Greens Covers

The crew returned yesterday to install the covers on 7 and 8 greens to protect them from possible sleigh rider damage. In previous years we covered 5 and 8 greens but following last years long winter the only damage we suffered was to the 7th green from sleigh riders. The 5th green receives more sun now that the trees along the right-side have been removed. Covers also provide an added benefit protecting the turf from wind desiccation, erosion, frost and winter kill. Please do not walk on or play to the greens that are covered these greens are closed to all play and members until the covers are removed regardless of the temperature.

We have begun to overhaul the equipment in the shop by generating work orders for each piece of equipment and completing these services in logical order to free up room in the shop for service on our larger pieces of equipment. We have 18 individual reels to disassemble, make repairs, reassemble, and grind along with all of the traction units including filters, brakes, tire repair, etc. We are very fortunate to have one of the best equipment managers in the business that works for the club on a part-time basis, Mike brings over 25 years of experience from very high profile clubs to MGC.

I would to thank all of the members that contributed to the holiday fund this year as I distributed the checks to the crew yesterday and they were really blown away by the generosity of the members as was I. The crew and I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

7 Green Covered for the Winter

USGA Winter Prep Update

Last Minute Winter Preparations

By Adam Moeller, agronomist, Northeast Region
December 2, 2014

Golfers and superintendents are hoping to avoid a repeat of the severe winter injury that was widespread across the region last year.

Last minute winter preparations are underway at many golf courses throughout the Northeast Region. Severe winter injury occurred at many courses last year and everyone hopes a reoccurrence can be avoided. The Green Section Record articles The Greatest Challenge and Winter Damage are excellent references to learn about winter injury mechanisms and best management practices for prevention of winter injury.
Courses have scaled back mowing operations dramatically to save on labor and improve turf health as winter draws closer. Raising the putting green mowing height is a key factor in reducing winter injury potential. Many superintendents have raised their putting green mowing height to 0.150 inches or more (variable based on mower type and setup) to help reduce winter injury damage potential. Although the putting conditions may be altered, this program is in the best interest of the turf for next year.
Temporary greens have been installed in approaches at facilities that remain open throughout the winter. Golfers may not enjoy temporary greens, but they protect the turf on the putting greens so their use is encouraged. Any turf damage associated with playing on slow or non-growing putting greens is cumulative, and it may not be easy or fast to repair next season.
Winter injury is more severe on shaded turf; so many courses have removed trees that cast shade on putting greens. Trees may be important to some golfers, but when they create shade on putting greens they can cause severe turf decline. Donald Ross, famed golf course architect of Pinehurst and many other golf courses around the world said it best. “As beautiful as trees are, and as fond as you and I are of them, we must not allow our sentiments to crowd out the real intent of a golf course, that of providing fair playing conditions. If it in any way interferes with a properly played stroke, I think the tree is an unfair hazard and should not be allowed to stand.”
The elimination of collar damns or areas where surface drainage is blocked is another late season program being executed at many courses. If melting snow or ice cannot flow off the putting green, crown hydration injury potential is increased significantly. Correcting surface drainage problems could be an easy fix with a sod cutter and a digital level. In some cases however, a major facelift may be necessary to recontour the putting green so water can drain off rapidly.
Source: Adam Moeller (amoeller@usga.org)

Happy Thanksgiving

The greens staff would like to wish all the members a happy Thanksgiving as this week is the staff's last week until Spring. I also want to thank my crew for a great job this season especially with all the in-house projects we completed.

In preparation for winter and the looming Thanksgiving storm the greens were put to bed this week with a Bayonett solid tine aeration to help drain surface water from rain and snow melt, snow mold plant protectant application, and another light topdressing helping insulate the crown of the plant. We have been able to build a nice layer of sand around the crown of the plant going into the winter. We accomplished this in a different manner this season using multiple light applications of sand starting at Halloween instead of one heavier application at Thanksgiving. So far I am happy with the results but we shall see in the spring. Flagsticks have been removed on certain greens to prevent sleigh riders from stealing them over the weekend. Covers will be placed on 7 and 8 greens sometime in December to protect them from sleigh rider damage. Placing the covers out to early with forecast temperatures in the 50's could cause the turf to break dormancy allowing for easy winter death.

Bayonett Tine Aeration - Winter Prep

Topdressing Sand on Greens at 10x zoom using Macroscope

All About Irrigation

The last few weeks we have been installing new irrigation primarily in rough areas that have previously lacked water. We completed 5 new areas of irrigation this fall and we did all of the work in-house.

New Irrigation

• 6 new heads along the right rough of #5 from 200 yards to 140 yards
• 5 new heads along the right rough of #5 from 80 yards up to the approach
• 5 new heads along the right rough of #6 from 100 yards up to the approach
• 1 new head on the hill in front of 4 White tee between 4 Green Tee
• 1 new head between #2 fairway bunker and #3 fairway

These upgrades will provide consistent rough and increased tolerance of the turf to cart traffic while providing aesthetically pleasing turf.

As quickly as we had these new areas of irrigation up and running we had to blow out the irrigation system this week and have the pump houses winterized in preparation for the cold temperatures coming over the weekend. Our pump houses are not heated and have expensive equipment inside that can be damaged by freezing temperatures so the forecast dictates when we have to shut down for the season.

