Welcome to the month of May 2026 at Bellefonte Country Club! The golf season is ramping up and looking forward to a successful year with the conditioning of the golf course. I realize that things so far in 2026 have not been up to the expectations of some including myself, but we are doing the best we can do with the things we have been able to control to this point. We are hopeful that Mother Nature gets in sync with our plans from this moment moving forward. Our plan for the upcoming season was to prioritize in this order for repairs and improvements:

• Turf Areas (Greens/tees/fairways)
• Bunkers
• Pinestraw areas

Weather

Consistency with the weather in the months of March and April was hard to come by this year. We have had daytime highs reach in the upper 80s, and nighttime lows reach into the upper 20s and lower 30s. There have been two frost events occur on the golf course in the last ten days! And finally add the fact that we had a deficit of 4.5 inches of rain in April 2026 compared to April 2025. It has not been a great spring for growing highly maintained turf!

Greens

The greens are doing well so far in 2026. Our aerification at the end of March went well, but the recovery process took a little longer this time around due to day time highs in the 80’s, low humidity, and covered in sand for five straight days after the process. There were a few days during and after this period that the greens were not aesthetically pleasing, or the greatest surface to putt on. With that being said, I know the greens will be better off for the future months because of sustaining that period of less than favorable weather conditions.

As for the areas on the greens that were lost last summer, they are filling in well week to week while we add nutrients, sand, and water to grow these areas in naturally as much as possible. Established turf is more resilient, than using sod plugs to repair areas. With cultural processes of verticutting, topdressing, and fertilizing in the upcoming weeks we feel confident that the goal of using fewer sod plugs will be achieved. (We have started using plugs in the worst areas, and will continue to do so where needed.)

Tees and Fairways

So far this spring has been less than ideal for Zoysia grass. (A good rule of thumb for ideal growing weather for Zoysia is when the daily average low temperature added with the average high temperature equals 140.) While we have had short periods where temperatures reached the ideal range for growth, we have also received several more periods of cooler temperatures along with frost that have not been ideal. We have continued with our pre emergent application schedule up to this point, although have held off on using herbicides for Poa Annua while the zoysia has been an idle state of growth.

Over the next few weeks we will be spraying herbicides, fertilizing, and repairing bare areas on tees and fairways in hopes that summer and growing season will be here soon!

Bunkers

We have a fresh 24 ton pile of Bunker Sand on property. We will be adding to our worst bunkers on holes #4 and #6 first, and then prioritize from there over the next month or so until all has been used!

Pinestraw Areas

We have plans to cover tree roots with soil and make the hard to grow grass areas under trees transform from bare ground to covered with pinestraw. This will add a feature that is visually pleasing and can provide better playability for wayward golf shots! This will be a process as time and progress with other things goes on throughout the year.

*As we go throughout 2026 please feel free to find me on the golf course, email/text, or phone call. I will be happy to answer any questions or give reasoning and explanation to the process of trying to achieve the best conditions for the golf course at Bellefonte Country Club!

Thank You,
Mark Harper
Grounds Superintendent, GCSAA
[email protected]
Office: (606) 324-1388
Cell: (980) 521-4834