Holidays

The last few days have felt like March which worked out for us as the snow has melted and we were able to cover the 5th and 8th greens today for the winter. 

I also attended the NJ Turf Expo this month which provided a great group of speakers from Rutgers and the USGA as well as Matt Shaffer the director of grounds for Merion. It was a real treat listening to all the issues the rain caused at this years open and the challenges he faces on a daily basis maintains the course so firm and fast. 

I would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season. Thank you for the generous holiday fund gifts for  the grounds department they were very much appreciated. Please follow the blog this winter for construction and tree maintenance program updates. 

Coming to an End

Today is the grounds crew last day for the season and it will be spent doing one final clean-up of leaves and doing course set-up for the weekend. While the crew will be leaving today the winter preparation work has really just begun. This week soil samples were taken from all areas of the golf course and sent to Logan labs for analysis to determine what our fertilization requirements will be for next season. The greens and approaches had the first of two snow mold plant protectant applications applied which was followed by sand topdressing. At some point between now and Christmas, weather driven, the greens and approaches will receive the second application of plant protectants, a second heavy topdressing, solid tine aeration, and finally 5 and 8 greens will be covered with turf blankets. Our main goals for the winter season are simple, protect the turf. Three main areas we focus on are as follows:

• Protect the turf from snow mold disease. Two types of this disease exists, pink and gray snow mold. We apply plant protectants in two split applications providing 3 months of protection to the turf.
• Protect the crown of the plant from winter dessication. Heavy sand topdressing covers the crown of the plant protecting it from the freeze and thaw cycles of winter as well as cold drying winds. The added benefit to this heavy topdressing is a much smoother playing surface come spring as well as diluting the thatch layer helping us keep the playing surface firmer.
• Avoiding ice build-up on greens. Even though the turf is dormant gas exchange is still taking place in the soil. Ice build-up stops this exchange leading to turf decline and death. The removal of trees around the greens has helped with ice build-up but we still aerfiy the greens late in December to help drains melting snow and rain from the surface of the greens during the winter. Greens such as the 3rd and 6th have yearly issues with ice.

Unfortunately the construction company for the 9th hole project is still working at neighboring courses and will be further delayed until December for our project. We have done bunker construction projects during December in the past with great results so I am not expecting any issues. Delays like these are one reason the club has decided these projects will be completed in the fall instead of the spring. When spring projects are delayed it causes disruption into the playing season where in late fall many members will be unaffected.

I would like to thank my crew for a great season as they worked very hard to maintain quality playing conditions in less then ideal weather. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and I look forward to seeing you at the Holiday Party on the 15th. Please follow the blog for construction and winter activity updates.

Course Update

I can sum up the work around the course with one word, leaves. While that's not entirely true leaf removal does take up most our day. We have been mowing and rolling the greens on a reduced schedule due to the lack of growth from the cold temperatures and lack of rainfall until recently. The fairways and tees are being mowed once a week for the same reasons. The crew has edged all the bunkers and redistributed the sand for the finally time this season and they look really nice. We have been verticutting the greens and approaches and even have tried a few fairways but the cold weather is putting an end to that process for this season. I have been very happy with the newly purchased equipment and we now have an idea of how long each process takes so we can regularly schedule these process next season.

The construction slated for the 9th green complex, fairway expansion, and irrigation installation was supposed to have already started but delays with the contractor at earlier projects have them projected to start at MGC in about 10 days. A temporary green has been cut into the 9th fairway and will be in play for the remainder of the season once the project begins. It is every members responsibility to abide by the use of the temporary green and not play to the 9th green even if contractors are not presently working. The new sod will take a very long time to heal during this time of year and any damage caused by golfers will results in more cost and delays of the project.

Thankfully the end of October was storm free and thoughts of Sandy have started to fade away for some but are still a huge burden for others. I took the picture below of the Red Maple on the 1st hole in all her fall beauty, but one can not help but notice the large "bite" taken out of the canopy from last years storm.

USGA - Northeast October Update

Leaf Debris Management, Frost Delays And White Grub Damage

By Adam Moeller, agronomist, Northeast Region
October 15, 2013

Leaf debris management is a major undertaking at golf courses each fall, even with specialized equipment. The labor costs involved with leaf debris management is often underestimated.

Golf in October at Northeastern courses is great. Fall colors, cooler weather, and less humidity are a great contrast from the hot, stifling heat of July and August. The fall colors and cooler weather come at a price unfortunately: 1) leaf debris management and 2) frost delays.

It’s a simple ratio; as the number of trees increase on a golf course, the more leaf debris management is required each fall. At most facilities in the Northeast, a large part of the workday is spent managing leaves on the golf course this time of year. Many courses move leaves on primary playing areas and they are mulched or collected as time permits. That said, it is not uncommon for courses to utilize blowers, mowers, and vacuums for the entire day, only to repeat the same process for several weeks until all of the leaves are down. The labor inputs required to manage leaves in the fall is significant, which becomes even more challenging because most facilities have scaled back seasonal employee hours to save costs. The Green Section Record article The Hidden Cost of Trees is a great resource because it discusses the necessary costs associated with trees on golf courses. Trees can be great features on golf courses, but there are extra costs associated with them so that good golf conditions can be maintained.

Frost Delays 

Frost delays are just starting to occur at golf courses throughout the Northeast as nighttime temperatures decline. Frost delays are frustrating for golfers, but the damage a few players, or worst yet the mowing equipment, can cause is far more concerning. The brief article and video Frost Delays is a good education material for golfers if questions arise. Trees that block morning sun will create longer frost delays because of their shade pattern, so removals or pruning may be the best long term solution. 

Course Update

The fall weather is here in full effect with cool nights and warm days. MGC has purchased a Toro Triflex greens mower coupled with a set of true-surface verticutting units. The purpose behind this investment is the ability to verticut the playing surfaces, enable us to dry mow the greens in the afternoons, and provide a back-up greens mower to our primary units. The verticutting is the most exciting because we have not had the ability to do this process in the past. Verticutting is the process in which blades vertically cut into the turf stranding up the longer blades of grass that are lying down. These longer blades of turf are then cut providing a more upright growth pattern thus increasing density. What does all that mean, denser putting surfaces that provide smoother and more consistent playing surfaces. Along with all the benefits can be negatives if we are too aggressive during periods of slow growth like we are seeing currently. The greens have been verticut twice and dry mowed twice last week and the results were there this weekend. The plan will be to verticut this week again and do some dry mowing as conditions permit. The long term forecast seems to be leaning towards colder temperatures late next week putting the brakes on the verticutting process. We have the new machine dialed in and will be able to get going immediately in the beginning of next season.

