Greens Aeration Round 2

After a great a great Opening Day of golf this weekend we are doing the unthinkable, aerating the greens, again. Well its not unthinkable that our greens suffered severely last year to the point of serious turf loss during the major part of the playing season. This second round of aeration is needed to help prepare the greens for the summer months. We are building valuable roots and creating channels for water and oxygen to get to the roots for the rest of the summer. I know the greens will not putt great for the next two weeks but the long term health of the greens will greatly benefit from this second aeration. The night time temperatures look to be warming up and hopefully today was the last we will see of frost so the greens should fill in much quicker then the first aeration. Thank you for your patience as our long range agronomic plan creates healthy turf and acceptable playing surfaces.

USGA April Update #2

By David A. Oatis, director, Northeast Region
April 25, 2012


April showers finally arrived last week, and many areas of the region received a couple of inches or more of much needed rainfall. It is hard to imagine drought conditions and forest fires with last fall’s historic floods so fresh in our minds. However, the lack of rainfall, combined with extremely low humidity levels, strong winds and higher-than-normal temperatures, have superintendents scrambling. Some courses already have had to begin the expensive process of purchasing water.
Even though temperatures have been well above normal, conditions have been so dry that disease problems have been relatively scarce with the exception of Waitea Patch (i.e., brown ring patch). Turfgrass root systems appear to be better than normal at many courses and, in general, turf seems to be performing well.
This season already has a roller coaster feel to it and with several potentially stressful months ahead for both the turf and turfgrass managers this is a good time to take a deep breath and reflect on the keys to having a good season:

• Control what you can control:
  • Water more deeply and less frequently. Weather does not always allow us to “train the turf” as we would like, but this spring it has been an ideal time to implement this method.
  • Don’t forget fertility. A couple of light granular applications of fertilizer in the spring can help reduce the threat of anthracnose for the entire season.
  • Consider your grass-growing environments. There is still time to do tree work or to install a fan. In pocketed environments where air movement is problematic, fans are invaluable. For more information on fans click review the article Using Turf Fans in the Northeast 
  • Experiment carefully. It is great to try new products and practices, but do not try them on a wholesale basis if they involve risk. Try new products and techniques on a limited basis to see how they work in your situation first.
  • When in doubt, leave a check plot. A great deal can be learned from leaving small, untreated areas when applying fertilizers, fungicides, growth regulators, herbicides, etc. There is no better way to assess what the products are actually doing for you, and if budgets are a problem, check plots are a great way to justify the use of these products.
  • Moisture meters cannot replace visual observation, but they are a great supplemental tool. If you have not purchased one yet, be sure to do so and incorporate into your management program right away.

USGA April Update # 1

By Jim Skorulski, senior agronomist, Northeast Region
April 17, 2012


And the extremes keep coming...
Few in the golf industry will complain about the weather we have experienced this past winter and early spring. We appear to be about four weeks ahead of where we normally are in mid-April. The mild winter and warm and dry spring have created some unusual management challenges with timing insecticide and herbicide sprays, but, for the most part, the spring season is off to an excellent start.
With all good must come some bad, or so they say. The dry weather pattern has created moderate-severe drought or abnormally dry conditions across most the Region. The Northeast Regional Climate Center (NRCC), reports areas that have received 30-40% their normal precipitation since January 1. That equates to rain deficits of 3-7 inches in the more eastern parts of the region. The signs of the drought are now becoming apparent with reduced flow rates in smaller streams and rivers, and lower water levels in ponds.  Fortunately, we are still dealing with relatively moderate air temperatures so the impacts of the dry weather are not nearly as bad as we would expect to see in the warmer summer months.   
The weather can change rapidly, and we may see a return to more normal precipitation patterns as we move further into spring. However, it’s never too early to get the word out about current conditions and more serious implications should the precipitation anomaly continue into summer. Here are some things to consider and implement to work successfully through an extended drought.

• Take all actions possible to promote a deep and vigorous root system now. That includes following through with spring cultivation practices, especially in fairways and roughs where irrigation practices are likely to be impacted most should the drought become extreme.
• Assume the worst case scenario for an extended drought and possible water use restrictions. Work closely with your course officials or owners to determine options to deal with reduced or severe deficit irrigation. Make sure everyone understands that irrigation programs may have to be altered, and, in doing so, the appearance of those areas will likely be impacted. Keep the golfers updated on the conditions, and voluntary or involuntary water use reductions.
• Develop a cart use policy for drought stressed fairways. That may include restricting carts to paths or roughs. Entry and exit points to cart paths will also have to be managed closely and traffic patterns shifted more frequently to minimize traffic damage.
• Be aware of your water use permit and total annual water allocation. Early irrigation may impact the water that is available for use later in the season. Conserve water by limiting or avoiding irrigation in roughs and nonessential areas. Keep playing surfaces dry and firm. A little drought stress in April and May is more tolerable then running out of water when it is really needed in the heat of summer. Fast and firm should be the objective, especially when cooler temperatures permit.
• How efficient is your irrigation system? Even new irrigation systems can benefit from an irrigation audit and system tune-up. The audit will determine the distribution uniformity (DU) of water applications over a measured area and will identify weaknesses that may be corrected by leveling sprinkler heads, modifying nozzles or repositioning sprinkler heads.  
• Purchase a moisture meter. The data provided from frequent use will also help identify potential problem areas and improve your ability to irrigate the golf course under any condition and especially during periods of drought.     
• Although there may be pressure to exceed water use allocations or disregard imposed water regulations, do not do so. Golf courses will be under the watchful eye of regulators and the public. The golf course industry has developed a good reputation for its water conservation efforts. That reputation will be severely damaged by even one or two bad players.
• Water quality is likely to deteriorate if drought conditions persist long into summer. It is a good idea to have your irrigation water tested periodically for sodium and bicarbonate levels and then to monitor its quality should the drought continue. This is especially true for coastal golf courses where there are always concerns with saltwater intrusion into fresh water wells. Golf courses that have dealt with salt problems should consider a granular gypsum application this spring to help move accumulated salts through the surface soils.

