A quick update regarding the conditions heading into season. The photo below is from #9 tee. The “off-color” stunted conditions are the result of an application of a growth regulator a couple of weeks ago. This was applied to all Tees and Fairways. The good news is they are starting to recover and will continue to do so in the next week. As the growth regulator loses its effect, the turf will rebound in a hurry.

This next picture is from #5 green. The slight scarring of the putting surface comes from a new set off cutting units that were installed 2 weeks ago. Although unsightly, this does not effect playing conditions or turf health. Our Equipment Manger is working closely with the Toro Distributor to fine tune our set-up. New reels are a bit more aggressive after initial set up. The putting surfaces are in good conditions and will acclimate to the new height of cut. We know Tournament Season is right around the corner and we are determined to make you proud.

I am including a link to the latest Newsletter from Todd Lowe, regarding the Super El Nino that is forecasted for the Winter Season. Todd is a Golf Course Consultant with an extensive background as a USGA Regional Agronomist. Since opening his own consulting firm, Todd has focused on all of Florida with a majority of his clients in S.W. Florida. We are on his client list and he provides us with detailed soil test that dictate most of our agronomic and cultural practices. He provides newsletters on timely issues that are great to share with our members and guests. If you have a specific questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Record Heat and Record Drought was the theme of the Summer. May, June, July and August were extremely hot and very dry. We did see some seasonal rains in September that helped restore our water levels. All of our scheduled cultural practices were completed as planned. Our focus this Summer was to control the soil Organic Matter and reduce surface thatch. Through verti cutting, aerification and frequent top dressing, we accomplished most of our goals. A switch to a more Carbon based fertility program has proven to be the missing link for performance. Reducing Nitrogen inputs helps control excessive growth. This program will help reduce grain, aid in firmness and maximize root development. Healthy soils produce healthy turf.

We have operated all Summer with an eye on the forecasted Super El Nino. I have included a chart of expected conditions through the Fall and Winter months. Our preparations include preventative fungicide application, a reduction in surface disruption and an injectable biological amendment for the greens during our last closure. This will help fortify the subsurface health and support the defense mechanisms needed to withstand some harsh conditions.

As we put the finishing touches on our off-season programs, I want to thank my entire staff for enduring some very trying conditions through the Summer. We have prepared for the worst and we are hoping for the best, as we move into the heart of Season. We will be tracking and recording all weather impacts through the season and I will keep you up to date regarding any possible adverse effects. We have the team in place and the tools required to handle some of the worst conditions. Timing and proper preparation will help mitigate some of the weather concerns, but ultimately, Mother Nature has the final say on the hand we will be dealt. Our focus will be on maintaining plant health. This may include raising the height of cut on our short grass areas to reduce stress and a less aggressive rolling program on our putting surfaces. When severe environmental stressors present themselves, eliminating the controllable mechanical stressors is the first line of defense.

Safe travels to all of our members that will be heading South soon. We look forward to seeing everyone. We are gearing up to provide the best possible conditions for the upcoming Season. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me. Thank you for all your support, my team really appreciates our membership.

We have shifted our approach to our Summer Closures. The best growing conditions are earlier in the summer before the soil temperatures rise to the level of reduced recovery. I have attached the latest soil report from Todd Lowe, our consultant. Our measurables are well within the ideal parameters. Pay close attention to the “Scorecard” page. Our Thatch layer is the major focus for the summer. We are currently at an acceptable level, maintaining this measure and improving on it will involve multiple verti cuttings and sand dilution. The Root Length & Density is in great shape, this allows us to be as aggressive as needed to obtain optimal conditions. Both of our “Stain Layers”, the 2-4 cm and the 4-6 cm, are below the industry average due to the immaturity of our putting surfaces. These numbers will grow as the course develops. The Infiltration Rate is very good, this helps drain the greens and promote a healthy root system. Other added benefits to this include, a reduction in disease pressure, enhanced recovery from stresses and firmer putting surfaces.

On to the nuts and bolts of this closure. The putting surfaces were injected with 24 tons of fresh sand to create channels for root growth and further enhance infiltration. The Tees, Fairways and Rough are in the process of being aerified. Breaking surface tension and relieving compaction will aid in durability for all of our playing surfaces.

The picture below, illustrates the process of Verti Cutting Tees and Fairways. This practice removes excess thatch and improves the playing conditions. This is followed by a healthy amount of sand. This topdressing allows for a proper medium for recovery and provides long term benefits in consistency and soil improvement.