Course Update

The greens are about 85% healed from the aeration following the club championship. I understand that the healing process is taking some time which is expected considering how aggressive we were in removing organic matter over 11% of the green surface. I hope to report the success of this style of aeration following our ISTRC test results later this fall. The greens have been fertilized on a regular basis since aeration and the growth regulating chemicals have been removed from our spray program to allow for better recovery. The fairways were core-aerated by an outside contractor on Monday with great success. The thin areas on the fairways were overseeded with bentgrass and topdressed with sand. All of the fairways had granular organic soil amendments added to them in accordance with our soil tests. As the turf growth slows with the shorter days the grounds crew will begin to focus on leaves, acorn removal and pine needle clean-up as the fall season is arriving. The fall display at the clubhouse has been planted and is starting to bloom. The senior club championship is this weekend, so good luck to all those competing.

2 fairway aeration

5 fairway aeration

Core Clean-Up 6 fairway

Tee Closed

The second tee will be moved to the fairway on Friday in order for Greenwood to remove the White Pine in the fairway expansion area. This work is being performed early to prepare us if Pavalec arrives early or the weather stays wet for an extended period. 

Aeration and Recovery

We have completed the green, approach, and tee aeration for the fall season. The fall aeration is the single most important agronomic process that we undertake at MGC as it removes a large amount of organic matter that has built up over the season, introduces over 25 tons of sand into the soil profile, and increases our oxygen exchange capacity providing for healthier roots. This fall we chose to deep aerate the greens first, using 12 inch long ¾ inch wide tines to break the soil layers and create deep channels for roots and water to move through the soil profile. The greens were then aerated a second time using 5/8 coring tines at a very close spacing of 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches giving us over 10% surface disruption. This process is as aggressive as it gets and is needed to gain ground on our infiltration rates, air porosity, and water porosity.

 

We applied 250 pounds of Renovate Plus soil amendment to each of the 2^nd, 5^th, and 6^th greens to aid in recovery and moisture management. Renovate Plus is a blend of organic and mineral amendments including kelp meal, compost and humic acids which make up a sustainable microbial food source of short, medium and long chained carbons. The mineral fraction of Renovate includes greensand, sul-po-mag, hard and soft rock phosphate, and calcium. This combination prevents de-mineralization of the soil and allows for roots to take up nutrients as needed, and is a great way to provide a biological foundation to any soil by promoting soil flocculation and turf recovery. Eco-Lite is the premier zeolite rock mineral mined from an exceptionally clean zeolite mine and provides an array of physical benefits including the highest CEC of all physical amendments. Zeolites are very hard rock minerals that possess a crystalline structure and have the capability to absorb water when the surrounding soil is wet, creating better air movement in the soil and allowing for the controlled release of this water when moisture levels in the soil fall.

 

The goal for the next 10 days is to drive recovery as quick as possible by providing ample nutrients and water. The greens will be mowed and rolled during afternoon dry conditions until all of the sand has settled. We will then switch to our good greens mowers and begin lowering the height of cut back to our normal setting. Thank you for your patience during this important time of year.

12 inch deep aeration - Fredco Golf

Core Aeration Tight Spacing

Afternoon dry rolling

Aeration/Construction Update

We have completed the demos of 3 different triplex mowers over the past two weeks on greens allowing us to dry mow the greens in the afternoon as well as provide the means to vertical mow greens in the future. We will be looking at all pros and cons of these mowers and make a recommendation to the Board of Governors for the 2014 season.

A reminder that the greens will be aerated on Monday followed by the approaches on Tuesday and the tees on Wednesday, weather permitting. The greens will be deep tine aerated first by an outside contractor followed by a close spacing core aeration performed with our equipment and labor. All of the areas will be topdressed with sand and soil amendments, as per our soil tests, will be applied.

The Board of Governors approved the first phase of construction on the 9th hole to begin late this fall. The first phase consists of renovating the greenside bunkers on the 9th hole including drainage, liners, new sand, and sod. A fairway expansion will also be created connecting the 9th fairway to the 2nd fairway providing a future strategic bailout area while playing the 9th hole as well as a bailout area from the 2nd tee. The entire construction area including the fairway expansion, 9th green complex, and rough area in front of 2 tee will receive new irrigation allowing us to irrigate more efficiently as well as providing irrigation where we were previously lacking coverage. The 1st green complex will also receive new irrigation allowing for the more efficient irrigation of the putting surface as well as allowing independent control of the surrounding rough irrigation.

USGA September Update

September Is A Great Month For Course Maintenance

By Adam Moeller, agronomist, Northeast Region
September 5, 2013

A recently core aerated, verticut, and topdressed putting green. An appropriate rate of topdressing was applied to smooth out the surface as much as possible, minimizing surface disruption.

In the Northeast and across most of the northern part of the country, September is a great month for golf course maintenance. Cooler weather stimulates grass recovery from the summer stress and it allows for the maintenance staff to perform crucial management practices such as core aeration, topdressing, and verticutting. While these practices produce some temporary disruption to the playing surfaces they are the backbone of golf conditioning. The grass should be actively growing when these programs are performed so that recovery is as fast as possible, which is why late August and early September are ideal for most facilities. All too often course officials and golfers learn the hard way that pushing off these programs until late season only compromises their effectiveness and extend recovery time significantly. The following Green Section Record articles explain why these programs are so important:

Aeration and Topdressing for the 21^st Century

Core Cultivation: Timing is Everything

Easing the Pain of Core Aeration

While September also is a great month for golf it is important that the maintenance calendar should take some precedence over the golf calendar. Many golf courses that do not adhere to this philosophy justify their rationale on financial implications, and not golf course conditioning. Simply put, this approach comes with consequences that may require more resources and disruption to overcome.

General Observations

• Many facilities are in recovery mode from recent core aeration, topdressing, and/or verticutting treatments. The disruption of these programs may be annoying, but they are essential for meeting golfer expectations.
• The weather has aided in recovery from core aeration and verticutting, although the stretch of heat and humidity from the end of August to early September increased disease activity. Dollar spot and brown patch have been most problematic.
• Recovery from summer decline is progressing nicely in most cases. Core aeration followed by overseeding can quickly transform a thin, worn out area to a healthy stand of grass. 
• Grass root systems are regenerating nicely, especially on areas that were recently core aerated.
• Fall projects will soon be underway. Given the heavy and frequent rain in June, drainage work is a priority at most facilities. Bunker renovations and leveling/enlarging of teeing grounds is also a common fall project.

