Back to the future.

9th hole at Whitemarsh Valley CC as pictured in "1927's Golf Architecture in America" by George C. Thomas Jr.

Present day at the same hole.

Waste not, want not! Using old bunker sand as topdressing for fairways.

Even though the two fairway bunkers on the 1st hole are not being completely rebuilt, we will be replacing the sand. There are many different layers in these two bunkers ranging from bunker sand from 12 years ago to multiple layers of flood silt. When the new sand is installed the appearance of the bunkers will all be similar on this hole.
We will be using this sand as topdressing on the 1st fairway. We have had silt contaminated bunker sand tested in the past and it is acceptable as a fairway topdressing. Just trying to "kill two birds with one stone".

New bunkering at the 9th hole.

What golfers see on a couple of fairways.

                       

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Figure 1. Yellow patch on a golf course putting green.

Yellow patch, also referred to as cool season brown patch, is caused by Rhizoctonia cerealis, a fungus closely related to the pathogens that cause brown patch and the Rhizoctonia large patch of zoysia grass.  Symptoms on putting greens can be striking (Figure 1).  They generally include small- to medium-sized patches or rings (6 to 12 inches in diameter), usually with yellow margins. Sometimes margins are reddish brown. In severe cases, patches may be distributed uniformly over putting surfaces.  In my opinion, yellow patch causes only cosmetic damage to greens height turf.  However, on surrounding turf, yellow patch infection can thin the grass, temporarily resulting in a “tight” lie that may unnerve mid-high handicap golfers.  Yellow patch occurs most often on creeping bentgrass and annual bluegrass.  Symptoms are most common on putting greens collars, and surrounds, but they may appear on fairways now and then.
Yellow patch is a cool season disease.  It is the first disease problem to appear after the snow molds. Outbreaks will most likely occur under overcast, cool, wet conditions. In the spring, symptoms often disappear after a few days of warm, sunny weather. Deliberate attempts to control yellow patch, with or without fungicides is normally not recommended because the disease has only cosmetic effects and symptoms are usually very short-lived.

Ahhhh..... It must be spring!

The snow has melted, the temperatures are rising and now the sure sign that spring has arrived. A pair of baby foxes (kit's, cub's or pup's) have been posing for photo's on a sunny day in April behind the 15th green. As the spring turns into summer you should be able to see these youngsters playing on the hillside in front of the 16th green.

What a turf cover can do in the spring.

With the last of the winter's snow fall behind us we can now concentrate on trying to grow grass. This is a picture of the 9th tee that has had a turf cover on it for about a week. The cover usually will do two things, prevent wind desiccation and increase the temperature under the cover. This would all depend on sunshine amount, air temperature and wind speed. We have measured the increased in the past of 8 degrees warmer than the air temperature outside the cover.
The reason we place a cover on this tee is to try to hasten the divot repair from last years play. Hole #9 is a short par 3 which players usual take a couple divot's on their practice swings and not so much on their actual swing. Multiply those divot's by the number of golfing rounds we get and.............you get the picture!
This cover will be on and off the tee for a good part of April based on the weather and golf schedule.