By Greg Ellison

Staff Writer

(Sept. 12, 2019) With the fall golf season about to begin, assessing turf conditions and ascertaining upcoming maintenance needs at the Ocean Pines Golf Course is on the agenda for Board of Directors member Frank Daly and members of the Golf Committee.

Speaking from the road on Wednesday, Daly said he last hit the links about a month earlier but plans on scheduling a “working,” round upon his return east.

“When it’s cold is not a good time to go out … but in the shoulder season is a good time to go on the course and talk about improvements that we think … should be looked at in terms of the course itself and any conditions we find,” he said.

Daly, who serves as board liaison for the Golf Committee, said he plans to solicit those members, OPA management and fellow Board members to play a round and examine course conditions.

“Just go around and, first of all, play the course because a couple of us are golfers,” he said. “Then just talk about things that have to be done for the upcoming budget.”

To prepare for what is anticipated to be a memorable season on the links in 2020, Daly said nailing down costs for repairs and maintenance would begin shortly.

“Actually, very soon the board will be giving budget guidance to the management team and that will, in a way, direct what kind of improvements and maintenance [are completed] for next year,” he said.

Daly said both the new golf club house and revamped

Board of Directors member Frank Daly is planning to convene a contingency of OPA officials to play, and simultaneously inspect, the Ocean Pines Golf Course for any conditions requiring attention during the upcoming winter season.

are expected to open by next spring.

“That’s where we expect that thing to be operating as well as possible,” he said.

Addressing the current turf conditions, Daly admitted he saw a few spots of brown grass during his last outing.

“In my discussions with the various people that deal with the course, it’s kind of a situation of when you have extremely hot weather that can stress out the course and all that grass will come back,” he said.

Further study is required to confirm what actions can be taken during warm weather to maintain the course, Daly said.

“When you have grass and it starts browning out, what you do is typically throw water on it, … put fertilizer down, and it turns green,” he said.

Unlike a personal residence, Daly said the OPA is restricted by the state regarding fertilizer use.

“Those chemicals have to be really approved by the state,” he said. “If we put chemicals on too early without state approval, we’re subject to some serious fines.”

Additional research is needed to confirm what state limitations apply to applying fertilizer at the golf course, Daly said.

“We have to make sure if there’s any condition on the course that can be preventable, that we prevent it,” he said.