By Jeff Eldridge

The weather is beginning to warm, the grass is beginning to green, and the Golf Course Maintenance team has begun to transition from off-season project work to an in-season maintenance mode.

We have had a good off season of projects including mulching, tree trimming, bunker work, greens drainage and general overgrowth removal/clean up. The mulching of the golf course was much needed and has really improved the aesthetics of the course. Tree trimming has been completed on several holes and has improved plant health as well as playability in several areas. In the bunkers, we have gone through and checked sand depth, touched up edges and added sand as needed. As far as greens drainage, we are in the process of verifying that all the drain lines are functioning properly to help provide the best possible growing environment for our greens. The overgrowth has been addressed on several holes and, again, has helped improve aesthetics and playability as we head into the growing season.

As we move into spring, and thus into the mowing season, we are very excited to begin with some fantastic new pieces of equipment to help us care for the course. This month we will begin receiving several new pieces of equipment from Cushman^®, Wiedenmann^® and John Deere^® including carts, aerifying and verticutting equipment, and many different types of mowers. The mower selection includes fairway, rough, green and tee mowers that will help with quality and efficiency when we are out preparing these areas.

In addition to these new arrivals, one of the coolest equipment editions came last fall. This was the retrofitting of GPS spray technology to one of our existing Toro^® sprayers. Utilizing GPS signals, this sprayer automatically turns spray nozzles on and off as the sprayer travels over specific areas of the course. This results in reduced overlap, providing more accurate and safer applications of the many turf care products we apply to the golf course. This is our first foray into the exciting use of GPS technology on golf courses and although not completely autonomous, our sprayer is part of the growing movement towards self-driving golf course maintenance equipment. I know you will see the difference our new equipment will make on the golf course this year!

See you on the course,

Jeff Eldridge, CGCS

Jeff Eldridge is the Director of Agronomy at The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch. He can be reached at
jeldridge@cordilleraranch.com or 830.336.9179.