2026 Summer Update – Restoring Our Bunkers

During my regular walks around Olde Florida Golf Club this past winter, I began noticing something interesting. Several of our greenside bunkers appeared smaller than I remembered. It wasn’t a dramatic change, and the bunker edges were clearly defined and regularly maintained. However, something wasn’t quite right.

As I looked more closely, I realized that the surrounding TifTuf bermudagrass had gradually encroached into the bunkers. The change had occurred so slowly over the five years since our 2021 renovation that it was almost unnoticeable. In some locations, we had actually lost several feet of bunker area!

With that discovery, restoring the original bunker perimeters became one of our priorities for the summer. We also took the opportunity to inspect all 89 bunkers, redistribute the existing sand, and replenish it where necessary to restore a consistent depth of seven inches throughout the golf course.

Restoring the Original Bunker Perimeters

During our 2021 golf course renovation, we completely reconstructed all 89 bunkers using the Better Billy Bunker system. These bunkers encompass 3.27 acres and represented nearly 20% of the total renovation cost, making them one of the most significant investments in the project.

Working with Greg Muirhead, Senior Vice President/Senior Designer with Rees Jones, Inc., we reestablished the original bunker shapes and contours, restoring architectural features that had gradually been lost since the golf course opened in 1993.

As part of the renovation, we also completed a wall-to-wall regrassing of the golf course, selecting TifTuf bermudagrass for our tees, fairways, and roughs, including the areas surrounding the bunkers.

TifTuf has performed exceptionally well for us. Its vigorous growth and ability to recover are among the many characteristics that make it such an outstanding turfgrass. Over the past five years, however, that same vigorous growth allowed the turfgrass to gradually extend into the bunkers, slowly reducing their original dimensions.

What I found particularly interesting was that this occurred despite our regular bunker edging practices. The edges had remained well-defined, but over time, they had gradually moved inward. It was a subtle change that became much more apparent when compared to the dimensions established during the renovation.

Fortunately, an important feature of the Better Billy Bunker system made the restoration process considerably more accurate.

During construction, three inches of granite gravel were installed, with the upper portion secured using a polymer binder before the bunker sand was added. This layer provides exceptional drainage and resistance to washouts, but it also gave us something particularly valuable during this summer’s work: a permanent reference point beneath the sand.

Using a metal probe, our staff could locate the original edge of the polymer-secured gravel and accurately identify the bunker perimeter established in 2021. Rather than estimating where the bunker edges should be, we had a reliable reference to guide the restoration.

#7 Greenside Bunker 2026

#7 Greenside Bunker 2026

Throughout the summer, our agronomy team carefully removed the encroaching turfgrass and restored every greenside bunker to its original 2021 dimensions.

Although restoring a few feet of bunker perimeter might seem like a relatively minor improvement, it is important from an architectural standpoint. Bunkers are an integral part of the strategy and visual character of a golf hole. When their shapes and dimensions change, even gradually, they can influence both the appearance of the golf course and the way it plays.

#3 Greenside Bunker (Back) 2026

#3 Greenside Bunker (Back) 2021

Redistributing and Replenishing Bunker Sand

The second component of our summer project involved inspecting and restoring the sand depth in all 89 bunkers.

During the 2021 renovation, we established a consistent sand depth of seven inches throughout the bunkers. This was not an arbitrary number. It was an intentional decision based on our understanding of how moisture behaves within a lined bunker.

When water moves through a sand profile and encounters an underlying material with different drainage characteristics, moisture can accumulate near that interface, creating what is commonly referred to as a perched water table. This is not necessarily a negative characteristic, but it is an important consideration when determining the appropriate depth of bunker sand.

We recognized that the lower portion of the sand profile could remain moist following rainfall or irrigation. Rather than viewing this as a problem, we accounted for it in our original specifications.

By installing seven inches of bunker sand, we allowed for the possibility that approximately two inches at the bottom of the profile could retain moisture, leaving roughly five inches above that zone to provide more consistent playing conditions. The actual moisture distribution will vary, but the additional sand depth was intended to minimize the influence of that lower moisture zone on the playing surface.

Our objective was simple: We wanted golfers to experience essentially the same playing conditions regardless of which bunker they entered or where their ball came to rest within it.