Source: Adam Moeller (amoeller@usga.org)

Course Update

The unofficial end of the summer is here already with the start of the Labor Day weekend. I can say its been a very tough summer for the golf course, myself, and the maintenance staff but the fall always brings a rejuvenation with changing colors on the trees, healthy turf, and crisp morning air. We have been busy this week on the golf course and were very lucky to miss the heavy rain on Wednesday. We have added bunker sand to the left and right greenside bunkers on the first hole. The sand will take a couple of weeks to firm up but should be in great shape for the club championship. We have also been demoing a new mower for the greens that will allow us the ability to vertical mow the greens in the future, provide us a back-up greens mower in case of an emergency, and give us the ability to double-cut the greens. Vertical mowing lifts the turf from a laying down position to an upright position allowing for a denser, healthier turf system. Vertical mowing also provides small channels for our sand topdressing to work into the turf canopy better. The end result of vertical mowing is more turf plants per square inch which increases density thus creating much better ball roll. We will be demoing two other manufactures equipment before making a decision with the Board of Governors on a suitable purchase. I would like to remind everyone that we will be aerating the greens with our aggressive fall aeration process similar to 2012 on Monday September 16th followed with approaches and tees the rest of that week. The contracted fairway aeration will be Monday September 30th. Two other reminders of importance are that the golf course is closed to all members on Mondays for golf course maintenance with the exception of holidays and please do not use the provided divot mix in the rough. Divot mix is for fairway and tee use only. Thanks and enjoy the weekend.

Seed Growing on struggling areas of Greens

USGA Northeast Update

“Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!”

By David A. Oatis, director, Northeast Region
August 21, 2013

In mid-July, soil temperatures at a 3-inch depth were regularly found to be 90°F to 95°F (left) while turfgrass canopy temperatures ranged from 90°F to 105°F (right). Significant root dieback occurred and cool-season turfgrasses simply cannot withstand temperatures this high for an extended period of time.

Every year has its challenges, and the weather presents many of them. Much of the stress turfgrass faced this year occurred early in the season. Heavy rains were experienced in June and early July, and oppressive and near record-setting heat made the rest of July even tougher. No golf course escaped those extremes unscathed. The damage was obvious at many golf facilities as turf was lost. However, even those that didn’t lose turf were affected. Turfgrass root systems shrank dramatically, and it was difficult to find annual bluegrass root systems that were more than an inch deep.

Fortunately, the weather has been mild since July and turf health has rebounded. Root systems still are extremely short, but thinned areas have begun to fill in, and turf that was teetering on the brink of collapse is recovering. To say that we “dodged a bullet” is an understatement. A more typical stretch of stressful weather in August would likely have triggered massive turf loss throughout the region because turf at many golf facilities was very close to the edge.

With the stress of July in our rearview mirror, many have already aerated, and many more will do so in the next week or two. Assuming the weather is not too stressful, and thus far August has been a perfect month for aerating, turf that is aerated now should recover quickly because of warm, but not excessively hot, temperatures and longer days. Recovery is much slower later in the fall. To be sure, August aeration can be risky. Stressful weather combined with weak turf and aggressive cultivation practices can cause damage. However, if the turf is healthy enough to withstand it and the weather cooperates, August aeration can produce better turf conditions and an undisturbed schedule for fall golf. It also can provide a great opportunity to get new and improved bentgrasses established in old greens.

There are a few things to watch for right now as we are still not completely out of the woods yet regarding stressful weather conditions:

• Continue to manage water carefully and use your best employees for this crucial job. Remember, if the root systems are an inch deep, soil moisture at the 2-inch depth is inaccessible to the plant. Turf with shortened root systems will need more frequent and lighter applications of water, but the goal should be to keep soil moisture levels lower overall by not overwatering.
• Remember that moisture loss can be quite low when dew points and humidity levels are high, so extra irrigation and syringing is not necessarily needed just because “it’s hot.”
• Watch out for high sky, low humidity days. With weak turf and weaker root systems, this is a weather pattern that can wreak havoc. Normal syringing techniques may not be sufficient if we experience this type of weather, so be prepared with more frequent hand-watering should this occur.
• Plugging bentgrass into weakened areas makes the most sense right now, and 3-inch diameter turf pluggers work very well for this purpose. Smaller plugs are less obvious and less objectionable than traditional 4.25-inch diameter plugs. Plus, smaller turf plugs can be placed much faster and are easier to level than large plugs.

There are distinct patterns of stress and turf damage at many golf facilities and, as usual, it is the pocketed greens at most courses that are the weakest. This clearly illustrates the impact poor growing environments, namely inadequate airflow and sunlight exposure, can have on turf performance. Not surprisingly, this is another season where the value of fans to generate air movement is being demonstrated in numerous locations. Fans cool the turf canopy and allow it to dry which goes a long way toward reducing fungal disease activity. Using an infrared thermometer during Turf Advisory Service visits, turf canopies are regularly 6°F to 8°F cooler (or more) than adjacent turf without the airflow of a fan. As you plan for next year, and if you have greens that performed poorly this year from inadequate airflow, strongly consider adding more fans to your equipment inventory.

Northeast agronomists have been extremely busy, but we are never too busy to hear from you. Please give us a call if we can help and best of luck for a successful season. 

Signal Light

The new signal light on the 9th hole is now operational. The light is located in the same location on the tee with new buttons mounted on wooden posts near the old locations. We still have to remove the metal posts from the old light system but we are back up and running. The new system has a few upgraded features including turning itself off at night to save electricity and resetting back to green after 12 minutes which eliminates the issue of waiting in the event players forget to push the button in the fairway. I want to thank the membership for their patience while we dealt with the light system.

I was able to borrow an aerator for the rough from Forest Hill Field Club allowing us to renovate some of the struggling rough areas. I will be out aerating rough over the next week and seeding with turf-type tall fescue matching the varieties from the sod on the moundings from this spring. New seedlings have emerged on the greens especially on 5 and 6 greens which is very comforting to me as we have put a lot of effort into renovating these areas. It will be a slow process but these areas will fill in with new varieties of bentgrass. Next weeks schedule includes venting and topdressing the greens on Monday followed by more hand-spiking and seeding. We will also be venting and seeding the struggling areas of the fairways again taking advantage of the good weather.

Late next week the weather looks to return back to summer conditions so we will be changing from renovation mode back to maintenance mode. The hoses will be coming back out and irrigation syringe cycles will be running during the day keeping all the new seed healthy. Thank you and enjoy the weekend.