Sod Removal for Irrigation

Trenched Lines for Irrigation

Finished Product

Irrigation Blow-Out

USGA Update on Topdressing Sand

Too Easy To Take For Granted

By Jim Skorulski, senior agronomist, Northeast Region
October 28, 2014

Placing a small sample of your topdressing sand next to a ruler on a scanner can give you some great insight into what your sand looks like. This sample looks like it may contain too high a percentage of fine particles and is worth submitting to an accredited lab for analysis.

What can be applied to every playing surface to help protect turfgrass plants, improve drainage, potentially reduce disease and improve playing quality? The answer is sand topdressing. Sand topdressing continues to be one of the most important cultural practices in golf course management. Topdressing involves applying a uniform layer of sand – or a mixture of sand and organic matter – over turf surfaces. The sand applications help modify soils, dilute organic matter, smooth surfaces and protect turfgrass plants from wear, mowing injury and wind desiccation. Light and frequent topdressing promotes surface uniformity, smoother and faster ball roll, and firmer surfaces that will accommodate a well hit shot.
Turf managers understand the importance of topdressing. The objective of light, frequent topdressing is to match the amount of sand being applied to the growth rate of the turf. Therefore, rates and timing of topdressing applications should be adjusted as turf growth varies throughout the season. Typically, light topdressing used on greens will apply approximately 0.005 to 0.020 inch of sand to the putting surface, or 0.5 to 2.0 cubic feet per 1,000 square feet. Heavier applications of sand are common when paired with cultivation practices or sometimes late in the season when golf courses are closed. Turf managers with limited staff and budgets or busy golf calendars have difficulty keeping up with a regular topdressing program. Furthermore, many golfers do not fully understand the benefits provided by topdressing and find it annoying. However, it is important to understand that topdressing has immediate and cumulative effects that help produce desirable playing conditions.
The quality of sand used in a topdressing program is critical, because sand is the building block – or foundation – of the playing surface. Poor-quality sand or sand that varies widely from materials used previously can have a disastrous impact on soil physical properties. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the sand selected for topdressing to make sure it meets recommendations for particle size and other physical characteristics. Good sand suppliers understand the value of physical testing for producing a high-quality product, but it is important for the end user to have their sand tested regularly as well. Sands mined out of a pit can and do vary, so annually testing a sample from a sand pile makes sense. A simple particle-size test will make sure that the sand delivered to your site matches, or falls very close to, specifications promised by the supplier. The cost of a particle-size analysis is a small price to pay to protect your number one asset. Click here for a list of Accredited Physical Soil-Testing Laboratories. The practice of sand topdressing and the specific sand used to topdress are important parts of the overall maintenance program that cannot be taken for granted.
Managers are, or soon will be, making the last topdressing applications of the season. This is a good time to evaluate this season’s topdressing program and begin planning for next year. Consider having an undisturbed soil core from a green evaluated by an accredited physical soil-testing laboratory if you have not yet done so. The resulting data will help in planning next season’s topdressing and cultivation practices and will be useful for evaluating the success of your program. And of course, plan to get that sand tested.
Source: Jim Skorulski (jskorulski@usga.org)

Course Update

We are concentrating most of our efforts on keeping up with the leaves around the course but we are still mowing although on a reduced schedule. I will continue to topdress the greens with sand weekly until growth has stopped providing a protective layer of sand around the crown (growing point) of the plant going into winter. We have been busy with our small in-house projects around the course:

• Two new forward tees on 2 and 6 have been constructed and sodded with our own sod from the nursery. These tees have been mowed once and will be open for play in the spring.
• Installing new irrigation along the right rough of the 5th hole in two locations, right rough of the 6th hole near the green, rough between 4 tee and fairway, and the 2nd fairway bunker.
• Squaring off tees on certain holes to allow for better tee marker placement as well as realigning certain tees toward the green

The irrigation system will be blown out mid-November protecting it from freezing temperatures. We are beginning to remove the divot buckets from the tees as well as the other course accessories as the temperatures drop including ball washers, trash cans, and bunker rakes.

Course Update

The fall season is in full force with leaves and pine needles falling at a good clip now, dark mornings, and cool temperatures. Growth of the turf is starting to slow but root production will continue for another 4-5 weeks so I will continue to apply Potassium and Calcium to help the roots along. The crew was busy verticutting the greens on Tuesday and Friday as well as constructing two new forward tees on the 2nd and 6th holes. These tees will be in play next season moving toward our ultimate goal of having 4 sets of markers on every hole, Blue-White-Green-Gold. I understand how frustrating losing your golf ball is in leaves. Be assured that we are working on leaf clean-up everyday but projects like constructing tees, upcoming irrigation upgrades, and basic mowing takes time away from leaf clean-up. In better news the native areas around the course have been mowed down so they can be treated for weeds allowing for easier discovery of your ball in those areas. The color of the trees around the course are just beginning to change so the next few weeks should provide some great scenery. Frost delays will likely begin toward the end of the month so please call ahead to the pro shop and obey all frost signs as any damage to the turf will be visible until the spring. Frost can form at temperatures 40 and below if the conditions are appropriate.

Important Changes

As part of our effort to improve Pace of Play the forward markers have been changed from the color Red to the color Green. I encourage all of the members to evaluate you individual golf game and choose the markers that best suit your handicap. If your unsure what markers are best suited for your game talk with the staff in the pro shop and they can help with your decision. An interesting challenge would be to see if you can shoot a better score from the green markers then from the white/blue markers.

