OCTOBER 2026 REPORT

Fall Golf & Setting Up for Next Season

Despite a later start to the golf season this spring, we're optimistic that Mother Nature will help us make up for some lost time this fall. With a strong El Niño pattern expected to bring warmer-than-normal conditions, it looks like the good weather will carry through the rest of the season and give members and guests plenty of chances to enjoy some great fall golf.

On that note, our greens have received an exceptional amount of positive feedback in recent weeks, with many members describing them as some of the best they’ve experienced at St. Marys Golf. Fall conditions play an important role in this performance, as cooler temperatures and lower humidity support firmer, faster, more consistent greens. With turf growth naturally slowing this time of year, the putting surfaces maintain their pace and playability throughout the day. We’re proud of the condition of our greens as we head into the final weeks of the season.

FALL MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE

• Tuesday, October 20 to Friday, October 23: Hole 9 green surrounds renovation
• Tuesday, October 27: Back 9 greens aeration (9 holes playable)
• Wednesday, October 28: Front 9 greens aeration (9 holes playable)
• Thursday, October 29 and Friday, October 30: Front 9 fairway aeration (front 9 closed)
• From Sunday, November 1: Aerwaying the full course, tee to green

GREENS

Greens aeration is scheduled for October 27 (Back 9) and October 28 (Front 9), and this year we are taking a slightly different approach. We will be using ¾-inch solid tines, with sand applied both before and after aeration. This lets us work more sand deeper into the soil profile while keeping surface disruption to a minimum. The goal is to keep improving soil structure and encourage deeper, healthier roots, setting our greens up for continued success next season and beyond. Only 9 holes will be playable on each of these days.

TEES

We recently completed core aeration on all teeing areas, followed by topdressing and overseeding. This relieves the compaction built up over the season, improves soil structure, and encourages new turf growth. For the rest of the season, we will also continue expanding the edges of select tees, which may cause some scalping. This will make the most of our usable teeing space and give us larger, healthier tees heading into next season.

FAIRWAYS

On October 29 and 30, Zander Sod will be on site to core aerate the fairways on Holes 1 to 9. Along with relieving compaction, this lets us keep improving the soil in areas affected by silt deposits from previous flooding. After aeration, the fairways will be drag-matted, overseeded, and topdressed with sand. This is an important part of our long-term plan to strengthen the fairways and help them stand up to hot, dry summer conditions. The front 9 will be closed while this work is completed, and we plan to core aerate holes 10 to 18 next year.

Beginning November 1, we will also start aerwaying the entire course from tee to green. This further relieves compaction and creates channels for water to move through, improving drainage and setting the course up for a strong start next spring.

HOLE 9 GREEN SURROUNDS RENOVATION

A significant project this fall is the renovation of the surrounds on Hole 9 green, scheduled for October 20 to 23. HK Golf Services will be helping us remove the existing rootzone in the affected areas, soften and reshape the surrounds, install a more suitable soil profile, and finish the area with new sod. Rather than continuing with smaller repairs that take years to show results, we are rebuilding these areas properly from the ground up so we can fix the underlying issues once and for all.

TREE MANAGEMENT

Tree maintenance is another key focus of our fall projects. We’ll be raising the canopies of select trees throughout the property and selectively removing those that are dead, declining, or negatively impacting turf health, sunlight exposure, airflow, or playability.

One of the more noticeable improvements will be around the Hole 5 teeing area, where trees between the white tee block and cart path will be removed. This will increase sunlight and airflow, improve sightlines, and create a more open view and clearer shot from the back (blue) tee.