January 26, 2021 Update

As you read this, you should have already received an e-mail from Tony regarding our decision to continue to use the synthetic surface as we continue under the County of Sonoma protocol guidelines. In this blog, I will touch base on the agronomic reasons we will continue this policy at least through the month of February. As we indicated in the November 2019 blog regarding the driving range tee project, the one thing that will remain is the square footage due to the existing footprint. Square footage is the main factor among others that determine how many stalls we can offer.

As you already know, the rate of recovery on a driving range tee is appreciably slower than tees located on the course. When golfers practice within the confines of a stall, they remove divots from an area until the turf has been all but completely harvested. With so little vegetation left, recovery from underground portions of the remaining plant and/or seed takes much longer. By knowing the area of turf damaged on a daily basis, time of year, and the general rate of recovery, we will have essential guidelines for use to ensure a successful driving range tee program.

Those guidelines will include the following:

• Based on the square footage only 12 stalls will be used for all events and usage.
• Monday’s and non-member events will be synthetic turf use only.
• The rear of the stall will be outlined with rope and usage must stay within those boundaries.
• During the winter months, we may have to increase the use of the synthetic surface based on amount of use, due to cooler soil temperatures and much slower recovery time. Heavy rain events will also require us to use the synthetic surface.

It will be very important that we strictly adhere to those guidelines based on our square footage, and the climate we have here in Sonoma to have a successful driving range tee program. Our plan for the tee due to past practices that led to complaints of standing in old divots, will be to start use on the front of one side of the tee, working to the back on half of the surface. Once we reach the back of that side, we will move to the front of the other half allowing us the most recovery time on the previous divots. Until we are allowed to space stalls on half of the tee, we will continue to use the synthetic surface to maximize the amount of stalls for our members. Hopefully this provides some insight on the process.

Yours in turf,

Stacy L. Wallace, Golf Course Superintendent