We received 4.97" of rain this month from 10 rain events, but only had 8 days of Cart Path Only restrictions. 2.99" of rain fell in the first 10 days of the month with an additional 1.98" coming in the last 6 days. There was a 15 day stretch of hot, dry weather in the middle of the month that was rare for us this time of year.
Our historical average rainfall for May is 4.43" and we are currently .13" above our year-to-date average precipitation since January 1st.
All 29 greens were verticut, mowed, and topdressed today prior to the heavy rain forecasted for tonight. Verticutting is a common practice in the spring to remove excess leaf tissue and Poa seedheads. It also helps stand the grass blades up for a cleaner cut, which results in faster and smoother ball roll. After the greens are verticut and the debris is blown off, the putting surfaces are mowed to cleanup the longer grass blades, then a light sand topdressing is applied. 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 to be incorporated into the turf canopy. We normally apply heavy amounts of sand in the spring and fall in conjunction with aerification. Frequently topdressing greens in season has become more common as the benefits of light applications of 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.
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| One of our older, riding greens mowers is fitted with special verticutting heads so any of our equipment operators can perform this important task. Most of the leaf tissue and seedheads removed during the process are collected by the grass baskets mounted in front of the verticut heads, but some debris is left on the putting surface and needs to be blown off before topdressing occurs. |
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| Here's the putting surface immediately after verticutting where the individual rows created by the verticut blades are visible. |
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| Lakes #8 green after lightly topdressing. |
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| Here's a closeup of a topdressed green with a golf ball in the center of a small area brushed in by hand to give a better idea of the "Sugar Coating" reference. |
Frosted turf around Lakes 1 tees
We've had frost delays the past 4 mornings due to nighttime temperatures in the low to mid 30's. Frost delays are still common this time of year and can even occur when the air temperature is above freezing, as was the case the past 4 nights. Frost will usually be evident at sunrise, as the air at ground level is warmed it becomes lighter and rises. Colder, denser air will take the place of the warm air and can be 5-10 degrees cooler, thus creating frozen turf. Frost usually "burns off" quickly in direct sunlight, but certain areas of the course are heavily shaded and take longer to thaw, such as Orchard 1, Lakes 2, and Grove 2 & 3. Our winter tree removal program has focused on these specific holes to allow for increased sunlight penetration, but we still have more work to do. The maintenance staff monitors these specific holes on cold mornings to determine whether frost is present, and the decision to allow play is based on when those areas will be frost-free and the courses can be prepared for play. The maintenance staff requires a 45-60 minute head start to stay ahead of play depending on the activities that day. Looking at weather records from last year, our last frost delay occurred on 6/1.
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| Frost delays are a great time to mow outer rough that's not affected by the frost |
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| Trimming back overgrown brush and low hanging trees along cart paths are a regular frost delay task |
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| Mulching landscape beds around the clubhouse on frosty mornings greatly improves aesthetics |