Of course, bunker sand naturally moves over time. Routine raking, golfer activity, rainfall, and normal maintenance practices can cause sand to accumulate in some areas while leaving others with less than the desired depth.

Rather than simply adding new sand, our staff began by inspecting each bunker and redistributing the existing material to restore a uniform depth. This was an important first step because adding sand without correcting its distribution can actually compound inconsistencies.

Once the existing sand had been properly redistributed, we added new G-Angle bunker sand where necessary to restore the original seven-inch depth.

This approach also allowed us to make the most efficient use of the sand already in place, adding only the material needed to achieve our desired results.

Five years after the renovation, maintaining that original specification remains just as important. By redistributing and replenishing the sand, we are preserving the playing conditions we intentionally designed into our bunkers in 2021.

#11 Greenside 

Protecting Our Investment

When we selected the Better Billy Bunker system for our 2021 renovation, one of our primary objectives was to reduce the time and labor required to repair bunker washouts following significant rainfall.

Prior to the renovation, heavy rain events could result in substantial bunker damage, requiring considerable staff time to restore acceptable playing conditions. In some instances, as many as 16 employees would spend an entire day or more repairing bunkers following a significant rain event.

Five years later, the Better Billy Bunker system continues to exceed my expectations. The dramatic reduction in bunker washouts has been invaluable, and this summer’s restoration project highlighted another benefit of the system that I had not fully appreciated when it was originally installed.

The ability to locate the original bunker perimeters using the polymer-secured gravel gave us a level of accuracy that would have been difficult to achieve otherwise. What began as a project to address gradual turfgrass encroachment became an opportunity to restore architectural integrity while preserving the playing conditions established during our renovation.

I am particularly proud that our entire agronomy team completed this work in-house. Their attention to detail and commitment to quality allowed us to restore the original greenside bunker dimensions while reestablishing the sand depths throughout all 89 bunkers.

One of the lessons I have learned during my years at Olde Florida Golf Club is that completing a successful renovation is only part of the responsibility. Preserving those improvements requires the same attention to detail, commitment, and pride that went into the original project.

It is rewarding to see the investments we made in 2021 continuing to provide value, and equally rewarding to work with a team that understands the importance of protecting them.

For those interested in learning more about our original bunker renovation and the Better Billy Bunker construction process, I encourage you to revisit my May 2021 blog entry:

2021 Renovation Update #2 – Bunker Renovation

Summer Progress: Strengthening the Golf Course for the Season Ahead

Since my previous summer update, our team has continued to make significant progress on several projects designed to improve playing conditions and strengthen the long-term health of the golf course. Much of this work takes place while many of our members are away, so I wanted to provide another look at what has been accomplished, along with an update on rainfall and a developing weather pattern we are monitoring for this winter.

Drill-and-Fill

As in past years, we completed two separate Drill-and-Fill treatments on the greens this summer. The first was performed May 26–28, followed by a second treatment July 20–22.

The Drill-and-Fill process uses a one-inch drill bit to penetrate 10 inches into the greens profile on a 7-by-7-inch pattern. The channels are then filled with kiln-dried, coarse sand, creating pathways that improve water movement, increase oxygen within the root zone and modify the deeper portion of the soil profile.

During the first treatment, we incorporated more than 110 tons of kiln-dried, coarse sand into the greens. The second treatment added more than 114 tons, bringing the summer total to 224 tons, or approximately 448,000 pounds of sand placed into the greens profile.

This is a demanding, labor-intensive process, but it provides important long-term benefits. By addressing compaction and improving the movement of water and air deep within the profile, Drill-and-Fill helps create a healthier growing environment and improves the greens’ ability to withstand periods of heavy rainfall.

The soil profile shown below provides a clear look at the Drill-and-Fill process, with the 10-inch channel completely filled with sand and extending well below the existing thatch and organic layer into the deeper greens profile.

Shoreline Restoration

ShoreSOX has allowed us to reclaim areas of lake bank that had been lost to erosion and provide long-term stabilization. We previously used this approach successfully on the green complexes of holes 1 and 5 in 2021 and the hole 2 green complex in 2025.

This summer, we installed 828 linear feet of ShoreSOX on holes 10, 14 and 16 using 220 tons of a coarse sand known as 250 sand, along with 600 linear feet on hole 17 using 161 tons. In total, this summer’s projects included 1,428 linear feet of ShoreSOX and 381 tons of sand.

