Wet Periods - Cart Usage

 

One of our main priorities is for the members to have golf cart access to the course as much as possible.  I recognize there are many members that require a cart to be able play and enjoy the course.   On the other side of the equation is my responsibility to protect Northmoor's valuable asset, the golf course. 

Following a rainfall, I make a determination shortly after daylight as to the course condition.  If it is too wet for carts, I update the course condition line at  10 or 11 am or I send out an immediate change in cart availability via the  "raninedout.com" medium. 

Whether the course is open to carts later in the morning or the afternoon on a particular day depends on the drying conditions.   The course dries the best when the conditions are sunny, windy and warm.

 

The photo below says it all.   It has been a very wet month of June.

 

I am frequently asked why carts are allowed in the fairways and not the roughs following a rainfall

The reasons are: the red and blue fairways have drainage installed, the grass is mowed lower so it dries out faster and the fairways are smoother and more level than the roughs which have longer turf and numerous depressions that hold water long after the rain has stopped.

    Puddles and standing water in the depressions of the rough are one of the reasons we ask carts to stay in the drier fairways following a rainfall.

                                                                

There are many low areas on the course that do not have subsurface drainage installed.  Below, Ramiro is pumping out a depression on Blue # 5  that is still holding water 3 days after a rain.

   The photos below show exactly why we ask carts to stay on the paths certain days.  Golfers may not see or know the wet areas and cart traffic can damage the course.

 

We try to mow the roughs 3 times a week when weather permits.   The roughs are mowed with the large tractors pictured below.  During wet periods there are times when mowing is not possible without damaging the turf or leaving ruts also as shown below.  For this reason the roughs may be taller than normal until we can mow without damaging the turf.

There are days when the course is too wet even for our staff to drive on the turf.   Notice below how the work vehicles are parked on the path so as not to make tracks and ruts on the turf.