Decatur Country Club

On Monday, October 18, 2010, the Decatur Country Club will be conducting a procedure on our Golf Greens known as a Deep-penetrating Drill & Fill Process. Please review below the purpose of this process, the timeframe, and the return of the greens to playability.

The Decatur Country Club greens surfaces are approaching 20 years of age. Over time, if courses are not aerified/watered regularly, the greens sub-surface develops thatch. Thatch begins to shorten and choke the depth of root growth, and under any harsh weather condition (hot or cold) the grass roots are greatly susceptible to disease and/or death. The DCC greens surfaces have such a thatch issue – hence why our greens are aerified as often as they are.

A deep-penetrating drill & fill procedure (8 inches) drills four inches below the thatch line, and replaces the displaced soil with a dry sand and porcelain-based soil amendment. A soil amendment is any material added to a soil to improve its physical properties, such as water retention, permeability, water infiltration, drainage, and gas exchange. The goal is to provide a better environment for root growth and heartiness.

2010 has been extreme on two ends – both an extremely harsh winter, followed by an extremely harsh summer. These two factors, on top of the current age of our greens, have stressed our surfaces near the point of total loss. This process will mitigate any further loss, and will add a few more years to our current surface structure. It is 100% necessary, and if we were not to accomplish this process, and were met with another extreme weather season – all would be lost.

This is not an inexpensive process, however, it pales in comparison to the cost of a full surface replacement… (approximately $10,000 compared to $475,000).

This procedure will begin and end on Monday, October 18, 2010. There may be a small amount of clean-up required on Tuesday – however, it will be on the Back 9, and will be completed well before anyone makes the turn. The greens will be playable on Tuesday, and for approximately 7-10 days the greens will play as if they had just been top-dressed.

We had to pick this time of year for two reasons – allowing the greens to de-stress a bit from such an extreme summer, and to have a few weeks when the roots are still growing to prep them for the winter months ahead.

We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause, however, this is an extremely necessary “course of action” (no pun intended) to ensure the continued health and playability of our greens surfaces.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.  Should you wish to be a part of the process – please let John Dupes know - he’ll be delighted to find a spot for you to either witness or assist.