The system uses a durable, anchored mesh filled with sand to rebuild and support the shoreline, providing immediate stability while allowing turfgrass to grow through the material. As the turfgrass becomes established, its root system further strengthens the bank and provides added protection against erosion caused by rainfall, water movement and changing lake levels.

In addition to restoring lost ground, this work creates a more stable and maintainable transition between the golf course and the lakes. The finished product looks outstanding, with smooth, clean contours that blend naturally into the golf course.

The photos below show the shoreline on hole 17 before, during and after the ShoreSOX installation, illustrating how the system reclaimed the eroded lake bank and restored a smooth, stable transition to the golf course.

Rainfall Update

Through July, we have received 27.64 inches of rainfall in 2026. Most of that rain has occurred during the past three months, with 7.31 inches in May, 7.73 inches in June and 6.53 inches in July. Combined, those three months accounted for 21.57 inches, or nearly 80% of our year-to-date rainfall.

The consistent summer rainfall has allowed us to emerge from the extreme drought conditions experienced earlier in the year. Although rainfall has improved significantly, our year-to-date total remains below average.

Annual rainfall can vary considerably in Southwest Florida. We recorded 47.82 inches in 2025, 101.65 inches in 2024, 53.86 inches in 2023 and 83.99 inches in 2022, illustrating the significant variation we can experience from one year to the next.

A Potentially Very Strong El Niño Winter

According to NOAA’s July 9 outlook, El Niño is forecast to strengthen through the remainder of 2026, with a 97% chance that it will continue through early spring 2027. More notably, NOAA indicates an 81% chance that it will become a very strong El Niño during October through December, which could make it one of the strongest El Niño events recorded since 1950.

Although seasonal forecasts are not guarantees, El Niño typically shifts the winter storm track farther south, increasing the likelihood of cooler, cloudier, wetter and stormier conditions across Florida. Historically, El Niño winters have produced 40% to 50% more rainfall than normal across the Florida peninsula from December through March.

For the golf course, prolonged rainfall, cloud cover and cooler temperatures can reduce turfgrass growth and recovery while increasing soil moisture, disease pressure and traffic-related wear.

Many of our summer cultural practices are performed to prepare the golf course for these types of conditions. Aerification, Drill-and-Fill, topdressing and other soil-management practices help reduce thatch, improve drainage, increase air movement within the soil and create a healthier growing environment for the turfgrass.

We cannot predict exactly how the winter will unfold, but the possibility of a very strong El Niño reinforces the importance of the work being completed this summer as we prepare the golf course for the upcoming season.

The work completed this summer represents a significant investment in the long-term health, performance and appearance of the golf course. I am extremely pleased with our progress and appreciate the hard work and dedication of our agronomy team.

Summer Solstice: Preparation for the Season Ahead

The summer solstice arrived at 4:24 this morning, and today in Southwest Florida, we will receive approximately 13 hours and 48 minutes of sunlight.

For golf course superintendents managing warm-season turfgrass, that is significant.

While the winter solstice remains the most critical agronomic date of the year, the summer solstice provides the conditions that help us prepare for it. In winter, we are managing bermudagrass during the most limiting period of the year. Day length is short, sun angles are low, air and soil temperatures decline, and turfgrass growth slows dramatically. During that period, our focus is preservation. We are trying to maintain healthy playing surfaces through the busiest part of the golf season while the turfgrass has the least ability to recover.

Summer provides the opportunity to prepare for that challenge.

The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year. The sun is higher in the sky, light intensity is greater, air and soil temperatures are consistently warm, and in Southwest Florida, summer rainfall typically becomes more frequent. These are the conditions warm-season turfgrass needs to flourish.

At Olde Florida Golf Club, our playing surfaces are primarily bermudagrass, a warm-season turfgrass species that responds best when sunlight, warmth, moisture, air, and nutrients are available in balance. During the summer months, the plant has the energy to grow, recover, and respond to the cultural practices necessary to build long-term turfgrass health.

This is why our summer work is so important.

Aerification, topdressing, verticutting, and other cultural practices are not performed simply because the calendar says it is summer or because member play is traditionally lighter. They are performed because this is the period when the turfgrass plant has the greatest ability to recover from disruption and benefit from the work.

