As we near opening day for the golf course post-overseed (Saturday, October 29th), we wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with a golf course update.
Overseed
Overall, our annual overseed was a success! The golf course is growing in nicely and will be ready for opening day play. It has been a long process due to the day where we received over an inch of rain in less than 20 minutes, just five days after seeding. This heavy rain caused many washouts, not only in the landscaped areas between the houses, but also on other areas of the golf course including greens, roughs, and fairways. The Golf Maintenance team had to quickly pivot their priorities and begin to focus on potential washed seed, cart path cleanup, bunker repair, and cleanup of other washout areas.
Fortunately, most of the seed began germination so washed away seed was minimal, but there are noticeably thin areas around the course. These areas will primarily consist of slopes, bare bermuda grass spots, the perimeter of the golf course, and drainage areas. Also, you will notice thin and “rippling” spots where seed washed into one area on the greens. All these areas have been addressed, reseeded, and will begin to even out/fill in quickly. In an effort to be transparent, we have included some photos below of the areas described herein.
As we continue to mature the grass, the golf course will be soft, greens will be slower in speed, and we will be cart path only for several weeks.
Bunker Renovation Project
Phase 2 of our bunker project has been underway throughout the summer and fall. Due to supply chain and delivery challenges with the sand supplier, we did not receive any sand prior to overseeding the golf course. This left us with the task of putting sand in the bunkers after the seed had germinated. We have been continually working with the contractor to minimize damage by using boards and different routes to reduce stress. Even with these efforts, there will be a few noticeable areas from the machinery used to add the sand. These areas have been reseeded and will be given extra attention until they recover.
Greenside bunkers on Holes 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 16 and fairway bunkers on Hole 1 will be completed to improve drainage, sand consistency, and playability. We were also able to reduce the size of the greenside bunker on Hole 11 providing better hole aesthetics and play ability.
We are hopeful to have all the sand in the bunkers prior to reopening.
The golf course maintenance team will continue to work hard, focus on the fine detail work and beautification that makes Encanterra stand out. We hope this provides a great update of what you can expect when the golf course reopens, and we look forward to seeing you on the links!
Sincerely,
Alex Ward Superintendent, Encanterra Country Club
BlueStar Resort & Golf
Completed Overseed
Seed Washed From Bare Bermuda Grass Area
Machinery Tracks from Adding Sand to Bunkers
Thin Overseed Area
Rippling on the Green from Seed Washed to One Area
