12 green

The weather has been fantastic all week. Today marks the 14th day in a row without precipitation! I am continuing to receive compliments on the condition of the course. It's a great time to get out and enjoy a round of golf at Sandpines.

Jerry aerating 7 fairway

It was a very busy week for the maintenance staff. The fairway aeration continued, and was completed on holes 3, 7, 9, and 13. There are still 6 holes left to aerate. If all goes well, we should have the fairway aeration completed by the end of the month. Mowing of all turf areas and golf course setup was also completed as usual. Hand watering on greens also became necessary for the first time this year. One of the three main check valves within the irrigation pump station malfunctioned and was replaced. All bunkers, 150 yd markers, and irrigation control boxes were trimmed around with a string trimmer. Greens were fertilized on Thursday, and were also spiked and rolled this morning.

Rhododendron on hole 6

Today is the official start of the 105th Rhododendron Festival, so I thought it was fitting to add a picture of one of my favorite Rhody's on the golf course. If you want to check out the festival, I would recommend starting off your day with golf in the morning at Sandpines and checking out the car show on Saturday. If parades are more your style, golf on Sunday morning followed by watching the parade. Or if you just can't decide which day is best, just stay the night, and golf both days. Here is a link for all of the scheduled events for the festival: 105th Rhododendron Festival