Annual Report to the Olde Florida Golf Club Membership

By Darren J. Davis, CGCS

May, 2014

Annual Report to the Olde Florida Golf Club Membership

By Darren J. Davis, CGCS

May, 2014

The 2014 winter golf season at Olde Florida is winding down and my staff and I appreciate your support and positive feedback. 

We will soon be switching gears from routine maintenance to our summer project mode. In addition, we will begin work on the necessary cultural practices such as aerification, vertical mowing and topdressing, which enable us to provide you with quality golf course conditions in the winter months.

Last summer we completed several in-house projects. The most noticeable was the renovation of our greens collars.The uniformity of the collars had decreased significantly over the years due to the encroachment of off-type bermudagrass. It was particularly evident in the winter months when the turfgrass was not actively growing. The renovation included the eradication of the existing turfgrass, the leveling of the surrounding area and the installation of a consistent 48” collar of TifGrand bermudagrass.  

As in previous years, last year we also completed a mini-bunker renovation just prior to our winter golf season. With the average annual rainfall in Naples being just less than 52 inches, and 65% of this occurring between June and September, bunker washing and bunker sand contamination is an issue. Last year was particularly troublesome with over 60” of rain falling on property in this four-month period.

Beginning this week we will be undertaking an aggressive Brazilian Pepper removal project. This project will take several months to complete. Brazilian Pepper is an invasive plant that alters plant communities by displacing native species, changing community structure and ecological functions. Once the existing Brazilian Pepper is removed we will institute an annual, property-wide removal program. 

This summer we will also continue with perimeter turfgrass recovery. As you know, one of the terrific design aspects of Olde Florida is how the golf course was carved through a native forest.  Unfortunately, due to the very aggressive growth of cabbage palms along the perimeter of many golf holes we experience turfgrass loss. In many areas palm trees have essentially become weeds, sprouting and taking over areas that were originally turfgrass.  Last year we initiated the removal of some of these palms and we will continue this summer.

If you desire more information on our activities throughout the year, I utilize several forms of social media to provide course reports and other timely information on club activities. For a complete list of the social media outlets as well as articles, videos and blog entries visit www.darrenjdavisgcs.com.