Aerification

We have our first aerification of the year coming up on Monday and Tuesday, April 8 & 9.  This will be a deep-tine operation which means a 3/4 inch diameter x 10 inch deep core will be removed every 3 inches.  This deep aerification on the greens will encourage root growth by allowing for more gas and water exchange  to take place deeper in the soil profile.  The benefits of aerification are many, including improved air and water exchange which helps rooting, thatch removal which allows for more efficient water infiltration into the soil profile which helps decrease surface wettness and sponginess and minor compaction relief.  Once the cores are pulled, the greens will get cleaned off, heavily topdressed with sand to fill the holes and smooth the surface and rolled.  The following pictures are from a similar aerification we did last April.

deep tine aerifier

material cleanup

dragging sand into the holes

green cleaned and ready for play

New driving range tee line.

Update

The new surface is down on the left side of the tee.

The new tee line is taking shape.  The rock border on the left side is complete.

Herb Garden

Thanks to the Bay Oaks Garden Club the herb garden is planted and growing.

New sod on short game area

We are busy sodding the short game area today.

New tee line

The old concrete tee line on the left is removed.  The next step is to prep for the new base for the new line.

Wet

Yesterday we received .6 inches of rain bringing our total for the year to 5.75 inches.  The golf course is wet and we are CART PATH ONLY.  Thank you.

Birds of Bay Oaks

On Monday January 14th we performed our second bird survey on the golf course and grounds.  In addition to the wonderful member help we have received  I got hooked up with two gentlemen from the Attwater Praire Chicken Refuge (attwater.org) who are very knowledgeable about birds and who have been extremely helpful in getting the survey's done.  Taken from attwater.org: Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge (APCNWR), located approximately 60 miles west of Houston, Texas, is one of the largest remnants of coastal prairie habitat remaining in southeast Texas and home to one of the last populations of the critically endangered Attwater’s prairie chicken, a ground-dwelling grouse of the coastal prairie ecosystem. The refuge is one of a handful of national wildlife refuges managed specifically for an endangered species (attwater.org).  

Our area of Texas has one of the most diverse bird populations in the world.  Our coastal location along the central migratory flyway makes this a prime location to see birds of many species.  Counting the two surveys we have performed roughly 90 species of birds have been identified on the Bay Oaks Country Club property.  One of the birds in particular was a Golden-crowned Kinglet.  The gentlemen who spotted the bird in the front entrance of the club is a Past President of the Houston Audubon Society and an avid birder with years of experience.  The Golden-crowned Kinglet he  spotted in the club entrance is the first one he has spotted in Harris County.  That is special.  Here are some highlights of the Golden-crowned Kinglet.

© Kelly Azar
The Golden-crowned Kinglet is an extremely active tiny bird, barely larger than a hummingbird, which gets its name from the yellow stripe surrounded by black on its head.  It's migrates from Alaska and Canada where it breeds in the summer to Texas and Northern Mexico during the winter.  They breed in spruce and fir forests and feed on insects.  An interesting fact about the bird is that the female only feeds its young through their first day leaving the nest then she starts laying her second set of eggs.  The male Kinglet takes over feeding duties of the first brood, which may contain 8 or 9 young.