Mother Nature has thrown us a few curveballs to date. We should wrap up the “Heavy Lifting” by Monday or Tuesday. This will give us ample time to perform our clean up duties and prepare the course for opening on June 6th. Thank you to all our Members for their patience and understanding.

Our friendly neighborhood alligator has been seen sunning himself along the banks of our lakes. This picture was taken on #9 but we have seen him in multiple locations. From holes 7 and 8 to holes 16,17 and 18. Alligators will typically move across land to a more conducive feeding area. Sometimes they will travel through the underground pipes that connect our lakes. The most important rule is to NEVER feed an alligator. Once they lose their fear of humans and associate us with a food source, they must be removed. Stonebridge has done a remarkable job of respecting our wildlife, we have only had to remove one alligator in my 15 years of service here. As always, I will monitor the activity and keep your safety in mind.

On to a more nefarious creature. We have received reports of Iguana sightings on a few occasions. These are non-native, exotic and invasive lizards. I have been in contact with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, regarding trapping, removal and eradication. I ask you to e-mail directly at mmetzger@sbcc.club to report and sightings and specific locations. We will do all we can to alleviate this issue. Pleas steer clear of these iguanas, they are not typically aggressive but we do not want to make them feel comfortable in our environment.

Finally, I want to remind all of our members and guests that we are in the midst of our most arid time of the year. The plant loses water at a rate that irrigation alone can not replace. This means we will experience some dry areas throughout the property. You will see my team out there on a daily basis pulling hand-held hoses to provide supplemental moisture to our driest areas. Thank you for your patience and understanding around this practice as we try to provide proper playing conditions during these trying times.

This seems to be an annual post regarding dry conditions during this time of year. Typical weather patterns during March, April and May produce a very arid climate. As seen in the picture of #15 putting surface and the surrounding area, off color turf is evident due to excessive Evapotranspiration(ET). ET is a measurement of the the amount of moisture lost in the plant on a daily basis. During a time of rising temperatures, high sun exposure and low humidity the ET rate increases exponentially. Replenishing that moisture is a never ending battle. Thankfully, the last couple of days have produced some cloud cover and a bit of rain last night to aid in our moisture management. We have many tools available to us to help combat these factors. We are blessed with a state of the art irrigation system and there are many wetting agent products that help in retaining moisture. Although, some areas of our playing surfaces may seem off color, they are quite healthy and preforming well. Our soil tests and profile examination have dictated our approach to fertility and irrigation inputs. This has resulted in firmer and more consistent putting surfaces.

Color is not our first priority when in comes to playing conditions. We focus on plant health and performance, aesthetics are a byproduct of proper conditions and enhanced cultural practices. As we endure the next few months of a drought season, you can expect to see more off-color turf and and a lot of my staff dragging hoses around to pinpoint the most effected areas. I am in close contact with the Water Management District that dictates any possibility of water restrictions. At this point, we are strongly advised to conserve, we are not currently under an official restriction. This may change in the coming weeks. We are well prepared to cope with any situation that may arise.

Another round of soil tests and profile inspection is scheduled for early May. The results will dictate the intensity of cultural practices we will schedule for the summer season. Controlling infiltration rates, Organic Matter and Thatch is paramount to the long term health of all of the playing surface. This is done through practices such as aerification, verti-cutting, amendment injections, topdressing and moisture management.

My team has worked hard this season to provide proper playing conditions and we will continue to strive towards a more consistent and playable golf course.

This morning was the first Frost Delay that I can recall in quite some time. Obviously the weather has been quite frigid for awhile, with no relief in sight for the next 4-5 days. Our Bimini Bermuda Grass has held up well heading into this weather pattern. Although the Frost this morning was not as heavy as expected, we will start to lose color in the effected areas. Our warm season grass needs soil temperatures above 55 degrees to start recovery. We will be boosting fertility to jump start recovery as soon as Mother Nature allows. We are expecting another round of possible Frost tomorrow morning, thankfully the Ladies Day events have already moved their tee times to a later start.

On another note, our team has worked hard to equalize moisture content on our putting surfaces. This is in direct response to findings brought forth by our newly employed course consultant. The undulations in our greens require pin point applications to control the Volumetric Water Content. To that end, we are adhering to a strict protocol of watering only where needed. This is determined by the use of a moisture meter. These readings dictate where and when water is needed. As you play the golf course you will notice some “off color” areas around a few greens. This is a result of reducing moisture content, coupled with the cooler temperatures. As the weather improves and the moisture evens out, these areas will bounce right back. The benefits of this process is numerous, most notably, stronger roots and a firmer faster putting surface.

