PebbleCreek Golf Course Maintenance Standards

June 1, 2011

MISSION STATEMENT


The task of golf maintenance is to provide an enjoyable and safe experience for PebbleCreek HOA golfers of all skill levels while utilizing a maintenance program consistent with professionally accepted turf grass principles and practices.

The goals are to:

  1. Maintain the golf course, as budgeted, in good condition every day according to the standards set forth in this document.
  2. Budget course maintenance based upon the established standards.
  3. Implement consistent turf maintenance practices and established agronomic principles on a scheduled, timely basis.
  4. Perform the detailing and grooming necessary to provide the look of a well-maintained course.
  5. Supply the maintenance crew sufficient time on the course to achieve these goals.

GREENS

  1. Greens will be mowed daily (except Christmas Day) between .125” (0.100”) and 1/4” (0.25”), depending on time of year and weather permitting.  All greens will be maintained equally according to standards.  Due to growing conditions of individual greens there could be a variance from green to green.  The Standards for normal stimp is 8 to 10 on the stimp meter.  There will be occasions where these standards are exceeded or cannot be reached.  These occasions would include tournaments where faster greens are desired, or slower greens after over seeding, also adverse weather conditions could cause some fluctuations.  Greens will be over-seeded with cool season turf in early fall. Greens will be back to standards as soon as possible.

  2. Greens will be verticut for thatch management on a monthly basis during the growing season and occasionally during the winter season.

  3. Cups will be cut every day of play with some exceptions for inclement weather.

  4. Greens will be fertilized as needed, based on both soil testing and tissue testing will be used on a quarterly basis to determine the proper level of nutrition. Organic forms of fertilizer will be used whenever possible. Soil amendments are budgeted to improve pH and soil structure. These include calcium, iron, wetting agents, and organic liquids.

  5. Chemicals, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides will be applied under manufacturer's specifications by a certified spray technician. These products are used after visual inspections.

  6. Greens will be core aerified twice a year as stipulated by USGA guidelines.  Typical deep core aeration (6" - 10") will occur once per year. Greens will then be solid tine aerified other times as deemed necessary.

  7. Greens will be top-dressed lightly with sand at least once each month.

  8. Greens will be rolled at least twice each week.

COLLARS/APPROACHES

  1. Collars will be mowed, at minimum, twice weekly. Cutting height will be 1/2" through the active growing season.

  2. Collars will be fertilized, aerified, verticut and top-dressed on the same frequency as greens maintenance.

  3. Collars will be over-seeded with perennial rye in early fall.

GREEN SURROUNDS

  1. Surrounds will be mowed twice weekly. Cutting height will be 1 ¼”.

  2. Surrounds will have maintenance similar to the fairway schedule.

  3. Surrounds on all holes and other selected holes will be over-seeded an average of 50’ around the green with perennial rye in early fall. 

TEES

  1. Tees will be mowed, at minimum, twice a week at 1/2" and verticut as needed.

  2. Tees will be fertilized, aerified, top-dressed, and rid of any pests on a regular basis. Soil pH, as measured by soil tests twice per year, will be adjusted with amendments as needed.

  3. Tee tops will be over-seeded in early fall.

  4. Tee markers will be moved on a daily basis to areas of least turf wear and to insure even wear and tear over the entire tee box. 

  5. All efforts will be made to keep the teeing surface level through topdressing and laser leveling as needed.

  6. Placement of tee markers will be placed square to the fairway.

FAIRWAYS

  1. Fairways will be mowed 3 times per week during the growing season at 9/16". Our goal is to have thicker turf that makes the ball sit up. Fairways that are over seeded in early fall will be over seeded with a high quality perennial ryegrass blend at a minimum of 550 pounds per acre.  This is a recommended rate by the USGA.

  2. Golfers will properly fill divots with sand and seed during play. No seed will be used in summer.

  3. Fairways will be core aerified at least once each year during the summer. Heavy wear spots shall be sliced or deep tine aerified as needed throughout the year.

  4. Fairways will be verticut and cleaned as needed during the summer and again prior to over-seeding.

  5. Pre-emergent herbicides will be applied for weed control two times per year, at the onset of warm weather in the spring and again in the summer.

  6. Post-emergent herbicides will be used to clean up residual weeds.

  7. Insecticides will be used on an as needed basis for control of cutworms, sod webworms, ants and white grubs.

  8. Fungicides on fairways will not generally be needed for this climate but will, of course, be applied if necessary.

  9. Fairways will be fertilized using both soil and tissue tests as a guide. Fertilizer will be applied whenever the golf course superintendent has determined a need. Both liquid and dry fertilizer may be used as determined by the superintendent.

  10. Soil amendments (such as wetting agents, iron, humates, gypsum or sulfur) will be used for improved soil structure and visual effects.

  11. Fairways will be top-dressed with sand as needed. These applications will be made in conjunction with aerification and verticutting. This will serve to change the soil structure, improve drainage, and level the fairways over time.

ROUGHS

  1. Rough will be maintained at 1.5", mowed at least once per week during the growing season, or as needed to maintain 1.5” depth.

  2. Roughs will be both fertilized and receive weed and pest control treatments during the growing season, as necessary.

SAND BUNKERS

  1. All bunkers will be machine raked on best effort basis. The sides and edges of the bunkers will be hand raked as needed to smooth and clean the sand.

  2. Edges will be kept trim and weed free with entry and exit points hand raked to keep sand in the bunker.

  3. Sand shall be added or removed as necessary to maintain an adequate depth for play per USGA standards.

  4. Bunker rakes shall be placed inside the bunkers and evenly distributed.

PRACTICE AREAS

  1. The practice putting greens will be mowed daily and new cups will be cut a minimum of once each week depending on wear. They will be maintained according to the standards for greens.

  2. The driving range tees will be mowed at least twice a week at 1/2" and will be sanded on a regular basis. During the winter season, ryegrass seed will be added to the sand.

LAKES

  1. Lake maintenance will be performed by outside contractors once a month. Work will include: weed, algae, and odor control as needed by chemical and biological methods.

  2. Lake edges will be trimmed and debris removed in play areas as needed. 

LANDSCAPING

  1. Golf course landscaped areas will be trimmed and maintained on a regular basis.

  2. Weed control efforts will include chemical applications and mechanical removal. 

TRIM WORK AROUND THE COURSE

Trim work will be scheduled on an as-needed basis throughout the season.

Examples:
Cart path edging and cleaning
Bunker edging
General weed clean-up
Brush removal

OTHER IMPORTANT ITEMS

  1. Properly maintained signage

  2. Cups kept freshly painted

  3. No faded, tattered or soiled flags

  4. Cups set properly with no high or low old plugs on any greens

  5. Water in ball washers

  6. Cart paths edged and repaired on a regular basis

  7. Cart paths clean

  8. Sand or a sand/seed mix in buckets at all tees

* It is understood that during periods of over seeding, aerification, unusual weather events, and major equipment failures that these standards may not be met for a short period of time.

*All Standards are subject to weather and seasonal conditions.