The New Range TeeI receive a number of questions and comments regarding the quality of hitting surface on the range tee. This overhead photo says it all. On May the 28th, before our memberships begins to actively utilize the golf course, the front half of the bottom tier of the range tee has already been "churned up" with divots. At this time the soil temperatures are barely warm enough to germinate new seed much less have it come up and rapidly fill in the divots.
We rotate from the front to the back of the range tee 3 to 4 times a year. In essence, we are growing 3 or 4 new stands of grass each summer. This process would be similar to a home owner planting, killing, and re-planting their lawn 3 or 4 times in a single growing season. You can see how the turf does not have the ability to gain a significant degree of maturity until it is time to hit off of it again.
Our range tee receives more use than any private club I have ever seen. We re-seed the used portion of the tee every night after the range closes but it can take 4 to 8 weeks for the seed to germinate and mature depending on the times of the year and the soil temperatures. We take every measure to expedite the maturation process but we cannot defy Mother Nature or the inherent growth & physiological characteristics of the grass plant.
