Warm spell has Black Butte Ranch in summer condition
Big Meadow and Glaze Meadow firming up just in time for the peak season
Spring in Central Oregon has been difficult to escape. Yes, we have been blessed with a handful warm, sunny days that this region is best known. But the chill and dampness of the season has not been ready to shake loose.
With summer finally ready to become official, the forecast at Black Butte Ranch is finally cooperating with the kind of weather we should all expect this time of year.
Of course, this is music to the ears of Black Butte Ranch’s longtime superintendent, who has been busy fighting the unpredictable spring weather get both Big Meadow and Glaze Meadow toward peak condition.
“I am really looking forward to solidly warm weather that goes on for a long stretch,” said Phil Lagao.
In some ways, the recent run of cool, damp weather has been a blessing. It has fostered turf growth and saved on irrigation. But the weather has made some other aspects of turf maintenance a bit more laborious.
Somehow, Lagao and his crew have been able to keep up.
The crew’s hard work is most evident on the greens. The putting surfaces came out of winter well, which gave them a head start to the season. But slowly and surely the greens have made progress toward peak condition.
“The greens are definitely there,” Lagao said. “Big Meadow it usually takes a little longer, but it is in good shape. The greens are rolling great.
“When we get the solid warmup they will be dialed in for the rest of the season.”
That warm stretch of weather is finally a reality, of course, and that is proving to be a boon to more than just the greens.
The fairways, which have fully recovered from winter, are firming quickly. In other words, summer conditions are here, and it’s time for golfers to take advantage.
“It has been a really weird spring, but it looks like we have that extended stretch of weather that we have been waiting for,” Lagao said. “I’m really excited.”
Come celebrate the start of summer at Black Butte Ranch. Golfers play 18 holes at either Big Meadow or Glaze Meadow for $79. The rate drops to $59 after 2 p.m., and golfers can play nine holes for $44 after noon.
Book a tee time online, call 855-210-5305 or the Golf Shop at 541-595-1500.