Greens at La Cumbre

Dear Members, With enthusiasm and celebration of an illustrious career, I am pleased to announce the retirement of our esteemed Golf Course Superintendent, Wayne Mills, after an incredible 23-year tenure at La Cumbre. Wayne has been an integral part of our community, contributing his passion, expertise, and unwavering commitment to excellence. While it was a challenging choice for him to step away, we are all excited about Wayne's new journey in life. Although he is retiring, he remains deeply committed to the stewardship of La Cumbre. Wayne will partner with us on several aspects, such as the course renovation, finding his successor, and facilitating a smooth transition. Wayne's targeted last day as Superintendent is set for May 1, 2024. However, he has graciously agreed to remain actively involved as a consultant, supporting the Course Renovation Project in 2025. Our search for his replacement has already begun, with a dedicated search committee led by myself, our Green Chair, John Blair, and committee members Noel Lucky-Ris and Patrick Neilson. Throughout his tenure, Wayne has demonstrated exceptional leadership, leaving an indelible mark on the course and all who have worked alongside him. As we bid farewell to a legend, let's reflect on some of Wayne's key accomplishments: Environmental Stewardship: Wayne's commitment to environmental stewardship has set a remarkable standard. His innovative sustainable practices and environmental conservation efforts have transformed La Cumbre into a model of responsible golf course management. Wayne's tireless dedication will be recognized in the New Year when he receives the Golf Course Superintendent Association of America's highest honor, the President's Award. Continuous Improvements: Wayne's dedication to continuous improvement has elevated La Cumbre to new heights. His attention to detail and tireless efforts to enhance the property, improve playability, aesthetics, and overall quality have not gone unnoticed. Wayne's forward-thinking approach has kept our golf course at the forefront of industry standards. Development of Key Staff: One of Wayne's greatest legacies lies in his commitment to developing key staff members. Through mentorship and encouragement, he has nurtured talent within our team, fostering a culture of growth and learning. Many of our staff members attribute their success to Wayne's guidance. Collaboration with Green Chairs and Colleagues: Wayne's collaborative spirit has played a pivotal role in building strong relationships with our Green Chairs and colleagues at the club. His open communication, receptiveness to ideas, and ability to work seamlessly with others have contributed to the success and harmony of our course operations. As Wayne embarks on a new chapter in his life, let us express our heartfelt gratitude for his invaluable contributions to La Cumbre. Wayne, your passion, expertise, and spirit will be deeply missed. We wish you a retirement filled with relaxation, game hunting, and wonderful fishing adventures on the rivers of Washington. A date will be set in the future to celebrate Wayne and his remarkable legacy at La Cumbre. We look forward to honoring a true legend within the La Cumbre family.

"Lawrence, Kan. (Dec. 5, 2023) – Wayne Mills, 39-year GCSAA member and superintendent at La Cumbre Country Club in Santa Barbara, Calif., has been named the recipient of the 2024 President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). Mills will officially be recognized during the Send-Off Celebration at the 2024 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show, presented in partnership with John Deere, on Feb. 1 in Phoenix."

Concluding the Chase, embracing serene landscapes and unexpected visitors, while prepping for year-end course enhancements. Well, as I'm writing this, we are on the final day of the Chase tournament. Our member-guest events, ladies and men, had good weather and excellent conditions to play in. I saw some old faces and many new ones. I hope all had a good time. I wanted this year to have good course conditions. The course has been under construction for the reclaimed water project or teeing ground improvements with cart path removal for the past few years. I had a personal setback. Plus, no water in the lake for some years. So, with the help of Mother Nature's rain, we were set up for a good year, and a good one we have had. Mild weather, good views, and conditions for all the club events and daily play, plus the SCGA event. On another note, I was in the lake working before the events and noticed 100+ American Coots had shown up there. This follows history. Two things happened - the Chase week coots return and we blew a hydraulic hose on equipment. For those new members who have not been here for a winter, with water in the lake, more coots will arrive. The coots are a challenge as they migrate to the turf areas to feed after consuming all the pond weeds in the lake. In the past, we have pushed them with dogs and set up feeding areas to try and control their movement. It could be better, but it helps during the coots' migration until March, when they head back north. Work for the remainder of the calendar year is: Build a 20,000 sq. ft. Putting green nursery on the 13th hole Aerate greens and surrounding areas Aerate Tees and seed par 3's Aerate and seed driving range tee top Freshen up the Landscape at Modac LC sign See you on the course,

