Bunker Irrigation

Here is a picture of the new bunker irrigation on hole 2. We can now water the bunkers separate from the greens. Huge improvement. I didn't think I would have to use this new irrigation in March though.

Equipment

Here is an example how the members at MGC are providing the grounds staff with the tools we need. We took delivery on a new utility cart today replacing ours that was 10 years old.

USGA Update

From The USGA:

Tee it up! Golf activity always parallels the weather. A mild winter and warm early spring conditions have been welcomed by golfers across the country. Golfers are

not the only ones loving the weather, however, as golf facilities are seeing boosts in early season revenues. Obviously, the unanticipated financial gains are important to all golf facilities but especially helpful to courses that suffered abysmal margins last year

due to extreme weather conditions, most notably the severe drought in the

southern U.S. and excessive rain and heat in many Midwestern and northern

states. As golfers gain an early start honing their game in 2012, golf course superintendents are busy with course preparations roughly a month or more ahead

of schedule. Staffing is limited at this time and the labor hours available are

typically reserved for completing offseason projects, such as drainage

installation, tree maintenance, bunker renovations, etc. With full staff levels

still several weeks away, turf managers are scrambling to condition golf courses

to meet expectations while still trying to complete scheduled off-season

projects. Labor is the largest line item in a golf course maintenance budget, so the

obvious concern in bringing seasonal employees back early is an effect on

the bottom line. An early start to the golf season equates to an extended

golf season, and this requires more labor and resources for course conditioning

and setup. Operating budgets are determined well in advance and on

the assumption of a golf season moretypical in length. Unless serious adjustments

are made to the “to do” list, it is unlikely that turf managers can operate

within the approved operating budgets created months in advance. Keep

these early-season expenses in mind as the season progresses.

In addition to labor concerns, a few other factors need to be considered as

they relate to the early spring.

● A significant amount of winter and/or early spring play on putting greens

that are not actively growing could lead to turf thinning and bumpy

surfaces. Turf may be green but not actively growing and therefore unable

to recover from wear injury. Or, if it is growing, is it growing fast enough

to stay ahead of wear? Additional nitrogen inputs and light topdressing

may be necessary to promote active growth for recovery from traffic stress.

Additional aeration and rolling may also be necessary to smooth the

surfaces from winter play. To further complicate early season turf recovery

efforts from increased winter play, sometimes regional challenges exist,

with one such example being a state regulation in New York that does not

allow golf courses to apply nitrogen until April 1.

● For cool-season turfgrasses, spring is the time to produce a healthy

and deep root system, which is an indicator of how well the turf is prepared

for hot summer conditions. An earlier spring could equate to a longer period in which to build a deep, healthy root system before summer. However, root production is directly related to mowing height, so potential gains in rooting could be thwarted by earlier than normal ultra-low mowing heights on putting greens.

● Pre-emergence herbicides used to suppress summer annual grassy

weeds (e.g. crabgrass and goosegrass) will need to be applied earlier than normal because soil temperatures warmed up so early. With the early application, some herbicides

may not last the entire season, and this could lead to weed breakthrough later in the season. An additional pre-emergence application may be necessary for season-long control, or additional post-emergence control may be necessary.

● An early rise in air and soil temperatures brings with it earlier insect emergence

and activity. Proper insecticide timing is crucial for control, and the early spring dictates that adjustments to planned control strategies will be necessary. Not only are insecticide

applications needed earlier in the year for control, but the extended season may also require repeat applications. For the northeast U.S., the annual bluegrass weevil, a tiny,

yet devastating turf insect, becomes active as spring weather warms. The insect has become active already in many areas weeks ahead of schedule,which will add to the challenge of preventing this pest from damaging golf course turf.

● Disease prevention programs may require adjustments, especially for

pathogen control that is implemented based on soil temperature (e.g.,

summer patch). Many courses will need to make initial applications earlier than normal and potentially require more total applications for the season. For instance, summer patch

disease prevention in most situations requires control from mid May through August. That window may be extended by an extra month this year. Other turf diseases may become active earlier as well, extending the need for fungicide applications,

which will add significant costs. Remember, heavy traffic and slow turfgrass growth increase disease occurrence, reduce the effectiveness of control efforts, and exacerbate

disease damage.

● Earlier than normal maintenance may also mean earlier than normal impacts on the budget. Regular mowing and other routine maintenance tasks cost money. Enjoy the

additional early season revenue, but remember the potential impacts that this may have on your maintenance budget! Golf courses are busy and that is a great thing! Just remember that with all the benefits of the early spring warm weather, there are season-long implications for the turf and operating budget. Some golf course maintenance

practices may need to be examined and adjusted. Of these, labor resources

will be the most limiting. Golfer patience and understanding become even more

important.

March 26 2012

The crew made nice progress at the end of last week and are picking up where they left off today. We have sodded areas on the 2nd, 5th, and 9th greens. These areas were mowed today for the 1st time with minimal scapling. I applied some liquid fertilizer to the greens this morning to get them for ready for aeration next week. The 5th green will not be aerated next Monday due to the large amount of sod on the green, we will wait until the sod can handle the aerator. I will be opening the 5th green for play in the next 2 weeks once the sod has rooted. I have installed new drainage behind the 8th green to prevent the standing water that was collecting in the low areas. There are areas that will be prepped for rough sod on the 9th hole as well as on the 8th hole, we will be sodding these areas on Thursday. The new members of the crew were trained to mow tees this morning and they did a great job. The crew will be mulching all the landscape beds this week and working on tees divots as well.