USGA - August Northeast Update

Skinned Knees And Bruised Elbows

By Jim Skorulski, senior agronomist, Northeast Region
August 7, 2013

Rough areas composed of thatchy, shallow-rooted bentgrass and Poa annua were no match for the 20-plus inches of rain, stifling heat and extreme humidity that blanketed most of the Northeast region in June and July.

“Skinned knees and bruised elbows, but no broken bones” was the clever response provided by Michael Luccini, golf course superintendent at Franklin Country Club in Franklin, Mass., when asked about the condition of the golf course following the brutal stretch of weather experienced in the Northeast region in June and July. Most golf facilities in the region experienced some bumps and bruises and others broken bones during the stretch of hot and humid weather that followed heavy rains – a perfect recipe for cool-season turf failure.

Many parts of the region experienced soil and canopy temperatures well above 90°F during the day without much relief at night. Damage from high temperatures has been common to turf in the Northeast, including scald, wet wilt, Pythium and brown patch disease, foliar anthracnose, dollar spot and summer patch diseases. The inability to topdress during the hot months of June and July resulted in puffy turf conditions on putting greens. As bentgrass turf became more succulent and putting surfaces softer, the turf became more susceptible to mower scalping and traffic damage. Greens located in stagnant environments suffered the most as did poorly drained areas and anywhere flooding occurred. Golf facilities with heavy cart traffic and busy outing schedules in June and July also experienced considerable turf damage. Fairways and roughs with excessive thatch or rough areas composed of creeping bentgrass and annual bluegrass (Poa annua) did not hold up well through this subtropical weather pattern. 

What are some things we should learn from the summer of 2013?

• Deferred maintenance is not a formula for long-term success. Just think how much better things might be right now had the drainage project been completed, the trees removed, the fairway and rough aerification programs maintained, poor quality roughs regrassed, and the problematic greens rebuilt? Sometimes it takes the perfect storm of events like those of the summer of 2013 before this message hits home.
• More is not always better. This was especially true with nitrogen applications. High rates of controlled-released granular fertilizers did what they were intended to do in wet soils at a high temperature: they released nitrogen. This was sometimes to the detriment of the turf.  
• Fans really work well where they are needed. Obtaining fans in July was like trying to find an air conditioner. Good luck. Seriously though, the new generations of fans are powerful, quiet, effective and a must for areas where natural air circulation is limited.
• Mowing over wet, saturated soils in mid-summer is never good. Sometimes it has to be done, but if a mowing can be skipped it may just allow you to live and fight another day. That can be said for cart traffic as well.
• Large tournaments or outings are best scheduled outside of July if at all possible. Prepping for a big event during extremely stressful weather is asking for problems. It is also much harder for the staff to syringe and take other protective measures during such events or when the golf course is at full play.
• Crabgrass really does well in the heat and preemergence herbicides just do not hold up as long with hot, wet soil conditions.
• Mother Nature remains the boss. We have more tools than ever to manage golf courses and we do it better than ever, most of the time. When the weather becomes truly difficult, the best we might do is to just ride it out. Defense wins championships as the saying goes, and good offense takes the pressure off the defense. It is a balancing act to be sure.          

Fortunately, as quickly as the tropical-like rains and heat arrived, they have been displaced with cooler and drier air. The break in the weather has even produced some good overseeding results that did not seem likely several weeks ago. We are certainly not out of the woods yet, especially given the weakened condition of the turf and the possibility that weather patterns could change back to summer heat just as quickly. Nonetheless, we will take this break and hope it continues into mid-August when we all anticipate better growing conditions, shorter days and cooler nights. 

So, if you are one of the fortunate ones to only experience some skinned knees and bruises this summer, I would say you are doing a lot of things right. If not, it is time to reevaluate the practices in place and reconsider the investments that will allow the turf to better survive extreme weather conditions without completely sacrificing playing conditions. 

Course Update

The course received 1.4 inches of rain since yesterday afternoon with 1 inch of that falling in just under 20 min. While a nice steady rain would have been great for all the new seed on the putting greens following the dry-ject instead most of the seed has washed into piles on the low sides of the greens. We will be cleaning up these piles as best as possible and will have to re-seed the greens. The greens were only rolled today due to the wet conditions with a possible mowing this afternoon depending on the weather. The crew is fixing all the bunker washouts and will be mowing tees and approaches.

A new signal light that is wireless has been order for the 9th hole and will be installed immediately upon its arrival. I appreciate the understanding and inconvenience of the membership while we tried to fix the electrical gremlins but at the end of the day we couldn't locate the short. The wireless system is the most cost effective and least intrusive fix to the problem.

Flooding Rain not good for New Seed

Dry-Ject Update

The greens and collars were first vented this morning using our Toro 648 aerator followed by the Dry-Ject process. The Dry-Ject injected 10 tons of sand into the greens with very little waste. The greens were then brushed and rolled followed by a heavy seeding of 007 and Crystal Blue Links bentgrass seed. The Dry-Ject has left some mud on the green surface in a few areas which will be mowed off over the next few days. The green areas that have been struggling were additionally spiked by hand and seeded extra heavy to gain some germination with the good weather. The greens will be rolled daily the rest of the week to smooth out the Dry-Ject holes and we should be in good shape by the weekend. Two ropes will placed out on the 5th and 6th greens to divert golfer traffic entering and exiting the green. These areas are continuing to decline due to constant foot traffic so please obey the ropes.

Soil Based Greens leaving some Mud

Dry-Ject after before brushing

Dry-Ject After Brushing and Rolling

Course Update

57 degrees this morning and my jaw is starting to hurt from smiling so much. The recovery over the past week after the heat wave is slowly beginning. The turf seems to leave us much faster then it returns but new shoots and germinating seed are beginning to appear in many of the struggling areas. The greens and struggling fairway areas were all vented last Monday and Tuesday and weekly foliar applications of fertilizer have been applied to help all the new seedlings and emerging shoots gain ground while the weather remains normal. Areas on greens that are not filling in are being plugged out using our nursery green and large fairway areas have been seeded for a second time. The greens will be dry-ject aerated on Monday August 5th. This process uses high pressure water jets to inject sand into the greens to the tune of around 28,000 pounds with virtually no waste and good playability after the process is complete. The dry-ject is a very safe and golfer friendly way of opening up the rootzone to allow oxygen to the roots and increase the greens ability to move water off the green surface. The dry-ject also firms the surface of the greens and allows for dilution of the thatch layer. The greens will be over-seeded following the dry-ject with two bentgrass varieties, 007 and Crystal Blue Links. 007 is the variety that our nursery greens is comprised of and if anyone has walked on the nursery you can see how great of a putting surface 007 provides. Crystal Blue Links is a new variety of bentgrass that only needs 4 hours of sunlight to grow which will be a great help on our shady greens. The same seed combination will be sued again after our big core-aeration at the end of September.

