'Out Damned Spot'

This year we made the elimination of the dreaded weed, English Daisy, one of our top priorities. Many hours were spent spraying individual Daisy plants in the fairways. Because some of the Daisy plants were fairly large, after they died, bare spots were left behind. We decided that the best thing to do was to sod these bare spots with hybrid bermudagrass sod. The added advantages of introducing more hybrid bermudagrass to the fairways is that it has superior drought resistance and excellent-heat resistance, wear tolerance and high salt tolerance.

English Daisy (Bellis perennis)




Bare Spot after Daisy dies

 

                 Because sod is heavily fertilized in preperation for harvesting at the sod farm, it grows much faster than our fairways. The grass will slow down as the fertilizer runs out.         

                           

  We installed the sod with a special tool we made in house. The tool quickly cuts the sod into 6" squares. We also use the tool to quickly cut out matching holes in the fairways which the sod plugs are set into. Once the sod plugs get rooted, they will begin growing sideways, filling in the entire bare spot. By using these sod plugs we were able to sod the spots much quicker and a little cheaper than if we had sodded the entire bare spot.

New Bunker Drainage

New drainage was installed in the bunker on the right side of the second green. Five, six foot deep holes were dug in the bottom of the bunker. The holes were then filled with gravel. Two inches of new sand was spread out over the entire binker

The Villages designated as "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary"

The Villages Golf and Country Club Recognized for Environmental Excellence

SAN JOSE, CA – The Villages Golf and Country Club golf course has achieved designation as a "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary" through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, an Audubon International program.  Brian Bagley, Course Superintendent, has led the effort to obtain sanctuary status on this course and is being recognized for Environmental Stewardship by Audubon International.  The Villages Golf and Country Club is the 66^th course in California and the 845^th in the world to receive the honor. 

"The Villages Golf and Country Club has shown a strong commitment to its environmental program.  They are to be commended for their efforts to provide a sanctuary for wildlife on the golf course property," said Jim Sluiter Staff Ecologist for the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Programs.

"To reach certification, a course must demonstrate that they are maintaining a high degree of environmental quality in a number of areas," explained Sluiter.  These categories include: Environmental Planning, Wildlife & Habitat Management, Outreach and Education, Chemical Use Reduction and Safety, Water Conservation, and Water Quality Management.