Robert Trent Jones Golf Course

MAINTENANCE

Greens
The greens were all originally seeded with bent grass. Over the years, poa annua has contaminated all of them with the exception of #11. Poa annua provides us with an exceptional green surface, arguably more effective than bent grass alone. Each day our greens are double cut with a Jacobsen Greensking triplex mower. Normally we set our bedknife anywhere between 150/1000" and 120/1000" - roughly 1/8".

Tees/Approaches
The tees consist mostly of rye and poa annua grass. They are cut 3 to 4 times per week with a Greensking triplex mower set at 7/16".

Fairways
Three times per week we mow the fairways with a Jacobsen LF128 at 1/2". We allow the clippings to remain to reduce the amount of fertilizer needed. The fairways consist mostly of rye grass and poa annua. Our goal is to establish a uniform fairway that is roughly 25 yards wide with an extra wide intermediate rough. This narrow fairway will reward the better player but not necessarily penalize the novice. This is in keeping with Trent Jones' philosophy.

Intermediate Rough
Normal intermediate roughs are between 60 and 72 inches. Ours are approximately 15 feet wide. This rough is mowed 2 times per week with an LF128 at 1". This mower essentially makes two passes around the fairway. The mower also passes around all fairway and greenside bunkers. This 1" rough around the greens adds to the wide variety of shots you'll find on our golf course.

Rough
Our rough normally stands 2" tall with the exception of some tournaments. It consists of rye, blue, and poa annua grasses. The rough is mowed once a week.

Bunkers
We rake our bunkers 2 times per week with a ride-on machine rake. Additional raking is by hand whenever it is needed. All of our bunkers contain very poor drainage. We apologize for any inconveniences after heavy rainfalls.

Pin Positioning
We use a color code for our flags: red is front, whit is middle, and yellow is back. We generally try to have 6 of each color but this varies depending on numerous other factors. Our pins are changed every day in an attempt to disperse traffic around the greens. There is never an intentional attempt to create "difficult" pin positions. Highest priority is given to green vitality with golfer playability following close behind.

Fertilizer
We fertilize the entire golf course approximately once a week with a Scott's water-soluble powder. Rather than using a slow release fertilizer we choose to apply standard fertilizers. This offers more control and results in less overall fertilizer.

Aerification/Verti-cutting
We are constantly looking for ways to provide minimal disruptions to the course. However, there are times when we need to remove thatch build up. We are currently researching all of the various techniques used throughout the industry. Due to the heavy soils on the tees and approaches we find ourselves aerifying about 3 times/year. On the greens we can get away with one large diameter coring per year in addition to a rigorous schedule of verti-cutting and topdressing. We normally do the main green aerification in late September. Greens 5, 11, 12, and 18 may require additional aerifying due to their particular circumstances heavier soils, reduced air movement and lack of adequate sunlight.

Growth Regulators
We have recently adopted a schedule of applying growth regulators to the fairways once a week. These help reduce the amount of growth allowing us to mow less frequently. We normally apply 2 quarts of regulator over the entire course. Some research is being done on various fairways to determine the impact these regulators are having.

Fungicides
Our greens are applied a fungicide about 4-7 times/year. The tees are applied 2-4 times/year. Normally we can anticipate fungus growth, which occurs on warm humid nights. This helps keep the applications to a minimum.

Insecticides
The two most disrupting insects on a golf course are cut worms in the greens and Japanese beetle grubs in the fairways. We spray 1-2 times/year to help control these insect populations. A new system developed by Cornell University will be tested in late July. It requires manually locating the most dense populations of grubs and only applying insecticide where needed.

Herbicides
Broadleaf weeds like clover and dandelions are sprayed in late fall. Until now, other weeds like crabgrass were never a threat. With the new irrigation system in place we may have to spray our fairways for crabgrass in the spring.

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					MAINTENANCE Greens The greens were all originally seeded with bent grass. Over the years, poa annua has contaminated all of them with the exception of #11. Poa annua provides us with an exceptional green surface, arguably more effective than bent grass alone. Each day our greens are double cut with a Jacobsen Greensking triplex mower. Normally we set our bedknife anywhere between 150/1000" and 120/1000" - roughly 1/8". Tees/Approaches The tees consist mostly of rye and poa annua grass. They are cut 3 to 4 times per week with a Greensking triplex mower set at 7/16". Fairways Three times per week we mow the fairways with a Jacobsen LF128 at 1/2". We allow the clippings to remain to reduce the amount of fertilizer needed. The fairways consist mostly of rye grass and poa annua. Our goal is to establish a uniform fairway that is roughly 25 yards wide with an extra wide intermediate rough. This narrow fairway will reward the better player but not necessarily penalize the novice. This is in keeping with Trent Jones' philosophy. Intermediate Rough Normal intermediate roughs are between 60 and 72 inches. Ours are approximately 15 feet wide. This rough is mowed 2 times per week with an LF128 at 1". This mower essentially makes two passes around the fairway. The mower also passes around all fairway and greenside bunkers. This 1" rough around the greens adds to the wide variety of shots you'll find on our golf course. Rough Our rough normally stands 2" tall with the exception of some tournaments. It consists of rye, blue, and poa annua grasses. The rough is mowed once a week. Bunkers We rake our bunkers 2 times per week with a ride-on machine rake. Additional raking is by hand whenever it is needed. All of our bunkers contain very poor drainage. We apologize for any inconveniences after heavy rainfalls. Pin Positioning We use a color code for our flags: red is front, whit is middle, and yellow is back. We generally try to have 6 of each color but this varies depending on numerous other factors. Our pins are changed every day in an attempt to disperse traffic around the greens. There is never an intentional attempt to create "difficult" pin positions. Highest priority is given to green vitality with golfer playability following close behind. Fertilizer We fertilize the entire golf course approximately once a week with a Scott's water-soluble powder. Rather than using a slow release fertilizer we choose to apply standard fertilizers. This offers more control and results in less overall fertilizer. Aerification/Verti-cutting We are constantly looking for ways to provide minimal disruptions to the course. However, there are times when we need to remove thatch build up. We are currently researching all of the various techniques used throughout the industry. Due to the heavy soils on the tees and approaches we find ourselves aerifying about 3 times/year. On the greens we can get away with one large diameter coring per year in addition to a rigorous schedule of verti-cutting and topdressing. We normally do the main green aerification in late September. Greens 5, 11, 12, and 18 may require additional aerifying due to their particular circumstances heavier soils, reduced air movement and lack of adequate sunlight. Growth Regulators We have recently adopted a schedule of applying growth regulators to the fairways once a week. These help reduce the amount of growth allowing us to mow less frequently. We normally apply 2 quarts of regulator over the entire course. Some research is being done on various fairways to determine the impact these regulators are having. Fungicides Our greens are applied a fungicide about 4-7 times/year. The tees are applied 2-4 times/year. Normally we can anticipate fungus growth, which occurs on warm humid nights. This helps keep the applications to a minimum. Insecticides The two most disrupting insects on a golf course are cut worms in the greens and Japanese beetle grubs in the fairways. We spray 1-2 times/year to help control these insect populations. A new system developed by Cornell University will be tested in late July. It requires manually locating the most dense populations of grubs and only applying insecticide where needed. Herbicides Broadleaf weeds like clover and dandelions are sprayed in late fall. Until now, other weeds like crabgrass were never a threat. With the new irrigation system in place we may have to spray our fairways for crabgrass in the spring. Back to the top