The aeration of the fairways was completed on Monday completing the aeration of the short turf surfaces for this season. The greens were aerated two and half weeks ago and are healing in nicely. The pictures below show what the aeration is doing in the soil profile.

Core-Aeration removing organic matter in the top 4 inches

The two sand dots show how deep the sand profile is in the deep-tine channels

Forward tees are now Green

Change of Plans

I was informed late Saturday that our aeration contractor was not going to be able to deliver on our contract for fairway aeration due to staffing issues with their company. I was able to contact another aeration company Monday morning and as luck would have it Forsgate Country Club had just canceled their fairway aeration for Monday September 29 so we took that date. Securing the date is only half the battle as weather plays a huge factor in our ability to aerate, basically it can't rain. Lets all hope the weather next Monday is the same as this Monday.

Greens are being mowed this morning at a higher height of cut along with the approaches and the tees later this morning. All playing areas were treated with fertilizer yesterday to aid in the healing process. We should be back to our normal cutting heights by the weekend and half way to complete recovery.

The following diagram is of interest in explain why leaves turn the colors they turn in the fall:

Course and USGA Update

The greens were mowed Friday afternoon for the first time since aeration picking up mostly sand which is why we use our old mowers so as not to destroy our good greens mowers. We are on-track with previous aerations concerning recovery and should be back to our normal morning mowing routine by the end of the week. The greens will continue to be rolled and the next mowing will be Tuesday afternoon. Tees and approaches have also been aerified and topdressed with mowing to resume next week on those areas. The fairway aeration contractor will be here on Monday to complete the fall aeration practices on the short turf. Spot areas of rough will aerated and seeded in the next two weeks.

From the USGA:

Bring It On

By David A. Oatis, director, Northeast Region
September 17, 2014

The changing colors of the leaves are a highly visual reminder that it is time to prepare your greens for the upcoming winter.

The blue skies, low humidity, and cooler temperatures of fall do not harken memories of the cold winter months that lie ahead. However, turf managers everywhere need to consider the upcoming winter and begin to prepare the turf in advance. The first step is to begin raising cutting heights on putting greens. Many golfers enjoy faster putting green speeds, and the fall-induced physiological changes to turf make them much easier to achieve during this time of year. It is easy to get caught up in the “race for speed,” but doing so can affect the winter survival of your turf.
Think of the turfgrass leaves like solar panels. If turf leaves are kept in the shade their ability to capture energy will obviously be compromised. Low cutting heights effectively reduce the size of the solar panels and also will adversely affect their ability to capture energy. Why is energy so important? Plants now are storing carbohydrates for the winter; therefore, keeping cutting heights too low, too late in the fall, sends the plants into the winter in a weakened state. Turf that enters the winter weaker has a lower chance of survival. If we experience a mild winter, it may not matter. If we experience another winter like the last one, raising heights alone may not be enough; but, if you want to improve your turf’s chances of surviving this winter, and if you want to get it off to a quicker start next year, start raising cutting heights right now. Here are a few other things to do as well:

• Raising putting green cutting heights by 0.005 inch a week, starting in early-mid September, will help. These slight increases will have a minimal impact on putting green speed.
• Increasing sunlight penetration through tree work can have a huge impact on winter survival. Light penetration in the fall has a significant impact on the plant’s ability to store carbohydrates and harden off properly. Greens that are shaded in the winter experience slower melting and an increased potential for damaging freeze/thaw cycles. Winter shade, even when the turf is not growing, often translates to more winter injury.
• Evaluate opportunities to improve surface and internal drainage. Deep aeration, drilling and filling, and installing internal drainage systems all are effective means of improving internal drainage. Improving drainage can impact summer performance as well as winter survival. Surface drainage can have a major impact on turf performance throughout the entire year. Poor surface drainage, frequently from collar dams, can trap water on green perimeters and greatly increase the potential for crown hydration injury. Multiple aerations followed by core removal and compaction can sometimes lower collars enough to improve surface drainage; but, if the damming effects are significant enough, sod removal followed by soil removal and regrading may be necessary.
• Increase nitrogen fertility to promote healthy growth. Overfertilization in the fall can increase the potential for winter injury as well as snow mold diseases, but the turf should not be too lean and weak going into the winter either. Nitrogen and potassium fertilizer both are needed.

Pay even more attention to sunlight penetration if your greens experienced turf loss last year and now have more bentgrass in them. Creeping bentgrass has a much higher light requirement than annual bluegrass. Fortunately, the silver lining in the winter injury scenario is that many courses now have significantly more bentgrass in their greens than they did a year ago before the winter damage occurred. For courses with significantly more bentgrass in their greens, this is a great time to promote that grass more aggressively.

Source: Dave Oatis (doatis@usga.org)

Aeration Update

Its the most hated time of year according to golfers, aeration, but for superintendents and agronomists its one of the most important. The greens were deep aerified and core aerified this past Monday disturbing over 13% of the greens surface area meeting the goals of a combined disruption of over 20% for the season in accordance with our ISTRC testing. The holes were filled with sand, brushed and the greens were rolled. Rolling will continue in the afternoons this week with the first mowing being on Friday afternoon using our old greens mowers. The greens will be sandy, bumpy, slow, and soft this week and into the weekend but the end results will be firmer healthier putting surfaces. The rain today changed our plans slightly moving the tee and approach aeration to Wednesday and Thursday. Next Monday an outside contractor will be performing the core aeration and clean-up on fairways as sub-contracting this process twice a year is much more fiscally responsible then purchasing all of the equipment needed.

