Last Thursday, January 3, 2019, golf course maintenance requested the closure of the golf course after the morning shotgun. The purpose was to administer a mole cricket chemical treatment to the golf course. Mole crickets have been damaging to our course in recent years and it has been very costly to control the outbreaks. The application made last week is a one-time cost to the club and warrantied, meaning if we experience any outbreaks in the areas that they treated within the 2019 calendar year, the company will give us the chemical to retreat the affected areas free of charge. This should reduce the amount of chemical we use to treat for mole crickets significantly, as well as reduce the money spent to control them as well. The chemical application has left us with some minor damage to the turf. Many of you have seen and questioned the brown lines on the course. This is a direct result of the way the chemical has to be applied to the golf course. The chemical was slit into the ground using metal disks.

When the disks slice into the tur they do cut the roots of the turf a little and it pulls up a bit. This slicing does initially stress the grass out, causing the brown strips you see on the golf course. I understand this is a little unsightly, but the turf will heal up in a couple weeks and will be back to looking great. Please bear with us during this healing process as we are doing everything in our power to provide the best playing conditions possible and are working diligently to make the golf course as perfect and beautiful as we can. We thank you for your understanding and patience.

Sincerely,

Benjamin S. Hanshew
Spring Run Golf Club
Superintendent