Heron Executive Course
 

I just played Heron, always my favorite course because of the scenery and the condition of the course. What a disappointment, the areas around the traps were awful, the greens were bad, the tees were in terrible shape and there were many bare spots with little or no grass. Whoever is maintaining this course is doing a terrible job, I suggest they get help from whoever is taking care of Turtle Mound which is in great shape.

well now that the pigs are gone............................................

The contractor who had Heron and Pelcan has been replaced recently because the conditions on both courses were below expectations. There is a lot of work to do to bring them back, especially during the always frustrating transition between overseed and base bermuda. Please be patient. IIRC, the company that does Bogart and Bacall now has Pelican and Heron.

This is my fifth April here and usually this time of year, the courses are all brown because it's one of the driest months of the year. I think normally we get just over 2 inches in April. Driving by Sand Hill and Turtle Mound this morning I noticed how green they were. I just checked and we've had 4.35 inches of rain so far this month, which is almost double. So it hasn't been for lack of water.

That's good to hear. Thanks for the update.

Thanks for the info. So, all of the courses are taken care of by different contractors? I would have thought it would have been a corporation owned by the developer; guess I'll learn more interesting things when I get there full time in May.

The district (for courses above 466 plus the Pimlico group) and GMS (for the rest) have used multiple outside maintenance companies on the executive courses. These companies have contracts for specific courses and are continuously evaluated as to the quality of their work. If standards are not met, the contract is not renewed. There are a lot of companies that would love to get involved, and those that are would love to have more courses (and a larger contract). They have whittled it down to four companies for the execs at this time.

Thanks. So who takes care of the championship courses?

Same people. Same process. One interesting thing that's happening as they have reduced the number of contractors is there is more cooperation between them. Sharing equipment is the major thing. So that a piece that is not used much, but is still desirable, can be owned by one company and shared by another. Helps keep costs down for everyone and improve conditions.

You are very knowledgeable. Thanks for the info. :ho: