The footprint of the teaching building is quite evident now that the foundation is dug. I am exciting to announce that from this point on, Head Golf Professional, Ken Mattis, PGA, will be giving you updates on the progress of the teaching center on the blog! Look for weekly detailed updates right here. Ken and I are looking at ways to expand our blogging to include the entire golf experience from the Golf Professional Staff to the Department of Agronomy. I like the sound of that...Department of Agronomy! It sounds like an official branch of the US government!
Speaking of the range tee, check out the soil profile. You can see the native soil on the bottom followed by 6" of sand/peat mix. The dark brown area below the grass is the organic matter layer, also known as thatch. Some thatch is good. Too much thatch means the surface will hold water and will be soft. We have been working extra hard to eliminate or reduce this layer. The only way to get it done is through core aerification. This is the reason I have been so aggressive with aerification, verticutting and topdressing on the range tee. I have been quite effective but unfortunately at some point, we will need to strip the sod, get all these organics out of there, add additional new sand, laser level and resod. Organic matter accumulates from old grass, dead roots etc, clogging up the valuable air space around sand particles.