There is a strong possibility we will have a frost delay on Tuesday morning please call the pro shop before arriving at the course.

Making Progress

We have been making some progress with our projects on the course. Feeley Landscaping installed three new 4 inch caliper Red Oaks on the 5th hole Monday to replace the storm damaged oak and elm that we lost. The irrigation system is up and running as we needed to water some areas yesterday due to the dry and warm conditions. The beauty of doing large course projects in the winter such as the work on the bunkers is great because it does not interfere with member play at that time year. One negative can been seen in the photos below where a staples used to hold the bunker liner in place was hammered into an irrigation pipe causing a leak that was not detected until we charged the system. We are working on the stumps, prepping for sod on the greens and working behind 8 green for the rest of the week. I will also be out with a hose if the temperatures stay in the 80's. It's March right?

New Red Oaks

Liner Staple punctured pipe 7 bunker

Close-Up of Damage

Course Update

This week the crew was able to get 90 percent of the course cleaned up of sticks and winter debris. All of the short turf surfaces have been mowed at least once and the bunkers have been raked. The upcoming week will be busy with greens being sodded on Thursday, new Red oak trees being installed on Monday, landscaping behind the 8th green on Wednesday, and the remaining stumps grindings will be removed from the course. The warm winter has already created an influx of insect activity on the golf course especially the Hyperode Weevil which can cause major turf loss. I will be treating all the areas of the course for insects next week as well. For now go out and enjoy the 70 degree weather that March has given us this year. See you on the course.

Seminar

Jim Schessler, Bill Padula, and myself attended the MGC Green Chairman seminar today at Alpine Country Club. Madison has never been represented at this annual event until today and show the commitment that Jim, Bill and the rest of the BOG has to the golf course and its success. The seminar included 3 speakers from the USGA as well as Superintendent’s from the area that spoke about various problems and solutions concerning the 2011 season in our area. We were very pleased to hear that many of the recommendations that the USGA made concerning the long-range sustainability of the courses in our area are being implemented at Madison. The recommendations include the removal of trees that impact sunlight and air movement around greens, increased agronomic procedures, scientific water measurement devices, and approaches used to deal with natural disasters on the course. One important note was the creation of a detailed list of course management practices that will list each area of the course and how it is to be maintained. I will be working on developing this list of practices in the next few weeks so the club will have a documented plan for each area of the course.

March 9th Course Update

The weather felt more like May, a couple of days this week, then March. The crew was scheduled to begin work on Monday the 12th but instead we brought them in a week early. The cold mornings gave us a chance to work on the tee markers while the afternoons were filled with projects and even mowing.

The clubhouse opens on Saturday and all the greens except No. 5 are open and ready for play. The greens have all been mowed as well as the collars and approaches. The greens have been treated with the first application of our annual bluegrass seedhead suppression program as dictated by the growing degree day model that we use. This program will try to prevent the annual bluegrass plants on the greens from producing seeds. The seedheads make the greens very bumpy disturbing play but agronomically the prevention of seedheads will allow the plant to use its energy for root production instead of seedhead production. The 5th green will require some sod work to fix the problem areas from last season, it will be opened once the sod has been installed.

We have replaced the dying Juniper hedge along the first cart path with Burning Bush to match the hedge behind the 2nd tee. We are working behind the 8th green to establish the new plantings where we removed the Cypress hedge over the winter. The crew was able to begin some course clean-up but much more is needed in the weeks to come. We will be working to clear all the debris in the rough, remove the stump grindings, seed and sod the stump areas, begin routine maintenance of bunkers, keep up with mowing as the weather begins to wake the turf and finish up the landscape projects around the golf course.

I look forward to seeing all of the members around the course and as always if you have any questions about the changes on the golf course please ask me. I am always available to answer any members questions, its your golf course and I want to make it the best it can be. Enjoy the 2012 season.

USGA Update

The Non-Winter Continues

By Dave Oatis, director, Northeast Region
March 1, 2012


The oddity of the non-winter of 2011-2012 continues for much of the region with temperatures that have been extremely mild. Some areas in the northern portion of the region have experienced more typical winter weather, but for much of the region, it has been some rain, a few snow flurries, some colder temperatures, and back up to 50 and 60 degrees. It is one of the most peculiar winters we have experienced in the Northeast. As luck would have it, a winter storm is bearing down on the Northeast at the time of this writing, so things obviously could change very quickly.

The mild weather has allowed many courses to accomplish a record amount of work outdoors, although the lack of frozen soils resulted in more turf damage from construction traffic at some courses. Interestingly, some courses are actually behind on the typical “inside” winter work. Clearly, this is a small price to pay for getting more projects done on the golf course, but it is something to keep in mind as the rest of the winter unfolds.

The biggest concerns currently relate to pest populations and the possible pest pressure for the coming season. The mild winter temperatures have undoubtedly resulted in higher than normal insect survival rates, so there is a good chance that insect pressure will be higher this season. The warm weather is also likely to promote earlier insect activity. Already, adult Annual Bluegrass Weevils have been caught in pitfall traps in southern New Jersey, so treatment for this pest, and possibly others, will likely be necessary earlier than usual. As always, scout thoroughly and often for ABW and all of your insect pests.

We hope to see you at one or more of our upcoming USGA Regional Meetings and as always, be sure to give us a call if we can be of assistance to you.