First Tee Monday Morning

USGA Update

“Offense Sells Tickets, But Defense Wins Championships.” Bear Bryant By Adam Moeller, agronomist, Northeast Region
July 23, 2013

This putting green was syringed about 30 to 45 minutes too late because the golf course was very busy with play. This severe wilt damage is a clear example of the limitations with annual bluegrass putting greens in the summer.

Golf courses maintenance staffs throughout the region have been on high alert over the past two weeks because of extreme heat and oppressive humidity. The dew point remained above 73°F, heat indices exceeded 110°F, and soil temperatures were over 95°F for several days last week. To put things into perspective, cool-season turfgrass grass roots begin to decline when soil temperatures exceed 80°F, let alone 95°F. The recent environmental stress has resulted in grass decline at many golf facilities in the region, particularly on putting greens with limited air movement, shade, and/or poor soils. Heavily trafficked fairways have also experienced problems. Decline has been most severe on golf courses with high amounts of stress-intolerant annual bluegrass (i.e., Poa annua) and those with irrigation limitations (e.g., old systems and/or insufficient labor to hand-water and syringe). Damage observed has been as minimal as slight discoloration (i.e., yellowing) and minor thinning to severe grass loss requiring temporary putting greens.
Many facilities have held up well to the extreme heat by employing defensive management programs geared to keep grass alive. Defensive management programs are all about promoting healthy grass and alleviating stress; with less emphasis on maximizing playing conditions. When the weather is severe, even the most highly regarded golf facilities must back off and temporarily lower expectations for golf conditions to preserve grass health. The article Playing Defense is a Strength, Not a Weakness provides useful information on defensive management practices.
A key reason why many facilities have held up well to the heat is because they’ve previously addressed concerns with limited air movement, shade and tree root competition. Tree removals to improve sunlight and the use of oscillating fans to generate air movement are very helpful to improve grass performance so it can survive environmental stress. The Green Section Record articles Man’s Friend or Golf’s Enemy and Using Turf Fans in the Northeast are good references for examining putting green microclimates.
The environmental stress and subsequent decline of annual bluegrass putting greens has inspired many facilities to begin discussing the potential for regrassing to creeping bentgrass. Regrassing is not a simple project and improvements to the golf course infrastructure (i.e., increasing sunlight, improving drainage and addressing traffic concerns) are needed for creeping bentgrass to be successful, but the results will be well worth the effort. The Green Section Record articles Putting Green Regrassing and So Much More and Regrassing Greens at New Haven Country Club are great resources for facilities considering putting green regrassing.

Course Update

Following one of the most difficult weeks of my superintendent career the weather as given us a small break. Last week the golf course took a real beating will temperatures and humidity at their highest levels so far for the 2013 season. During extreme weather periods like the past 10 days we are in a defensive mode of action including raising mowing heights, reduce mowings, diligent water management, and preventative plant protectant sprays but sometimes that is just not enough and the turf suffers. I have switched gears now that we have a small break in the weather implementing practices to help the turf recover. Monday the greens were vented on the tightest spacing followed by a soil spray containing a wetting agent, nitrogen, calcium, potassium, and manganese to help drive away the sodium from our irrigation and feed the roots. Our defensive mowing practices will remain in place until the greens have recovered. The fairways were also sprayed with a balanced fertilizer and a wetting agent helping drive growth of the remaining plants to fill in the struggling areas following the venting. Tuesday the fairways will be vented in certain areas were large sections of turf have died including the second, fourth, fifth, and sixth fairways. These practices should begin the recovery process if the weather stays in the normal summertime range of mid 80's with some rain. The sixth men's tee will also be vented and seeded.

The picture below is an ugly patch of Poa in the fairway but look at the the green dots in the lines across the area. A good sign that aeration on the fairways is working but remember that we didn't aerate the fairways for two seasons returning back to aeration on fairways just this spring. The budget reductions of years past have showed up in a big way with last weeks soaring temperatures but looking forward we have budget for both spring and fall core aerations of the fairways for 2013 and will make it a priority for 2014.

Course Updates

The heat is taking its toll on the turf in certain areas of the golf course. We have been diligently hand watering areas but certain areas like the new fairway sod are struggling from too much water. We try to keep the rough irrigated but that can lead to over watering fairway areas especially those with high levels of thatch stay excessively wet. The forecast is calling for 4 more days of heat including Fridays member guest. The plan is to continue our defensive measures until Monday when the greens will be vented allowing us to then changed over the aerator to spot aerify fairways allowing them to breath. The signal light is again not working properly so I have contacted electrician to see if we can diagnosis the current issue. 

Fairway sod on second hole struggling from excessive moisture. 

USGA July Update

“These Are The Times That Try Men’s Souls”

By David A. Oatis, director, Northeast Region
July 12, 2013

Small plugs are quick and easy to install, and they help elevate cutting heights.

While Thomas Paine’s famous quote referred to the American Revolution, as the summer wears on many golf course superintendents can relate to the literal meaning of the words. Well, at least we had a nice spring! The recent spells of high temperatures and high humidity levels have produced extraordinary disease pressure, and turf throughout the region is beginning to show the effects. Diagnostic laboratories are swamped with phone calls and submissions, and predictably, diseases are being identified in many samples. However, it is confusing and disquieting to some when disease shows up in samples of turf that have received appropriate, and perhaps even aggressive, preventive fungicide treatments. The question “how can that be” quickly is posed. In a nutshell, disease pressure simply is too high. Few pest control products ever provide 100 percent control, so when disease pressure is extraordinarily high, the percent control may drop. Additionally, there will be much more of the disease inoculum available for infection, and the turf will be more susceptible because of its stress-induced, weakened state. In short, an excellent disease control program does not guarantee success under extraordinarily high disease pressure conditions. Furthermore, stressful maintenance practices weaken the turf and leave it more susceptible to pest and disease.

So what is the solution?  Control the things within your control. Reduce mowing frequency, raise cutting heights or switch to solid rollers, and above all else, manage water as closely as possible. Multiple “ultra” light syringes can help cool the turf if there is evaporative potential. Heavier applications may correct water deficiency, but wet soils heat up rapidly and this can increase turfgrass stress and disease potential.

