The Outer Banks weather so far this spring has sure left a lot to be desired. While we were experiencing unusually warm temperatures during the month of February , March has been very cold,windy and wet. Overall,we have had a relatively mild winter here and the bermudagrass was waking up from dormancy in February, then March came in with some of the coldest days we have seen all winter. We started aerifying the greens on the 13th and completed the front nine.The following two days brought rain,wind and cold temps which delayed doing the back nine until Thursday the 16th. We were able to complete the back nine and the practice green but temperatures since have not been very conducive for quick recovery. We hope to see some warmer weather moving in soon which will aid in getting the greens back in good shape for the approaching golf season.                Towards the end of 2016 and during the off season we have completed many projects aimed at improving the golf experience here at the Club. Extensive work was done inside and out at the clubhouse from window and flooring replacement to exterior painting and siding repairs. On the course we installed new irrigation pump stations and completed renovations to the pump house itself. The course restrooms were totally renovated both inside and out and new roofs added. Our maintenance building also received a new roof after damage from Hurricane Matthew. The cart bridge on the ninth hole was re-decked and main line irrigation piping alongside the bridge was replaced. We are currently in the process of adding some concrete patio space behind the clubhouse for outside seating and fire pits. It has been very nice to see these improvements and they will surely add value to the club experience.                                                                                                                     Despite the cold and wind today we are applying our first fertilizer application to the bermudagrass which,along with warmer temps, will get the turf energized and on the way to green-up. The staff has done a great job with winter weed control and the course is looking clean. We are also in the process of spraying our spring pre-emergent herbicide for goosegrass and crabgrass control. 2017 is shaping up to be a great year for The Currituck Club and we are looking forward to seeing some familiar faces out on the golf course.

The weather we have been waiting for all spring has finally arrived. This has been the first week of this year that we have had temperatures above 80 degrees. The bermudagrass does not really get going until the day time temps and the night time temps added together equal the number 150. We will see the course start to take shape and grow with the warmer temps and humidity. We have laid 4 truckloads of sod throughout the course on weak areas and winter kill. The sod has taken and is doing very well and has really improved some of the wear around greens complexes.We have planted over 2000 flowers this week in beds around the clubhouse and golf course to add a little color. The landscape beds have been mulched and are looking so much better. The mulch is not only aesthetically pleasing but it greatly reduces weed growth in the plant beds.We recently spread a 30-0-10 fertilizer on 105 acres of bermudagrass with an insecticide for season long grub control. The fertilizer along with some rainfall and the warmer temps have really improved the color of the course.We will be starting our irrigation injection program on June 1st and this will also increase the fertility and allow for better water penetration into our sand soils here. We will be doing our second greens aerification of the year on June 1st and 2nd to get the greens ready for the coming summer temperatures and stress. We will be using 1/2" hollow coring tines and topdressing with sand afterward. The greens usually take 2-3 weeks to recover with good weather. Overall it is shaping up to be a great year on the golf course so get out there and have some fun!

As the end of March approaches the warmer weather we were experiencing has turned back cold for a few days with wind and rain. Luckily we were able to get our first greens aerification of the year completed with out this weather affecting our work. The greens turned out well and as the weather changes back to more spring like temperatures, they should heal up nicely. We have a couple of projects taking place in mid April thru mid May this year that will greatly improve the look of the course. First, we will be replacing both of our irrigation pump stations. Our current pump stations have deteriorated to the point that they need to be replaced with new ones. The new stations will be much more efficient and will provide better pressure to the far reaches of the back nine holes. The new stations have been ordered and are being built now. We should be taking delivery of the new stations in mid April. The install process will involve taking out the front wall of the pump house on hole number 3 to allow for the removal of the old stations and the installation of the new ones. The pump house will then be re-constructed with any rotten wood replaced and a new coat of paint applied. We will also be installing a new line for the filter flush on the effluent station. We have to up size the current flush line which is two inch to a larger four inch line. This will involve trenching a line from the pump house to the effluent pond on hole number 6. There should be minimal disruption to the course during this time and we are looking forward to having the new equipment. We will also be improving the right side of the 17th hole this spring. We plan to remove several trees around the fairway trap which cause winter kill to the bermuda due to shade. We will be reshaping the trap and adding new sand and sod around the bunker. This will improve turf conditions along the right side of the hole and provide a much cleaner look to this hole from the tee. We are excited about these improvements and looking forward to a great season here at The Currituck Club.

