Opening Day Update

The ropes will still be up around all the sod for this weekend. All of the new fairway sod has been mowed once and is beginning to root. The sprinklers will be running all weekend with the dry forecast. Please leave any balls that land in the sod where they are and pick them up the following day in the upstairs lobby. The picture below shows the rough sod beginning to root after one week.

USGA Update - April 2013

“All Truly Great Thoughts Are Conceived While Walking” – Friedrich Nietzsche

By Adam Moeller, agronomist, Northeast Region
April 16, 2013

Putting green walk-mowing has turf and employee health benefits.

Spring is finally here and putting greens are being mown regularly across the region. Putting greens can be mown with walk-behind units or triplex ride-on units. Although triplex mowers can provide an excellent quality of cut and save on labor, walk-behind mowers are ideal because they do not have any potential for lethal hydraulic leaks and are lighter weight, which reduces mechanical stress on the turf. Walk-behind mowers also provide a great deal of health benefits to the employees on the maintenance crew. An estimate of the total miles a single employee would walk if they mowed all of the putting greens at an average 18-hole course is 20-30 miles. Obviously, one person cannot walk-mow all of the putting greens alone. Most 18-hole facilities will have a minimum of four to six employees to walk-mow all the putting greens to stay ahead of golfers, but that still equates to walking perhaps five miles per person. This is a nice health benefit for the maintenance staff but it takes a lot of energy too. Golfers should keep that in mind when they see the maintenance staff hard at work. It takes a lot of effort, energy, and teamwork to condition the course for play each day.

Golf course conditions are roughly a week and a half behind normal due to the cold temperatures this spring. Conditions are probably three weeks behind last year given the exceptionally warm spring in 2012. Hopefully more consistent warmth finds its way to the region. 

Weekend Update

All holes will be open tomorrow for play. Carts must park along ropes in front of 3 fairway for holes 2 and 3. Hole 5 please drive along right rough around ropes. Stay on cart path for hole 6. If your ball lands on the soded areas please leave it there, do not walk on the sod. Do not step over the ropes.

Course Update

The sod has been laid down on the second hole as you can see the before and after pictures below. Wednesday and Thursday will be irrigation, topsoil, and finish prep work on the 5th hole. Friday will be the next delivery of sod for those areas. The course setup will remain the same until Saturday. Please stay off the sod, walking in these roped off areas can cause the sod to shift resulting in damage to the course or personal injury. If you see a member in these areas pease ask them to exit.

Project Update

Robert McNeil was on property this morning and was pleased with what he saw. Sod will start to be delivered tomorrow. The 2nd hole will be closed again this week along with 3 and 5 tees being moved forward for the safety of the workers. Please stay off the new sod and respect the ropes and signs. It was disappointing to see divots in the new sod on 2 this morning.

Weekend Update

The golf course is getting some much needed rain for the aerated turf today but it also has turned the construction areas into mud. The majority of the rough shaping is finished on the second hole and Robert McNeil will be out early next week to check the progress. The golf course will be open tomorrow inlcuding the second green and fith tee. Please follow the signs on the second hole as some sod has already been placed. Please be careful around the construction areas and enjoy the weekend.

Construction Update

The project is in full swing and except for a few irrigation issues is going very well. Please be advised the men's 5th tee is closed and all players must hit from the forward tee on the other side of Green Village.

Hole Closed

The fairways were aerated today by Aer-Core and the greens were mowed for the first time since aeration. The second hole will be closed during the week for the safety of the contractor. The third tee will moved to the third fairway as well. Saturday and Sunday will be regular play on all holes. Thank you for your cooperation.

USGA Update - April 2013

Spring Is Busting Out All Over

By David A. Oatis, director, Northeast Region
April 1, 2013

A grim reminder of the extensive tree damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

The winter conference season is over, and temperatures are warming up. Bulbs are beginning to bloom in the central and southern part of the region, and forsythias are getting ready to start blooming too. The season is just around the corner and golfers are chomping at the bit!

