Course Update 5/31/23

 The recent stretch of hot and dry weather has made it challenging to keep the turf fully hydrated, and as a result we're seeing brown spots throughout the property.  Keep in mind the brown spots only indicate dry areas, not dead turf.  A natural defense mechanism for grass is to go semi-dormant which involves minimal top growth and a loss of green color.  The areas you're seeing brown out, normally occur when we have this kind of weather and will start to look better when the daytime high is below 85 degrees and there is more available soil moisture.  According to our weather records we only received 1.87" of rain this month, which is 2.56" less than our monthly average.  A lack of rain is one thing, but the bigger challenge is the low humidity we've experienced the second half of this month.   Any water we apply at night or during the day will be lost to evaporation and need to be replenished for the turf to recover.  Any time the humidity is 40% or less, the turf can lose up to .5" of water in a 24 hour period.  That may not sound like a lot, but keep in mind our irrigation systems are only capable of replacing .1"-.2" of water during an extended run cycle at night.

We've relied much more on the irrigation systems this year as compared to previous years, and we're watering every night it doesn't rain.  The staff will then use hoses or run heads during the day as needed to keep the hot spots moist.  A normal irrigation cycle is 10 minutes per head, but we've increased that lately up to 15 minutes in many areas.  Any longer and the water can't soak into the soil.  It will just runoff and puddle in the low areas where it creates a greater chance of disease due to the excess moisture, along with creating soft, mushy turf where balls plug.  The run time may not sound like a lot, but each irrigation head puts out 40-60 gallons per minute depending on the nozzle set used.  Our irrigation system has good coverage of all the playing surfaces, but even the most modern system will never replace a steady, natural rainfall.  Adding to the challenge is the fairways and rough are grown on mostly heavy clay, with very little topsoil.  Grove fairways are especially bad with clay and rocks near the surface, that's why you'll see more dry areas on that course.

This represents a typical dry area on a fairway.  If you look close you can see little green circles in the brown spots.  Those green circles are old aerification holes where the turf is healthier from deeper roots and better water penetration.

Divot Repair

 Now that the season is well underway I thought it would be a good time to remind everyone about divot repair.  When you hit a shot and the divot stays intact similar to the first picture below, you want to replace that divot.  If replaced within 24 hours of being removed, it has a very good chance of surviving.  Obviously you want the soil side down, and once in place you want to step on the divot to smooth it out and make sure the existing roots contact the soil.  If the divot explodes when striking the ball there's no reason to try to gather all the little pieces.  They won't survive, so the best course of action is to fill the void with divot sand on tees and fairways only.

Speaking of divot sand, we purchase a special blend of sand that is dyed green and contains a nutrient package designed to help the grass seedlings grow.  The divot sand comes in 2,000 pound (1 ton) super-sacs and we have a "Divot Mixing Area" in the maintenance building where we add bentgrass seed to the sand/nutrient blend using a standard cement mixer purchased from a home improvement store.  During the summer, we go through two super-sacs of divot mix per week between the divot bottles on the carts, six refill stations throughout the course, divot boxes on the tees, and what the staff uses when filling divots each day.  By the end of the year we will have used 35-40 super-sacs at a cost of $450 each.

**PLEASE USE DIVOT SAND ONLY ON TEES & FAIRWAYS**

Using the mix in the rough and along cart path edges leads to contamination and undesirable playing conditions.  Rough-height bentgrass is more susceptible to disease and dies out easily during the summer leaving large areas of dead or thin turf.

This divot should be replaced since it stayed intact.

Void where the divot came from.

Divot was replaced and stepped down to smooth out.  No divot sand was needed.

Fairway divots weren't reusable so the voids were filled with sand.

Tee divots improperly filled with sand.  Notice how the sand is piled up between the divots.  This wastes sand and dulls the mowers.

"Divot Mixing Area" at the maintenance building.

Bunker Maintenance

 The new bunkers on Lakes require a different method to properly maintain them compared to the existing bunkers on Grove and Orchard.  We've tried several different techniques, and have settled on what most folks call the "Aussie Style".  The new angular sand in the Lakes bunkers will compact much more than the old, contaminated sand.  This will allow the edges, or perimeters, to be smoothed and eventually create a hard crust that will not allow a golf ball to stay on the sloped areas, but roll down to the raked bottom.  The new sand was chosen for this reason and it's consistent playability.  To help us properly maintain the new bunkers, we ask that you do not walk up or down the faces, or any steep slopes.  It will require extra work to push the sand back up the slope and repair the deep footprints, along with starting the compaction process all over.  Please enter and exit the bunkers from the low side, or an area with the least amount of slope.