Many courses have installed fans in recent years around pocketed greens, and this is shaping up to be another bountiful year for fan manufacturers. Normally fans are considered more of a preventive than a curative remedy, but in extreme situations they can slow and sometimes even reverse turf decline. Thus, blowers (tractor-mounted, pull-behind independent blowers, shop fans run by generators, etc.) all can help your turf in an emergency. Your golfers may not appreciate a loud, tractor-mounted blower sitting right next to a green, but they will better understand the problem when they see it, and they will appreciate your efforts in trying to remedy the situation.

Some turf managers will be tempted to implement aggressive maintenance strategies such as hollow core aeration, slit seeding, etc. While there are plenty of times when aggressive treatments are justified and likely to produce good results, now is probably not one of them. Carefully consider the time of year the weather and the potential of pushing weak turf farther into decline before reacting. Venting strategies that improve aeration and drainage without causing surface disruption or turf injury may be very helpful at this juncture. However, seeding operations are not likely to be met with much success for a few more weeks, and aggressive cultivation may kick off more stress and disease problems. It can be extremely difficult not to take action at this point, but it may be your best bet for the time being. Once temperatures moderate and seeding operations have a better chance of success, aggressive cultivation and overseeding strategies may be justified and are more likely to be successful.

So what else can be done?  In areas where extensive turf thinning and loss have occurred, mowers sink deeper into the turf, and this effectively lowers the cutting heights and exacerbates the problem. As previously mentioned, switching to solid rollers and/or raising cutting heights can help. Additionally, installing numerous small plugs of healthy turf from a nursery also can help. Two inch plugs can be installed very quickly and are easy to level. If you can install enough of them, they can help elevate cutting heights and this helps to protect the remaining turf. The plugs also will spread, and will provide more protection for seedlings once seeding efforts begin. Larger plugs (4.25 inch or larger round or hex plugs) are much slower and harder to install, and they are much more visible, so give the two inch plugs a try.

Golf Course Update

It seems as the weather has broken for a day here and the high humidity has left us for at least 24 hours. The course made it through the first heat wave of the season with only a few bumps. The greens are in good shape although were rolling slower during the humid and wet weather. They will be rolling quicker this weekend with the lower humidity. Our nutrient management program is in full swing now that the summer months have arrived. The greens are treated with nutrients such as manganese, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and even sea kelp on a weekly basis to help promote turf health at a time when the Poa annua roots are getting shorter by the day, but the collars need more attention. On a bi-weekly basis we additionally apply a balanced nutrient package including nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus to just the collars around each green to help prevent mechanical damage from our rollers and mowers.

One area of concern has been certain patches of fairways that are turning a bronze color. These areas are predominantly Poa trivialis which is an even weaker species of Poa and usually has a much lighter green color then bentgrass or even Poa annua. The long wet period followed by the high heat in combination with our growth regulator program has caused these patches to turn a bronze color. I realize that these areas are not ascetically pleasing but keep mind as the Poa triv is stressed the bentgrass begins moving into these areas leaving us with a much healthier and stronger stand of turf in long run. I sent a sample of these areas to Rutgers to ensure that my diagnosis was correct and the response is as follows There were no active insects, diseases, or mites identified on this sample. We feel that the poor performance of the grass is due to the cumulative effects of environmental and cultural stresses. Moisture stress is the primary issue here as the decline of the turf was preceded by a long period of heavy rainfall, high humidity, and significant summer heat stress. We suspect that the turf will recover and recommend some soluble nitrogen to speed the process. These areas have been treated with a balanced nutrient package this week and will be treated again next week as well to aid in recovery.



Notice the different patches - Bentgrass, Poa annus, Poa Trivialis, and Ryegrass



We use chemicals from a few different manufactures including BASF which began a program donating money to the Wounded Warriors Project. A superintendent has to take a picture on their course with an American Flag and they will donate $100 to the Project. Shaun Kennedy from Helena Chemical came by to take my picture this week and it is now posted on the this website http://www.basfturftalk.com/honor-america/ and a donation has been made in the Madison Golf Club name to the Wounded Warriors Project. 

Look who decided to show up - Summer

80 degrees could be argued as the perfect temperature not too hot but enjoyable unless that is the temperature at 5:15 in the morning as was the case today. Summer has arrived in all its glory hot and humid weather with dewpoints above 70 and night time temperatures to match. The recent weather scenario is a very scary one for a golf course superintendent as the disease pressure is very high and the turf especially poa annua is beginning to struggle. Cool season turf normally recovers from the heat of the day at night but when temperature are above 70 degrees at night the plant struggles to produce the necessary carbohydrates to recover. Water management is at a premium this time of year as too much water will increase soil temperature and create a hot bed for disease activity so hoses are used throughout the day to keep enough moisture to prevent wilt but not saturate the root zone. The one benefit of humidity is that areas in our rough where we do not have irrigation especially on bunker banks stay moist and green. As the humidity drops but temperature stay high these rough areas will begin to go dormant and turn brown. We have less of these areas as we have added irrigation through the years but many are still prevalent.

The crew and I would like to thank the ladies division for providing lunch and dessert for us on Friday July 5th. The crew was provided Italian heroes, fried chicken, homemade side dishes, watermelon and homemade desserts. The crew and I are very appreciative of the generosity from the ladies as a full stomach made the hot afternoon a little more enjoyable.

Irons are used on many shots here at MGC and most of the time divots are created both on tees and in the fairways. During the hot summer months many of divots that are replaced will not heal so we ask that you fill the divot with the mix provided on the carts to help establish new turf in the weeks to come. If you are a walking golfer without a divot bottle please make all efforts to  replace the divot even though it will not survive a smooth playing surface will remain. Please do not use the divot mix in the rough as the mix contains bentgrass seed which is not a desired turf species for our rough.

The flooding rains on Monday washed out many of the bunkers including the ones with liners but the following picture show why liners are important. The bunker without the liner allowed rocks and silt to enter the sand where as the bunker with the liner kept the sand contaminate free.

Rocks and Silt Contamination

No Contamination-Liner

Rain Alot of Rain

The month of June ended with 9.6 inches of rain and July started with a 1.5 inch monsoon washing out the bunkers and flooding the course. This storm eliminates the possibility of spraying today so the sprayer will be on the course during play this week. The bunkers will take most of the day Tuesday to repair. 

June USGA Update

Seasonal Transitions

By Jim Skorulski, senior agronomist, Northeast Region
June 25, 2013


Another wave of heat and humidity has reached the Northeast Region. The transition to an abrupt heat wave is never easy, especially when it occurs in the wake of the record precipitation and moderate temperatures we have experienced in recent weeks. Squeegees are put aside for moisture meters and hoses. Once promising root systems seem to vanish overnight. Ah yes, summer is finally here. The golfers are happy anyway.    

