The agronomy team at SCC is starting the year on a positive note. Essential equipment to maintain the course will be delivered in the coming weeks. The construction of the Turf Care Center is well underway. The building will be weather-tight soon and allow us to park our equipment on the cold storage side. The staff and I are excited about these developments as we start the season.

The renovation of the third green complex is taking shape. We are rolling and grooming the new putting surface, but it will need additional time before it is ready for play. It will remain closed until Memorial Day weekend. The new driving range targets will need some rehabilitation this spring. We will aerate, fertilize, and seed aggressively in the coming weeks to provide a uniform stand of grass.

Soon we will finish some minor course improvements and then turn our full attention to maintaining the golf course.  If weather and time permits, I hope to vertical mow the fairways.  This process removes organic matter from the thatch layer, resulting in a firmer and healthier playing surface.  Also, we have scheduled a contractor to dryject the greens on May 9^th.  This machine blasts a six-inch kiln-dried sand channel into the green profile.  This is a less disruptive practice than core aeration while providing all the benefits of a traditional coring tine.

The golf course is in very nice shape for this time of the year and I hope to see you out in the fairways.

Duncan McGowan Golf Course Superintendent