These practices allow us to relieve compaction, manage organic matter, improve water movement, strengthen rooting, smooth and firm playing surfaces, and improve overall plant health. In many ways, the quality and resilience of the golf course during the winter season is directly connected to the work completed during the summer.

Winter is about survival.

Summer is about preparation.

That does not mean summer is without challenges. Heat, humidity, disease pressure, heavy rainfall, saturated soils, weeds, and intense thunderstorms are all part of managing turfgrass in Southwest Florida. However, from a growth and recovery standpoint, summer provides the environmental support we need to make meaningful improvements.

For my staff and me, the stress level is different in the summer. In many ways, it is reduced because the grass is actively growing and has a much greater ability to recover. At the same time, the workload increases significantly. The days are longer, the temperatures are higher, and the physical exertion required from the team is greater. Summer may be an easier time for the turfgrass plant to grow, but it is not an easier time for the staff doing the work.

For golfers, summer cultural practices can be inconvenient. They may temporarily affect appearance, smoothness, firmness, or playability. However, that temporary disruption is necessary. The work being performed now is an investment in the health, quality, and consistency of the golf course during the winter golf season.

The goal of this summer work is not only to improve turfgrass health, but to provide the best possible playing conditions when member activity is at its highest.

The summer solstice is a reminder that sunlight drives everything.

As superintendents, we can manage irrigation, fertility, mowing, traffic, drainage, and cultural practices, but we cannot create sunlight. When nature provides its longest days, warmest growing conditions, and seasonal rainfall, we must take advantage of that window.

The work completed during the summer helps the golf course flourish now, but more importantly, it prepares the turfgrass to remain healthy, resilient, and capable of performing during the peak golf season.

Summer Work, Winter Results

After a successful winter golf season, we are entering the summer with a strong turfgrass foundation, which means it is once again time for cultural practices.

Every year brings its own weather nuances, but the work we complete during the slower summer months is a key reason the golf course consistently produces excellent winter playing conditions. While this work creates some short-term disruption, it is essential to long-term turf health, consistency, and playability.

We will continue to rely on our tried-and-true approach: aerification, vertical mowing, and topdressing. By performing these practices early in the summer, we take advantage of long days, abundant sunlight, and the active growth of our warm-season bermudagrass. It also allows us to stay ahead of the cloudy, rainy weather patterns that often become more frequent later in the summer, as well as the increased potential for severe weather.

Healthy turfgrass needs sunlight, water, nutrients, and air. During the summer, much of our focus is on increasing air movement within the soil profile. Aerification, vertical mowing, and topdressing help dilute organic matter, improve air space, increase water infiltration, and encourage stronger rooting.

As in past years, we have already completed our first Drill and Fill process on the greens, which took place May 26–28. This process uses a one-inch drill bit to penetrate 10 inches deep into the greens profile on a 7-by-7-inch pattern. This year, we incorporated more than 110 tons of sand into the greens profile. We followed that work with core aeration and topdressing.

Fairways have also been topdressed. During our first closed week, 880 tons of sand were spread evenly across 26 acres of fairways. This practice continues to improve surface firmness, drainage, turf density, and overall playability.

In addition to our five week-long closures, the golf course remains closed each Monday from May through October so we can complete important single-day cultural practices. For example, tees were aerified on May 18 using the same thorough approach we apply to the greens.

As part of our ongoing shoreline stabilization efforts, we have also expanded the ShoreSox Erosion Control System. In 2021, we installed the system around the greens on holes 1 and 5. In 2025, we reclaimed more than 10 feet of shoreline along the 150-foot lake bank adjacent to the 2nd green. This summer, we increased those efforts by installing ShoreSox along 850 linear feet of lake banks. During our first closed week, we regained approximately 8 to 10 feet of shoreline around the green complexes on holes 10, 14, and 16. These efforts are important not only for aesthetics, but also for protecting valuable golf course infrastructure and preserving the long-term integrity of the property.

Although these practices require patience, they are a major reason the golf course remains healthy, consistent, and enjoyable throughout the year. The work we complete now directly supports the conditions our members expect and enjoy during the winter golf season.

Finally, for those who follow my social media, you are aware that in addition to a wonderful winter golf season, we once again enjoyed a very active “birding season.”

