By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
A season of new beginnings
Placeholder Image

This is my favorite time of year, a season of new beginnings.

What a great time to be out on the golf course — the short days of winter have been replace with bright, full days of life.

The golf course sheds its shades of brown and transforms into a vivid pallet of life. The birds return home and the flowering plants bloom to their most impressive state. The air is full of sounds and fragrances, and best of all the azaleas and dogwoods have burst into color to proclaim that spring is here.

The turf care staff at The Oaks Course is busy preparing the course for another great season. We are busy making fertilizer and pre-emerge applications to our land so it will be lush and green for the golfers of the season. The maintenance on the equipment during the winter months is complete and we are anxious to catch a breeze of the fresh mown grass. Our staff has analyzed and as always improved the routine schedules from last season so we can only provide an even better conditioned Oaks Course year after year.

It has always been our goal to provide exceptional conditions on the course that is also accessible and affordable to all. With that being said, we only use the most exceptional choice of grass such as the Champion Ultra Dwarf Bermuda. This type of grass is found on our greens. The superior genetic makeup of this grass allows it to be cut as low as a 10th of an inch while thriving in the hot humid summers of Georgia. This allows fast, smooth putts for our golfers all summer. The 419 type of Bermuda is found on our fairways and tees providing durable consistent playing surfaces throughout the year. It also requires less water and chemical input which means a cleaner environment. The selections of these grass types that are highly adapted create a more sustainable golf course in Covington.
Although few realize the amount of work that it takes to condition a golf course, it is a job year round that requires great skill and patience.

When I first started playing golf, I thought to myself that a ground crew would work maybe once or twice a week. My interpretation was very wrong as I’m sure are many others.’ Did you know that during the growing season, a golf green can be mowed once a day and many places twice a day? A normal fairway and tee box is mowed a minimum of three times a week. At The Oaks Course during the growing season, we mow more than 150 acres of grass per week. Mowing is not all we do: our turf care changes all cups, tee placements daily, care for sand traps and not to mention the spraying, verti cutting, aeration when needed, top dressing and maintaining an irrigation system that covers more than 90 acres.

Even though the load seems heavy, our turf care group finds the joy in seeing the golfers enjoy their round on the grounds we prepared for you. As we look East toward Augusta this week, remember we have our own little gem right here in Covington. These are the grounds where Bobby Jones walked and golf has been enjoyed for more than 85 years.

We invite you to bring your golf season at The Oaks Course. Our turf care group will be here — busy preparing for your visit!

Curtis Singleton is the course superintendent at The Oaks golf course, and can be reached at serra@golfoaks.com.