The transition to the heat of summer can be tricky especially with the precipitation pattern that has set up over the Northeast. The turf has been growing in fairly cool and wet conditions for several weeks. Lush annual bluegrass plants that are less adapted for the abrupt change suffer the most. Turf growing on poorly drained sites also typically struggles due to its compromised root system. Disease pressure increases. Managers are forced into a more defensive mindset at least until the weather pattern breaks. This is a bad time to make a mistake and the summer has just begun.

There have been a number of reports of above threshold counts of stunt and lance nematodes on golf courses. Symptoms from the feeding are likely to become more apparent with the added stress brought on by the heat. A nematode assay is the only way to determine if there is a potential problem. A soil probe should be used to pull soil samples from areas expressing potential symptoms. Assays can be completed at the University of Massachusetts or University of Rhode Island for a nominal fee. Managers are trying to deal with the nematodes with holistic products, strong cultural practices, or spot applications of Nemacur if they still have it in inventory. Dr. Nathaniel Mitkowski, University of Rhode Island, reports that the product Avid is showing promising results for nematode suppression. Unfortunately, the product is not yet available in Northeastern states. Hopefully, that will change.

The wet weather pattern is likely to make things very interesting on golf courses should it continue into the summer season. A combination of wet weather and heat is often lethal especially where annual bluegrass, poor growing environments and limited drainage are paired with high expectations and a busy golf calendar. All the more reason to consider upgrading course infrastructure to create conditions that will make it possible to provide more consistent playing surfaces over a wider range of weather conditions.

We encourage you to give us a call if the transition to summer is not going as hoped or you are considering options to upgrade your facility. Stay dry, stay cool, and most important; stay focused. 

Course Update

Well this weather combination is about as bad as it gets for the golf course, frequent thunderstorms and hot humid weather lead to root loss and disease outbreaks. The golf course received another .50 inch of rain yesterday during a day that reached 92 degrees. So far the golf course is holding its own and looking good but we are doing things to keep it that way. The greens that hold the most water were vented on Wednesday immediately following the Women's Member Guest then doubled rolled to smooth them out. The fan has been running on the 5th green for the entire week, the greens were sprayed for the disease summer patch, and treated with a calcium/silica product that will buffer the sodium in our irrigation water and help strengthen the turf to help with heat stress.

Venting Greens Before We Rolled

The crew was treated to a BBQ on Wednesday for lunch by Mr. Joe Verbaro who not only purchased a charcoal grill for the greens department, supplied all the food, soda, and water but was also the smiling chef behind the grill. The pro shop staff even snuck down to the maintenance building for a little lunch as well. The staff really appreciated the BBQ as did I and we thank Mr. Verbaro for his time and generosity.

Mr. Verbaro the Chef

Fixing ball marks especially during the wet weather is very important to the health of the greens and the playability of the golf course. The following is from USGA:

Experts Explain: Ball Mark Repair Tools

Posted: 3/11/2013

By USGA Green Section

What is the best tool for repairing ball marks?

  

Ball marks vary in shape and severity so there is no one best tool. In fact, virtually any pointed tool will work as long as the proper method of repair is performed. This has even been the focus of several research projects in recent years where multiple repair tools were evaluated. Each study concluded that no particular repair tool was significantly better than any other when used correctly. 

With the understanding that it is the method, not the tool that is most critical to restoring a smooth surface and allowing turf to heal quickly, let’s address the keys to success for this important area of golfer etiquette. Begin by inserting the repair tool into the soil behind the rear of the ball mark at about a 45-degree angle. Gently pull the top of the tool toward the center. Continue working around the ball mark, gently stretching the surrounding turf toward the center until the indentation is filled in. Less is generally more when it comes to ball mark repair, so this should be done just three or four times; anything more generally adds injury to the already damaged turf. Use your putter or foot to tamp down the repaired area to make it smooth and level with the rest of the green. Avoid prying actions that tear live roots and bring soil to the putting surface. Doing so causes significant damage and greatly slows recovery.
 

Course Update

The golf course is drying up after the long stretch of wet weather that we have been dealing with. The greens have mowed with our brushes and rolled daily this week to bring the speeds back up to acceptable levels and in preparation for this weekends President/Vice-President Tournament. Some may have notice that we even did a few dry cuts in the afternoons on the greens to help with the shaggy look from the wet weather. Our topdressing program will continue on a bi-weekly basis now that the summer weather seems to be arriving. The greens will be vented at some point between the ladies member/guest tournament and the 4th of July tournament. The venting process allows gases to escape the root zone and allows oxygen to enter keeping the roots healthy during the long days of summer. Along with the summer weather is the process of syringing the greens that you have seen me out doing in summers past. Syringing is the conservation process of applying a light water mist over putting greens and approaches to keep the entire grass plant healthy and make for an even playing field. The syringing process is the single most important moisture management practice that we do on the golf course during the summer months along with the use of our TDR 300 moisture meter.

The club's pace of play policy has been posted on the first tee. The following is a pledge from the USGA that as a member you can take to make an honest effort to improve your pace of play.


Pace of Play Pledge

By USGA
June 12, 2013

Please join the USGA in our campaign to stamp out long playing times and end slow play. When you sign the pledge, you will be enrolled in a six-part educational program that will teach you the fundamental causes of slow play and suggest ways to improve your personal pace of play.

Click here to sign the pledge.

• As one who loves golf, I understand my critical role in improving pace of play.
• I will examine my own habits on the golf course to identify ways that I can pick up the pace.
• I will Tee It Forward and play from the set of tees best suited to my driving distance, in an effort to speed up play and have more fun.
• I will practice “ready golf” during stroke play; I will hit when I am ready to play, but only when it is safe to do so.
• I will serve as an example for those around me and I will strive to inspire and guide my fellow golfers to improve their pace of play.
• I understand that golf course design and setup can affect pace of play, and I promise to support those who manage the facilities where I play to find solutions for optimizing pace of play.
• I will seek out a golf professional to help me improve my game and my pace of play.
• I will embrace opportunities to play nine holes when my schedule doesn’t allow for an 18-hole round.
• I will encourage others to take the Pace of Play Pledge, for the good of the game.
• I will play more quickly, play better and have more fun!

Click here to sign the pledge.

