Bermuda Eradication Set to Start Monday, July 10th

 As we enter the (early) teeth of summer, the golf course is in excellent condition. We are noticing some light stress in isolated areas, but on the whole, the golf course is strong. 

However, on July 10th, weather permitting (the forecast is looking a touch risky), we will apply our first round of non-selective herbicide to any common Bermuda grass that is growing within our fairways and 1st cuts. Once these herbicides kill the grass, there will be patchy areas of burnt turf throughout certain tees, most fairways and certain 1st cuts. 

There is no denying that there will be some pain in executing this project, but the common Bermuda grass will only continue to intensify in size and density. By resetting the golf course this summer, we will be able to employ a long range plan where we hope you never have to see or notice common Bermuda again😊.

On June 26th, our consultant, Steve Mcdonald, visited Kinloch and this project was one of the main topics of our conversation. Steve was able to reinforce that we have the RIGHT strategy in place and that, once executed well, we will be able to mitigate any resurgence with little disruption in future seasons. So, we appreciate your patience as we begin this project. 

In preparation for this coming Monday, myself and our two senior assistants, Adam Sauls and Duggan Cannon, walked every fairway, tee and first cut... mower stripe by mower stripe! We were able to closely examine the turf and mark the areas of infestation. 

Even though we have the Bermuda mapped through our drone footage, we thought it best to fully confirm exactly where we will need to spray. Although time consuming, this methodology will allow us to surgically apply the herbicides so that all of the Bermuda is sprayed while sparing as much "clean" turf as possible. 

In addition to the emails, blog posts, slide shows and other forms of communication, we have also purchased aluminum signs that will be posted throughout the property. 

For any Members or guests who may have missed our past communications, these signs will help alleviate any surprises. In my next post, I will have updated photos of the sprayed turf and as mentioned previously, the Bermuda will need 4 applications of these herbicides. These applications will be spaced out over 2-3, week, intervals and those intervals will allow the Bermuda time to resurge and translocate each application. All of the science suggests that after 4 applications, the Bermuda will be killed. 

Although there will be some unsightly pain with this project, we are beyond excited to reset our turf for years to come. And to bring a little levity to the situation, please enjoy the photo of one of our members using our paint work as a crime scene photo 😅