River Hills Agronomy

06/17/2026

When you watch the U.S. Open this week and weekend and see how pristine the conditions are
Check out the fleet, taken care of it
Some other numbers
Last year, I was speaking with Jonathan the superintendent of Shinnecock and we were all in a podcast discuss discussing budgets
His annual operating budget is $7.9 million. He has a capital expense budget of $1.8 million per year meaning he can buy whatever he wants to within $1.8 million every year.
During normal operation, there are 48 full-time groundskeepers and 24 to 36 part-time groundskeepers

During the tournament that ramps up another 100 humans
Most of which are golf course superintendent or industry professionals.

Watch this video of a buddy of mine Trent Manning, who is an equipment technician up in the Atlanta area. He’s actually working in the shop with about 12 other Equipment technicians to keep conditions up to U.S. Open standards. He shot a video just to share with everyone, the equipment that is used to prepare the golf course for U.S. Open.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Gi9vTn1dd/?mibextid=wwXIfr

06/14/2026

backside of the new waste bunker on hole 3 (Rendering after 2 years)

06/13/2026

One of the biggest improvements happening at River Hills right now isn’t something most people will ever see on the golf course.

It’s the water.

For more than a decade, River Hills relied primarily on reclaimed effluent water for irrigation. While reclaimed water serves an important purpose and is commonly used throughout Florida, it often contains elevated levels of bicarbonates, sodium, and chlorides that can create long-term challenges for soil health and turfgrass performance.

When I arrived at River Hills, one of the first things I began researching was the possibility of bringing our abandoned deep wells back online. These wells had not been utilized in approximately 12 years, and after months of investigation, repairs, permitting, troubleshooting, and a tremendous amount of work by our team, we are now successfully converting our irrigation system back to natural deep aquifer well water.

This change alone will have a significant positive impact on the golf course, practice facilities, landscape beds, common areas, and every acre of turf that receives irrigation water.

But we’re not stopping there.

The next phase is improving the quality of the water inside our 1.2-million-gallon irrigation storage tank.

As shown in the illustrations, we are designing a bottom aeration and circulation system that will continuously oxygenate and move water throughout the tank. A series of PVC aeration rings placed on the bottom of the tank will release air bubbles through the water column, while a floating circulation fountain will keep the surface in constant motion.

The goals are simple:

• Increase oxygen levels throughout the water column

• Eliminate stagnant water conditions

• Reduce duckweed and algae formation

• Improve overall water quality

• Deliver cleaner irrigation water to the golf course and community

Healthy soils require healthy water.

The more oxygen available within our irrigation system, the healthier the environment becomes for beneficial soil microbes, root development, nutrient cycling, and overall plant performance.

For years, duckweed and stagnant water have been recurring issues within the irrigation tank. Rather than simply treating symptoms, we’re addressing the source of the problem by creating a system that continuously improves the quality of the water before it ever reaches a sprinkler head.

I have often said that great golf courses are built from the ground up. That means healthy roots, healthy soils, and healthy water.

Bringing these wells back to life may very well be the most important infrastructure improvement we have made since my arrival at River Hills.

It won’t have the visual impact of a new green, a new bunker, or a landscaping project. Most members will never see it.

But every blade of grass on this property will benefit from it.

Sometimes the most important improvements happen behind the scenes.

This is one of those improvements.

Better water. Better soil. Better turf. Better River Hills.

06/12/2026

Well, now we know how the back of the fairway bunker on three wasn’t getting water. It was buried under 2 1/2 feet of dirt.
The weight of the soil would not allow it to open and run properly

My excavator bucket opened it up just fine!
🙄🤣🤣😄

06/10/2026

3 fairway grow in update

06/08/2026

**WARNING LONG READ**

When River Hills was constructed by Arvida in 1988, golf course construction was very different than it is today. Like many developments built during that era, the goal was to create a quality golf course while keeping construction costs as reasonable as possible.

The greens and tees at River Hills were built using the native soils that already existed on the property. As lakes and retention areas were excavated, the material that came out of those areas was used to shape and construct the golf course features, including the greens and tee boxes. In simple terms, the soil that was available was the soil that was used.

For tee boxes, this approach has proven to be less problematic over the years. Bermuda grass maintained at tee height—typically around one-half inch or higher—is naturally more resilient and forgiving. It can tolerate fluctuations in soil moisture, compaction, and other environmental stresses much better than putting green turf.

Greens, however, are a completely different story.

The Champion Bermuda on our putting greens is maintained at just over one-eighth of an inch. At that height, turfgrass performance is directly tied to what is happening below the surface. Healthy roots require oxygen, proper drainage, and a consistent growing environment.

Unlike modern USGA-specification greens, there are no drainage pipes beneath the putting greens at River Hills. Not one. There is no gravel drainage layer and no engineered sand profile designed to move excess water away from the root zone. Instead, water must work its way through native soils exactly as nature allows.

That doesn’t mean the greens cannot perform well—they absolutely can. It simply means that maintaining high-quality putting surfaces on a native soil push-up green requires a much more aggressive cultural management program and a deeper understanding of how these older greens behave in Florida’s climate.