This is no time to panic, but we must be aware of where we currently stand and consider the implications a more serious drought is likely to have. More information regarding the drought can be obtained at the NRCC website http://www.nrcc.cornell.edu/page_northeast.html. The Northeast Green Section offices will also provide updates and specific management information should the precipitation impacts continue.

Good News Bad News

The good news is that we got the much needed rain to the tune of 2.55 inches. The bad news Aer-Core is here to aerate the fairways. Good news is we are solid tinning the fairways but the bad news is its just too wet to pull cores, drag them, and clean them up. Good news all the drainage improvements we made around the golf course worked during the storm. Good news we will have carts tomorrow. Ok enough good news bad news I have work to do. See you on the course.

Doing Your Part

Please give your shoes a tap with your club upon leaving the bunkers as to not track footprints of sand onto the green surface. This photo was taken on 7 green at 9:30 Saturday morning.

Bunkers

First time the renovated bunkers on #2 have been mowed. They really look awesome the crew did a great job today.

Irrigation Information

The irrigation system at MGC is the largest single piece of equipment that we own as well as the most expensive. Our system is not the most up to date or the most powerful but it is still capable of keeping the short turf playing surfaces irrigated. The decision falls on my shoulders on a daily basis to determine how much water and on what areas of the course the irrigation water should be applied. The first calculation to look at is ET (Evapotranspiration) which is the loss of water from the turf surface through a combined process of plant transpiration and soil evaporation. Days that are comfortable to golfers with sunny skies and low humidity are the days with the highest ET rate thus more water needs to be applied to the turf that night replacing the amount that was lost. During periods of high humidity less water is lost through ET thus requiring less irrigation. The over watering of turf is the leading factor in turf stress and disease outbreaks. If we think back to last year while I was not over watering mother nature was and the results showed the widespread death that can occur from excess moisture. The second tool that I use is a TDR 300 moisture meter from Spectrum Technologies that shows the VMC, volumetric water content, in numeric form. I use this tool every afternoon to determine how much moisture the greens have, providing me with information on how long to run the irrigation cycles. Many afternoons the TDR 300 shows that only a few small spots on certain greens require water which is added by hand with a hose. These spots are called LDS, localized dry spots, which are created by hydrophobic soil conditions. Wetting agents are applied on a 21 days schedule to help alleviate these spots and allow the entire green to have a more uniform moisture throughout the entire soil profile. The use of a hose to only water these select spots versus using the overhead sprinklers is important for root development. Again thinking back to last year the ground was always saturated thus the roots never grew to look for water as it was always present at the surface. Short roots in the spring results in no roots in the summer. My goal is to irrigate deep and infrequent to allow the roots to increase in mass and length during the spring allowing for a stronger plant in the summer. The other major issue facing us is that our well water is very high and sodium and bicarbonates. Each and every time I irrigate the golf course I am adding sodium and bicarbonates as is evident on the parking lot and cart paths where the over spray of irrigation water turns the asphalt white. The same thing is happening in the soil forming a crust that restricts the turfs ability to exchange oxygen and metabolize nutrients into the soil. The bicarbonates make the calcium and magnesium in the soil unavailable to the plant. The increase in sodium from the irrigation water destroys soil structure and reduces the percolation rate. In conclusion water management is one of the most important jobs that I have at MGC and by no means is the irrigation system set to water every other day or every third day for the entire season like many homeowners set their lawn sprinklers. Water is much more important when growing agrostis palustris and poa annua mowed at .120 of an inch then it is when your maintaining your home lawn at 2.5 inches.

Landscaping

The landscaping around the clubhouse really has matured since last year as show here with the Cherry Laurels in full bloom.

5th Green

The 5th green is open for play. Thank you for your patience.

The Masters

I thought this was a great picture from another superintendent friend, it shows how amazing Bubba's shot was during the playoff at the Masters.

Course Update

The aeration holes on the greens are taking a little longer then I would like to heal in due to the cold temperatures at night. I applied some liquid fertilizer this morning to help "push" the recovery time. The 5th green was aerated this week and will be open for play on Saturday. We have added sand to the 6th and 8th greenside bunkers this week which will help with the rocks in the bunkers. The addition of sand is a temporary solution to the rock situation and is by no means a permanent fix. The crew is mulching the beds around the golf course and the addition of our annual plantings will take place in May. Some of our projects are taking longer then anticipated because we are having to water the sod and certain dry areas more frequently due to the current weather pattern. I hope you are enjoying the course and I look forward to seeing you out there.

The process

These pictures illustrate how much goes into aerating the greens.

Green after pulling cores

Removing the cores by hand

Heavy sand topdressing

Working sand into the holes with the brush

Greens Aeration

We will be aerating the greens starting tomorrow morning. Due to the amount of sod on the 5th green I will be waiting until April 10th to aerate the 5th green. The 5th green should be open for play on April 14th. The crew will continue to aerate tees and approaches for the remainder of next week. The process of core aeration is extremely important and very labor intensive so some areas of the course will not be maintained next week while we focus on aeration. Thank you for patience.