1.21.22

Members and Staff of RCC, 

I would like to take this opportunity to inform all of you that I will be leaving Ridgewood in February. I have chosen to accept the position of Golf Course Superintendent at Dallas Athletic Club. I can assure you that this was not an easy decision nor was it entered into lightly. However, I feel that this is the best move for my family and we are excited to begin a new chapter. 

I am thankful to have had the opportunity to serve as your golf course superintendent for the last nine years. Working for RCC has been an amazing opportunity for me and my family. I will miss many things about RCC, but none more so than the incredible people that I have had the pleasure of working for and with over the years. 

There is no doubt that Ridgewood is a unique place. I have always felt that the golf course has unlimited potential, and I am confident that the upcoming renovation in 2023 will be a success. Having spent several years developing these plans with the leadership of RCC and Tripp Davis – I firmly believe that the improvements are necessary and that they will take Ridgewood to the next level.

Finally, I want to assure the membership that I am dedicated to the success of Ridgewood both now and in the future. I will do everything in my power to make the transition process as smooth as possible. Thank you again for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Travis Moore

Golf Course Superintendent

4.2.21 Golf Course Update with Shareholders Presentation

Golf Course Update 4.2.21

Thank you for visiting our turfgrass maintenance blog. The slideshow below was originally presented to the membership of RCC at the annual shareholder's meeting on March 31st, 2021. It has been slightly modified for web presentation. This presentation provides a quick overview of work that has been done since the 2019 Shareholder's meeting (2020 meeting cancelled due to COVID) and goes into more detail about current course conditions and challenges - specifically the impact of February's historic freeze. Please take a few minutes to watch and let me know if you have any questions or comments. Try using the full screen option for best viewing. 

Course Update 5.7.19

All in a MONDAY's work.....

Mondays are one of our busiest and most critical maintenance days days for completing maintenance work on the course. Yesterday was our first "closed" day in about three weeks, and with more rain in the forecast - we needed to make the most out of this opportunity and accomplish as much as possible. The crew did a great job completing the items below and more:

 

Anthony Howse treats the practice putting green on Monday with preventative herbicide. Marking flags were used in order to prevent "burning" and ensure the application was as accurate as possible. 

All greens were lightly top-dressed and aerated. 

Root pruning was completed yesterday on the practice green and holes 10-13. All ares are now complete. 

Practice tees, par 3s, and landing areas were top-dressed and seeded. . 

Additional items completed yesterday included:

• Mow all tees and fairways
• Mow all front nine roughs
• Adjust sprinkler heads on practice greens
• Mow clubhouse lawns and pool area
• Flower bed work

A few items we will be working for the remainder of this week include:

Watering in ferilizer/herbicide this morning near #3 green. 

• Fertilizer and preventative herbicide applications around greens (completed today)
• Complete as much routine mowing as possible (tees, fairways, roughs) before additional rainfall 
• Prepare equipment for next Monday's "Planet Air" procedure on greens
• Tree trimming and inventory 
• Additional flower bed plantings
• Several irrigation repairs and upgrades
• Finalize renovation plans for #1 green
• Continue organizing shop and preparing for possible flooding
• Edging of curbs and routine string trimming throughout the course

We will be closed again next Monday and plan to complete the following items:

• Full "Planet Air" aeration on all greens (topdress, aerate, planet air, vertical mow, brush)
• Mow and edge all bunkers
• Fertilize greens
• Spray tees and fairways (Monday through Wednesday)
• Possible prep areas for sodding

Course Update 4.30.19

TGA Super Senior Amateur 4.25.19

2019 Champion Ed Brooks poses for a picture with the tournament staffs from TGA and RCC. 

Although rain shortened the event to 36 holes - 

 Bob Ammon hits his tee shot on #11 on Day 1. 

the tournament last week was a success. Congratulations to Ed Brooks of Fort Worth (Super Senior Champion) and Richard Lundy of Amarillo (Legends Division Champion). Bob Ammon led our RCC contingent finishing tied for 6th with two day total of 147. I would like to thank all of the participants, the membership of RCC, the TGA, our entire RCC team for making this a successful event in spite of the inclement weather. We look forward to hosting the Texas Senior Amateur Championship next fall. 

Repairing bunkers on #9 on Day 3

Anthony and Drew changing cup on #5. 

#10 during a rain soaked Day 2. 

Course Conditions and Happenings

#1 Green on 4.30.19. Lake Waco is getting close, but slowing dropping in elevation.

Last week was exceptionally busy with the TGA tournament, weather events, and other work. With more rain in the forecast - our goal this week has been to get as much done as possible before the weather slows us down. We are also hoping that the level of Lake Waco drops enough to handle additional rainfall. So far our #1 Green which opened for play last Monday has remained playable.
Check out a few of the items we are working on below.

Root Pruning and Tree Work: Yesterday we contracted with GLK Turf Solutions to complete root pruning around several tees, fairways, and greens. This machine leaves two slits in the ground and helps reduce the negative impact of surface feeding tree roots in these areas. This process does not harm the trees and will help improve turf density and playing conditions.

Rick with GLK pruning near #9 Tee

Root pruning near #5 Green. 

The crew has remained busy completing routing and weather related tree work. Yesterday, Jose Nava and Sergio Zapata removed a large storm damaged cedar elm left of #10 green and a Bradford pear tree that was struck by lighting near 14 green.