Hollow core aeration is the process of removing organic material with cored plugs. Removing organic material and filling the cavities with straight sand reduces the amount of organic material in the upper root zone. In addition, organic material migrates through sand-filled aerification cavities and dissipates into the lower root zone. The goal is to keep the upper root zone organic matter below 2.5%. We are currently at 3.06% as of last fall when our last test was performed.

Deep tine aeration is performed with 3/4 inch diameter 12 inch long solid tines. Deep tine aeration is an excellent tool for relieving compaction and aerifying the lower root zone. The kicking action of these large tines in the lower root zone shatters hard pan and deep layers and it is common to find deep root growth in these channels.

Deep Tine on the left and Core Aeration on Right

USGA September Update

A Favorite Transition

By Jim Skorulski, senior agronomist, Northeast Region
September 3, 2014

Mature little bluestem, goldenrod and a hint of fall foliage signify the transition from summer to fall and with it a change in maintenance priorities.

The first week of September usually brings with it a feeling of relief even following a benign summer season. We know the worst weather has past and the golf calendar is more manageable. The days are shorter, the nights cooler and cool-season plants are better able to produce enough energy to meet their needs with a little left over to store for the winter ahead. It is a busy time for sure, and most staffs are leaner and tired. It has been a long year, especially for those who have had to grow-in golf courses ravished in winter. But there is still a feeling of relief and accomplishment as the summer season transitions into fall.
In most areas of the Northeast region, the grass is much stronger than it was a year ago. There are always exceptions, but the mild summer conditions have left the turf stronger and with a better root system than at summers end in recent years. That should mean that cool-season turf will be able to use the favorable weather to build upon existing root mass instead or replacing lost roots. Furthermore, the healthier plants stand a better chance to survive what might be ahead this winter season. This is the time to begin to maximize growing conditions so the turf plants are able to take full advantage of the favorable weather. This includes the growing conditions below and above ground. The late-summer maintenance checklist should include:

• Core cultivation to alleviate surface compaction, control organic matter, reduce layering concerns and stimulate new root growth. The soil temperatures are near ideal for cool-season plants to recover quickly from the cultivation programs.
• Raise the height of cut. This does not have to be done drastically, but any increase in mowing height will promote more leaf tissue which can absorb more sunlight and ultimately produce more energy. Slight increases in mowing height – 0.005 inch per week starting immediately – are not likely to be noticed by golfers and any increase in mowing height will help. However, do not wait until the first frost in fall to begin this process, because by fall it will be too late to take full advantage of the optimal late-summer weather.
• Check late-summer shade patterns on the playing surfaces. Late-summer shade patterns can vary significantly from the shade patterns in early or mid-summer. Tree removal work planned for late fall and winter should be expedited on densely shaded sites. The objective is to maximize light penetration throughout the year.
• Fertilize to reestablish nutrient reserves in the root zone. Granular sources of nitrogen and potassium can be used following cultivation programs to provide slightly higher levels of these nutrients. Other fertilizer adjustments should be made at this time to eliminate any soil nutrient deficiencies. Soluble sources of nitrogen and other nutrients can also continue to be utilized in spoon-feeding programs, but remember the main objective at this time of year is to fertilize for optimum growth and recovery. Playability will come naturally as the temperatures cool.
• Continue to topdress greens and other playing surfaces, especially if traditional core cultivation is not being done until later fall. Continued topdressing can only benefit the surfaces in September.
• Be persistent with growth regulators. Whether your growth regulator of choice is Primo, Trimmit, Cutlass or a combination of products, use them. Growth regulators will help turf plants channel energy to the roots, which is always beneficial in the late-summer season.

The 2014 season is not yet in the books and we can only hope the fall is as kind as the summer has been. Take advantage of what Mother Nature provides and focus more on the plant’s needs during this transition period. Finally, this is also the time to regain some of that mental energy that has been depleted through the season. Whether it be a few holes of golf, casting a rod, scouting your favorite hunting area or relaxing with the family; take some time away from the golf course and relax a little. Take a deep breath and enjoy the transition.

Source: Jim Skorulski (jskorulski@usga.org)

Labor Day

The course received 1.5 inches of rain on Sunday evening leaving the bunkers washed out and the course a mess. The bunkers with liners had zero contamination and drained beautifully which is a testament to the recent construction projects. The firm conditions that we had going into the weekend are long gone now and as it turns out the first week of September might be the hottest of the summer. The 9th hole is completely open for play now right on schedule. I hope you enjoy the holiday and can come out and enjoy the course.

                    9th Project Complete

           Zero Contamination of Sand with Liners

Weekend Update

Last weekend we had an electrical issue with our wells that prevented us from irrigating the golf course. The issues were the result of a varmint partially chewing through some wires in the pump house. Thankfully the turf held strong with greens being supplemented with water from our spray rig the cool temperatures kept everything in check with minimal damage. We are working to upgrade our infrastructure this off season to prevent these types of issues in the future and safeguard our ability to run each well independently. The sod on the 9th hole is continuing to mature with all the new turf being mowed this week and the fairway expansions being topdressed with sand. Our goal of opening the new bunkers for the labor day weekend seems to be within reach and I look forward to seeing how they impact the 9th hole. If your ball has landed in the sod please check the basket in the clubhouse to retrieve your ball and I thank you for staying off the sod. The greens are healing in nicely from the dry-ject and were verticut again this week. The cooler temperatures have allowed us to mow the greens a second time in the afternoons increasing their density and speed. There are many exciting events at the club during the next few weeks and I hope to see you all over the holiday weekend.

