Quote:
Originally Posted by Taj44
We've been listening to the litany "the courses need to mature" for years now. Guess what, Havana was built after Cane and Mallory and was in better condition than either of those courses all winter long, inspite of the increased play it got over either Cane or Mallory. Why? Because they watered the heck out of it. Every time I've gone by the past month or two, they're plying it with water.. Todd Basso said they had a pump out of order for 2 weeks at Mallory. I mean, don't you think a pump can be replaced a little faster than that? I live near Mallory and have seen virtually no watering for months now. Yet every time I ride by Havana or Palmer they are getting hammered with water. If they know they have a watering problem, why don't they build additional water retention basins? And what about the decision to just not overseed Hacienda at all? Hacienda is one of the nicest layouts around, and they just didn't bother to overseed it. I too have served on greens committees, and understand the basics of turf management, as well as the $$$ considerations that go into golf course maintenance. Todd Basso actually told a friend of mine that Palmer and Cane Garden get the same amount of water. Sorry, but that just doesn't ring true.
|
Taj - If you want to think TV is intentionally, through mismanagement or apathy, degrading the course conditions, I'm not going to change your mind, nor will try. But that, to use your term, doesn't ring true, either.
It's a fact that Havana benefited from the timing of its overseed. I think it was seeded just after Palmer and got the little bit of rain that we had in the fall to help germination. Cane did not. Hacienda was not overseeded in the fairways because its water supply is very limited. I think there are only two retention ponds on the entire 27 holes that can be used for golf irrigation. There was not enough water to do the fairways. If they spread seed and didn't water, people would be complaining anyway. They didn't just not "bother" to overseed. They also had planned to overseed the par 4 fairways on the executive courses, but that didn't happen because of water limitations.
Sorry. I don't agree with everything that happens around TV, but I cannot buy a conspiracy against the golfers in this community. It just isn't in the best interests of the developer in trying to sell homes. Think about it. That's the busy season for visits and sales. Do you really think they would be comfortable knowing the courses are in mediocre shape when they could have made them better?
I suggest you go to Golf the Villages and read the article under Turf Talk regarding overseeding. water, and rain run-off. It explains what happened and what we could expect.