Staff training earlier this spring

Deep footprints on the face (slope) on Lakes #6

Side view of Lakes #6 with footprints going up the face towards the green.  The ideal place to enter and exit this bunker is near the cart path and along the rock wall.

Freshly raked bunker on Lakes #1 green

Course Update 4/28/23

 We've had quite a few warm, dry days with very low humidity (40% or less) this month that caused the putting greens to dry out and become discolored.  The brown turf sure looks ugly but it doesn't indicate disease or death. It's the result of a natural response by the plant to go dormant while sacrificing the leaf tissue to protect the crown, which is the main growing point of the plant.  When enough moisture rehydrates the plant, either thru irrigation or natural rainfall, the growth process resumes and new, green leaf tissue emerges.  We've had some timely rains the second half of the month that helped jumpstart recovery, along with hand watering the localized dry spots with hoses.  I anticipate further recovery of the putting greens over the next several days given the cooler, wet weather we're experiencing.

Orchard 1 green on Saturday morning 4/22

Orchard 1 green Friday afternoon 4/28

A member of the maintenance team hand watering localized dry spots this week

Course Update 7/4/22

 This morning we discovered some vandalism on Orchard 7.  We believe a golf club was used to remove chunks of turf out of the putting surface, and inappropriate words and pictures were drawn in the bunkers.  The maintenance staff raked the bunkers and repaired the damaged turf prior to play.  We will monitor the areas to see if additional repairs are necessary.  Please call the golf shop if you have any information about this incident or call the police if you notice any unauthorized activity on the courses after hours.  Thanks for your help to protect our beautiful courses!

Orchard & Lakes - Adams Township Police

Grove - Northern Regional Police

Course Update 6/30/22

 Total rainfall in June is 4.76", which is .61" above the monthly average of 4.15" and we're 4.98" above our average annual rainfall since January 1.  May and June were wetter than average months, but you wouldn't know it with how the courses look.  Warmer than normal temps and very low humidity has dried out the soil and the turf is showing signs of dehydration.  The color change is a natural response to the lack of soil moisture and turf plants will go into a semi-dormant state to protect the crown and roots, while sacrificing the leaf tissue.  Once ample soil moisture returns the plants will resume normal growth and produce new leaf tissue.

Our irrigation systems have adequate coverage and can provide enough water to keep the turf actively growing, but even the best systems can't replace natural rainfall.  Irrigation systems are meant to supplement rainfall, not replace it, and our philosophy is to water for playability, not aesthetics.  One practice we use during dry weather is handwatering, which allows us to direct water to areas that need it, while not over watering other areas.  This practice also uses much less water and electricity compared to running irrigation heads.

Course Update 5/14/22

Last week was a challenge for the maintenance team after receiving 3.77" of rain over 4 days, but we made up for it this week thanks to the 5-day stretch of dry weather.  We've received 4.53" of rain over the past 14 days but our average rainfall is only 4.43" for the entire month.  Let's hope the dry weather continues!

The rough is experiencing the spring flush of growth and we're throwing every mower and blower we have to keep it under control.  It will probably be another couple of weeks until it transitions from the seeding stage and begins to thin out.  Broadleaf weeds continue to be a nuisance and we'll continue with herbicide applications as the weather permits.  Rain, excessive wind, and heat prevent us from applying herbicides and we don't want to risk damaging non-target plants.

Course signs were recently updated with new logos and a fresh coat of paint.

Rough mowers had their hands full this week with how fast the grass is growing.

Divot Repair

Now that the season is underway I thought it would be a good time to discuss divot repair.  When you hit a shot and the divot stays intact similar to the first picture below, you want to replace that divot.  If replaced within 24 hours of being removed, it has a very good chance of surviving.  Obviously you want the soil side down, and once in place you want to step on the divot to smooth it out and make sure the existing roots contact the soil.  If the divot explodes when striking the ball, there's no reason to try to gather all the little pieces.  They won't survive so the best course of action is to fill the void with divot sand on tees and fairways only.

