One of our recent projects has been to remove the very large mulch area between the fairway and the cart path on the right side of hole #2.  There are a number of these mulched areas on the golf course.  For the most part these mulch areas have been established through the years because the area is too heavily shaded and has not typically supported a quality stand of cool-season rough.



Mulch area on #2 before removal

I have received much feedback from the members and staff regarding the need to reduce or eliminate these mulched areas that are in play on the golf course.  This particular mulch bed on #2 was the first  of these mulch areas that we have targeted for removal because its size and proximity to the fairway made it very much in play for many golfers.


Asst. Superintendent Josh Frandsen rolling out the new sod

I am hopeful that the fescue sod that we installed in place of the mulch bed will be successful.  To this end, we removed 4 smaller trees that were in this area.  The shade and root competition of these trees were the main reason why turf was not successful in this area in the past.  The larger trees that are left in the rough in this area are more desirable trees as they branch much higher allowing for more sunlight penetration to the turf and have not reduced the difficulty of this hole.




New fescue sod installed and mulch area gone

Hole #2 at Milburn is a great golf hole that was recently selected as one of the "18 toughest golf holes in Kansas City" by Kansas City Golfer magazine.  We believe that removing this large mulch area will only make this great hole even better!

We will continue to review these mulches areas on the golf course and evaluate whether the mulch can be removed and turf can successfully be grown in its place.

I hope to see you on the golf course soon,

Steve