Tree Work...Orchard 6

In between all the snow and ice events this week, we were still able to find some time to work on Orchard 6 between the tees and the fairway.  The big tree in the pictures below was a half-dead poplar that had a 30" diameter at the base.  We only have a 25" bar on our largest chainsaw, so it took some time to get the tree on the ground and cleaned up.  We anticipate another day to remove the last few trees in order to have a full view of the fairway.

White tee view...before

White tee view...after

 

Blue tee view...before

Blue tee view...after

Tree Work...Orchard 6

With the ground being thawed the available areas to work in are limited, but that hasn't stopped our progress.  We started clearing vegetation between the fairway and tees on Orchard 6 where significant growth has occurred over the years.   The entire right side of the fairway was blocked from view along with the Out-of-Bounds stakes.  Approximately 25 trees have been removed so far, and we anticipate another couple days to finish removing the vegetation and restore the work area.

Orchard 6 fairway prior to removing trees

Work in progress viewed from the Gold tee

Work in progress viewed from the Blue tee

End of day 1 viewed from the Blue tee

Tree Work...Orchard 5 Green & Lakes 7 Tees

Late last week we started removing trees to the left of Orchard 5 green.  Some work had been done there last year, but more trees needed to come out that continued to cast heavy shade on a majority of the green.  The shade created weak turf that struggled to survive during the summer, which resulted in bare spots on the putting surface.  As the removals progressed, we also discovered that most of the trees had some form of structural damage which led to internal decay.

We had planned to finish the work near 5 green at the beginning of this week, but all the snow melt and heavy rain over the weekend put that on hold.  The turf was too soft to drive the equipment over, so we started thinning out some areas adjacent to the tees on Lakes 7.  The staff was able to keep the equipment on the cart path and have been focused on brush and small trees.  The end result is amazing, just with the brush gone, and we plan to work our way back towards 6 green.  The next step will be to remove a few bigger trees hanging over the path near the tees that are blocking sunlight and airflow.

Big trees create big shadows

Work in progress between Orchard 1 fairway and 5 green

5 green from the approach

Main trunk logs showing signs of decay

Brush removed left of Lakes 7 silver tees

Staff removing brush left of Lakes 7 blue/gold tee

Tree Work...Grove 8 Fairway

This week we've been removing trees on Grove 8 in the hazard left of the fairway approximately 120 yards from the green.  This area had grown up so much that anyone hitting their ball down the left side of the fairway would not have a clear shot to the green.  Removing the trees also addressed a safety issue where players in the fairway could not always see the group ahead of them on the green.  Approximately 30 trees were removed ranging in size from 2" to 15", and plans are to keep the area a hazard and maintained as such.

Before...no view of the green or bunkers

After...green and bunkers in full view

Looking back from the green

Tree Work...Update

With the recent mild temps and snow melt, the conditions are too wet to continue work on the course.  We were able to finish on Orchard 8 early in the week, and then started removing pine trees along the pool and tennis courts.  We'll also be removing pine trees as you drive into the club along the hillside that overlooks the putting green and Orchard 9 green.  Unfortunately, these trees are being killed by a variety of factors and are past the point of saving.

The main cause of death for the trees planted on the hillsides are girdling roots.  Girdling roots are lateral roots that grow around (encircle) the base of the tree.  As the tree matures, the roots become tighter and will cut into the bark and inner cambium.  Over time the girdling roots will cut off the natural flow of water and nutrients throughout the tree, which leads to death.  The main cause of girdling roots is that they develop as a result of trees being planted too deeply.  When roots are covered by too much soil, less oxygen and water is available.  The roots will grow up towards the surface of the soil and encircle the trunk.  All the trees removed so far had girdling roots evident at the soil surface, some worse than others.  The problem with planting trees on hillsides is that for the tree to be straight, one side of the root ball will be covered by too much soil and the other side typically doesn't receive enough soil.  The steeper the slope the worse the problem becomes.

A handful of the pine trees are also being killed by Diplodia Tip Blight.  It's a naturally-occurring fungus that easily spreads by wind and water movement.  The fungus will attack new growth at the tips of the branches and form cankers that will restrict the flow of water and nutrients.  As the infection progresses, the lowest branches will die off and the disease moves upward in the tree.

Pine tree being killed by girdling roots

Girdling roots caused by planting on a hillside

One of several dead pine trees along hillside overlooking practice green

Pine tree near tennis courts showing signs of Diplodia Tip Blight

Tree Work...Update

This week the staff finished clearing the unwanted brush and downed trees near the short fairway on the right of Grove 9.  There was a considerable amount of debris that had accumulated over the years, but the end result is amazing.  We can't wait to see it this spring when everything starts to green up!  The next area on the list is to clean up/remove a few trees and the remaining brush along the lake edge on lower Orchard 8.  The beginning of the fairway still had considerable shade from a handful of trees, so we are getting them out while the ground is frozen.  The next location for targeted removals is to the left of Orchard 5 green.  We did some work in there last winter, but realized this summer that more trees need to come out that are casting heavy shade on the green.

