The Perennial Ryegrass Overseed is here...

The Perennial Ryegrass is in excellent condition and playing conditions are ideal. If you are thinking about coming down to Ford for the Holidays you will not be disappointed. The 10 day forecast looks amazing. Take a look at some of these recently captured photographs from the course. Despite a wet year, the new drainage systems are performing beyond our expectations and members are enjoying firm conditions. See you soon and Happy Holidays from the Grounds and Golf Maintenance Teams.   

#11 Golf Hole

Morning maintenance at #15 green

#16

#17 ready for morning rounds

#18 waste area and Clubhouse

The view from the Clubhouse porch over the Practice Facility

The Clubhouse view out to #18 and the back 9 wetlands

The ryegrass is excellent condition

#3 green complex in the morning dew

#5 golf hole

#8 golf hole sitting peacefully

Making the turn at #9

Par 3 #12 on Lake Clara

The men at work on #14 green

#13 green floating on Lake Clara

Members with a difficult up and down

#1 golf hole

Golf Course Closure Reminder

Members are kindly reminded that the golf course is currently undergoing overseeding preparation. From now through September 14, the course will be open for play, but as the crews prepare for overseeding, you should anticipate heavier than usual maintenance activity on the course, and some areas may be off color. Additionally, certain areas may be taken out of play from time to time during this period. The course will be closed from September 15-October 1 to allow the final preparation, overseeding, and grow-in. On October 1, the golf course will reopen for play. Cart path only restrictions will be likely for the first week of October. 

Golf Course Update

Installment of the new bulkhead at #7 tee will keep the complex from eroding.

The installment took 5 days to complete as our crews had to fight several heavy storms.

The bulkhead is ready for sod.

Seepage drainage installation continues on the course. Enhancements have been installed at the practice facility, 6 and 10. 

This very efficient trenching machine has a belt that lifts the trench spoils from the ground in to an awaiting trailer. The process eliminates the need for a small army of employees to shovel dirt. MacCurrach Golf is performing the work and will be transitioning to holes 3,4,12 and 15 before heading back to Jacksonville. Our scheduled completion date of July 24th  will be challenged due to the inclement weather we have been experiencing.  

Course and Grounds Update

These 2 guys were seen early morning on Saturday to the right of 11 golf hole

The Grounds Department and Matt Huggins are making some irrigation enhancements to Cherry Hill Drive. Soon, the all shoulders of the roadway at this location will be irrigated... Allowing for finer turf grooming and lees erosion into Lake Dye.

The boring machine travels under the road without causing damage to the surface. 

The boring machine in action

This guy makes those long bunker shots more difficult

The Golf Course Staff and Kyle Johnson have completed the greens aeration and are now focusing on:
1. Approach aeration
2. Tee aeration
3. Fairway aeration
4. Vertical mowing fairways and scalping
5. Sod repairs
6. Topdressing fairways
7. Bulkhead construction at #7 tee complex
8. Weed Control
9. Irrigation maintenance
10. Fertilizing the course

Look closely, I saw this owl a month ago to the right of #2 golf hole

Armin vertical mowing #13 fairway

GCM Employee Nelson, vertical mowing at #2 fairway

Matt Huggins and the grounds staff recently installed new grass under some of the Live Oaks at the Main House. It looks great.

The Grounds staff has the rose garden at main house in top shape.

The finely manicured lawns and gardens at the Main House

One of Ford Plantation's several mature Live Oak stands

This bird was nesting on the dyke road next the back nine of the golf course

Operation Pollinator onThe Ford Plantation Golf Course

Operation Pollinator has really begun top take off. Our new seedlings are getting established... the warm temperature is ideal for growth.

This photograph was taken June 6th demonstrating the plants beginning to flower.

Several different colors are starting to pop from the plants including whites, purples and yellow.

This Rudbeckia is in full glory

In just 10 days the flowering plants have really exploded into color. 

Golf Course Superintendent, Kyle Johnson doing some selective hand weeding in the Club's operation pollinator plot.

A word about Operation Pollinator from the Syngenta Company:

Bumblebees play a crucial role as one of natures' pollinators, but they are in serious decline and need our help now. Reversing the plight of the bumblebee and other pollinating insects will help to prove that golf courses can be managed in harmony with the environment and provide valuable wildlife habitats.

Golf courses can provide essential sanctuaries for bumblebees and other beneficial insect species.  Environmental enhancement of relatively undisturbed out of play areas can provide the perfect location for immensely valuable ecological habitats.

Golf Course and Grounds Activity Update

Kyle Johnson, our course superintendent has the GCM staff running on all cylinders.
The fairway Summer topdressing program has begun and phase 1 is near completion. 

There will be 2 major topdressing events this season. The second application is scheduled for July 13-24, when the course is closed. The sand will help smooth construction scars and make the fairways smooth. In addition, when coupled with core aeration, soil modification is realized... which is a good thing.

Several weeks ago, we had a company perform a demonstration of the dryject machine on the number 13 green. We will monitor the impact of this new technology that is designed to inject sand into the green soil profile.

The result of the dryject is seen here. The tear drop white sand demonstrates the machines ability to inject sand into the profile with minimal disruption. 

The baby gators are getting more brave as the temperatures warm. This little guy was caught running across #10 fairway towards the wetlands.

Vertical mowing of all bermudagrass surfaces is in full swing with the warm temperature here. Intense fairway vertical mowing has been a staple in the program for years. This process is disruptive but if you are in town and want play golf, don't let the process scare you. Members can easily enjoy a round through the process.  

Smiling Ben on the fairway vertical mower

Levi vertical mowing the 11th green

First Assistant Dane Alexander is leading the GCM Staff through drainage enhancements at 8 and 9 tee. These teeing grounds should play much firmer once the work has been completed. 

Armin and Randy Double cutting the green with the brush attachment in lowered position

The littoral shelf at 7 is maturing well

Iris, Pickerel weed and Spadderdock were planted 10 months ago on this site 

Just last week, more pickerel weed was planted on the shelf to bolster the appearance near the 7th green.

Matt Huggins and the Grounds staff have been hard making improvements. This week, new St. Augustine sod was laid in front of the club to recapture the linear design which gives the lawn a real low country feel.  

The Grounds department with some help from the GCM staff also added some new plantings at parking area that was created during the course construction project. This picture is a before shot.  

150 azaleas were planted in this location to give the berm a more low country feel. The after pictures look great.  

In addition, azaleas were also planted in between the parking area and Practice facility to enhance the landscape.

Finally, the Grounds staff made some improvements to the Welcoming Building at the club. Fresh grass was laid which really makes a great first impression.