The illustration below helps explain the difference between a modern USGA-specification green and the native soil push-up greens that have served River Hills for nearly four decades.

Native Soil Push-Up Green (River Hills)

Cross Section:

🌱 Turf Grass
⬛ 10–14 inches Native Soil
🟫 Natural Florida Subsoil

How it works:

* Water enters from the surface.
* Water must move through native soil to drain away.
* No drainage pipes.
* No gravel layer.
* Water movement depends entirely on soil texture and gravity.
* In heavy rain, water can remain trapped in the root zone.
* Compaction develops over time from traffic and equipment.
* Root systems often stay shallower because oxygen levels fluctuate.

Simple analogy:
A push-up green is like a wet sponge sitting on a countertop. It can only drain as fast as the sponge itself allows.

Challenges at River Hills

Because River Hills sits on native Florida soils and experiences:

* Summer thunderstorms
* High humidity
* Daily rainfall events
* High groundwater influence

the greens can stay wetter than desired, especially around the edges and low areas. Wet soils mean:

* Less oxygen
* Shallower roots
* Greater disease pressure
* Softer putting surfaces
* More recovery time after rain events

⸻

USGA Specification Green

Cross Section:

🌱 Turf Grass
🟨 12” USGA Sand Rootzone Mix
⚪ 4” Gravel Layer
🟢 Drainage Pipe Network
🟫 Native Subsoil

How it works:

* Water quickly moves through the sand rootzone.
* The gravel layer acts like a highway for water.
* Drain pipes immediately collect and remove excess water.
* The rootzone remains oxygen-rich.
* Roots grow deeper and healthier.
* Surface firmness remains more consistent.

The USGA recommends a 12-inch rootzone mix over a minimum 4-inch gravel layer with subsurface drainage because the gravel layer rapidly moves excess water into drainage pipes and away from the root zone.

Simple analogy:
A USGA green is like a sponge sitting on top of a French drain system. Water moves through the sponge and is immediately carried away.

⸻

Why USGA Greens Perform Better in Valrico, Florida

After Heavy Rain

Push-Up Green

* Wet for days
* Softer conditions
* Potential root stress

USGA Green

* Drains rapidly
* Play resumes sooner
* Roots remain oxygenated

During Summer Stress

Push-Up Green

* Hot + Wet = disease pressure
* Root decline more likely

USGA Green

* Better oxygen exchange
* Healthier root systems
* Stronger Bermuda performance

Consistency

Push-Up Green

* Wet spots and dry spots
* Variable firmness

USGA Green

* More uniform moisture
* More predictable ball roll
* Consistent playing conditions

Root Development

Push-Up Green

* Often 2–4 inch effective rooting depth

USGA Green

* Can utilize much of the 12-inch sand profile
* Deeper, stronger root systems
* Greater drought resilience

⸻

Illustration Caption

Native Soil Push-Up Green
“Water has nowhere to go except through the soil.”

USGA Specification Green
“Water moves through 12 inches of engineered rootzone, enters a 4-inch gravel drainage layer, and is carried away by underground drain pipes—creating a healthier, firmer, and more resilient putting surface.”

For River Hills specifically, a great illustration would show a summer thunderstorm dropping rain on both green types. On the push-up side, water remains trapped in the soil profile. On the USGA side, arrows show water moving through the sand, into the gravel, and out through drain pipes while roots extend deep into the profile. That visual tells the whole story in one image.

06/07/2026

Well this is just FN great

Wow! New European model El Niño ensemble forecast was just released, and it’s even stronger than before. Almost every member is in the “historic” category… meaning if the Euro is right we are headed for an El Niño far beyond anything we’ve seen. Remember El Niño is a natural oscillation, embedded in a warming planet.
Now this chart is using the traditional index. But in the first comment I will post the “Relative” index which is a new method that takes out the global warming signal. You will see that even with that warming taken out, the signal is still for a history making event 1/2

06/07/2026

One of the things I enjoy most about working at River Hills is when members stop and ask questions about what we’re doing on the golf course.

A few weeks ago, just before we aerated the greens, one of our members was watching the team apply granular fertilizer. He’s one of those people who genuinely wants to learn and always asks thoughtful questions. This time he asked:

“What’s the difference between the granular fertilizer you’re spreading today and the liquid fertilizer you spray with the Toro rig?”

It’s a great question, and the answer is actually very important to understanding how we manage healthy putting greens.

Think of granular fertilizer as feeding the plant from the ground up. The nutrients are applied to the soil surface, watered in, and then absorbed by the roots. Once taken up, those nutrients move through the plant and help support root development, recovery, and long-term plant health.

Liquid fertilizer, on the other hand, is often used as a foliar application. The nutrients are absorbed directly through the leaf tissue, providing a much quicker response when the plant needs immediate nutrition or recovery support.

The timing of this application was no accident.

