The Superintendent’s Notebook Issue No. 2 • September 2026
Joe Distefano, Golf Course Superintendent
Fall settles over Turkey Creek Mesa • Telluride Golf Club
A Note From Joe Fall has arrived in Telluride. Snow is beginning to dust the high peaks, the first aspens are turning gold, and mornings on the golf course have that unmistakable crispness that tells us another season is beginning to wind down. While there is still golf to be played, September and October are important months for our maintenance team. Along with keeping the course in great playing condition for these beautiful fall rounds, we are completing several improvement projects and beginning the work that will protect the course through winter and set us up for a strong start next spring.
The Superintendent's Notebook • Telluride Golf Club
Four Miles And Counting One of our most visible late-season projects has been sealing the cart paths throughout the course. We have completed approximately four miles of the course's seven miles of cart paths so far. Regular sealing helps protect the pavement from water, ultraviolet exposure, temperature swings, and the freezethaw cycles that are part of life at 9,500 feet. Staying ahead of this maintenance extends the useful life of the paths and keeps the course looking cared for from tee to green. The work we do now helps protect the course through winter and preserves the experience our members enjoy season after season.
Applying sealer to sections of cart path.
The Superintendent's Notebook • Telluride Golf Club
Caring for Our Ponds Our ponds need attention, too. This summer and fall, the crew has been using a weed razor to cut aquatic vegetation and a floating rake to collect the material for removal. It is hands-on work that helps keep the water clean and attractive while maintaining open water around the course.
Removing cut aquatic vegetation from one of the course ponds.
A Welcome Change in the Weather Late-season rains have provided welcome relief and helped overall turf health across the course. The call on the river was finally lifted last week, easing some of the water pressure we experienced during the drier part of the season. In a mountain environment with a remarkably short growing season, timely moisture matters. Cooler temperatures and recent rainfall give the turf an important opportunity to recover and build strength as we head toward winter.
The Superintendent's Notebook • Telluride Golf Club
Investing in Smarter Irrigation Ownership has approved additional irrigation improvements that will begin in October and continue into next year. The work will include a new pump house and new irrigation controllers, building on the mainline improvements completed earlier this season. These upgrades are about more than replacing equipment. Better controls will allow us to manage water more precisely and efficiently - applying the right amount in the right places and responding more effectively to changing conditions across the course. Some of the most important improvements on a golf course are the ones members may never see.
Irrigation infrastructure beneath the course - a reminder of how much happens below the surface.
This continued investment strengthens the systems that support healthy turf and responsible water use, while giving our team better tools to manage one of the course's most important resources.
The Superintendent's Notebook • Telluride Golf Club
Our Wild Neighbors As summer gives way to fall, the golf course continues to remind us that we share this remarkable landscape. Ermine, deer, elk and grouse have all been regular visitors, and hungry bears have also been seen frequently around the property. These encounters are part of what makes golf in Telluride so distinctive.
Deer enjoying the course.
An ermine finds a meal.
A grouse tucked into the fall landscape.
An elk visits the edge of the course.
Please enjoy wildlife from a respectful distance and give animals plenty of room to move through the course.
The Superintendent's Notebook • Telluride Golf Club
Preparing the Course for Winter Beginning in October, our attention increasingly turns toward winterization. The work we complete after the golf season is critical to how the course emerges in spring. Our fall program will include aerification, carefully timed chemical applications, and dormant seeding of tees, fairways and greens. We will also continue preparing irrigation and other course systems for freezing temperatures.
Did You Know? Dormant seeding is exactly what it sounds like: seed is applied late enough in the season that it remains inactive through winter rather than germinating immediately. As spring conditions become favorable, the seed is already in place and ready to take advantage of natural moisture and warming soil. Aerification is another important part of the transition. By relieving soil compaction and improving the movement of air, water and nutrients into the root zone, aerification helps turf build the resilience it needs for the seasons ahead.
Late-season work continues as Telluride Golf Club prepares for winter.
Looking Ahead There is something special about these final weeks of golf in Telluride: cool mornings, changing aspens, wildlife moving across the mountain and the first snow returning to the peaks. Behind the scenes, our crew is already working toward next season. From cart paths and lakes to irrigation infrastructure and turf preparation, the work underway this fall is an investment in the health, beauty and playability of the course for years to come. Thank you for your continued support - and enjoy these beautiful fall days on the course. Joe Distefano Golf Course Superintendent
The Superintendent's Notebook • Telluride Golf Club