Pardon our mess!  Construction at the Lakes Practice Area.

Ray Melton jumped in with a passion to get the practice green funds so we could get this long overdue “nice to have” project started this year.  Ray asked other members if they had the same passion and desire to see a new practice green and, if so, would they chip in and cover the cost of doing this.  Within three days Ray had the money in hand.  Here are the folks that did not hesitate to donate to the new Lakes Practice Green:

Chuck & Jody Bartunek
Al & Marian Curtis
Rick & Merlene Davis
Dennis & Caron Harper
Don & Nelda Harper
Bob & Vicki Ingram
Jim & Kolleen McKenna
Ray & Carol Melton
Tom & Anne Pratt
Jill Riedel
Rick & Brenda Walker

Work has already begun by staging the 90/10 dirt over by the tennis courts.  Four palm trees will be removed and digging up the existing green will begin Tuesday 5/26.  The 90/10 dirt will be mixed with the dirt dug up from the existing green.  If you want to know more about how important it is to use the right dirt click here.

We will temporarily close the three hitting stations to the right of the #1 tee box so that we can transport dirt from the green to the back of the driving range through this area. We will be laying plywood down in this area to avoid rutting and as much damage as possible. We will also be stock piling the soil underneath the existing green on the concrete here so we may reuse it. We apologize in advance for the inconvenience this causes but this whole process will allow us to move as efficiently as possible.

 

This is my first story and will serve as a heads up to the construction and let you in on what is happening.  I will be writing stories and taking pictures along the build.  So watch for updates and information articles so we can all watch and learn.  Meanwhile, a very special thank you to those that willingly provided the funds for this improvement to the Lakes Practice Area, Phase I, Practice Green upsize and reshape. And a special cheer to Ray for using his passion to move a dream to reality.
 
Respectfully,
Jill Riedel
President, WBVGC BoD

I’d like to update everyone where we are with the summer transition process. Last week we completed the herbicide application that will assist us in removing the winter rye grass. The areas sprayed were the tees, aprons, and fairways at the Vistas GC. The tees and aprons were sprayed at the Lakes GC. These areas are now in full transition mode. The rye grass is checking out while the Bermuda grass is gradually beginning to increase and spread. Our next step in this process is to do numerous fertilizer applications with a nitrogen rich fertilizer and irrigate heavier than normal to assist the Bermuda grass. We will fertilize with a liquid and granular nitrogen based fertilizer in the next few weeks to maximize growth. I apologize in advance for the wet conditions you may experience, particularly in the mornings but the extra water is absolutely necessary for this process to be successful. The extra water during summer transition is just as important as the extra water used during overseeding.  Without it the process will fail.

The million dollar question I get asked frequently is “When will transition be complete?” The answer completely depends on the weather. The warmer it is the faster the Bermuda grass moves and spreads.

Fortunately there will not be as much heavy watering or a big transition plan at the Lakes GC this year because we did not overseed the fairways there. This makes for great playing conditions in the spring and throughout the summer.

I will continue to update everyone on the transition process and any other of our GCM summer practices. With that been said, enjoy your summer and stay safe.

Sincerely
David Escobedo GCS

Changes we have already put in place

• Tee-sheets are now beginning at 6:30AM.
• Pro Shops are open (3 Customers allowed in at one time).
• We have removed the “Attend, Plan and Go Home” signs.
• Charter clubs will remain random pairings with no game.
• Golf Shop Staff will be wearing face coverings while in the golf shop and interacting with customers.

Beginning with tee sheets on May 20^th the following changes will occur

• We will allow a max of 8 linked tee-times (32 players).
• There will continue to be no shotguns or crossovers.

We will re-evaluate the conditions with the country wide reopening transition over the next few weeks for changes on June 1^st

Question and Answers

Why are we not allowing shotguns or crossovers?

Why are we not allowing more than 32 players per groups?

Why are we not having Charter Club Games?

Why do we tee off on Hole 10 sometimes?

Why is the Lakes looking so much better than the Vistas?

Vistas Greens will have "Small Hole" aerification Tuesday May 12th
The Vistas Course will close at 9AM 5/12

You may wonder, just why do we aerate greens? Is it really that important? How long will they take to heal? Why do some courses make larger or smaller holes? And so on… Hopefully, we can help you understand the method behind the madness.

Simply put core aeration does several important things...

1.       It allows air into the soil

2.      It removes thatch

3.       It alleviates compaction

Accomplishing all three of these areas is vitally important to maintain healthy greens. However, there are many factors that may make any one of these benefits more important than the rest to a particular golf course.

The deep and large plug greens aeration at Westbrook Village is usually held in June each year, however we will periodically do a much smaller hole aerification when the ground needs to breathe. If we were to neglect this process the greens might not putt very well or even survive the summer transitions.

As for how long it will take to heal… That’s a tricky one. When we pull large plugs it is likely to take 2 weeks before the greens improve to the point where most find them acceptable. When we do the small plugs, they will normally heal within the week. However, keep in mind that rainfall and temperatures will affect how long it really takes. So again, how fast the recovery process takes will vary from year to year. There are so many variables involved that it’s difficult to predict exactly when things will heal for certain.

Hopefully, we have been able to help you understand a little more about the ”hole” process. If you enjoy how well the greens putt in our prime, then please remember that aeration was a temporary inconvenience that paid big dividends for the rest of the season.