Frost Delays

Frosted turf around Lakes 1 tees

 We experienced our first frost delay of the fall season this morning after the temperature dropped to 34 degrees last night.  Frost delays are very common this time of year and can still occur when the air temperature is above freezing.  Frost will usually be evident at sunrise, as the air at ground level is warmed it becomes lighter and rises.  Colder, denser air takes 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 property 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.  On cold mornings, the maintenance staff monitors these specific holes to determine whether frost is present.  The decision to allow play is then based on when those areas will be frost-free and the courses can be prepared for play.  Once the frost lifts, the maintenance staff requires a 30-60 minute head start to stay ahead of play depending on the maintenance activities that day.  Looking at weather records from last fall, our first frost delay occurred on September 19, so a full month earlier than this year.

Click Here To Watch A Short Video From The USGA On Frost

September Precipitation

 We received 3.7" of rain this month from 7 rain events and had 4 days of Cart Path Only restrictions.  2.59" of rain fell in the first 9 days of the month followed by 12 days of no precipitation.  Our historical average rainfall in September is 3.28" and we are currently 6.62" above our year-to-date average precipitation since January 1st.  Let's hope the dry weather continues thru October!

Course Update 9/30/21

 Greens have healed from the DryJect aeration 3 weeks ago and fairways are slowly improving after being aerified 1 week ago.  The cool, dry weather and shorter days has slowed turf growth and allowed the maintenance staff to address some projects in addition to regular mowing tasks.  We try to have all our projects completed in October so we can focus on leaf cleanup and other late fall tasks in November.

Lakes #9 green this morning

Fairways one week post aerification

Grove #6 fairway this morning

The staff started sodding a few bare areas in fairways this week.  This is Grove #7 looking back at the tees.

August Precipitation

 We received 7.3" of rain in August from 15 rain events, but only had 6 days of Cart Path Only restrictions. 6.77" of rain fell during the last 3 weeks of the month and coincided with temperatures in the high 80's/low 90's.  Our historical average rainfall for August is 3.23" and we are currently 6.2" above our year-to-date average precipitation since January 1st.  August was the wettest month so far this year, and according to our records this was the wettest August since 2015.

Course Update 8/31/21

 We've received 3" of rain since Wednesday 8/25, with nearly 2" of heavy rain coming Sunday afternoon and evening.  Every bunker on property washed out and the strong winds brought down a lot of tree branches and debris.  The Lakes course seems to have gotten the worst of it and the staff has spent the past two days cleaning up debris.  Most of the bunkers are still flooded and we will begin repairs once the sand dries out, hopefully later this week.  The forecast calls for more rain tonight and tomorrow from the remnants of tropical storm Ida, and we could receive significant amounts depending on the storm track.  We were able to mow greens, tees, and some rough on Grove today, but fairways and approaches remain too wet to mow.  Mowing in wet conditions negatively affects the turf by creating compacted soils that limit oxygen and water movement for healthy roots, there's a greater chance for mowers to spread fungal spores outside of the wet areas, and the turf is more prone to mechanical damage (scalping) from the excess water in the plant causing cells to be swollen.  A little patience now to limit turf damage will have us back in good condition sooner than you think.

The amount of water draining near Lakes 5 green exceeded what the 36" pipe could handle. Debris collected above the pipe, in the bunker, and out in the approach.

Course Update 8/15/21

 So far this month we've received 2.7" of rain, but 2.58" of it fell over the past week.  That much rain combined with the hot, humid weather is stressing the turf and keeping many areas wet.  We were hoping to dry out this weekend but the overcast conditions aren't helping.  Worn areas are showing up in the high traffic areas around greens and tees, which isn't surprising considering how busy the Men's Invitational was.  The cooler temperatures forecast this coming week will help with turf recovery, and the maintenance staff has already implemented different methods of how and where we turn the mowers.  A little shot of fertilizer scheduled for later this month will also help the turf bounce back.  Golfers can also help by practicing the 90 Degree rule when driving to your ball from the cart path, following the cart directional signs, and keeping all four wheels of the cart on the path around greens and tees.

Course Update 7/31/21

 Greens were lightly topdressed again this week as part of our Men's Invitational prep to help firm up and smooth the putting surfaces.  We also pulled out our old spiker to create slits in the putting surface to break up any remaining black algae and help incorporate the sand into the thatch.  The spiker is a ground-driven attachment mounted on an old bunker rake that's been re-purposed specifically for this task.

