News

Here comes the 2025 golf season!

Let's remind everyone that when using the golf courses for winter activities such as skiing, snowshoeing, sledding and walking, please do not proceed over the tees, fairways or greens! There is plenty of real estate to have fun without traveling over the playing areas of the golf course. This is the one time using the property that you do want to play in the rough. When snow conditions and temperatures hit the correct mix and you compress the snow with your activities, it can lead to death for the turf underneath the snow pack. When the snow is compressed down, the air is removed and quite often the snow will turn to ice. This situation does not allow the turf to breathe anymore for the rest of the winter days. Which, at that point is when the turf areas can suffocate and die. We never know the results until spring. So please use the rough for your travels so we don't have any unwanted surprises in the spring!

Over the winter months, our team has been working on replacing the bridges on Ridge greens nos. 2 and 4. This process has involved getting a large excavator across the property, bringing in some six-to-eight-thousand-pound concrete retaining walls, metal beams to span the bridge length—all without causing damage to the property. So, to make the move in work, we used a massive pay loader after the ground had frozen.

It’s always a big concern as to how we’re getting to the middle of the golf course and not causing more damage to the area than what we’re trying to upgrade or repair. Tree work, the bridges and paving are the three main projects that are tricky to accomplish without damaging the property while moving in and out with the large equipment. The top of the bridges will still have the wooden look to them but the structural work underneath will last for many years, with the concrete and metal supporting the top wood look. The timbers in the old bridge that we removed were certainly in need of being replaced.

Our team has been spending some time this winter reclaiming our fence that surrounds the property, as many areas are overgrown with vines and trees. We usually remove the fallen trees each year, but this year we have gotten more aggressive and are making a buffer zone between the vegetation and the fence itself. While this can't be accomplished in all areas, it can be with the majority of the fence. We are also repairing areas where the fence has been damaged.

The shop work is never done in regards to working on repairs and adjustments of our equipment. The winter time is when we can really tear into the equipment that has needed some more serious work done, and that’s happening in our shop currently. The team is also getting all of the mowing equipment sharpened and ready for the season.

In the summer time, we really hope there are not many breakdowns. Summer time is when we would like our shop help to be working on what we call “quality of cut”—having each reel mower cutting at a fine, very precise and true accuracy of cut to the grass plant leaf. This helps to provide excellent ball roll and keeps the grass plant healthy. A rugged or torn cut does not work well on highly maintained turf. It actually provides the opposite effect, which is unhealthy plants and a bumpy and inconsistent ball roll.

The weather pattern we’ve had so far this winter should be good for the golf courses. The last look we had at the playing surfaces was all thumbs up for healthy turf. At this point, I don't believe we will be playing golf on February 27 like last year. With that being said, you never know. Who would have predicted snow for Florida this year?

See you soon! We are fully ready for the 2025 golf season!

Jeff Holmes, CGCS
Golf Course Manager