Golf Course Update

 

This signs of a new year are upon us.  It has been awhile since my last post and I apologize but better late than never.   

 

The first cuts of the year happened last week.  Now with the days getting longer and temperatures rising the grass is about to explode.

 

 

We completed our green aerification last week.  This Spring we decided to use a 1/2" solid tine instead of pulling a core.  Even with the inclement weather we had on Tuesday we still aerified.  If we were pulling a core this would not have happened due to the rain and wet conditions.  With the rain keeping the golfers away we were able to aerify the entire back 9 and half the front on Tuesday and we finished up early Wednesday morning to stay on schedule.  On Wednesday we kept the back 9 closed until we finished up verti-cutting the greens in two directions and topdressed.  Once we finished the back we closed the front and got the entire process complete on schedule. 

 





We finally got our roller back up and going in time for aerification.  Here you can see the roller smoothing out the green after we aerified it.  Sorry for the blurry picture but the roller was moving fast!

 

Here is #9 green on Friday after dry mowing the greens before the weekend.  Even though there was still some sand evident after a .25" of rainfall Thursday night we were able to get through this.  Typically I like to wait a few days and roll first then mow so we don't bruise up the greens with the abrasiveness of the sand.  All that is left is a good shot of liquid nutrients to get the color back and get some new shoot growth happening. 

Course Update

 

Over the past few weeks during times of heavy frost or really cold days we needed to change direction since the weather would not allow us to continue to keep working on the filling the holes where the trees were removed.   A project that needed some much attention was the pond banks.  We started to clean up all the tangled blackberry that surrounds the small pond on hole 10 and to the left of the 18th tee.

 

 

 

We were able to pick back up this past week once the snow melted that hung around for about two weeks and get back to clearing.  We have made a lot of headway and pretty much have everything knocked back and ready to be chipped up.  After chipping everything we will rake up the leaves and prep the slopes to prepare for seed.  Once we get into spring the plan will be to apply some post emergent herbicides and keep the blackberry from coming back giving us a pleasant sight line around the ponds.

 

 

Here is a picture from yesterday when the snow started to fall.  We measured about 3 inches of snow and by the looks of the forecast maybe more will be coming next week.

 

 



Course Update

 

 

 

 

Here is a picture of the first tee after a recent storm that had ice coating everything.  As you can see in the picture the only tee that has any standing water is the white tee and most of it is in the back of the tee.  Adding drainage to this area has been on the to do list for some time now.

 

 

With the help of some really nice weather on Monday December 15 th we pulled the trigger and decided it was time to get this project going.  We first painted a line where the sod cutter would remove the sod and laid it next to the trench so it would go back in the same spot as before. 

 

After the crew spent a few hours digging a trench and a mighty good one at that we installed some drainage gravel and pipe.  Once the pipe was covered in gravel we went ahead and put some topsoil and then replaced the sod.

 

We also had the tree company back in to remove 5 more trees.  Why are removing these trees you ask?  These trees are Austrian Pines and have been diagnosed with diplodia tip blight which have made them decline over the years.  I also would not recommend planting them.  After about 8 years old these trees are very susceptible to diseases and are very costly and tough to control.

 

The trees that were removed where on holes 1 and 9.  There was one to the left of the path and two past the fairway bunker on hole 1.  The other two were to the left of the left fairway bunker on number 9.

 

 

 

 



Course Update

 

 

 So far it seems that the best golfing days are on Monday's and if it is good for golfing it is really good to get some more cultural practices done before the deep freeze really sets in.  We took advantage of the warm weather on Monday and deep tined the practice green using the "Soil Reliever" to aid in drainage through the winter months and also the 12th fairway.  Even though no carts are allowed on the 12th fairway we still get compaction from mowing.  We were using solid tines that can reach down 6 to 8 inches and even deeper depending on the length of the tine so there was not much disturbance to the surfaces but the roots in the subsurface will greatly benefit from this practice.

Using the soil reliever on the practice green

 

 This week we also completed our last winterization project by blowing out the irrigation system with an air compressor.  I always try to do this during days when the course is not that busy because it can be noisy and distracting as we move the compressor from hole to hole activating the irrigation heads and listening for air to push any remaining water out of the system. 