Here is an update here from the Greens Department. On the 13th hole, we are creating a putting green sod nursery. That ultimately will be 25,000 sq. ft. of POA annua putting green sod. This will be used for the proposed 2025 Todd Eckenrode plan. Resetting original green footprints, Adding some new pin areas and green complexes. Initially, we were going to sod bentgrass at the nursery, then aerate it and drag our existing green plugs into it. This would take place three to four times a year over the next two years. Trying to create a mixture of grasses as we have now on the greens. But even with this aggressive work plan, the turf would still be predominantly bentgrass. So, areas newly sodded during the project would have a different look and characteristics than the surrounding turf. This would remain like this for five-plus years until the POA took over, as it always does in this coastal climate. I was looking for golf courses that might be removing greens for major remodels—hoping to acquire their POA annua putting green turf during my inquiries and searches. My seed supplier told me that a sod company in Abbotsford, British Colombia, has produced POA annua sod for a few years on sand compatible with USGA construction. This sod is produced using putting green material from golf courses in the area, making it a bentgrass and POA annua mix. It has been used for greens at various locations—most notably the greens reconstruction at Chambers Bay in Vancouver to covert from fescue. I spoke to the Superintendent, and his response was favorable. During their greens renovation after four months, he was able to take the height down to create a very nice putting surface. I then contacted the owner of the sod farm and inquired about the product and the feasibility of shipping it to our location. His response was no problem and was in tune with California agriculture requirements and that the sod is shipped in refrigerated boxes on trucks. Then, after all this, the material is about .70 cents a square foot cheaper than bent delivered from the desert. This will be turf that will blend in quicker with the existing greens, plus a 14,000 dollar savings. This is the reason the sod farm on 13 has been put on hold until this fall. Below is a link to the sod farm and weather graphs. https://www.bossod.com/ https://weatherspark.com/y/1002/Average-Weather-in-Abbotsford-Canada-Year-Round https://weatherspark.com/y/1443/Average-Weather-in-Santa-Barbara-California-United-States-Year-Round

We will be entering the longest day of the year soon and the official start of summer. Predictions for the summer months still show it being warm even with this unseasonably cool spring. But time will tell, and some projects and events could use warmer temps than we have experienced this spring. So below is some work going on in the next couple of months. Putting green nursery on the 13th hole. We are currently working on a 9,000 sq. ft. expansion of putting green sod. This expansion is to establish onsite sod for upcoming projects. It's a best practice to grow turf onsite as it takes a couple of years to develop turf similar to our existing putting greens. This way, we will have plenty of sod to make green adjustments and heal as quickly as possible. Tees leveled with new sod will be 5,7,10, and the driving range. We will complete this leveling work by July 5th. Lake management will increase during the summer months. We have controlled the Duckweed well and now have started cutting tules, plus further growth around the edges. So far, we have been spared large amounts of algae growth. With the water being "tea-stained" in color combined with consistent cloud cover, sunlight penetration has been limited, which slows down this growth in the lake. But time will tell, as this area always throws us a curveball in how it reacts over a season. Plus the coots, oh, we will leave that topic for the next update https://aquaplant.tamu.edu/plant-identification/alphabetical-index/duckweed/common-duckweed/ The course will be closed for renovation the week of June 19th. We will do a lighter renovation than usual so the property can heal in time for the S.C.G.A. Women's Amateur Championship the last week of July. Come out and watch some terrific golf that week. Some members have asked me about the best way to rake the bunkers. I feel it's easy to access on the backside or bottom of the bunker (don't walk in on the high slope side). After your shot, use the tooth side of the rake for the bottom area in the bunkers and the smooth side of the rake for the sides. We use the "Melbourne" technique of raking, which allows a ball to roll to the bottom of the bunker due to the smooth sides. We can never duplicate the staff's raking in the mornings due to tools and the wetness of the sand when they do this work. The main thing is to leave a smooth surface for the members behind you. It's a Boy and Girl Scout thing, "Leave it better than you found it." Nobody likes being hung up in footprints on the face of a bunker. We would solve most of the issues if we could stop entering and exiting the bunkers on the faces. See you on the course,

