Course Update 5/31/18

Greens:  The turf has been a little off-color, but that's in response to the stretch of hot weather we recently experienced and is not an indication of poor health.  We wanted the root zone to dry out and force deeper rooting, which will help the turf survive the stressful summer season.  We had some dry spots show up in the collars which we addressed by hand watering, but overall the turf held up great during the first heat wave of the season.  We also lowered the mowing height again this week and the greens are rolling great.

Tees:  The tees are also a little off-color and are due for an application of fertilizer.  We'll use an organic 5-4-5 fertilizer next week which will green them up and help with divot recovery.  Organic fertilizers are safe to use in warm weather and release their nutrients over 8-10 weeks.

Fairways:  The turf is healthy and has great color.  Many of the bad fairways from last year have improved dramatically and will continue to get better.  Even though it was hot and dry earlier this week, we were finally able to sod the two drain lines on Orchard 5 and the areas in Lakes 5 approach.  The sod will need to be rolled and topdressed several times before it's ready for play, so please keep off of it as much as possible.  The beginning of Orchard 6 fairway is scheduled to be sodded early next week, depending on the weather.

Bunkers:  Edges were trimmed this week and that process will occur every few weeks depending on how quickly the turf grows.  The grass surrounds were sprayed with a herbicide several weeks ago to control weeds, but will need to be sprayed again as new weeds have emerged.

Recently sodded drain line near the green on Orchard 5 fairway

Recently sodded drain line in the middle of Orchard 5 fairway

Low areas void of turf prepped for sod on Lakes 5 approach

Recently sodded areas on Lakes 5 approach

Course Update 5/24/18

Greens:  Poa seedheads are almost gone and we've been slowly lowering the mowing heights for the past week.  Expect faster green speeds over the next few days as things dry out.  Weekly growth regulator and fertility sprays are being applied in small amounts to keep the turf in peak condition going into summer.  Expect to see light applications of topdressing sand every few weeks to help dry out and smooth the putting surfaces.

Tees:  The new tees on Grove 2 & 3 are ready for play and will open tomorrow.  The temporary tees that were being used will be aerified, seeded and topdressed to promote faster recovery.  I anticipate several weeks for them to fully recover.

Fairways:  The turf has greatly improved since last year, but we still have numerous areas that require attention.  We had planned to start sodding areas this week, but the wet weather changed those plans.  We'll try again next week.

Rough:  If you sat there long enough, you could probably see the rough grow.  Even with every available body assigned to maintaining the rough in the afternoons, we still can't keep up with it.  It appears the seedheads are starting to thin out, and that's a great indication that the rough will be transitioning into it's summer growth stage and hopefully start slowing down.  In addition to mowing, we've started string trimming all the various items throughout the property.  This time of year we send out a trimming crew every week or two.  As the summer goes on and we experience drier conditions, not as much trimming is required.  Still have some dandelion, clover and thistle emerging, and we plan to resume herbicide applications next week.

Stump Grinding:  The contractor needed to take care of some other small jobs and will be back on site once those are complete.



Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Rough Mowing

As in past years, the question I get asked the most around this time is "When are you going to cut the rough?"  In case you're wondering, we maintain 110 acres of primary rough and 70 acres of outer rough (tall grass areas).  The primary rough is what surrounds greens, tees, and fairways, and is mowed at 2.25 inches.  As mentioned in last week's post, 5 mowers are out every day cutting primary rough, and with good weather and normal growth it requires 4 full days to get thru the property one time.  I mentioned good weather, which consists of sunny, dry days and lower humidity so the turf isn't so lush.  Normal growth refers to one inch of new leaf tissue over a week's time.  For the most part, this year has seen the exact opposite.  Rain every day or two, limited sunshine, and high humidity, which has resulted in lush, dense turf that will grow 2 inches or more in one week.  Mowing this tall, dense turf requires more power for the blades so the mower can't travel as fast to achieve a uniform cut.  Going slower requires close to 6 days to mow all the primary rough one time, so don't be surprised if you see mowers out on the weekends.  Normally, this springtime growth flush will subside by Memorial Day, but I'm not sure what to expect this year.

We have 2 of these articulating trim mowers that are ideal for hilly terrain around greens, tees, and bunkers.  They cut 82 inches wide and cost $30,000 each.

We have 3 of these big units that maintain the large, open areas.  They cut 108 inches wide and cost $80,000 each.