Because we were only about a week away from aerating the greens, I wanted to get granular fertilizer into the soil before we disrupted the surface. That allowed the roots to begin absorbing nutrients and preparing for the recovery process ahead. Once aeration was completed, we could then supplement that root-fed nutrition with foliar applications, giving the plant both underground and above-ground support during grow-in and recovery.

In simple terms, granular fertilizer builds the foundation, while foliar fertilizer helps accelerate the response.

The illustration below, created using AI technology, does a great job showing how each type of fertilizer enters and moves through the turfgrass plant.

Agronomy is often about combining multiple tools and practices at the right time. Success isn’t usually one product or one application—it’s understanding how all the pieces work together to keep our greens healthy, resilient, and performing at a high level.

Now you know. 🌱⛳

06/07/2026

💧 A Major Step Forward for River Hills Country Club💦🌊

One of the first things I do when arriving at a new property is start asking questions.

Not just about what we’re doing today—but why we’re doing it that way.

As many of you know, River Hills stopped using its deep irrigation wells around 2014-2015 and transitioned almost entirely to reclaimed water. While reclaimed water has become a common irrigation source throughout Florida, my Irrigation Team and I began investigating whether the original well system could be brought back online and used once again as a primary water source for the golf course.

What started as a simple question quickly turned into months of research, permit tracking, equipment inspections, electrical troubleshooting, pump testing, and countless hours spent uncovering infrastructure that had been dormant for over a decade.

Today, I’m excited to share that we are in the process of converting our irrigation storage system from reclaimed water back to well water.

And that’s a much bigger deal than it may sound.

The illustration below helps explain why.

Simply put, our water testing confirmed that the North and South Wells contain significantly lower sodium, lower chloride levels, and substantially more beneficial calcium than the reclaimed water we’ve been using for years.

Why does that matter?

Because every night when we irrigate, we’re not just watering grass—we’re influencing the chemistry of the soil beneath it.

Over time, reclaimed water tends to introduce higher levels of salts, sodium, chlorides, and bicarbonates into the soil profile. Those compounds can restrict root growth, reduce oxygen movement, slow water infiltration, and increase turf stress during Florida’s hottest months.

Our well water does the opposite.

Cleaner water promotes healthier soil structure, deeper rooting, better water movement, stronger drought tolerance, and healthier turfgrass overall.

In other words:

Healthier Water → Healthier Soil → Stronger Turf → Better Golf Conditions

This improvement doesn’t only benefit the golf course.

The same irrigation system supplies water to many common areas throughout the River Hills community, including portions of the parkway, roadways, and HOA-maintained landscapes. Better water quality means healthier soils and landscapes across the entire property.

Now, I want to set expectations appropriately.

This isn’t a light switch.

The golf course has been irrigated primarily with reclaimed water for roughly 12 years. Soil chemistry doesn’t change overnight. It will take approximately 4 to 8 weeks before we begin seeing measurable improvements, and several months before the full benefits become apparent.

But make no mistake—we will see those benefits.

This is one of those behind-the-scenes projects that most golfers will never physically see, but it has the potential to improve the golf course for years to come.

I couldn’t be more proud of the work our Irrigation Team has put into making this happen. Their persistence, creativity, and determination helped uncover an opportunity that had been overlooked for over a decade.

Sometimes the biggest improvements aren’t the ones you can immediately see.

They’re the ones happening beneath the surface.

Stay patient.

The transformation is coming.

🌱💧⛳

06/07/2026

Bimini Bermuda Update – Day 4

*Photos taken on Friday 6/5
*Sprigs were planted Monday 6/1

Just a few days ago, this area looked more like a field covered in hay than a future golf course fairway. Today, we’re already seeing green shoots emerge and, more importantly, root development has begun beneath the surface.

Many people don’t realize that warm-season grasses like Bermuda don’t start as mature turf. What you’re seeing in these photos are Bermuda sprigs—living pieces of plant material containing stolons and rhizomes that have the ability to produce both roots and shoots. Once planted into a prepared soil profile, these sprigs begin establishing roots into the sandy loam soil while simultaneously sending new leaf tissue upward toward the sunlight.

The first two weeks after planting are absolutely critical. During this period, moisture management is everything. The sprigs must remain consistently moist to encourage rooting and prevent desiccation. Too little water can quickly set the grow-in back, while proper moisture allows these young plants to establish rapidly.

As roots develop, the sprigs begin taking up nutrients from the soil, converting sunlight, water, and fertilizer into new plant growth. What starts as scattered pieces of Bermuda soon begins spreading laterally through stolons and rhizomes, eventually knitting together into a dense, healthy stand of turfgrass.

The other key ingredient right now is patience—and staying off the newly planted area. These young plants are extremely delicate during establishment. Every footprint, golf cart tire, or unnecessary disturbance can damage developing roots and slow the grow-in process.

The good news? Bermuda grass is one of nature’s most aggressive and resilient turf species. As these photos show, we’re already seeing green growth on Day 4, which is an excellent sign that the sprigs are rooting, adapting, and beginning the journey toward becoming a fully established Bimini Bermuda fairway.

The process has started, and the future is already turning green. 🌱⛳