MGC's Pace of Play Policy

 

USGA June Update

A Rainy Day Holds No Secrets

By Jim Skorulski, senior agronomist, Northeast Region
June 11, 2013

(L) “Collar dams” prevent surface water runoff from exiting putting surfaces. Where water collects is often the same areas that routinely experience winterkill injury. (R) Standing water in bunkers confirms that poor drainage is leading to poor playability.

Yet another rainy day in the Northeast; it sure seems like we have had our share of them in the past several weeks. Golf courses are wet. Everything is wet. Sure, we need the water, but enough already. Just when it seems like it may start to dry out, another wave of rain arrives further disrupting maintenance and play. So much for firm and fast. Fortunately, temperatures have been moderate during this stretch of wet weather and the turf has generally remained strong with good rooting and few disease issues. This can all change quickly, however, should this pattern of wet weather extend into the hotter days of summer. 

The heavy rains can help to point out drainage deficiencies and they usually tell a story or explain why playing conditions are the way they are. The pictures illustrate two common maintenance issues that are impacted by poor drainage. The image on the left shows a “collar dam” that is impeding water flow off the putting green surface. The area where the water is collecting was damaged this winter when water collected behind the collar and froze to ice. Standing water and similar winter damage patterns were observed on several other greens that morning and helped to highlight the extent of the surface drainage problems and their impact on winter turf survival.

The image on the right was taken on the same day at another golf facility and illustrates a puddled greenside bunker where there is an obvious drainage problem. Golfers at this facility complain of hard sands and inconsistent playing conditions. The picture is a helpful tool to explain how and why the bunker sands play the way they do. It is one thing to explain the process of fine soil particles such as silt and clay intermixing with the bunker sand, but this explanation is made quite clear with a picture like this that shows a puddle of dirty water. This illustrates the reasoning behind inconsistent playing conditions in bunkers, while also confirming the need for new drainage and sand replacement.    

Never let a good washout go to waste. Use the heavy rain events to chart water flow over the golf course, to identify problem areas, and to use as an illustrative tool to explain the impacts of poor drainage. The sun will come out again at some point but as Dave Oatis, director, Northeast Region, likes to say, “Best keep your powder dry.”



Source: Jim Skorulski (jskorulski@usga.org)

More Rain

The storm clouds are building as I write this and we are trying to get greens mowed and rolled before the storm hits us but the forecast is calling for another 1-3 inches of rain in the next 24 hours. The 4th green was scalped due to our need to mow the turf in wet conditions so that green was vented using solid tines yesterday to help aid in the dry down process. All the greens have been topdressed weekly with sand for the past 5 weeks but the 4th green has areas that remain wet which can lead to scalping. The greens mowers have also been outfitted with solid front rollers since the start of the season to help protect against scalping but sometimes conditions are favorable to this type of damage. Many of you are thinking well just don't cut the turf but at the heights that we maintain the greens skipping more than one day of mowing could lead to even more scalping. The 4th green will heal and the continued topdressing and aeration programs that we are using will fix this issue long term. Two years ago we dealt with scalping on multiple greens during saturated conditions but due to our aggressive cultural programs we are down to only the 4th green giving us problems. All of the fairways expansions were also aerated and topdressed with sand ahead of the storm allowing for the heavy rain to move the sand into the canopy of the turf. The aeration and sand topressing will aid in the protection of the new fairway areas as well as their firmness.

The chances of us mowing on Friday morning are slim if the forecast is correct so we will be mowing later in the day to get caught up for the weekend. I understand that it is an inconvenience for us to be mowing greens during play but mother nature is throwing us a curve ball and we need to make adjustments. Thankfully we drain well but I am anticipating no carts for at least tomorrow morning if not the entire day so please call the pro shop before arriving at the course.

I was fortunate on Tuesday to visit Merion site of this years US Open and it was really a special day. I have never been to a course that has such gnarly and natural bunkers to the tune of a 130 bunkers on a golf course that's only 120 acres. It was difficult for me to see all the mud in the spectator areas from over 6 inches of rain they received at Merion but 25,000 spectators a day will do that to turf. I know many members are not happy when our rough gets lush and thick but MGC fails in comparison to the rough the pros will be playing out of at Merion, 6 inches in spots. I hope Merion can still show its teeth even with all the rain.

Miscanthus in the Bunker on 18 at Merion

Huge Shrubs growing into the Bunkers on 14 at Merion

Rain

The course took 3.75 inches of rain from the storm so there will be no carts until noon today, Saturday. Greens will be mowed, bunkers fixed, and holes changed. The greens as you would expect are very soft so please fix your ball marks.

Very disappointed for the guys at Merion that worked so hard for the last 4 years to get ready for this week and now they have to deal with the 11th green being flooded and the bunkers washing away. Good luck to Matt and the crew at Merion, I know it will be great come Thursday.

Course Update

Unfortunately the men's one day member/guest has been canceled for today due to the inclement weather. A tropical storm from the south combined with a front from the west is adding up to some serious rain. The course has received one inch of rain so far this morning with 2 more inches in the forecast. Wetting agent applications were made to the tees and fairways on Monday which should help move this rain through the soil profile. Tropical Storms from the south have been know to carry disease spores with them including Gray Leaf Spot which damaged our rough late last year with Sandy so a plant protectant application was made to rough areas to prevent this disease. My crew did an outstanding job of getting the course ready, its too bad it got washed out. A date is being determined for a rescheduled event which will be sent out by the pro shop.

We completed some projects this week including replacing the range nets at the practice area and adding bunker sand to certain bunkers. The bunker on 5 is plagued with rocks so we added a significant amount of sand to this bunker to help with the rocks, this is a Band-Aid approach as compared to a complete rebuild of the bunker but should minimize the rocks for a few months. The other two bunkers to receive sand were the practice bunker and the left greenside bunker on the 9th hole. These bunkers will be softer then the other bunkers for a few weeks as the sand settles and firms up. The stumps along the cart path on the 6th hole were buried this week and finish our work from Sandy. These areas will be covered with leaf litter from the trees and return to their natural state in a few weeks.

I was repairing a broken sprinkler the other day between the bunker and green on the 6th hole when I was able to take a great picture of how much sand has accumulated in the years since the renovation on the bunker banks. The rough between the bunker and green has raised up 6 inches from sand being splashed out over the years. In recent years we have done some bunker renovations and I have explained the important issues like liners in the bunkers, dedicated irrigation for the bunker banks, new drainage, and firmer sand but I have not touched on how much material is removed from the bunker banks during construction to get back to their original shape. The picture below really shows how important this issue is during bunker renovations, as you can see the original soil line about 6 inches below the sand.

Ready for the Member/Guest

Burying Stumps on 6

Sand Build-Up on Bunker Banks