Turf Talk with Charlie

After a cool and wet spring on the golf course(s), Mother Nature flipped the switch in May bringing an early start to summer at Sahalee. In May, our on-site weather station recorded only 1.07” of precipitation compared to a whopping 5.50” in 2022 making this the driest May since 2018! With this dramatic shift in weather patterns, conditions on the golf course(s) are exceeding expectations with drier and firmer playing surfaces than normal for this time of year. This great early season weather and conditioning provided an outstanding venue for events throughout the month including the Women’s Swing Day Mixer, the inaugural Senior Men’s Invitational, our PGA Championship, the Goose and Gander co-ed championship, and culminating in a beautiful Memorial Day. We’ve received great feedback on the golf course(s) all month long and appreciate our members’ support entering another great golf season at Sahalee!

Redesigned Tee Markers

One of the early topics of discussion in the 2023 Greens Committee was the condition and maintenance of our tee markers on the golf course(s). The existing tee markers were badly chipped and required excessive off-season labor to maintain their appearance, and because of this the Greens Committee chose to evaluate replacement options After reviewing several tee marker styles, the Committee selected an iron marker unique to Sahalee for its durability, ease of setup for the agronomy team, and reduced maintenance inputs

In addition to the tee marker redesign, the color indicating our forward set of tees will be changed from silver to green to make it more easily distinguishable from the white markers This color change is represented in the recently updated Sahalee scorecard We’re excited to roll out these redesigned tee markers in early June and for the aesthetic improvement they provide to our on-course accessories

Water Bottle Fill Station Now On-Course

Providing members and guests with accessible drinking water throughout the golf course(s) is a top priority and an alternative to single-use bottles was a must-have for our 2023 season We now offer chilled and filtered bottle fill stations at each of our three on-course rest areas and encourage our members to refill their plastic bottles, pick up a reusable bottle from the golf shop or bring a bottle from home!

Greens Maintenance

With members returning to Sahalee for the summer and play increasing on the course(s), a frequent question recently has been on our greens maintenance program as it relates to green speeds. A wide range of factors impact green speeds, smoothness and firmness including mowing height and frequency, rolling practices, plant growth rate management, soil water content management, sand topdressing and cultivation practices Careful consideration is taken when adjusting our management programs affecting green speeds, as these adjustments also affect turfgrass health and stress tolerance Our daily goal is to provide the truest surfaces possible with exceptional consistency from green to green and to adjust green conditions accordingly for tournament performance and viability through climatic stresses

A detailed guide on our greens maintenance practices can be found in our 2022 updated Golf Course Maintenance Standards, a document establishing benchmarks and guidelines for maintenance of all golf course areas. We use these standards to strike a balance between turfgrass health and surface performance throughout the year and always strive to provide the best possible playing experience for all Sahalee members and guests.

See you on the course, Charlie Schauwecker