By Greg Ellison

(Oct. 1, 2020) Aiming for immediate and long-term turf improvements at the Ocean Pines Golf Course, maintenance crews are executing a multi-point plan expected to be completed later this month.

General Manager of Golf Operations John Malinowski said ground condition issues did arise over the summer.

“We had a bad spot on some of the greens,” he said.

In recent weeks the cause of spotty greens was identified.

“Below the surface about two inches down, there’s a black layer that formed,” he said. “It’s a really thick thatch layer” of compressed organic material.

“In the summertime, it’s a very thick layer and prevents roots from going down and busting through it so that the root layer is really shallow,” he said.

When root systems fail to extend far underground, the result is water stagnating on the surface.

To exacerbate the situation, Mother Nature recently dealt out roughly a half foot of precipitation followed by high heat and humidity.

“That’s where it kind of got us,” he said.

To resolve the problem, grounds crews are employing specialized aerating tools.

“They’re very small — in fact, they call them Ninja Tines because you can (use) it and it doesn’t look like you’re doing anything,” he said.

The proprietary item, which was introduced in 2017 specifically for “non-disruptive aerification” of golf greens, measures a bit over four inches in length and just over a quarter inch in diameter.

“It goes in and pulls the thatch out and we just blow it off with a blower and it’s gone,” he said. “It doesn’t rip the greens up [or] make a huge mess like when we do our big aeration in the spring and fall.”

The aerating apparatus removes minute plugs of soil without affecting play.

“You can go and putt right over it and you don’t even know that the holes are there,” he said. “It takes 10-15 minutes to do a green and then we just move on.”

The greens improvement regimen also includes adding a light layer of sand as top dressing.

“By removing the thatch layer and getting this little bit of sand mixed in, it helps with the drainage, helps keep the roots moving down and helps the grass stand up straight,” he said. “It’s just healthier.”

Malinowski  said the maintenance crew is motivated and has a big list of things it expects to accomplish.

“Between our maintenance … and public works crew, we’re working hard on the plan and good things are coming.”

The workload covers greens, fairways, sand traps and trees.

“We have some areas where we need to take out some trees because things are really thick and it doesn’t allow air movement or sunlight,” he said. “We’re not clear cutting.”

OPA General Manager John Viola said feedback from golfers indicate the course improvement work has been well received.

“I’ve been down there and spoken to the outside players,” he said. “They always mention that it’s a challenging course.”

Viola said the golfers he polled noted greens work was occurring but largely appreciated the importance.

“They said we’re moving in the right direction,” he said. “The part I heard more often … they said it is a very good value.”

Malinowski said maintaining optimal course conditions has become increasingly challenging over the life of the amenity.

“What people don’t realize is the golf course was built 50 years ago when there were hardly any homes around it and the trees were really small,” he said.

The Ocean Pines Golf Course, which broke ground in 1968, was opened in June 1972.

“We’re continually working on drainage issues here,” he said.

Over the last half-century, areas adjacent to the course gradually filled in with residences.

“As they build more and more homes, it changes how the water runs off,” he said.

The land use changes have tended to steer excessive water flow onto the course and taxed drainage systems.

“The original infrastructure didn’t handle all that because it was just flat open land,” he said. “For a long time they didn’t have to worry about water running off because it just kind of ran into the woods.”

Viola said the bulk of course tweaks should be done by the end of October.

“We have a work plan in place over the next several weeks,” he said. “We have solutions.

Malinowski shared the forward-looking positivity.

“From the first tee to the 18th green we’re working on a little bit of everything,” he said.