A long awaited update:

 

Now that the season is winding down and our main focus is leaf cleanup I am finally able to write an update on some of the many things that took place this season.

 

As many of you are probably aware, this past summer was extremely difficult due to the lack of rainfall. From May 1st to August 31 the average rainfall total for our area is 18.5 inches. This year we received only 14 inches. Two things became very noticeable during that period. One was that our irrigation system had a lot of problems due to being used so much. We had a record high amount of repairs this season. And two, our thatch levels have gotten way too dense on our fairways:

 

When thatch gets this dense it be comes hydrophobic, meaning it repels water. You can see how bone dry this soil is. Notice the turf in this picture does not look so healthy. Even after a significant rain event this plug is still dry.

 

While this turf also has a dense thatch layer it didn't repel any water. You can see there is some moisture there. Not surprising that the turf looks so much more healthy than the previous picture.

 

The result of having such dense thatch layers is the onset of LDS, Localized Dry Spot. Here you can see the LDS on this fairway right along side of a healthy stand of turf. The main cause of this problem is the lack of an aerification program on the fairways.

 

 





 In September the decision was made to hire an aerification company to punch the 20 acres of fairways on October 13th. The decision was any easy one based on that they could get the work done in a day and a half since they have 4 machines working together.

 

This plug shows how bad the thatch level has gotten over the years. Ideally this should only be a half inch layer, not an inch and a half as shown.

 

Another problem we have been working to solve is the cleaning of the swimming area down at the beach. Beach Co-Chairs Rob Egan and Kim Baier were successful in finding a company to remove the aquatic weeds that became too invasive to swimmers.

 

 

The diving company was able to cultivate and remove over 2 dozen bags!

 

Despite being a difficult year, with hard work and dedication our staff was able to provide our members and their guests with another solid year of course conditions. A sincere thank you to everyone that went out of their way to compliment and thank our staff this season.

 

One of the benefits of getting to work early in the morning.

 

 

 

 

 



 

Greens Aeration and Winter Damage Recovery

 

 

Now that the spring aeration has been complete I thought it would be a good time to explain why this disruptive, labor intensive practice is done. These two videos are excellent at communicating why thatch management is so important:

 

 

 

 

The greens that suffered winterkill are coming along nicely with lots of new seedling growth. These comparative pictures show just how far we've come with the recovery process:

 

New seedlings

 

 

#18

 

4/16/15

 

5/5/15

 

 5/19/15

#9

 

5/5/15

5/19/15

 

Our next step will be to spike and seed these areas one more time in order to completely fill them in. As you can see the aggressive creeping bentgrass seed that we used is much darker than the original surrounding turf. In time these spots will blend into the existing stand of turf and will become less noticeable.



 

Golf Course Update 4/24/15:

 

 

As many of you have returned to enjoy some early season golf there have been a few questions about some of the damage on a few of the fairways and greens.  While our last post left off mostly optimistic, it seems that we suffered some setbacks shortly thereafter. After much research and speaking to many colleagues throughout the region it became fairly obvious that the damage occurred during the last week of March and first 2 weeks of April . When turfgrass plants remain in or under constant moisture following a thaw, the plant can absorb large amounts of water. If temperatures then decrease below freezing, ice forms within the plant, expands and kills the tissues and cells. The most susceptible areas will be the low lying, poorly drained sections.

 

For example:

 

 

 

  

 

We are very fortunate that our damage is minimal as there are numerous reports of courses with entire greens that suffered winterkill. Work has begun to repair these small sections on greens 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 16, & 18. The idea is to create a seed bed to encourage new growth. This was done by slicing and spiking the damaged areas and spreading seed:

 



Rest assured that the Greens Department is working hard to return these areas back into the condition that our members have come to expect. We thank you for your patience.

 

 

 



 

 

Golf Course Update 4/1/15

 

 

As most of you know this has been an abnormal past few weeks of weather here at the course. Cool early spring temperatures along with recent snow showers have threatened to delay the April 10th opening day. Unfortunately there is still significant amounts of snow throughout the course:

 

 Chipping Green

 

 #9 Green

 

 #2

 

 #11

 

 #11 Green

 

 #9

 

 Driving Range

 On a more positive note I am pleased to report that as of today there seems to be a minimal amount of ice damage. In the previous post I shared my concern and explained the process of monitoring turf plugs for injury. As you can see, 5 out of the 6 samples are thriving but the turf plug all the way on the right that is severely damaged is from a section of #18 Green:

 

 

Here are some pics of the green:

 



This small area will be repaired when the weather begins to cooperate. Currently we are in the process of clearing any remaining ice from a few greens. We chose to do this by using the most economical and least invasive method, spreading black sunflower seeds on top of the ice:

 

 The dark color of the seeds absorb the sunlight and helps the melting process along. They can then be simply blown off. In the pic below you can see how well the seeds facilitate melting:

 





 

 

 

 

Winter Update 3/10/15

 

 

As we change the clocks for daylight savings time and look forward to the 18+ inches of snow to melt, there are some concerns of how the turf held up through this tough winter.  While much of this winter was relatively mild in the beginning, the month of February was particularly brutal.

 

 As you can see the ice began to build up in mid January:

 

 

 

 

Then in February we had several snow storms on top of the ice, there is about 18-20 inches out there now: :

 

While the snow can actually be a benefit by covering and insulating the turf, the ice can result in catastrophic damage. Just like all living things the turf must be able to breathe in order to survive. Significant amounts of ice can hinder this process. As you can see there is anywhere up to 1 inch of ice under the snow:

 

 

One of the things we look at when we assess the possibility of ice damage is to take a good look at the type of ice that has formed. Generally speaking clear ice is worrisome because it indicates that there is not much oxygen and gas exchange going on. While cloudy ice is a great sign that the turf should recover without any problems. Notice the ice on the left is pretty clear while the ice on the right is full of air pockets:

 

 

The next step in monitoring the health of the turf is to take samples from the areas that have a possibility of succumbing to serious damage.  Those plugs are now brought inside to thaw out and receive ample amounts of sunlight:

 

 

We are hopeful that in a week or two these samples will begin to thrive and we will have a better understanding on the status of the turf's health.

 

Making the best out of a cold winter 

 

Recently we have made a much needed improvement to the pond on #13. Taking advantage of the pond being frozen we were able to get in and cut down the invasive cattails that are taking over.

 

Before

 

 

 

After

 

 

We will then spray them with a nonselective herbicide (Roundup) in the spring to prevent them from growing back. This aquatic weed can easily take over pond this small if left untouched.



 

 

What do you do in the off-season?

 

 

That is the #1 question asked to everyone who works in the golf industry where they experience an off-season due to cold winter weather. Most of the golfing community is surprised to learn just how much work there is to do this time of year.  In addition to the obvious snow cleanup, tree/brush removal, and attending educational seminars, these are some of the other things that the Greens Department is working on:

 

 

All outdoor supplies such as tee markers, o.b. and hazard stakes, ball washers, etc... are sanded and repainted each winter. This gives the course a clean, fresh look throughout the golf season:

  

 We protect the turf that needs help getting through the winter with permeable covers. Tees on #3 & #6 are covered to encourage divot repair in the early winter and early spring: 

 

The green on #17 is also covered. As you can see it gets very little sunlight throughout the winter months: 

 





 

 Our Mechanic Paul Piasio breaks down every reel on every mower, replaces any worn parts, changes oil/fuel/air filters, and puts it all back together again:

  

 

 After everything is serviced the most important process begins.....reel sharpening.