will follow seven days later. The final application, scheduled for April 20, will be Glyphosate only. The back nine will remain open for play until work begins, expected on April 27.

April 27th– Signet Golf Associates will begin stripping the greens. Once complete, a blended sand and soil mix will be incorporated through tilling, followed by final compaction and shaping. Soil amendments, including fertilizer (NPK) and calcium, will then be applied and watered into the upper profile to ensure nutrients are available at sprigging.

May 11th (weather allowing, could be as early as the fourth of July) – With aid from New Life Turf, our maintenance team, and member volunteers, the greens will be sprigged. New Life Turf will disc the sprigs into the surface, after which the grow-in process will begin at once. The greens are expected to reopen by the third week of July at the latest.

Important Notice

For the duration of the grow-in period, all back nine greens must remain closed, including to pets. Members are welcome to see the process from outside the green surface as cultural practices continue over the following eight to ten weeks.

A big shout out and thank you to Mark Calcutt for spearheading a crew to pick pinecones, branches, and limbs throughout the golf course. It is much cleaner and the playability is much better as well.

Beginning the week of April sixth a tree crew will be onsite removing trees that are currently or will be shading the greens too much. Bermuda grass, especially Ultradwarf grass, needs eight to ten hours of full sunlight, with early morning sun being the most necessary.

April is a shoulder month to begin mechanically altering the golf greens through vertigrooming, topdressing, rolling on a more frequent timetable. As we go further into the growing season, we will be more aggressive and then taper off again during the fall shoulder months starting in late September (weather dependent).

 Sincerely,

 Mike Monk, GCSAA, PGA