Most golf courses are well behind where they were a year ago, and this applies in several key areas. This year’s winter weather has been much more normal as compared to last year’s extraordinarily mild winter. Not surprisingly, turf is “waking up” much later. Greens aerated last fall have not fully healed, and courses are getting ready to perform their spring aeration any day. Keep in mind that fertilizer alone won’t get the grass growing. We need warmer temperatures. Early April is a good time to aerate for many reasons, but realize that the turf won’t heal without consistently warmer temperatures.

It is no secret that many courses throughout the region sustained a tremendous amount of damage as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Furthermore, the winter weather did not allow courses to accomplish as much work during the off-season this year. Thus, there is more spring cleanup needed at many courses, and a significant number of courses are behind in getting it done. Most courses will be opening later this year as a result of the colder weather, and many may not be fully cleaned up when they finally do open.

The damage from Sandy will be felt for a long time at many courses. One of the more obvious effects is the tree damage that resulted from the high winds. Thousands of trees were damaged and destroyed, but interestingly, many of the trees that survived are still being impacted by the storm. For example, salt damage is evident on many white pines in coastal areas; and some trees sustained such severe wind damage that their form, structure, and relative value will never recover. Keep in mind that damaged trees often produce sucker growth, and as the suckers get bigger and heavier, they become very prone to breakage. Suckers never develop with a strong point of attachment, and it may be in your best interest to completely remove severely damaged trees rather than continually prune them. Replanting, where appropriate, may be your best long-term solution. If your course sustained severe tree damage, now may be the time to develop a master plan for your trees.

Annual bluegrass weevils are on everyone’s mind as mowers head out to make the first cuts of the year. We have not yet seen any activity on golf courses, but with another warm day or two, you can bet they will be starting their annual migration. It has been said many times, but scouting is the key to their control, so be on the lookout for this pest. Pitfall traps are a great monitoring tool, and if you want to use them, they should be installed immediately. Soap drenches also work very well for the adults. Your best bet is to use both methods. The value of scouting before and after applications cannot be overstated.

Some courses have already made seedhead suppression applications, and many more will be treating in the next week or so. Spring may be later this year, but it is on the way, and mowers will be operating at full speed in short order. Best of luck for a successful 2013 season, and as always, give us a call if we can help you and your facility.

Course Update - Warmer Temperatures

The greens aeration was a huge success with the removal of 10 percent of the surface area on each putting green, we are exactly where we need to be in accordance with our ISTRC testing. The topdressing of the greens did not go as well. There is still a lot of sand on the greens and this is due to the lack of water, more on that in the next paragraph. The greens have been rolled and finally fertilized today. The cups will be changed this weekend for play and golf carts will be available. We will mow the greens next week following some heavy irrigation cycles and begin to remove the excess sand. The tees and approaches have also been aerated, seeded, and fertilized.

The irrigation system was finally able to be charged today after the nighttime temperatures are above freezing. Our pump house does not have heat so until the weather is above freezing the system must remain dry. The irrigation motors are started by Storr Tractor and a problem was noticed on the pump along Green Village Road. The power from the pole was not correct, so after a call to Madison Electric the cause was determined to be the transformer on the pole. Madison Electric fixed the problem within two hours and Storr Tractor will be back on Monday to start the pump. The irrigation has allowed me to fertilize the tees and greens pushing growth and healing the aeration. The fertilizer I used for this application is available to the turf even during cold temperatures allowing for good growth in a short period of time.

 

The crew has finished mulching and woodchipping the golf course and has moved on to topsoil and seeding areas in the rough that were damaged during Sandy and winter tree work. The crew planted a Rutgers Hybrid Pink Dogwood at the turn around 5 White/Blue tee replacing the lace leaf maple that was lost during Sandy. We will be aerating the fairways on Monday so please leave all the small flags in place on the fairways delineating the sprinkler heads. We are on schedule for Pavelec Brothers and Robert McNeil to be on property Monday morning.

3 Green with aeration plugs