Greens being verticut before we blow and mow them

Dry-Ject Aeration

Monday we completed the dry-ject aeration practice on all of the greens, injecting 21,000 pounds of sand into the soil profile. High-pressure water blasts an aeration hole in the root zone using a shattering action to relieve compaction. Dry sand is drawn into the hole by a patented vacum effect created by the water blast. In a fraction of a second, the root zone is aerated, sand fills the hole completely and the surface is ready for play.

I ask that all players keep out of the roped off areas of sod along the 9th hole. I spent over an hour each day repairing foot prints in the sod over the weekend. Please show some respect to the grounds staff and fellow members by following the posted signs.

Dry-Jecting 9 Green

5 inches into the soil profile breaking through all the layers

Finished Product

The construction project was finished on Friday afternoon after only 5 days of work. Pavelec Brothers were able to move 300 yards of fill, 200 yards of topsoil, 70 tons of sand, 10,000 square feet of rough sod, 5,000 square of new fairway sod, 400 feet of drainage pipe, 350 feet of irrigation pipe, 3,500 feet of irrigation wire, and move an irrigation controller all in 5 days. The bunkers look fantastic but in order for them to stay that way please STAY OUT OF ANY AREAS THAT ARE ROPED OFF. If you ball lands in the sod, sand, or any areas leave it there and play another ball, there is no penalty stroke. The weather was great for construction and for golf but the sod requires a tremendous amount of water during this low humidity high sky weather so please be aware sprinklers will be running and hoses will be around the construction area. Come out and enjoy this weather over the weekend and check out the new bunkers but STAY OFF THE SOD. See you on the course. 

Construction Update

The 9th hole project will really get going on Monday following the two-day Senior Club Championship over the weekend but we have been busy this week preparing. The trees were removed on Monday while we were closed and our architect, Robert McNeil, was on property Thursday alongside our contractor to paint the features and establish limitations of disturbance. The parking lot will be the staging area for equipment, materials, and sod so please use caution entering and exiting the lot over the next two weeks. A reminder that the 9th hole will be played as a par-3 during the week while we are under construction. The greens will be dry-ject aerated on Monday August 11 marking the third season in a row the club has approved this very important agronomic process. If you have any questions about the construction please feel free to ask me, see you on the course.

Looking up 9 fairway, trees removed

9th Hole Signal Light

In preparation for the construction of the 9th hole fairway bunkers and tree removal operation the signal light has been moved. The fairway button has been relocated to the right-side of the fairway under the maroon colored Maple tree. The white pines located in the construction area will be removed this Monday followed by the start of construction on August 4th. The 9th hole will be played as a par-3 during the week while the construction company is working but will be played as normal on the weekends during the project. The opening date of the project area is slated for the Men's Stag event on the Friday of Labor Day Weekend.

Weekend Update

After over 3 inches of rain fell on the golf course earlier this week the hummidty is gone and it feels like Septemeber, can you see me smiling? These high 50 degree nighttime temperatures are the best fertilizer anyone can ask for especially in July. This week is traditionally the hottest week of the year in our area and boy is it a change from this week last year when we had 7 days over 95 coupled with night time temperatures in the low 80's. Taking advantage of this short weather break we lightly groomed the greens and approaches cleaning up some of the long leaf blades and put out a dry mow in the afternoon. The greens are still soft from the rain but they will improve as we go through the weekend. The 8 inch kids cup has been installed on the practice green so bring up the kids for a little putting competition, a great family activity after dinner on a Friday or Saturday evening. I really hope everyone can come out and enjoy the golf course this weekend but if you show up early in the morning you might need a light jacket, again do you see me smiling. See you on the course.

8 inch putting cup at the Practice Green

Weekend Update

The humidity has broke and the temperatures are running fairly normal for this time of year and most importantly the night time temperatures are below 70 degrees. We have missed most of the late afternoon thunderstorms which is great news for the short turf playing surfaces as high moisture combined with high temperatures is a death sentence. The trade off of missing these storms are the areas of the rough where we lack irrigation are drying up and browning out. We have less of these areas this season thanks to the project on 1 and 9 green complexes those bunkers and surrounding rough areas look great. We are applying some granular wetting agent to the dry rough areas in anticipation of some rain early next week which will help speed recovery. Rough areas and bunker banks were also treated for crabgrass and yellow nutsedge that has broken through this week. Saturday is the men's one day member guest so in preparation the greens are being dry mowed in the late morning for a second time on Thursday and Friday as well, the greens and approaches were brushed before our morning mow on Friday. Brushing is a much less aggressive then verticutting and grooming allowing us to remove some longer blades of turf keeping the greens running true without stressing the greens. Weekend weather looks great and I hope to see you on the course.