Speaking of divot sand, we purchase a special blend of sand that is dyed green and contains a nutrient package designed to help the grass seedlings grow.  The divot sand comes in 2,000 pound (1 ton) super-sacs and we have a "Divot Mixing Area" in the maintenance building where we add bentgrass seed to the sand/nutrient blend using a standard cement mixer purchased from a home improvement store.  During the summer, we go through two super-sacs of divot mix per week between the divot bottles on the carts, six refill stations throughout the course, divot boxes on the tees, and what the staff uses when filling divots each day.  By the end of the year we will have used 35-40 super-sacs at a cost of $450 each.

**PLEASE USE DIVOT SAND ONLY ON TEES & FAIRWAYS**

Using the mix in the rough and along cart path edges leads to contamination and undesirable playing conditions.  Rough-height bentgrass is more susceptible to disease and dies out easily during the summer leaving large areas of dead or thin turf.

This divot should be replaced since it stayed intact.

Void where the divot came from.

Divot was replaced and stepped down to smooth out.  No divot sand was needed.

Fairway divots weren't reusable so the voids were filled with sand.

Tee divots improperly filled with sand.  Notice how the sand is piled up between the divots.  This wastes sand and dulls the mowers.

"Divot Mixing Area" at the maintenance building.

Frost Delays

 Even though it's almost May, frost delays are still common this time of year.  Looking at our weather records from 2021, the last frost delay occurred on May 15 so there's a good chance of frost for several more weeks.

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 Orchard 1, Lakes 2, and Grove 2 & 3.  Our winter tree removal program has focused on these holes to allow for increased sunlight penetration, but we still have more work to do and some trees are not on golf course property.  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 the 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.

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

Frost delays are a great time to mow outer rough that's not affected by frozen tissue

Mulching landscape beds around the clubhouse on frosty mornings greatly improves aesthetics

Course Update 4/23/22

Realized it's been a while since the last post so here's a summary of activities.

• Greens were core aerified & topdressed in March but are taking longer to heal due to the cool, wet weather over the past month.  The 80 degree temps over the next few days will increase turf growth and aid the healing process.  We plan to lower the mowing height once the greens are fully healed.
• Tees were recently aerified & topdressed and are also healing slower than expected due to the erratic weather.  Most of the topdressing sand has been worked into the canopy from brushing and rain, and we plan to resume mowing this coming week.
• Fairways were scheduled to be core aerified this past week but were deep-tined instead due to the wet conditions.  Deep-tining employs a 3/4" diameter solid tine that penetrates 7-8" deep to fracture compacted soil layers to encourage better drainage and root growth.  A handful of fairways have been topdressed and we plan to finish that process once they dry out enough to minimize damaging the turf with the large equipment.
• Bunker maintenance is a high priority this year and the staff has been spending considerably more time moving & adding sand, along with edging.  New rakes with larger heads are being used in all bunkers and we are waiting to receive another shipment to replace the smaller rakes remaining around some of the fairway bunkers.
• The first cut of rough around fairways and greens has been re-established after finally receiving parts this winter to repair the mower.  The wet conditions have prevented regular mowing which resulted in longer turf in areas, but that will be remedied once drier conditions return and more frequent mowing occurs.
• Several drainage/sod projects have been addressed to replace broken and/or sunken basins, along with replacing worn or damaged turf around them.  We have a few more on the list to complete this spring.
• Stumps ground over the winter have been cleaned up, filled with topsoil, and seeded.  There are a few more areas that require additional soil and seed, and a contractor will be grinding stumps throughout the property in the coming weeks.

Greens are regularly mowed and we will lower cutting heights once aerification holes are fully healed.

Aerification holes are healing slower than expected due to erratic weather this spring.  Warm, sunny days have been limited and greatly help the healing process.

Tees were recently topdressed & aerified.

Fairways were deep-tined this week instead of pulling cores due to wet conditions.  Core aerification is still planned in problem areas once drier conditions return.

Close up of a deep-tined fairway.  The holes on the surface should heal in a couple weeks but the real benefit is the fractured soil layers that allow increased water movement and root growth for months.

Freshly edged bunker on Grove #9.

Adding sand to the range tee practice bunker.

Bunker on Grove #4 edged and raked.

Drain basin & sod replacement on Grove #9.  The old square catch basin was broken and replaced with a 12" round basin that was taller and surrounded by gravel for increased drainage.  The white lines outline the sod being replaced.

Grove #9 with the new drain basin, lid & sod.

New drain basin on Grove #5.

Stump hole on Orchard #5 filled with topsoil and ready for seed.