Finally, I would like to give an update on our Lake Aeration project. Previous to the renovation only around half of our lakes had aeration systems installed. Our goal of “Maintainability and Sustainability” included aerating all of our lakes. This promotes a healthy vibrant water quality that extends the life and balance of our waterways. I have included a picture of one of our Solar Compressors that feed air to the diffusers in the lake. Without a reliable electrical source in certain areas, a solar panel was the only option. We currently have four solar compressors on site, eventually we endeavor to screen this panels as best we can without hindering the solar collection process. The remainder of the project should be completed in the next few weeks.

Thank you for taking the time to read this update and feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns, Stay warm (and Classy) Stonebridge!

It has been an interesting 2025. We experienced some odd weather patterns, despite avoiding major storms. As the golf course matures, we adapt to its needs. The most challenging aspects are managing the micro-environments that exist throughout the property. Each area of the property reacts differently to treatments. This leads to specialized practices to enhance the conditions of the entire course.

Our undulated greens are a perfect example of these micro-environments. The high areas react much differently than the low areas. Whether it be water holding capacity or retention of growth products. Each summer season we will address these areas to enhance uniformity. To that point, I have begun to work with Todd Lowe, he is the owner/operator of Todd Lowe Consulting. Todd previously spent more than a decade as the Lead Agronomist for the USGA, representing the entire South East of the country. His independent firm concentrates mostly of Florida. The testing methods employed will give us a base line off information to improve our conditions.

Todd was onsite earlier this month to extract samples. The results are in the attached report. We are looking forward to continuing our relationship and employing some new practices to ensure optimum results. It is always reassuring to hear from a well respected industry expert, that we are on the right track. He even took pictures of a few cultural practice that we use, so he could forward them to a few other courses that are enduring some of the same challenges. The collaborations of fellow Superintendents and industry personnel are what my profession so unique.

We are looking forward to a fruitful 2026. It is my pledge to focus more on communication of both succusses and challenges throughout the property. Look for regular updates beginning in the new year. Thank you for your patience as we grow a better Stonebridge. Please feel free to contact me at any time with your questions or concerns.

We are within 2 weeks of our Major Guest Tournaments. The putting surfaces have shown signs of significant recovery from the damage done by the harsh Summer weather. Mother Nature has aided our efforts with some great weather over the last week. We will continue to push growth as we focus on playability for the upcoming tournaments. Our goal is to have the putting surfaces true and smooth throughout the Season. The few blemishes that remain will continue to grow in over the next few weeks. I made the decision to not plug or sod in play areas to ensure a proper playing surface, free of rulings or ambiguity. If and when we survive the gauntlet of the next few weeks, we we take the rest of November and December to perfect the surfaces for the Member events starting in January. Thank you for your patience and understanding, my entire team is doing all they can to provide the experience you deserve.

I have included a couple of pictures of #9 Green. We have a few of these thin areas on 3-4 Greens. They are the result of a very trying July and August. The wet, cloudy weather led to a concentrated outbreak of a Pathogen that causes a fungal disease called Bermuda Grass Decline. We maintain a strict preventative program and will still had issues. Once tested and recognized, a more aggressive curative program was put in place. With 3 weeks to go before our Major Tournaments, we are aggressively pushing growth and recovery. Our entire team is aware of the importance of producing a quality playing surface for the Season. We have the resources and the plan to ensure success. If necessary, any area that needs to be plugged or sodded, this will happen on our last Tuesday closed. Our goal is to re-establish through growth to maximize playability. I am confident that we will achieve a level of Quality that we are looking for heading into Season. Our most affected Greens are #4, #5, #6 and #9. As a whole, it is less than 1% of our Putting Surfaces that are compromised. The last 2 applications have produced good results and we will continue to push forward. On a brighter side, the rest of the golf course is in excellent condition. Once we correct the imperfections on the Greens, we should be good to go for the remainder of the Season.

Another FYI, we have started the installation of the lake aerators. The plan is to install new aerators in all the lakes. There are a few areas where we have had to bury air lines across the golf course. This process has started on #3 and #4. We have tried to keep these disturbances out of normal play areas so it should not effect golf. We will have new compressors on lakes that have previously never been aerated. Some of them will require solar panels, as an electric supply was not available. This program is vital for the health of our lakes.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, this is the most critical part of the year for me and my team. Perfection is always our goal, not being there at this moment is both frustrating and motivating. We will make our back, and soon.