'New spring growth' - A message from the General Manager of Golf'

It is hard to believe that the winter season has passed so quickly. We are  certainly hoping for a warm spring season and praying that we do not have to deal with too many COVID restrictions in the coming months, as compared to last year. I hope you all have been safe and have been able to weather the storm as easily as possible.

Despite the very wet and rainy winter, the golf maintenance crew has been busy with several projects throughout the winter that cover a wide variety of areas including drainage, tree work, tee expansion, fairway expansion and rough seeding.

March was predominantly aeration month for the maintenance crew. In the first week, they aerated and top- dressed greens using Ninja Tines, which helped in the removal of the layer of organic material 2 inches below the surface that has been a constant battle. In the last week of March, they aerated the greens using bigger tines that removed even more of the organic layer beneath the surface, fertilized the greens, and put a heavier layer of top dressing sand on the greens to fill the aeration holes to help promote new spring growth and to help drive the roots growing deeper into the soil.

These practices will make our greens healthier and more able to withstand the challenges that mother nature throws at us during the golf season. We are in a much better position now with the health of the greens than we were a year ago and we expect that the results will be seen by all who come to play our Robert Trent Jones, Sr. golf course.

This proves to us that the maintenance practices under- taken last fall have been working and we are all excited and looking forward to the new season.

The golf cart fleet underwent its winter maintenance overhaul to make sure that our carts are ready for the upcoming season. This maintenance included new filters, belts, oil and any necessary adjustments. This will be the fifth season for the fleet of Yamaha golf carts, and we are hoping to continue the positive results we have achieved for at least a couple of more seasons. With 30 years of golf industry experience, I have never experienced reliability and lack of need of repair for golf carts as I have with this fleet over the last four years. This is a testament to the investment that OPA has made into the success of the golf operation.

Personalized golf club-fitting with our Foresight GC- Quad launch monitor has been a big hit over the winter and I encourage all golfers to get personally fit for golf clubs before you buy something. Being properly fit with clubs specifically for your swing characteristics makes golf a whole lot easier to play – who does not want that?

Junior golf camp registration is live and available on the website at oceanpinesgolf.org under the “Junior Golf” tab. Be sure to sign up soon as space is limited and spots fill quickly. Check out our camp in the SPRING/SUMMER ACTIVITY GUIDE included in the back of this newsletter on page 4 (Link: /documents/20124/91011/OP_newsletter_v53no2_web_reduced.pdf). Or learn more at oceanpinesgolf.org.