Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Course Vandalism 1/18/11

We experienced an act of vandalism on the course overnight Sunday, January 16, 2011.  The damage occurred to the green surfaces on holes 4, 8, 10, 11 & 16.

We have taken sample plugs of the affected areas and are having soil analysis done to determine the chemical profile of the substance used.  This will help us determine the course of action to correct the damage.  The odor profile we can detect leads us to believe the common chemical Round Up was used.  We are basing our actions on that assumption until the lab results are back in a few days.

Monday morning when the vandalism was noticed, our first course of action was to treat the area with activated charcoal.  This treatment is placed in direct contact of the affected area and begins to neutralize the chemical on the surface and as it penetrates the soil, treats the sub-surface area as well.  After 24 hours, the activated charcoal is deep watered to flush it through the soil and stripping the root mass of all chemicals…both detrimental and beneficial nutrients.  These steps have been completed.

Moving forward we will “spike” the affected area, introduce seed, top dress with sand and then have an aggressive supplement and fertilizer schedule for these areas.  Once we complete this process we will monitor progress daily and weekly to determine if plugging some areas would aide in the healing process.  We are confident this will be the best course of action delivering the best outcome.  Do to the sensitive sub-surface and the delicate grading of the greens, it is very desirable not to strip and sod these sections.

To our Members who live in the neighborhood and on the course.  If you saw anything strange that night and can identify location or person, we would truly love to hear that information.

Kindest regards

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