Wayne’s World is off to the Races! Here is a quick update on things going on at the Greens department. This year has seemed like Groundhog day as we would have a rain event every Tuesday. This would lead to canceled golf events and the Greens department cleaning up the property. Then the clouds finally parted, and it was April? We were a month or two behind our typical work for our main golfing seasons. With the great rainy season behind us, we have turned the bilges off and are full steam ahead. We had a few small drainage issues, plus bunkers and native areas that needed immediate attention, the 4th hole and the 12th hole had the most significant drainage issues. The 4th hole is a spring that shows up during very wet years. We previously installed a large drainage field along the 4th cart path. But it grew bigger this year, so we created a small drain at the dog leg to dry up this area. The 12th hole was mainly run-off from under the Las Palmas Road Gravel base. This was cleaned up with a larger intercept drain. Bunker sand had to be moved and groomed, and additional sand would be added to the bottoms. This work has been started and should be completed soon. The native areas took a hit from too much moisture and heavy soils. Some plants and seeded wildflower areas failed to be waterlogged for too long. So, we have been replanting the areas with different varieties or raising the soil to get them up on a mound. We have also been adding mulch to all the native areas. This makes for better footing and views around the property. Even with this winter’s severe conditions, the spring views are still nice around the property, and our lake, which some new members have never seen, has reappeared! As we continue to clean up the property and groom our native areas, we will launch into a great golfing season. In the future, here are some of the things we will be working on at the greens department: • Working with Todd on the capitol maintenance and irrigation • Reviewing all bunkers and adding sand to the bottoms • Leveling and sodding 12,000 sq ft of tee tops • Managing the lake’s algae and pond weeds. The Club's aquatic weed control boat will be here on May 3rd. • The 19th thru 22nd of June - course closed as we aerate greens, tees, and fairways • Expand putting green nursery on 13 for future course projects So, enjoy the spring conditions. Rusty and I will see you on the course.

Dear La Cumbre Members, After some terrific golfing weather during the holidays, we are into a new year, and it seems into a much-needed wet pattern. So I thought I would go over some maintenance items that come up this time of year and answer some questions about how we manage course play. Carts or no carts after the rain? We look and think about how much mud tracking we'll get from the carts and if there will be any physical damage to the turf areas in play. We then look at the forecasted weather, and if there's a rain front coming through in the next day or two, we'll be a little more aggressive in getting carts out as the mud tracks will get washed away with the new rain. If there's no rain forecasted, we usually hold off longer, so we don't have a lot of unsightly mud tracking. Our goal is to have the property looking and playing as well as it can for all members. We will close the course if the greens have standing water because of excessive foot tracking and ball marks. Additionally, if the bunkers have a lot of washouts and standing water, that's another reason to close the golf course for playing. We really do want to get all members out to play golf as much as possible, but by restricting play at certain times, it makes the playing conditions better for all members. So it's a balance we consider every day. Here are a few websites I use to monitor the weather: Windy.com V.C. Watershed County of S.B Some notes on rainfall and the lake: As of 1/13/23, we have had 17.55 inches for the season. From 1/1/23 to 1/10/23, we had 8.67 inches out of one storm. The lake has 55 inches of water in it. We will have a lake all season with about 24 inches left in it by October. Lake Cachuma will spill over, and the entire state water delivery system will be improved, securing water for the next few years and hopefully stabilizing the availability and pricing of this resource. A 2023 Forecast of the Greens Department work: Complete a capital maintenance plan for all areas on the course (this will be done by Todd Eckenrode and Origins Golf). Complete a new irrigation system design and plan for the property. Fly the property with drones to make a Topo map to be used for the work above. Level and install new sod on teeing grounds. Remove the sand dam on the front of some greens and lower the sod for drainage. Purchase a new boat for algae and aquatic weed removal in the lake. I am sure more items will arise as the year progresses, but this is the base plan for 2023. Our team is looking forward to a solid season with great conditions for golf and enhanced visuals from the lake and native areas. See you on the course,

