We have new Agronomy video updates with before and after images from our Agronomy Director, Nick Krysinski. These updates cover everything from the rough length on our course, to our Poa Program for the greens, to the encouraging progress we’re seeing in regards to winter scalding and desiccation on some of our tees. Continue reading for more.
We wanted to share a quick update on the rough across our golf course. One of the top priorities for our new in-house Agronomy Team has been restoring and strengthening turf conditions throughout the course—not just for the start of the season, but to maintain excellent playability all the way through fall. That includes focused attention on the rough.
The rough at Bishops Bay is composed of Kentucky Bluegrass, a cool-season grass that thrives in the kind of spring conditions we’ve been experiencing: cool days, chilly nights, and regular rainfall. These factors have created ideal growing conditions and contributed to noticeable improvements in the health and density of the rough.
This thicker, healthier turf will affect how the rough plays moving forward. Our team will continue maintaining it at a target height of 2.5 inches throughout the season—the same as last year. The mowing cycle involves letting the grass grow up to approximately 4.5 inches before cutting it back to 2.5 inches, promoting consistency and optimal playability. That said, rainy conditions can occasionally delay mowing, and combined with the strong growing conditions this spring, you may notice the rough getting a bit longer at times before it’s trimmed back.
This is just one of the many enhancements we’re making to improve course conditions this season. Another key focus is a more intentional approach to aerification. You can learn more about our latest aerification process by watching the video linked here.
We’re out on 15 Green to share a quick update on our ongoing Poa cure program. If you caught our last video, you’ll remember that 15 was one of the greens most heavily affected by Poa annua—a cool-season grass that we’re working to transition out in favor of more desirable bentgrass.
Just over a month and a half later, we’re starting to see real signs of progress. We can clearly see how much the green has filled in since our last check-in. Previously, this area was full of bare patches and inconsistent turf. Today, we’re seeing encouraging recovery and bentgrass steadily creeping back in.
It’s important to note that this is a long-term process. You’ll still spot some Poa on the surface, which is why the Poa cure program is designed to be implemented over multiple seasons. But this early recovery is a great indication that the program is working as we hoped.
We appreciate your continued support as we work to improve the health and consistency of our greens. We’ll keep the updates coming as the course continues to respond to these efforts.
We’re back on Hole 18 with an update on our tees following the winter damage we experienced earlier this season. As many of you remember, we previously shared a video outlining the impact of winter desiccation and scalding—damage that resulted from going into the colder months with open holes, limited topdressing, and a lack of consistent snow cover.
Now, just over a month since that last update, we’re beginning to see noticeable and encouraging recovery.
Since the start of the growing season, we’ve applied both granular and liquid fertilizers to give the turf a much-needed boost. A granular application went down about two weeks ago, followed by a liquid fertilizer last week, and we’re starting to see the results. While the turf may have looked severely stressed, the grass wasn’t dead—it was just beat up from the winter. And now, it’s bouncing back.
One detail worth highlighting is the role of aerification. Even though last fall’s aerification happened later than is ideal and we weren’t able to topdress, we’re seeing positive growth specifically in the aerification channels. These open spaces provide the grass with the oxygen, room, and conditions it needs to regenerate—and we’re seeing that in action.
This is exactly why we shut down parts of the course for aerification, including the greens and fairways. When turf grass has an open channel to grow into, it recovers faster and comes back stronger. Today’s progress on 18 is a great example of why this practice is so important across the course.
We appreciate your patience as we continue working through the seasonal recovery process. With each week, we’re seeing healthier turf, stronger root systems, and steady growth returning to the course.