Belle Haven Country Club Agronomy

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October 16, 2026

Golf Course Maintenance Agronomy Update October 16, 2026 Bermuda Grass & Bunker Project If I keep quiet about the rain, maybe it will take the hint. We have now had rain six weekends in a row, but next week is finally looking dry and we are ready to make the most of it. Bunkers It was a full and productive week on holes 11 and 12. On Monday the construction crew installed erosion and sediment control around the greens, and by that afternoon the county had approved us to begin work. Tuesday split the crew in two: one group stripped sod and demolished the old bunkers around the greens on 11 and 12, while the other removed the E&S control at the 12 fairway bunker and the 15 green surround so we could lay two loads of sod Wednesday morning. Wednesday went to plan. The crew sodded about 90% of the 12 fairway and 15 green surround, and those two bunkers were sprayed with Better Billy that afternoon. In the meantime, the bunkers on 12 green and 11 green we...

October 08, 2026

Agronomy Update – October 9, 2026 Bermuda Grass & Bunker Project I know I sound like a broken record about the rain we're bracing for our fourth straight Sunday with it but the construction crew keeps pushing forward, and the progress shows. Sodding Sodding is starting to wind down as we shift our attention to the bunkers. By the end of Saturday, the crew will have laid six truckloads of sod. Most of it went down on 15 fairway and in the rough surrounding the fairway bunkers, with one truckload installed around the 12 fairway bunker. Bunkers Ahead of last Saturday's rain, the crew covered the bunkers on 15 fairway to keep them as dry as possible. They pulled the covers Monday and got to work on drainage, installing gravel in preparation for the Better Billy spray on Tuesday. Monday was also a busy day for planning: we scheduled a site inspection with the county so we could install erosion and sediment control for the greenside bunkers on holes 11, 12, and 15...

October 02, 2026

Agronomy Update – October 2, 2026 Bermuda Grass & Bunker Project Rain set us back early in the week, but the crew made up the lost ground and then some. Sodding Nine truckloads of sod went down this week, 90,000 square feet. That wrapped up holes 4, 7 (all but the spot reserved for the new fairway bunker) and 3, with work now underway on the 11th fairway. We're in the home stretch: holes 11, 12, 15 and 18 are on next week's schedule. Holes 2 and 5 are the deliberate exceptions those get sodded as part of the bunker work on each hole, so the two projects stay in step. A question I've been asked more than once: what happens to the ground after the sod is cut? The crew solid tine aerifies the disturbed areas, applies compost, fertilizer and soil amendments, then drags the surface smooth. It's a full reset of the soil profile before anything new goes down which is why the fairways that come back are healthier than the ones they replaced. Aerating before new ...

September 25, 2026

Agronomy Update – September 25, 2026 Bermuda Grass & Bunker Project Rain set the pace this week, and the crew worked around it to keep the project moving. Sodding We started Monday on 4 fairway near the small pond by the green. That stretch tends to stay wet, so with rain in the forecast it made sense to tackle it first. Three loads of sod arrived by 11 a.m. Monday, and the crew had it all laid by 5 p.m. just ahead of the heavy rain. A second crew spent the day piecing in the small dead areas on 7 fairway. Thursday, once things dried out enough, the crew began stripping 16 fairway. Two trucks of Bentgrass arrived Friday, with two more loads coming Saturday. The sod farm was too wet to cut big-roll sod, so we worked with pallets instead. By week's end, 7 truckloads or 70,000 square feet of sod will be installed. Sod crew installing Bentgrass on 16 fairway. The fairways on 1 and 8 have rooted in well enough for their first mowing. We cut them about ¼ inch hig...

September 18, 2026

Agronomy Update – September 18, 2026 Bermuda Grass & Bunker Project It was a productive week on the course, and progress is easy to see. Sodding McDonald & Sons mobilized Monday morning with four crews, beginning with erosion and sediment control installation around the fairway bunkers on holes 8 and 15. We received approval to move forward in those areas Tuesday morning, and the sod removal crew started on hole 8 that same day. The first load of bentgrass went down Tuesday afternoon, and by Wednesday hole 8's fairway was fully sodded. The crew then shifted to hole 1, where sodding will wrap up by Saturday. This team will have installed 12 truckloads 120,000 square feet, or 2.75 acres of new sod. A second sod crew has been working through the smaller killed areas across the fairways, covering holes 1, 8, 13, 14, and 15. This team has been reusing sod located inside the erosion and sediment control fenced area. 1 load of Bentgrass prior to installation (...

September 11, 2026

GOLF COURSE UPDATE End-of-Summer Golf Course Improvement Plan Update 2025 – 2026 Bermuda Remediation, Bunker Renovation Phase 2 & Front-Nine Resequencing Dear Members, Over the next several months, the golf course will see substantial activity as we carry out three key projects that are central to our long-term capital improvement program. These efforts the Bermuda grass remediation, Phase 2 of the bunker renovation, and the front-nine resequencing reflect priorities identified through ongoing course planning and your feedback. While each project will create some temporary disruption, the cumulative benefit will be a healthier, more enjoyable, and better flowing course for seasons to come. The details below explain what to expect, why the timing matters, and how play will be affected. What Members Should Expect Our project schedule begins September 14 and continues through early spring. Once work is underway, members can plan for the following conditions: ...