The new issue of Golf Course Industry magazine features an insightful cover story on the current state of the renovation market, made all the more insightful by the inclusion of comments from our own Bob Lohmann, founder and principal of Lohmann Golf Designs and its sister construction firm, Golf Creations. Check it out, and note that Bob, a regular contributor to the magazine and www.golfcourseindustry.com, will soon be weighing in with his own renovation-specific column, to be posted in the coming weeks at GCI. The gist? How scheduling/planning (or a lack thereof) has impacted the renovation market. Don't miss it!

Timing is Everything

When it comes to growing grass, timing really is everything.  Putting that seed down at just the right time of year when the temperatures and humidity have peaked and are on their way down is crucial to achieving good fall growth.  It looks like they got this timing exactly right at Indian Creek Golf Club near Omaha, NE, where Lohmann Golf Designs just completed the third and final phase of a complete bunker renovation and green/fwy re-grassing program on this 27-hole layout. 

In the photo above, you'll see that coverage on the greens (T-1 bent), which were seeded by August 28th, and the fairways (Noble Eagle rye blend), seeded by September 7th, is well over 90%.  That's an incredible amount of grass in just over 40 days.  Most of that progress is do to well-timed planting and good water management by the super, Jim Nedrow, who has experienced severe drought in the area since early Summer.  It also helped that the owner of Indian Creek was willing to shut these nine holes down in mid-July so that Duininck Golf, the construction firm that handled the renovation, could get all the earthmoving and shaping done in time to fumigate and plant.

With large scale projects like Indian Creek, it is crucial that planning work be completed in ample time on the front end (ie. during winter months) to get the project out for bid, contractor chosen, and project dates set, so that there's also ample time on the back end to grow the grass before winter sets in.  Gaining extra grow-in weeks in the Fall means much earlier opening dates the following Spring.

Keep your eye out for our next Golf Course Industry E-news article which talks even more about the importance of timing.