We also have made some changes to the tee marker placement on the par 3's for the winter.  We are only keeping the red and white tee markers out and putting them together around the senior yardage since this is an area that does not get that much play in season.  We are doing this so the other areas get a much needed break during the winter.  Also we will be putting out the cupless markers out on the practice green so we can still move them even when the green is frozen and cutting cups cannot happen over an extended period.

 

 



Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

The first snow of the year!

Seasonal Changes and Prepping the Course for Winter

We have had some really great weather this year and the fall has been no different. Already there have been some frosts this year and some blasts of really cold weather we are encountering now. These recent cold blasts has put tell us when we need to get certain things done and also when to stop doing others. There are so many things that we have to do to prepare not only the course but also the clubhouse and grounds for the winter. Up to this point we have been busy mulching leaves and trying to keep the playing surfaces free of debris, the tees received a heavy application of topdressing, patio furniture has been stored, the ice and water machine on the back patio has been winterized, the irrigation system has been drained but not blown out yet, the coolers have been brought in during the really cold snaps, the greens received a fungicide application for winter diseases like snow mold and the last cut on the tees, fairways and rough was completed. Even though we are experiencing some unseasonable frigid weather we will not be frozen for long which will allow us to continue to knock out some small projects. We have also cut back on our staffing levels for the winter which brings up some things to consider during this time of year when normal maintenance practices are limited by staffing. One of the most important items to address is raking the bunkers. There are times when the sand in the bunkers is frozen from the really cold temperatures but we always try to keep them raked during the off season when we can. You can help us out by just making sure to rake your footprints after hitting your shot. This picture below is what I do not want to see, after only 3 hours after raking this bunker on the first hole are footprints leading to where this golfer hit their shot and leaving his foot prints not raked.

If you look close you can see footprints starting below and walking towards the center of the bunker.




The sand based bentgrass tees were core aerified again this fall and topdressed and the other tees were just topdressed.  Our main focus was to first do the tees with a high population of bentgrass to help firm them up and dilute thatch.   

 

 

During some high winds the old netting on the driving range ripped.

 

Phil and Mike securing the netting back up.

 

Tree work on the driving range tee.  The two locusts on the driving range tee had to come down, they were dead and a hazard to anyone hitting balls.

An old pine tree behind 17 blue tee that snapped years ago needed to be removed as well.

 

 

This is the pine tree on the left side on 17 fairway.  Finally after removing a dead leader a few years ago the rest of the tree died an needed to be removed. 

 

  

White lines painted on the surface roots that need to be removed.

 

 

It's starting to look a lot like Fall!

 

I know it has been a while since my last post but we really did not have a lot projects going on.  With our hands full just mowing grass I wanted to wait until the Men's Member Guest was over before we started do a lot of the cultural practices that we typically do in the fall.  During October we have groomed and topdressed the greens twice after an application of a granular fertilizer.  The tees have all been aerified and select ones were seeded with perennial ryegrass.  The tees that have a lot of bentgrass were verticut in two directions. We were doing well seeding fairways and almost got through the ones that we wanted to seed before our tractor that pulls the seeder had to have a repair done, so we are still waiting to get that back.  The fall annuals were planted around the clubhouse earlier in the month.     Following our second frost of the year we have started to see the leaves really change colors.  This past Wednesday with nearly .8 inches of rain a lot of the leaves and pine needles that are shedding have started to fall.  This is just the beginning of about a 4 to 6 week leaf cleanup season.  While the grass is still growing and our efforts are still focused on mowing which is our first priority and leaves are second, we will do our best to keep them mulched up as best we can.

 

If you look closely you can see lines of new shoots emerging after grooming the greens.  This is just another tool we use in trying to get the grass to stand up before we mow the green.  Brushing and topdressing are other practices that aid in this as well. 

 

 

 

 

Here you can see lines of the newly seeded perennial ryegrass growing.  Typically at first until the new grass matures some grows taller than the existing stand of turf.  This will go away as the grass matures and after a few cuts.

 

 

 

Newly planted pansies on the back patio

 

 

 

Some mums added as well

 

 

 

This picture was taken on October 22nd on the 4th green.  I'm not quite sure what has happened here but I know it is not oil or gas.  We are going to keep an eye on this area and plug out any necessary areas that need it.

 

 

 

Here we are verticutting the tees that have a lot of bentgrass growing in them.  We verticut in two different directions to help thin out the thatch which we have a lot of.  After this is completed we mow the tee and back ready for play.  In the near future we will topdress these tees to help firm them up.