Golf Course Maintenance Newsletter

Brian Buckner - Director of Agronomy - October 2023

We are all so glad that our brutally hot summer has come to an end, and although it's faint, you can feel the seasons changing with slightly cooler mornings and just a hint of lower humidity. It was a long summer for the agronomy department, but our team did a great job managing the courses in the face of record heat, extreme drought, and more than a few hurdles to negotiate. But in the past few weeks, we have been blessed with some timely rain, and we are very grateful for that.

This time of the year is critical for agronomy as we apply several key pre-emergent herbicides to the courses. These applications will be crucial for us in our war against winter weeds and providing the best course conditions possible. We began the applications in September and will continue them through November.

Here's a quick video from the USGA on the fun topic of weeds:

Some of you may be aware already, but I am excited to announce that we have a new superintendent on the Weiskopf course. His name is John Powell, and he most recently spent the past five years at Santa Maria Golf Course in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He has also had the privilege to intern at Baltusrol Golf Club and Cherokee Town and Country Club. He brings some great experience with him, and we are excited to have him on board. Please welcome John here when you see him on the course.

Keep an eye on our Agronomy Blog throughout the month. I'll be updating it regularly and keeping you informed of the maintenance practices and projects we have planned or are currently underway on the golf courses. Save this link and stop by from time to time: https://bentwatergc.wordpress.com/. If you follow it, you'll get an email automatically sent to you every time the blog is updated.

Be sure to take precautions during this extreme stretch of heat, and I'll see you out on the course!

Brian Buckner

Director of Agronomy