Course Update 5/10/18

Greens:  Aerification holes have healed and we will start lowering the height of cut next week.  Poa annua seedheads have emerged so verticutting will also begin next week, followed by a light topdressing.  The seedheads are what cause the greens to be bumpy and slow this time of year.  Several verticutting and topdressing applications in the spring helps remove the seedheads and makes for a faster, smoother putting surface.

Tees:  Grove tees were core aerified on Monday 5/7.  Lakes tees are scheduled to be aerified on Monday 5/14, with Orchard tees immediately following.  The new tees on Lakes 6, Orchard 9, and Grove 9 are open for play and receiving fantastic reviews.  The new tees on Grove 2 & 3 require a little more time to mature and stabilize, since they were completed so late last season.  Once all the tee sod is fully established we will apply topdressing sand and aerify with 3/8" diameter solid tines to work the sand into the turf canopy and fill any remaining sod seams.

Fairways:  Core aerification was completed last Wednesday and the fairways look great.  This is the first time in many years that spring aerification was performed, but it is a necessary practice that will be done twice per year going forward.  Now that aerification is complete, we can finish the drainage projects on Orchard 5 & 6, along with addressing some other areas of poor turf quality.  Soil moisture levels have dropped to allow cart traffic, but please observe the 90 degree rule and keep carts on the path near greens and tees.

Rough:  Each day, 5 mowers and 3 blowers are trying to keep up with the usual springtime flush of growth.  We haven't fertilized yet, and the rough should start to thin out in another couple of weeks.  Broadleaf weeds such as dandelion, clover, and thistle have emerged and we started spraying herbicides this week to control them.

Bunkers:  Regular maintenance has begun which includes raking, edging, checking sand depths, and adding sand when necessary.

Stump Grinding:  A contractor has been on-site grinding stumps to the left of Grove 6 before the pond.  He then spread the piles of debris that have accumulated over the years in preparation for seeding.  He will be grinding stumps in close proximity to greens/tees/fairways first, then address the stumps along the outer edges of the property.  The ground material will be cleaned up and removed, and topsoil will fill the cavity.  Seed or sod will be used depending on location and weather conditions at the time of repair.

Fairway Aerification Update

We finally got some warm, dry weather and it just happened to coincide with fairway aerification.  To maximize efficiency and minimize the disruption to the membership, a contractor was used to core aerify all 40 acres of fairway over three days this week at a cost of $11,000.  For the maintenance staff to perform the same task in-house would require $150,000 in additional equipment and we would not have the staff available to properly maintain the 18 holes that were open for play.  Maintenance costs, storage space, and insuring the specialized aerification equipment must also be considered and that's why we choose to contract the service.

The first step in the process is to flag (mark) all of the drainage basins, irrigation heads, yardage markers, and anything else we don't want the aerifiers to hit.  The aerifiers can then start extracting a 3/4" diameter core approximately 4" deep on a 3"x 3" square spacing.  This spacing equates to 19 holes per square foot, 827,640 holes per acre, and 33,105,600 holes across all 40 acres. The cores are then left on the surface to dry for an hour or so before they can be dragged and broken up.  If the cores are too wet they will stick together and form little mud balls that clog the drag mats and take even longer to dry.  If we wait too long and the cores are too dry they will become very hard and not break up when dragged.  Once the drag mats have gone over the fairway several times and the cores are broken up, another piece of equipment is used to further pulverize the soil and any remaining cores.  The goal is to break up the soil so it fills some of the aerification holes and work it back into the turf canopy.  This helps to control thatch buildup and reduces the amount of material that needs to be collected and hauled off.  Since the soil is heavier it will settle into the turf while the light-weight thatch will remain on the surface.  As soon as the pulverizer is done, a team of three high-powered blowers start clearing the fairway surface.  The thatch is blown into the rough where it is collected by a large sweeper.  The sweeper will make several passes around the fairways to collect all the debris, then run over specific areas in the fairway where the soil/thatch has accumulated.  The forecast calls for some rain over the next several days along with temperatures in the 70's.  These conditions are ideal for turf growth and I anticipate 7-10 days for the fairways to recover.

Click the links below to learn more about aerification and why it's necessary.
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/why-your-course-aerates-and-why-you-should-be-happy-about-it
https://www.usga.org/course-care/forethegolfer/why-do-golf-courses-aerate-so-much-.html

Aerifying 40 acres requires big equipment

One of two 300 pound steel drag mats breaking up the cores

The pulverizer in action

The end result after all steps