Tough Forecast for the Fourth

We dodged most of the rain from last night's storm but there is a high percentage of more wet weather for this afternoon through the morning of July 4th. The rain by itself is a welcome sight especially for the rough areas that don't have irrigation but too much rain with high heat and high humidity is a turf managers nightmare. The cultural practices of aerations, topdressing, and dry-jecting while inconvenient at the time are very beneficial right now. The ability to keep the surface of the greens dry is very important during the months of July and August. Wet soil can actually become hotter then the air temperature which is extremely detrimental to the turf's root system. We have vented the practice green and the 6th green as they tend to stay wet and we are watching the moisture levels very closely providing only the amount of moisture needed by the plant between rain events. So far so good as you can see by the picture below the roots are still happy and enjoying all of those deep aeration holes. I hope everyone enjoys their holiday weekend as Saturday and Sunday look to be beautiful.

Please do not use divot mix in the rough

Native Area between 8 and 9

Roots growing down deep aeration holes over 9 inches

Construction of 9 Fairway Bunkers

The master plan for the 9th hole consists of 3 phases. Phase 1 was completed early this spring which included the fairway expansion, bunker renovation and expansion along with all new irrigation. Phase 2 consists of adding three new fairway bunkers along the left side of the fairway behind the 3rd green and widening the fairway along the right side. Phase 3 is the construction of a large berm of varying height with two fairway bunkers replacing the area where the old silver maple was in the center of the fairway.

The Board of Governors upon recommendation from the Long Range Planning Committee has approved the construction of Phase 2 starting August 3rd. The process of this construction will be removing the two remaining white pines located behind the third green to allow for more sunlight on the 3rd green. The removal of these trees will remedy the thin turf issue on the rear of the 3rd green. Mounds will be constructed to protect players from being hit by golf balls from the 9th tee while playing the 3rd green. Three fairway bunkers will be placed 226 to 266 yards from the tee on the left of the fairway. The strategic value of these bunkers forces the lower handicap golfer to chose either driver challenging the bunker complex or 3-wood laying up of these bunkers. The 9th fairway will be widen opposite of the fairway bunkers allowing balls hit right to funnel back towards the fairway.

During the construction period which should last about 3 weeks the 9th hole will play as a Par3 during the week with tee markers placed about 110 yards from the green. Saturdays and Sundays the 9th hole will play to its regular length with all construction areas marked as Ground Under Repair. It is the goal of Board of Governors to have the renovated 9th hole open for play for the Labor Day Weekend and start of the club championships.

I urge any member with questions, comments, or concerns to contact me and I will be more than happy to explain the project in greater detail. I want to make the membership fully aware that Phase 3 is still in the discussion process with the Long Range Planning Committee and our architect Robert McNeil. The drawing above depicts two additional sand bunkers for Phase 3 although much discussion is being given to the idea of creating rolling mounds of rough similar to the 2nd hole instead of these additional sand bunkers. The project for this August is strictly Phase 2.

Course Update

Despite the rain and dreary days this week we were able to accomplish many tasks on the golf course. We verticut greens twice this week in two different directions removing a good amount of material including many long laid over blades of grass. We went aggressive this week as the window of cool weather is closing thus limiting our ability to verticut. The tees were also verticut and fertilized this week to generate some recovery from last weeks heat. The tees had not been verticut previously and the amount of material we removed was simply amazing. Our goal with all of this verticutting is a more denser and healthier turf canopy that is both aesthetically pleasing and much more playable. Monday I will be topdressing the greens with sand and working it into all the verticut channels really smoothing the greens, diluting thatch, and firming the greens.

The fairway expansions on 3 and 2 were aerated to help with all this rain as newly sodded area tend to hold water with all the thatch they come with from the sod farm. I did receive some complaints about the material that was applied to the greens on Thursday morning. I applied a granular gypsum product to the greens ahead of the rain which is an application that we apply monthly to the greens and approaches. Gypsum is a naturally mined product that provides calcium to the turf without changing the pH like lime would do. Calcium is essential is flocculating the soil(natural aeration) and displacing the sodium found in our irrigation water. The granules were sticking to the golf balls as only a small amount of rain fell instead of the predicted downpour. The gypsum will be irrigated in as to avoid any other ball roll implications.

This weekend is not only Father's Day but its also the US Open being held at Pinehurst. I had a great early Father's Day present with my daughter coming to visit at MGC on Wednesday. Bryn was very excited to learn about the stimpmeter and the ball washer. I encourage you to watch the US Open and see the major changes to the golf course. I am not sure the no rough and wire grass waste areas it will catch on like the telecasters are predicting but it sure is fun to watch.

Learning about the Stimpmeter

18th Hole at Pinehurst for US Open

Pace of Play Episode 4: Be Prepared

The above video is the 4th episode from the USGA videos on Pace of Play. Please check the pace of play policy on the 1st hole and then check your time on the clock as you approach the 5th green to see how your group is keeping up with the pace.




Since Memorial day we have been mowing rough around the clock to help get caught up which is about the normal procedure this time of year. We also completed some projects including a new set of stairs for the forward tee on the 7th hole. These new stairs will give access to a new teeing ground for the gold markers on the 7th hole. We also planted 10 Shadblow Serviceberry trees along the front entrance as I mentioned in the previous blog. Our next focus will be verticutting and fertilizing the tees as they seem to be lagging behind the rest of the course.




