Hello everyone! I just wanted to hop on here and give a quick update on our "dormant" bunker faces. I quote dormant because the bermudagrass is already waking up from dormancy! Over the next several weeks you will notice the bunker faces around Terravita begin to show signs of life again. This is by design.
Back in late October we applied an herbicide to the bunker faces to 1, kill any weeds (grass and broadleaf) in the bunker faces and 2, expedite the bermudagrass's entry into dormancy. Some golf courses will reapply the herbicide in the spring to keep the "blonde" look through the season. While the herbicide application is not detrimental to the bermudagrass as it enter dormancy, applying it as the bermudagrass is waking up can set it back weeks, if not months.
While aesthetics and labor resources we're contributing factors to the decision to go "non overseed" around the bunkers, another driver was the head start you give this bermudagrass. As much as we wish they weren't, bunkers are heavily trafficked, which means the grass around the bunkers is heavily trafficked as well. Allowing the bermudagrass surrounding the bunkers extra time to reestablish will improve our spring to summer transition greatly.
I've attached a photo that shows how the bermudagrass is greening up around the bunker on 9. Notice how some of the grass is quite green where other is still in dormancy? This goes to show how micro those micro-climates we've discussed in regards to frost delays really are. Soil temperatures can vary that much in just a few feet, not to mention spanning over 73 acres of turf.
Please feel free to comment on this post with any questions!
Maddie
