Agostini On Golf: Courses suffer weather damage

By Ron Agostini
ragostini@modbee.com

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Two golfers walked down Dryden Park's 12th fairway one weekday morning last month, the story goes, when they heard a crack from the limbs of a nearby tree.

Wisely, they hurried away to safety, because that stone pine fell to the ground about two seconds later. The episode wasn't unusual, however, given the odd weather over the past month.

Both Dryden and Modesto Municipal were damaged during the mid-October storm, the worst October system to lash the valley in 47 years, and last week's dust storm.

Mike Scully, Valley Crest's superintendent for maintenance at Dryden and Muni, reported a loss of four trees and 30 to 40 healthy-sized branches at Dryden.

"It was a pretty good hit," Scully said. "We're hoping we'll replace those trees."

Meanwhile, the high winds that rolled across Modesto last week resulted in the loss of more hanging limbs, a lot of debris, and the falling of a deodar tree near Dryden's 17th tee.

Muni, opened during the 1930s, lost portions of trees along the sixth and seventh fairways.

Scully, who came here from Coyote Creek in San Jose less than a year ago, thinks the courses will recover and thrive through the winter. A purchase last summer of a $12,000 roller, which compresses the turf and increases the speed of the greens, has enhanced the quality of play.

"We use it two or three times a week at Dryden and twice a week at Muni," Scully said. "We can get the speed on the stimp-meter up to about nine."

This is an accomplishment, especially on sand-based pushup greens at Dryden and Muni. All of Dryden's greens went underwater during the flood of the Tuolumne River in January of 1997, and the fight to deepen the turf root systems is never easy.

"The greens are mainly poa annua with some bentgrass and they're difficult to manage because of their age," Scully said. "I think the roller has helped. The greens seemed to hold up well to the 105-degree and 110-degreee heat last summer."

THE SHAG BAG — Modesto's Christine Uhalde and Daniel Covrig received the 2009 Andy Silva Jr. Achievement Award last month at the annual Andy Silva Jr. Golf Awards and Scholarship Dinner at the SOS Club. It was the second time Uhalde, a Johansen High senior, won the award. ...Ripon's Spring Creek CC reached the final four from a field of more than 200 teams taking part in the Northern California Golf Association's 21st annual team matches. The 12-man team was beaten by eventual champion Riverside but placed third overall. ...

About 125 players will take part in a 27-hole fundraising pro-am for The First Tee of Modesto, to be held Monday at Del Rio CC. There is still a chance, however, to sign up. Call 341-2414. The First Tee's annual sponsors dinner will be held at Del Rio on Thursday night, Nov. 12. ...A question rises from the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am's decision to slice the field from 180 pro-am teams to 156: Is this an attempt to lure back Tiger Woods? He has complained about the six-hour rounds and bumpy greens and has not played in the tournament since 2002. But would he return for potentially shorter rounds, better conditions, a new course (Monterey Peninsula CC's Shore course will replace Poppy Hills) and a U.S. Open tuneup before next summer's trip to Pebble? From here, the answer: Only he decides, and I doubt he plays Feb. 11-14.

HOLES-IN-ONE — Jim Youngblom, Turlock, 135-yard eighth at Modesto Municipal, 8-iron. ...Bob Kaiser, Modesto, 243-yard eighth at Del Rio CC (Bluff), driver. ...Jim Rodriguez, Modesto, 156-yard 12th at Mountain Springs, Sonora, 6-iron. ...Steve Lee, Sonora, 167-yard 17th at Mountain Springs, 6-iron. ...Diane Boldman, Sonora, 110-yard 12th at Mountain Springs, 7-iron. ...Ron Porter, Atwater, 165-yard 16th at Stevinson Ranch, 4-hybrid. ...Ray Wilkins, Oakdale, 196-yard ninth at Oakdale CC, 3-hybrid. ...Sharman Garner, Modesto, 114-yard third at Jack Tone Golf, Ripon, 9-iron. ...Michael King, Ripon, 130-yard second at Jack Tone, 7-iron.

Bee staff writer Ron Agostini can be reached at ragostini@modbee.com or 578-2302.