Greens were topdressed first then spiked to create slits for the sand to work into the thatch.

Here's a closeup of one of the spiker blades.  There are 10 spikes per blade that penetrate up to 1" deep.  The blades are ground-driven which means they only rotate when in contact with the ground and the attachment has two sets of lead weights on top of it to get maximum penetration.

Here's a putting surface after topdressing and spiking.

After spiking the greens are dragged with a special coco fiber mat to get the sand off the surface and into the thatch where it's most beneficial.  The right half of the picture shows where the green has been dragged compared to the left half that has not been dragged yet.

We also addressed a couple areas on Lakes 5 fairway that needed to be sodded before the Men's Invitational.  This spot was caused by a sprayer malfunction that kept the booms going after the sprayer had stopped moving.

Here's the same area with sod harvested from our small nursery below Grove 1 tees.

Course Update 7/23/21

5.28" of rain has fallen so far this month and the first three weeks saw very humid, mostly overcast conditions.  Increased disease pressure and activity was discussed in the last post and this time it's about Silvery-Thread Moss and Black Algae.  Both are opportunistic organisms that thrive under warm, moist conditions, and can lead to turf loss if not managed correctly.  Fortunately, our weather pattern has changed to sunny, drier conditions that favor turf growth.  Cultural practices such as aerifying (solid & core), spiking, topdressing, and verticutting all discourage both organisms by creating a drier, less favorable growing environment.

Here's a spot of Silvery-Thread Moss growing on a putting green.  In addition to the cultural practices mentioned above, we apply a special herbicide weekly to suppress it's growth and stop it from spreading.

Here's some Black Algae growing on the soil surface of a putting green below the turf canopy.  It's commonly found where the turf is thin from prolonged shade or excess foot traffic in walk-on areas.  Similar to the moss, we utilize all the cultural practices mentioned above and a special fungicide applied weekly to break up the algal mat and promote turf growth.

Course Update 7/15/21

We've received 3.82" of rain from 9 weather events over the first 15 days this month.  Our historical average total precipitation for July is 3.90" so we're hoping for some dry weather the second half of the month.  The amount of rain has presented some challenges, but all the drainage projects, regular aerification, and sand topdressing are keeping the courses in good condition.  It's the high humidity and nighttime temperatures in the upper 60's/low 70's over the past two weeks that are really affecting the turf.  

Similar to how our skin feels sticky when it's humid, turf is affected the same way and grows best in drier conditions.  Humid weather prevents excess moisture from evaporating off the leaf blades and out of the soil, creating lush, soft conditions that frustrate golfers and turf managers.  When combined with warmer temperatures, the excess moisture creates a perfect environment for turf diseases which must be treated with fungicides.  Our most common summer disease is Dollar Spot and is easily identified by the light tan, circular spots that start out about the size of a silver dollar.  As the disease progresses, the spots will bleed into each other and form larger, irregular patches that can be several feet in diameter.  Dollar Spot is one of the easiest diseases to control and does not result in widespread turf loss if treated early.  During the summer, we spray fungicides preventively for Dollar Spot every 14 days on greens, 14-21 days on tees, and 21-28 days on fairways depending on weather conditions.  This week we had to spray fairways to control Dollar Spot after only 17 days since the last application due to the increased disease pressure caused by the wet weather.  Two different chemistries were applied for a quick knockdown of the disease combined with longer residual control provided by a systemic fungicide that is absorbed by the plant.  Several fertility products were also included in the spray to help the infected turf recover and produce new leaf tissue.  In case you're wondering, we maintain 40 acres of fairways and this one application cost $12,000.

Lakes #9 fairway.  Dollar Spot is easily identified by the tan colored spots and irregular shaped patches.

Grove #6 rough.  If your home lawn looks like this you may have active Dollar Spot.  We typically spray the rough several times per season to control Dollar Spot and Gray Leaf Spot.

June Precipitation

 We received 4.77" of rain in June from 10 rain events, but only had 5 days of Cart Path Only restrictions.  3.77" of rain fell from 6/7-6/15, and only .76" fell over the last 15 days of the month.  Our historical average rainfall for June is 4.15" and we are currently .75"above our year-to-date average precipitation since January 1st.