Welcome to 2016

Well, it has been an unusual Fall season with the temperatures being so warm late in to the year. We have been mowing the short grass on fairways and tees the last two months when historically the bermuda is very dormant this time of year. We have to change our weed control strategies this year as it looks as though the bermuda may not go completely dormant. We usually are able to spray Round-up late in the winter to cleanup any remaining poa annua and broadleaf weeds. This year we will be spraying a product called Revolver on the tees and fairways which is much safer to use on semi-dormant bermuda grass. This product works very well to control winter broadleaf weeds and poa which is our major issue this year since the fall has been so wet.                                                                                                                                           We have also installed silt fencing around some of our sand traps that are most exposed to the Northeast prevailing winds. While this fencing may be temporarily unsightly, it helps to contain the wind blown sand that ultimately causes some winter kill damage around the trap faces. This sand is very labor intensive to clean up each spring so the fencing is necessary and with our low volume of golf play this time of year, not too intrusive. The fencing will be removed as play starts to resume in the spring.                                                   Another focus for the maintenance staff as we go through the off season, is to work on some details like the landscape beds. The beds are being raked out and sprayed for weeds as staffing allows and we are hoping to put an experienced landscape person in place this year to keep them clean and weed free.                          We have also begun making applications to the greens to suppress the poa annua that we deal with in the  early part of the year. This application of a growth regulator along with our spring apps of a poa suppressing fungicide will help us to manage the seed heads that the poa produces in early spring.                                     There are plans to lay sod to repair any remaining winter-kill damage from 2015 as the weather allows in May/June of 2016. Lets hope that with the warmer temps this winter we will have little or no winter-kill damage this year. Looking forward to a great 2016 on the golf course. Get out there and play some golf and take advantage of this weather!

Happy New Year

It is the second day of the new year 2015 and we are hard at work on our usual winter projects. The staff is busy clearing all of the natural areas on the property as we do annually. We will continue to work on these areas through the winter as well as prunning the live oaks on the course. Our main focus right now is completing our winter weed control spraying. Assistant Superintendent Rob Romney is currently spraying simazine on the course "wall to wall" for winter broadleaf weeds and small poa annua plants. We will also be treating the collars around the greens with glyphosate (round-up) to clean up some of the stray bentgrass and clumpy poa plants. During the month of Feburary we will follow up the simazine application with another "wall to wall" application of Round-up to clean up whatever gets past the simazine which is mostly poa annua at that time. So far the winter weather has been pretty mild but I get the feeling that January and Feburary could get brutaly cold so get out there and enjoy the course before the temps get too cold. 

As I type this it is currently 33 degrees outside here in Corolla. It is the first time it has gotten above freezing during the last 36 hours. Sure is a big difference from what we experience around here during the summer months.It was 16 degrees for most of the day yesterday and needless to say not much golf being played. Despite the cold temps, the maintenance staff has been hard at work on some of our annual winter projects. Our Forman Carmen Castle has been using the new bush-hog mower we got last year to cut down the natural areas around the property. This really opens up some views and provides the hard core ball hockers the opportunity to collect some golf balls. This cultural practice is absolutly necessary for the long term health and asthetics of these areas.We will be working hard this spring to control unwanted weed growth in these spots and return these areas to natural grass features. Our Assistant Superintendent Robert Romney has also been quite busy utilizing our front deck mower to help the clearing effort in some of these smaller areas. We have to work certain areas at certain times, especially the sound side spots. These areas become very wet or very dry based on how much wind is blowing the water in or out or east or west as it may be. When the northeast wind blows the water out we can really get deeper into these areas along the sound with our equipment without the risk of becoming stuck.If the wind blows from the west these areas become very soggy due to all the water being pushed in. Our other maintenance staffers Jay Roberson, Austin Rubado and Bill Rouson have been doing alot of hand clearing in the areas that we can not get equipment into such as pond edges and around bridges.I would like to say a thank you to our entire maintenance staff for working so hard to get these projects done. We will in the coming weeks be working on winter poa control in the bermuda grass and around the greens complexes. Re-working landscape beds and install of our new tee amenities is also on the list for the rest of the winter. It may be cold but the greens are rolling fast and true and you might just have the golf course to yourself this time of the year so get out on the warmer days and enjoy the course.

As some of you that have played lately may have noticed, we have had a contractor doing the repairs to our cart paths during the past two weeks. The damaged areas at #4 fwy and #9 tee have been repaired and the contractor is currently in the process of tearing out areas on #3. We will be completing some of the areas on the back nine such as #13,#15 and #16 while we are closed for aerification on the 29th of May so as not to inconvienience players. These repairs will be a huge improvement to our cart paths and should provide a much smoother ride around the course. Our aerification will take place on the 28th and 29th, right after Memorial Day. We will be punching the greens with a 1/2" hollow coring tine and topdressing and rolling the greens afterwards. The greens are growing well and should heal quickly with Mother Nature's help. I would also like to welcome our new Assistant Superintendent Robert Romney to The Currituck Club. Rob comes to us from The Pete Dye Golf Club in West Virginia and is a graduate of the University of Maryland.Welcome Rob and we look forward to providing members and guests with the best course conditions possible this season. Get out there and play some golf and please remember to repair your divots and ball marks. Thank you. Mike Terry - GCS