Hazard area before right fwy on Grove 9 all cleaned up

View from Grove 9 tees prior to tree work (Spring 2016)

View from Grove 9 tees after tree work (Winter 2018)

Bryan Morgan (Assistant Superintendent) flush cutting a stump

Maintenance staff thinning out trees along Orchard 8 lake edge 

 

Having the right equipment makes the job safer and more efficient

Tree Work

The recent plunge in temperature has resulted in frozen ground that is ideal for tree work, so we're taking a break from drainage and picking up where we left off last winter.  Removing trees can be a contentious issue, but recent trends show that selective removals have significant results when it comes to improving turf health and playability.  The majority of our work is removing underbrush and undesirable trees such as locust and sumac, but we sometimes have to remove oak, maple, cherry or elm trees if they're too close to greens, tees or fairways.  These species have shallow root systems that will out-compete turfgrass for water and nutrients, all while blocking sunlight and airflow.

Trees are also removed for safety reasons, and we've been proactively removing trees that are in decline.  Visible damage to the trunk, especially around the base of the tree, is an indicator of a potential hazard.  Also, dead branches at the very top of a tree indicate a problem.

Click here for a recent article from the USGA about trees and their effect on turfgrass.

Shaded putting green turf will always be lesser quality
compared to turf that receives full sun.

Rotting heartwood makes trees weaker and more likely to come down in storms.

Thin turf under a dense tree canopy.

This tree only had minor indicators of poor health, but was clearly in decline.

Maintenance staff removing brush and undesirable trees near Grove 9 green.

Course Update

The recent stretch of mild weather has allowed us to continue the drainage projects on the Orchard course.  We're currently working in #5 fairway and have installed 130 feet of pipe thus far, with another 30 feet to finish installing before Christmas.  That brings the total drainage installed to 210 feet.  Unlike the drain line on #6, the two sites on #5 did not have existing drainage and it makes sense why we experienced problems with the turf in those low areas every year.  Since there wasn't sub-surface drainage to remove the excess water, the soil remained water-logged and the turf died due to a lack of oxygen.  By using a combination of sand over gravel in the drain lines, we ensure that water can easily drain from the surface which results in better playing conditions and healthy turf!

Ready to start digging on 5 Orchard fwy

 

Bryan & Justin digging around existing basin to connect new drainage

Installing new 4" pipe & gravel

Installing 12" basin to accommodate future drain lines

Drain line ready for sod near 5 approach

Gray clay only 2" below the fairway surface allows little to no water drainage

Winter Work

Just about every year, turf professionals everywhere get the same question: “What do you do in the winter?” Understandably, golfers sometimes assume that winter is “kick back time” for golf course superintendents. After all, not much golf is being played in the northern half of the country. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Winter in the northern half of the country usually brings a change of schedule – and some relief – from the day-to-day grind of the golf season, but there still is much work to be done. Often, winter  is “project time,” allowing superintendents to focus more resources on accomplishing bigger, more disruptive projects at a time when grass doesn’t require mowing and golfers won’t be bothered. Tree work, drainage work, and a myriad of other projects all can be done in the late fall and winter – provided the weather cooperates. When the weather doesn’t cooperate, there's snow to plow, and parking lots and sidewalks to treat. Just as it does in the summer, the weather presents its own set of challenges during winter and outside work on the course can be a battle against the elements. Additionally, course accessories like ball washers, tee markers, and benches need to be cleaned and painted, future projects planned, equipment maintained, etc.

In addition to on-course projects, several opportunities for continuing education take place during winter. The turfgrass management profession is dynamic and the development of new products, techniques and research constantly occurs. Therefore, it's important to continually learn about new advancements within the industry. Turfgrass research projects are constantly underway at universities across the nation. The information developed from that research is published and presented at turf conferences and meetings, so attendance is critical. There are many educational opportunities during the year, but the winter turf conferences are among the most important for turf professionals. Furthermore, educational conferences provide time to obtain certification credits and allow superintendents to network.

Hopefully you get the idea; a superintendent’s work is never done. So, while the occasional winter vacation may take place, winter is definitely not “kick back time” for golf course superintendents. Winter means changing schedules and shifting priorities while always striving to improve professionally so the job can be done more effectively.

Click here to find out more about winter maintenance activities

Justin giving the breakroom a much-needed cleaning

Randy prepping a tee mower reel for sharpening

Winter is the ideal time to perform extensive equipment maintenance & repairs

Snow Mold

This week we made a winter fungicide application to greens, tees and fairways to protect the turf from snow mold.  The chemicals used specifically target the disease and are formulated to last up to four months given moderate weather variations.  The ideal application period is when the turf has stopped producing new leaf tissue and the ground is not frozen.  Frozen ground limits the plant's ability to absorb the fungicide which results in reduced disease control.  The weather forecast also moved our timeline up due to the sub-freezing temps and snow/rain events expected over the next 10 days.  In total, we sprayed 53 acres of turf with a chemical cost of $15,000.

There are two types of snow mold that negatively affect turfgrass, pink and gray.  Gray snow mold is associated with long periods of snow cover and pink snow mold can occur with or without snow.  Gray snow mold is much more destructive and can kill large areas of turf, while pink snow mold typically attacks leaf tissue and does not harm the growing point (crown) of the plant.  In southwestern PA we use a fungicide that targets both pink and gray snow mold since we don't know what the weather will be like during the winter.

Pink snow mold infection on a fairway.  Notice the pinkish hue around
the outside of the infected patches.