The update for the bunker renovation project will be brief this week. Since we are on the last three holes and the construction company had a delay regarding supplies for the bunker liner installation, we do not have much to report this week. With that being said, the finish shaping was completed Friday on #18. Monday they will lay the Tall Fescue sod around the bunkers and Tuesday the remainder of the sod will be installed. The rough shaping was completed at #9 this week and the finish shaping will take place after drainage and irrigation work are completed at the beginning of the upcoming week. Along with that the rough shaping has began at #8 with that projected to be finished mid to late week. Another item that will begin next week is the removal of the sod from the disturbance area around the practice bunker so it will be out of play until it is renovated.
As the bunker project completion gets closer, another project that has been implemented is the beginning of a process to remove the Common Bermuda turf from our fairways to promote a more desirable playing surface in the long run. In the pictures below you will see the discoloring of the Common Bermuda after the first selective spray application. There will be two more applications this fall along with interseeding more desirable turf.
In the picture below you can see a patch of bentgrass next to the Common Bermuda. In the upcoming weeks, we will begin fairway aeration and overseeding of a more desirable bentgrass to start the process of converting our fairways. This process will continue every fall to suppress the Common Bermuda and promote the desired turf. As we move forward in years the Common Bermuda population should decrease which means less discoloration in the future.
Please feel free to contact me or stop me on the golf course if you have any questions.
Yours in turf,
Stacy L. Wallace, Golf Course Superintendent
Sonoma Agronomy 