Course Update 6/30/20

We recently applied a wetting agent to greens, tees, and fairways in preparation for the hot and dry weather this week.  Wetting agents, also known as surfactants, are a chemical compound that reduce the surface tension of water, allowing it to spread out and penetrate the turf and soil easier.  Wetting agents can be something as simple as dish soap, and are very safe for both people and the environment.  In fact, using wetting agents can reduce the amount of water needed during irrigation cycles because most of the water applied will be able to infiltrate the soil instead of puddling and becoming runoff.

In this type of weather you will also see the staff hand watering throughout the day, including running some irrigation heads if large areas need water, typically fairways and rough.  Hand watering is a slower process than running irrigation heads, but it allows us to better manage the water given to a specific area.  We are fully aware that watering during the day may be disruptive to your round, but please understand that we need to keep the turf alive for your future rounds.

Irrigation heads running on Grove 6

Hand watering Grove 7 green

Course Update 6/27/20

We've been sodding worn areas in the rough over the past couple of weeks to improve the aesthetics and playability of the courses.  The excessive rainfall the past two years has led to ruts and low spots from carts and mowing equipment, which only get worse unless repaired.  We're using leftover rough sod from the driving range tee project that is 100% Kentucky Bluegrass.  This turf is a better choice for the rough because of it's deep rooting, reduced water requirement, consistent texture, and great color.  It's a noticeable contrast to our existing rough which is a hodgepodge of Perennial Ryegrass, Creeping Bentgrass and Annual Bluegrass.

Worn areas in the intermediate rough marked for repair.

Worn areas repaired with Kentucky Bluegrass sod.

Area below Grove 8 fairway bunker continued to erode with every thunderstorm.  In bad storms the bunker sand would wash onto the fairway and was reducing turf quality.

The bunker edge was re-established with thin, flexible wood panels that would provide a smooth curve.  The next step was to build up the eroded area with screened topsoil to provide a stable base for the new sod.

Here's a better look at the re-established edge.  The new piece of sod was used as a guide to determine how much topsoil to add to achieve the final grade.

The finished product is a huge improvement!

Course Update 6/11/20

As was done in previous years, weekly topdressing of the greens has resumed.  Now that we're in season and mowing greens daily only a small amount of sand is applied weekly.  We refer to this as a sugar coating and it has minimal effect on the mowers.  If a heavier amount of sand is applied it would dull the mowers after the first green and take longer for the sand to be incorporated into the turf canopy.  We normally apply heavy amounts of sand in the spring and fall in conjunction with aerification.  Frequent topdressing of greens in season has become more common as the benefits of applying sand are better understood.  Firmer, smoother, and drier putting surfaces can be expected by golfers, while Superintendents are seeing healthier turf that requires less water and can withstand increased foot traffic and extreme weather events.

Lakes 8 green after a weekly topdressing.

A small area of sand was brushed in by hand to give a better idea of the "sugar coating" reference.

This is a 7" deep rootzone profile from a green.  Our greens are sand based (USGA spec) and the lighter colored column of sand is from a DryJect injection in a previous year.

Here you can see some roots from the turf hanging out the bottom of the profile.  That's pretty good for Poa greens in June!