Hole 8

The weather this week has been pretty wet, but the forecast for the weekend is looking great. In fact, the extended forecast for all of next week is looks sunny and dry. Sandpines received just over 7 inches of precipitation for the month of April. Hopefully, May will be much drier than that, with plenty of sunshine.

Monday, Sandpines hosted the Valco tournament. The group had less than perfect weather, but it looked like they still had fun. I received several compliments on the condition of the greens, which were mowed and rolled prior to the tournament.

Rhododendron on hole 6

The rhododendrons are blooming all over the Florence area. We are two weeks away from the 105th Rhododendron Festival in Florence. Rhody Days, as the locals refer to it, is a great time to head to the coast and have some fun. Start your day with some golf at Sandpines, and check out the rest of festivities following your round. For more information about Rhody Days, click on the following link: 105th Rhododendron Festival.

Microdochium patch

The wet weather that we have been experiencing lately has been a perfect environment for Microdochium patch. We have treated for the disease, but when the conditions wet, and the turf is actively growing, the disease can still occur. There are some patches here and there, but they are not wide spread at this point. As always, we will be monitoring the disease daily, and take appropriate action as necessary. The drier weather in the forecast should help quite a bit.

Deer munching grass this morning on hole 13

The deer have been out on the course quite a bit lately. In about three weeks or so, we may get to enjoy some new fawns, roaming the course. This is always a great time of year to see all sorts of wildlife during your round, so you may want to bring your camera next time you play.

I captured the video above on Monday afternoon when we were aerating the driving range tee. If you watch closely, you can see dry sand coming up with some of the cores. This happens when the hydrophobic areas are aerated. Keep in mind, it was raining while I was making this video, and it hasn't exactly been a dry start to the year so far. The hydrophobic areas on the course are dry year round, they only show up as dry spots when the course begins to dry out. It is amazing to think the sand could be that dry despite all the rain we have had.