During the Memorial Day weekend the pro shop held a raffle to support the New Jersey Golf Foundation.  I am happy to report Craig will be donating $500 to the foundation as a result of the raffle/ Thank you to all who contributed to this great foundation. http://www.njgolffoundation.com/

Course Update

The crew was busy this week keeping up with the growth of the turf. We continued our verticutting and dry mowing of the greens for the third week and the greens are improving each week with little disruption to the members. The weak areas on 3 and 6 green were spiked and seeded again this week.  The ropes and signs have been removed from all the sod areas with only a few seeded areas remaining with ropes. The yellow markers have been placed on the fairway expansion for the 2nd hole. Please feel free to play from these yellow markers if you struggle to hit over the 9th green, helping the pace of play. The black junior markers will be placed out this weekend and remain until Labor Day. 

We replaced the stairs going to the 5th men's tee this week in the same fashion as the stairs for the 8th tees. We will also be building a new set of stairs next week to access additional teeing grounds for the 7th forward tees.  The flowers around the clubhouse have been changed over for the summer months. Unfortunately the Crape Myrtle trees along the driveway did not survive the winter. These trees will survive in our climate during most years but this past winter was just too much. We will be planting Serviceberry trees along the driveway as a replacement. While Serviceberry do not flower during the summer rather in the spring they have a great growth habit that will fit along the driveway beautifully. 

In rememberance of our military forces and soldiers the American Flags will be on the flagsticks Monday. Please use the stands for the flagsticks as so the flag does not touch the ground. Remember that while we celebrate the unofficial start of summer many have lost loved ones that sacrificed for our country and freedom. 

Enjoy the weather and I will see you on the course. 

Course Update and Pace of Play Episode 3: Around the Green

The above video is the third from the USGA in the Pace of Play video segment. Many of you have noticed that the rough has really started to grow so we have been running two machines daily to keep up with the growth but with heavy rain storms on the way for Friday expect the rough to be thick over the weekend. The storms for Friday have also postponed the men's member/guest tournament postponing it until June 6th. We continued to verticut the greens this week and mow a 2nd time in the afternoons on greens creating a nice playing surface that is consistent and getting much denser. Density on greens has always been an issue in years past but with the regular verticutting we are making progress. The greens and fairway expansions will be topdressed before the heavy rain on Friday enabling us to apply sand with little disruption to the members. The new water fountain on the 7th tee has arrived and will be installed this week.



Our birdhouses have attracted some residents with two families of tree swallows on the 8th hole and one family behind the 5th tee. I have included some pictures below.

Course Update

We are back to our routine mowing schedule now that all of the turf has started to grow on a more consistent level although Wednesday's morning temperature was 38 degrees. Last week we started to dry mow the greens as a second mowing in the afternoons with good results. Wednesday morning we lightly verticut the greens before mowing to help stand up the turf and reduce the amount of long runners in the turf canopy. The verticutting process will also increase our turf density on greens providing a healthier and more consistent playing surface. Verticutting aides in preventing the scalping and puffy turf issue we had during last season as well provide small channels for the sand topdressing to settle into the canopy. The forecast is calling for frequent showers over the next few days with a break on mother's day followed by more rain middle of next week prompting us to treat the playing surface with a wetting agent which helps maintain consistent moisture levels throughout the greens, tees, and fairways while at the same time moving water through the soil profile providing firmer and healthier soil conditions.

Although we have had cooler temperatures especially at night the roots are growing, the picture below shows a soil profile. The sand channels that we create during aerification are noticeable but the amount of native soil and organic matter still remaining in the soil profile show our need to continue our aggressive core aerification process.

Verticut unit on Triplex

4 Green after verticut before Mow

Soil Profile Practice Green

USGA Update - Winter Damage

We have been lucky this spring as we have had very little damage from the long winter as compared to other courses in our area. Our areas of damage include a small portion on 7 green, areas on 5 fairway, and an area on 6 fairway. The following USGA article talks of the difficulties of wide spread winter injury and the slow recovery from the cool spring.

The Silver Lining

By Adam Moeller, agronomist, Northeast Region
April 29, 2014

A piece of Penn A-4 creeping bentgrass sod was added to this putting green prior to winter. The dead annual bluegrass turf surrounding the healthy creeping bentgrass strip of sod is a clear indication of differences in winter tolerance between these species.

The number of golf facilities reporting winter injury on putting greens is overwhelming. Damage ranges from a few putting greens having dead turf areas the size of a pool table to courses where all 18 putting greens are greater than 75 percent dead. Winter injury is a highly complex subject. Many variables are involved which explains why some courses were more affected than others. This being said, there has been one constant attributed to the winter injury observed this year: annual bluegrass (i.e., Poa annua). Annual bluegrass is much more susceptible to winter injury than creeping bentgrass, and the severity of damage experienced this year has many facilities contemplating long-term conversion strategies to reduce the risk of a reoccurrence of severe winter injury. A few facilities are using the opportunity to make long-term and significant improvements in the performance and reliability of their putting greens through complete reconstruction or regrassing.

For most golf facilities, overseeding creeping bentgrass into damaged areas is the only realistic option. This will reduce the risk and/or severity of winter injury in the future, assuming a high percentage of creeping bentgrass becomes established in the damaged areas. Many courses are also evaluating the growing environments surrounding putting greens and removing trees that are having detrimental impacts via shade, tree root competition, reduced air movement or any combination thereof. After all, shaded putting greens are more susceptible to winter injury than putting greens with full sun. Winter injury is frustrating, but there is always a silver lining that can be discovered amongst the damage.