Jose Nava inspects lightning damage on a Bradford pear tree on #14. This tree was removed yesterday.

This large cedar elm was badly damaged by high winds and presented saftey issues for golfers. 

Landscape Improvements: During the TGA event our crew spent time continuing the overhaul of our landscape beds. The crew led by Landscape Superintendent, Derek Curtis has made a ton of progress over the last few weeks. 

Derek, JJ, and Jose replant beds near the Cabana and Fire Pit. 

Jacob and Jaime add irrigation to a new landscape bed at the tennis courts. 

Additional Items:

• New connections for marina water supply completed last Monday
• All fairways and most roughs mowed yesterday and today
• Greens and practice tees sprayed yesterday
• Perimeter fence repairs
• Planet Air on greens scheduled for next Monday

Course Update 4.18.19

Thank you for visiting our course maintenance blog. Please check out the links above and the posts below for information on course conditions, projects, and current course work. 

Storm Cleanup (Again)

Last night's storms damaged trees throughout the course. Photo by Duane Kemp

Just as we finished cleaning up from last weekend's storms - another round of rain and wind came through last night. The storm brought .75" of rain and and damaged dozens of trees. The crew has been busy all morning cleaning up tree limbs, debris, and repairing bunkers. We will be cart path only for the remainder of the day. All bunkers will be repaired by this afternoon. Tree work and debris cleanup will continue today and tomorrow. Additionally, we will be creating two dump sites for all debris (right of #1 fairway and at the North end of the marina - right of 18 tee). For more photos of the damage please click here: April 18th Storm Damage Photos.

#1 Green to Open Monday

After more than four months, we are excited to announce that #1 green will re-open for play on Monday, April 22nd. While this green will not play quite the same as the rest - it is now healthy enough to handle traffic. The crew has done a great job establishing the green from seed during less than ideal growing conditions. Now that spring is here - the green will continue to improve everyday. Please follow this link to learn more about #1 green and our upcoming renovation plans: #1 Green Updates and Plans. 

TGA Super Senior Tournament

Photo courtesy of TGA. 

We are excited to host the 5th Annual Texas Golf Association's Super Senior Amateur Tournament. The crew has been busy preparing the course for the best senior amateur players from across the state. Practice rounds begin on Monday, April 22nd and competition will take place Tuesday through Thursday. Come out and support the three RCC members competing in the event: Dr. Mark Story, Dr. Mace Brindley, and Mr. Bob Ammon. For more information including tee times and pairings please click here:  TGA Super Senior Amateur.

Landscape Improvements

Landscape Supt. Derek Curtis adding flowers at the main entrance. 

Early this year we hired Derek Curtis as our new Landscape Superintendent. Derek has already made an impact improving our ornamental beds throughout the club. He and Duane did a great job coordinating our spring annual color change out which was completed last week. He is now in the process of completely reworking dozens of landscape beds throughout the club per plans provided by Landscape Architect, Robert Kruezburg. We are excited to have Derek as part of our team, and look forward to completing much needed landscape improvements throughout the club. 

Additional Course Happenings

Easter Egg Hunt: This Saturday the annual egg hunt at RCC will take place between the tennis courts and #6 green. Assistant Superintendent, Duane Kemp has done a great job preparing this area for the big day including: mowing, ant bait applications, roping off egg hunt areas, and more. 

Mowing Patterns: Each year mowing patterns must be adjusted. Last week, we started marking new collar and approach patterns using blue paint. We will continue this process over the next couple of week including tee alignment and fairways. 

Spring Fertility and Weed Control: All tees, fairways, and roughs were fertilized last week. Spray Technician, Anthony Howse has been busy completing post and preventative herbicide applications to tees, fairways, roughs, and clubhouse grounds. 

Additional Items:

• Edging of all cart paths (completed this week)
• Aeration on tees, collars, approaches and high traffic areas (in-progress)
• Re-seed driving range tee (Tuesday of next week)
• Spray applications to greens, tees, and fairways (next two to three weeks)
• Leak repair at Marina (next week)
• Artificial turf and misters for playground (next three to four weeks)
• Multiple irrigation and drain line repairs (in progress)

Course Update 4.14.19

Weekend Storms

We received just over 2" of rain and a small amount of hail Saturday morning/afternoon. Overall the course fared well, but the heavy rain and high winds left the course a mess. The crew worked hard yesterday repairing the greenside bunkers, picking up tree limbs, and removing leaves and other debris from tees, fairways, and greens. Cleanup efforts will continue this week. 

All greenside bunkers required extensive work on Sunday morning. 

We lost a Bradford pear on hole 15 as a result of high winds. 

Most fairways were covered with leaves and other debris. 18 fairway (above) was especially bad. 

Upcoming Course Work Week of 4.15.19

• Mow and edge bunker faces
• Apply ant bait to tees, fairways, and primary roughs
• Landscape improvements
• Preventative herbicide applications to putting green and chipping green
• Mow tees, fairways, and roughs two to three times
• Continue adjusting mowing patterns for approaches and tees
• Tee box alignment
• Debris cleanup from storms
• Add irrigation near tennis courts
• Water line leak at marina
• Fertilize, mow, topdress, and roll #1 green
• Aerate traffic areas in roughs
• Tree inventory and planning

Update July 22nd 2018

Stay Tuned....New posts are in the works. After a long delay updated info is on the way and will be published by August 2018. Thanks for visiting and please return soon.