Dear La Cumbre Members, I am sending out the final and most anticipated Wayne’s World summary. Much was accomplished, and many interesting situations were overcome. On March 1st, the first deliveries of reclaimed water started. Bringing to completion the 1.4 million dollar project. We are fortunate to have a reliable water source for now and into the future. In June, the path removal around the lake and teeing grounds project broke ground. Over the three months, 6,500 linear feet of cart path was removed, and five new teeing areas were developed with rolled curb path integrated into them. Plus, we added fairway and native areas to complement the work. The result is a cleaner, less cluttered look for these areas. In October, holes 2, 3, and 9 had portions of path removed, and drainage with scatter areas and rolled curbs was added. In November, multiple organizations recognized the club nationally for its commitment to creating more naturalized areas on the property. Not only for beautiful views but intention to promote an environment for wildlife of many types. The year had its agronomic challenges, and I had a personal set back too. Irrigation started in January, as no meaningful rain came after December 2021, making sodium control difficult. During my setback, we had an unseasonably hot and humid weather pattern, followed by two weeks of warm cloud cover all day and night. Thankfully, the damage to the property and myself were contained to a minimum. Things are looking up from here! The club contracted with Todd Eckenrode of Origins Golf Design to review our property and help establish long-term plans for enhancements, maintenance, and integration of our future irrigation systems and infrastructure. This sets us up for another 25 to 30 years of efficient service to the club. So, the balance of this year will include tree maintenance to increase sunlight corridors along Arroyo Burro and other areas, which will help with our turf health. Service to our irrigation pumping systems, wells, and backflows. We are locating and cleaning irrigation devices in the ground. Plus, general maintenance and clean up on the property and my shop area. In review, it was a good year, with many rewards and completed work. I hope all of you have a nice holiday season and enjoy what I consider to be the best time of year.

Wayne’s World Fall 2022 Shadows are getting longer, and nights are getting cooler. It looks like fall is coming! It’s an excellent time of year at La Cumbre Country Club. The grass growth will slow, and our greens and fairways will start to roll. The bunkers will hold less water, creating a softer surface. I think it’s the best time of year for golf in Santa Barbara when other courses across the country are emptying irrigation lines and placing covers on greens. This year, we had a very busy season learning to accept and use reclaimed water. The reclaimed water saved the club over $177,000 this year alone if the water had been purchased as potable. We did have some adjusting, but we learned and got around those issues. We removed over 6,500 linear feet of cart paths. Plus, remodeling the areas those paths impacted. In addition, to new teeing grounds, paths, and native areas. On native areas, I have been informed La Cumbre Country Club has been chosen by Golf Digest and The GCSAA as the top facility in the Natural Resource Conservation Division of the Environmental leaders of Golf Awards. So, I hope you enjoy the super bloom this spring and realize it is being noticed by our professional peers and the golf media. Below are some upcoming projects you will see completed: Remove tullie rhizomes from Laguna Blanca from inline playing areas. Complete cart path scatter areas on holes 2, 3, 17. Remove and complete the new cart path on the 9th hole by green. Finish drainage work on new paths 11, 15. Sod bare area on 13th hole where the path was removed. Stay Below the Hole!