Our three Purple Martin structures were bursting at the seams with fledglings, and two of our Eastern Screech Owl boxes were active as well. “Ginger,” who resides behind the No. 5 green, successfully fledged three owls, while “Sleepy,” who spends time in the box at the driving range, also produced three screech owls this year.

It was another rewarding reminder that the golf course is not only a place for great golf, but also an important habitat for wildlife.

What the Masters Reminded Me

While attending the 2026 Masters, I found myself doing what golf course superintendents always do: watching the turf. 

As the week progressed and temperatures rose, it became clear that conditions at Augusta National were beginning to stress some of the overseeded perennial ryegrass, as well as a few areas on the greens. With firm and fast conditions clearly the priority, it was interesting to watch how the golf course responded from day to day under those circumstances. Most people may not notice those subtle changes, but superintendents do. We cannot help ourselves; it’s how we are wired.

As I watched those daily changes throughout the week, I was reminded of a conversation I had a little over a year ago with Steve Rabideau, Golf Course Superintendent at Winged Foot Golf Club in New York. Steve and I were standing along the cliffs at Torrey Pines while attending the GCSAA Golf Championship, talking about the profession, the challenges, and the realities of trying to grow and maintain exceptional turfgrass. 

He asked me how my season was going, and I remember saying, “Well, it’s been a little challenging with the weather.” At the time, my team and I were in the middle of managing through a very strong El Niño pattern—excessive rainfall, very little sunlight, and conditions that simply did not allow the golf course to respond the way it typically does when it has everything it needs to thrive. For warm-season turfgrass, sunlight is essential. Without it, you can manage, but you are rarely able to achieve the consistency and quality you expect from yourself.

That was certainly the case for us that year. Still, we managed to keep the golf course moving in the right direction. We had turfgrass on every surface, but it was not performing at the level we are accustomed to delivering during the vast majority of the course’s 30+ years. That is extremely frustrating when you care deeply about your work and hold yourself to a very high standard.

The truth is that golf course superintendents spend a great deal of their time managing variables they cannot control. We try to produce healthy, consistent playing conditions while working with living plants in an outdoor environment. Weather changes. Moisture changes. Sunlight changes. Pest pressure changes. Disease pressure changes. Growth rates change, often affecting clipping yield and green speed. And through it all, expectations rarely change.

Clearly, I understand those expectations. In many ways, they are a compliment. People care about the golf course. They notice the details. They appreciate good conditions. They want it to be great. I respect that. But I have often said and believe wholeheartedly that nobody who has ever played my golf course has higher expectations for it than I do.

That is why a comment Steve made that day stayed with me. When I asked how things were going for him, he said they were doing well, but they had also experienced their share of ups and downs over the years because of weather and all the challenges that come with managing turfgrass. Then he shared an analogy he had used with some of his members, many of whom work in the financial world.

He said that when a member would question why the golf course could not be 100% perfect every day of the year, he would sometimes explain it this way: “The market is not much different than the turfgrass a superintendent manages.”

Just as a financial advisor, no matter how experienced, intelligent, or successful, cannot predict or control every rise and fall of the market, a golf course superintendent cannot predict or control every weather pattern or growing condition that comes his way. That comparison resonated with me immediately, and it still does.

Of course, experience matters. The longer you work in this profession, the more patterns you recognize, the more adversity you have been through, and the better prepared you are to respond when conditions become difficult. Experience sharpens your instincts. It helps you anticipate problems. It teaches patience, and it gives perspective. But experience does not eliminate uncertainty. It simply helps you manage it better. 

Watching the Masters this year reminded me of that again. Even on one of the most admired golf courses in the world, turfgrass is always responding. It is always changing. There is no pause button. There is no perfect formula that overcomes every environmental challenge. There is only preparation, observation, adjustment, and the ongoing commitment to do the very best you can with the conditions you are given.

That is the profession.

Yes, perfection is always the goal. It should be. High standards matter. Pride matters. Attention to detail matters. But perfection every single day of the year is not always realistic when you are working with nature.

What matters most is showing up every day with knowledge, passion, perspective, and a willingness to manage through whatever comes your way. That, to me, is one of the great challenges of being a golf course superintendent. It is also one of the things that makes the work so meaningful.