After three years of renovations, the final six holes to be completed opened for play on April 1. Additions, such as new bunkers around the No. 14 green, were part of the course's facelift. At that time the club was beginning to show signs of new prosperity, but the course needed to upgrade if it was going to survive. The first priority was to assess just how much work would be required. The largest immediate obstacle was solving an existing problem with black layer.
Black layer is caused by gas buildup under the green surface.
It is brought on by anaerobic conditions and heat in the summer months. Black layer causes thin, blotchy greens for up to 90 days. We faced the problem by overseeding late in the summer. However, members were still upset by this particular problem, so an informative meeting was scheduled. Thomas Watschke, Ph.D., professor of turfgrass science at Penn State University, was asked to review our situation and discuss a solution with our green committee.