As we approach one month of golf remaining before construction, I would like to address the spraying of the course, and perhaps counter-intuitively, the care of it between now and April 5. Yes, it sounds funny. …spray the course with Roundup, but keep it growing! As a member of this community, and most likely a golfer, you can appreciate having a decent playing surface when you tee it up, so let’s talk about this.
The first time we spray Roundup, it will be about 5:15 AM on March 4 on the back 9. Since it needs 4 hours to dry, no one will make the turn from the front until after 9:15. Once it is dry, it is safe to play on. We will hand spray first, and although it will be early, our staff will be very careful about each neighborhood’s bordering landscape beds. I know some are concerned about overspray, but frankly, we see the landscapers spraying weed killer in those beds all the time, and our own staff hits weeded areas as well by hand all the time with no known problems. Also, don’t be surprised if the course starts to green back up after this first pass. Remember, we will NOT spray any greens out on the first application.
I have also been made aware of some comments like “why bother filling divots?” or “why fix ball marks?” They are just going to kill the course anyway. Please realize that we need the course to remain playable through March, and it is already starting to look pockmarked. Please help us keep it in shape during this process so that all can enjoy as long as possible.
Finally, I know that when the course closes and the bulldozers come out, some may try to get out on the course to see what’s going on. I implore you not to. The Board recently passed a motion for an automatic 90 day suspension of golf privileges (starting in Nov 2014) for any members seen out on the course during construction. There will be a lot of holes, broken pipe, and hidden dangers out there that could cause serious injury, and we want to avoid that. I know it seems harsh, but the Golf Committee felt that the penalty needed to be strong to keep people off the course.
As always, if you have a comment or question, leave it below. Thank you.
Mike
Springing Forward 
How will the spraying each time be done? Is it liquid or dry? I’m concerned about airborne chemicals if they use hoses from vehicles and spray wide areas or is the application right at ground level? Is it possible to tell us the expected condition week by week as applications proceed. This message was the first I heard about the back 9, no greens first time and the course “greening up” again. Will watering, cutting continue? How much run off will there be and how will that affect the lakes, fish and wildlife? Could we have a major fish kill?
Mrs. Rogers,
The product we will be using to eradicate the turf is called Roundup. This product is used extensively not only in our industry, but in the agricultural industry as well, to control weed populations between row crops. It is a very safe product and poses no harm to humans or aquatic animals. There is no risk of injury from dermal, ingestion or inhalation from this product.
The product will be applied using two boom type sprayers that will not be spraying close to landscape borders and lake banks. We will do a follow up application using a hand held sprayer in these areas that are closer to the landscape plantings. After the initial application, the turf will slowly turn brown with in 7 days and another application will be applied to make sure all the green plant tissues have been treated. We will continue to water and maintain these areas as normal until the final course closure.