Native Areas

Native Area between #15 and #16

Over the last couple of years, we have been in the process of transitioning some of our out of the way locations to a reduced maintenance Native Area.  The benefits are numerous, from financial savings to creating a more aesthetically interesting golf course.

As we started the process we knew that getting the grasses established would be a work in progress that wouldn't happen in one season.  The difficulty we have faced is finding the right blend of grasses that will handle the mix of full sun and shade. Initially, we started with a blend of Fine Fescue.  This past summer of extreme heat and minimal rainfall, proved to be too much for a good portion of the newly established grasses.

Over the winter we worked with an individual from Kansas State who helped us make changes to the selection of grasses for these areas.  The blend we have selected to go along with our existing Fine Fescue is:  Buffalo Grass, Blue Grama, and Sideoats Grama.  This blend of grasses should ultimately handle the hotter, drier conditions better; although they are more difficult to establish compared to the Fine Fescue.

Moving forward, we are open to suggestions.  There may be areas that we add to the list for converting to native.  Likewise, there may be areas that are coming into play that need to be reduced or eliminated. 

As many of you already know, we are in the process of gathering information for the Long Range Master Plan of the golf course.  If you would like to offer comments or suggestions regarding the Native Areas we have placed the hole by hole evaluations around the club in different locations.  Any feedback you would like to give would be much appreciated.

More Rain!

After a dry start this year, things are slowly inching back to normal.  Over the last couple of days we have received close to an inch of rain.  According to the forecast, we may have more rain coming on Friday and possibly through the weekend.

Carts are currently restricted to the paths, although we hope to switch it back to the 90 degree rule later on today.

Rain....Finally!

After several months with minimal moisture, we finally received a good slow soaker this morning.  So far we have measured .82" of rain, with possibly more to follow.

At this point, the golf course is very wet.  We did have some washouts in the bunkers, but overall the course handled the rain just fine.

We will have carts restricted to the paths today.  I would expect this to be all day, but we will check throughout the day to see how things are drying.

Brown is the New Green?

Over the last several years, the golf industry has been working to encourage the change from managing golf courses for aesthetics to practices that encourage a focus on playability.  The days of wall to wall lush, green turf are slowly transitioning to the acceptance of a little more brown.


The USGA, along with most all golf associations, is behind the push for more sustainable golf courses.  Reducing water consumption and inputs such as fertilizer and pesticides not only save courses money, but also lead to firmer, more playable conditions.  Some would say, getting golf back to the way it was meant to be played.


At Wichita Country Club, our focus over the last few years has been limitiing our water usuage.  As water rates continue to rise each year, it only makes since to push the limit on how dry we can keep the course without negatively affecting the health of the turf.  We are limited with how far we can push the envelope on Poa/bent greens and cool season rough in the middle of a hot summer.  However, with the Zoysia faiways and Intermediate rough, we have managed to reduce the water inputs significantly.

What we are finding is that a few small changes can make a big difference.  We still use a large volume of water on an annual basis, fertilizer and pesticides will always be needed; however, we feel small steps in reducing our inputs without negatively affecting the playability is a step in the right direction. 

Soil Sensors....Part II



Probing and Watering on #8 green

Armed with data from our sensors that were installed in several greens along with information from our handheld sensors, we are evaluating our current management practices (specifically watering practices) in an effort to produce the surface we desire on a consistent basis.

For starters, the main thing we know is that the greens at WCC are very much consistently inconsistent.  The ability of the greens to retain moisture, as well as move excess moisture through the profile varies dramatically from green to green.  Keep in mind, with our type of green, excess moisture = soft greens.  

What we are finding is, in order to dial in our moisture content from green to green, the only way to get there is through the use of the sensors directing hand watering on a daily basis.  Although we will still have a use for the overhead irrigation  for the occasional deep water, we are finding the sprinklers are leading to too much variability between the wet areas and the dry areas.

Prior to using this technology our focus was directed more at the obviously dry areas.  Now we are able to focus more on the wet areas with an understanding of how wet we actually are and how long it takes us to get to our desired moisture content.

What does all this mean...our hope is that it leads to reduced water usage, and firmer, healthier greens.