Double Cutting, Canada Geese and The Waste Bunker on 5

When I first arrived at The Royal Mayfair I knew that double cutting of the greens would be required to maintain a consistent playing surface due to the presence of annual bluegrass (Poa annua). I remember deciding to mow only Monday to Friday and skipping the weekends based on the my inquiries as to how busy weekend afternoons would be. I have been measuring greens for consistency and speed the last few weekends (the rain hasn't helped though) to monitor how they slow down over the course of the 2 days when they only get cut once and rarely rolled. I've made a couple of observations. One, its a lot busier on  most weekends than I thought it would be. I should know better. Second, we need to double cut on weekends to better serve the membership and the guests you are bringing to the club. Unfortunately we are having enough trouble hiring staff for our regular maintenance let alone finding people that are willing to come in on weekends for an afternoon cut.

I'm trying to come up with a solution for August. Making sure we roll greens on Friday is very important and I think we can at least try to mow for one of the weekend days beyond the club championship weekend. In case you're wondering there will be no afternoon cut during the tournament. That would be changing the putting surface during play. We will cut and roll in the mornings as required to keep green speeds up and the surface consistent all 3 days. Next season we will be prepared to double cutting 7 days a week, conditions permitting.

Rumor has it the extra geese we have were shuffled over from the park in order to keep them away from the water during the triathalon. I was fine with our 1 goose and her 5 young ones. The other 30 or so can leave anytime. Apparently there is a goose wrangler out there who may be able to help out. They are molting their flight feathers now so we have to walk them off the property. It was also suggested we could lure them out to the gate next to 12 green ourselves and "give them back" to the park. Pied Piper like I guess. It won't hurt to try. If they are gone one day you'll know it worked. I would try my young border collie but she's just as likely to chase them into the water or go after a golf cart.

Some of you have asked why there are rakes at the waste bunker on 5. Good question and one I'm not sure I can answer clearly. The sand, being a little too soft, led Ted Locke to suggest we put some out there to help take care of some deeper footprints if a golfer feels the need to smooth the surface after playing out of the bunker. I'm willing to remove them if you feel it is warranted. Keep in mind we do send the mechanical sand rake through it daily. Feedback would be appreciated here (from other superintendents as well if you are reading this). Thanks.

On the course this week:

• Fine tuning for the weekend. There will be no topdressing this week however we will be brushing greens early in the week to help remove more turf when we mow them.
• Catching up on rough mowing to keep conditions consistent throughout the course for the weekend. Little or no rainfall would really help. 
• The seeded areas at #4/#16 and #17 will be in play by the weekend. As they are on the perimeter I feel they are ready for your errant shots.