Spring Comes Early: Are your golf course’s bermuda grasses ready?

Spring can sneak up on your fast — especially if you’re in charge of maintaining a golf course. Now is the time to make sure your course’s bermuda grasses and bunker sand are ready.

Here are some things you’ll need to address before the warm weather hits.

Topdressing and Bermuda Grasses

Topdressing this time of year is a must. It’s likely that the mild winter has caused the bermuda grasses on your greens to start growing sooner than previous years. USGA topdressing helps with smoothing the putting surface and aids in recent off-season renovations or cut changes made to greens. This time of year is perfect for setting application frequency and selecting an ideal topdressing for your course.

Divot Sand

With damp spring conditions and above average temps, it’s important to emphasize the use of divot sand. It’s likely your course grounds have certain areas of soil saturation. For most courses, this means you’ll be seeing bigger divots both on the fairways and greens. Having optimized divot sand can motivate growth of your bermuda grasses, increase course health and allow your course to handle the increased load of early spring play.

Address Bunker Sand Issues

The South, like other areas around the country, has seen ample precipitation. It’s likely that precipitation impacted your bunker sand in various ways. With heavy rain, bunker sand can be displaced to low lying areas or compact, making play unnecessarily difficult. Grooming bunkers in the early season will let you see the impact a mild, wet winter has had on your course and allow you to make any needed changes to the sand for the remainder of the season. Having groomed and playable bunkers can make play more enjoyable for your patrons and less stressful for your grounds crew going forward.

Need help getting your course in top shape?

River Sand Inc. specializes in golf course sands and materials along the precise USGA sand standards. That means you’ll have the most beneficial and playable sand available today. Whether you’re looking for high-grade divot sand to help with post-play repairs or replacing old greenside bunkers, you’ll find what you need at River Sand Inc. For questions about any of golf-specific products or to receive a quote on any of our sand applications, contact us today.