To date, recovery at many golf courses has been moderate at best. Inconsistent air temperatures have resulted in soil temperatures below 50°F in many locations. Seedling germination is not likely unless soil temperatures are consistently above 50°F and preferably closer to 60°F. The use of covers or dark topdressing sand can aid in soil warming, but their effects have not overpowered the cool weather Mother Nature has dealt so far.
T
he month of May will be a turning point for recovery at most facilities. Golfer patience is key! Restricting play will yield the most positive results in recovery. Temporary greens should not be abandoned until the putting greens are fully healed. Playing on temporary greens now is a much better situation than playing on unhealed and damaged putting greens in July. Watch the USGA Green Section webcast Assessing Winter Injury and Promoting Turf Recovery in the Northeast Region for information regarding the best management practices for promoting a rapid and sustainable recovery from winter injury on putting greens. The Green Section Record article Winter Damage is an excellent reference for information on why putting greens experience injury and how to best limit future problems.

Source: Adam Moeller (amoeller@usga.org)

Course Update and Pace of Play Episode 2: Course Setup

The course took 4.2 inches of rain during the week with very minimal damage to the course. The crew took advantage of the wet conditions filling all the fairway and tee divots this week. Please do your part to fill all your divots and fix all your ball marks. The rain kept us from finishing our rough sod work in certain areas so that will be completed next week. We were able to topdress the greens before the rain which is perfect as it impacts very few members. The new fairway sod expansions were aerated and topdressed with sand on Friday as well to help the knitting process. We are getting closer to our final heights of cut on the new sod as well. The picture below shows the XGD drainage from 5 green doing its job, as water is still exiting the pipe 6 hours after it finished raining. We started to double cut the greens using an afternoon dry mow with the Triflex mower so the speeds should begin to increase and become more consistent.

XGD Drainage 5 Green



In keeping with our Pace of Play direction a new clock has been added by the 5th green/6 forward tee that will show your starting tee time if your on pace. The following video is the second in the USGA educational videos.

9th Hole Is Open for Play

The 9th hole is open for play. Please keep electric carts off the new sod. There are still ropes up protecting seeded areas these are marked ground under repair.

Course Update and Pace of Play- Episode 1: Why Traffic Jams Occur

I will be posting some Pace of Play videos form the USGA to help educate the membership on why pace of play is important and how it effects the flow around the golf course.



The sod from the 9th hole project and the small 3rd fairways expansion sod continues to develop roots and has been mowed twice although at a higher height of cut then our fairways currently. We have to slowly bring down the height of cut from what the sod farm maintains to our heights of cut at MGC. The greens are healing in from aeration and are being mowed and rolled on a regular basis. We are adding bunker sand to the 8th greenside bunkers today as well as finishing up mulching the beds around the golf course.



The 9th green and bunkers will be open for play Saturday April 26th. A decision on opening the fairway expansions will be made at the end of the week and you will be updated.

Coming Together

What a difference a month makes, Happy Easter.

#2 in March

#2 in April

Let the Healing Begin

The fairways were aerated on Monday by our contractor, Aer-Core with a tight spacing of 3x2 inches, the tightest spacing that we have done on the fairways, with very minimal issues during the process. The bulk of the aeration has now been completed, the newly sodded areas will have to be aerated once they have been established sometime in the beginning of May. The greens are healing nicely after 7 days and this afternoon's rain will aid in that recovery. The schedule for the greens is mow again Wednesday afternoon with our sand mowers, roll Thursday afternoon, and mow Friday afternoon with our Flex 21 mowers. The crew will begin working weekends starting this week getting started with our normal routines of maintenance.

The sod on the 9th hole project is starting to root and I have just been notified that the remaining bunker sand and cart path material will be delivered and the final repairs made at the end of the week. The new fairway expansion was rolled yesterday and will be mowed for the first time at the end of the week.  I want to thank the membership for staying off the sod and understanding the weather delays that we have been dealing with in regards to the project.

Thatch removed from the 9th Fairway

2x3 inch Fairway Aeration Spacing

Good News/Bad News

The good news is the project area on the 9th hole has been sodded and we will make our goal of opening the 9th green complex and fairway expansion for Men's Opening Day. The bad news is we are still waiting for 50 more tons of bunker sand to finish the project. The sand comes out of a pond in a Pennsylvania quarry which was frozen. Once the remaining sand can be delivered it will be installed and the cart path along the first hole repaired. We are also still dealing with the gremlins of the old irrigation system in the project area but hopefully the remaining leaks can be repaired today. The 9th hole will remain a temporary green and the red tee markers will remain on the 2nd fairway while the white/blue markers will be placed back on the 2nd tee. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHOULD YOU WALK ON, PLAY, TOUCH, OR DO ANYTHING TO THE NEW SOD. DO NOT WALK TO GET YOUR BALL SHOULD IT LAND IN THE BUNKER, FAIRWAY EXPANSION, ON THE SOD OR ON THE 9TH GREEN. Any disturbance to the sod will jeopardize the opening of the project on April 26th.

The weekend weather forecast looks great so I hope you can come out to the club and enjoy it. The greens were mowed yesterday for the first time since aeration and we removed most of the extra sand. The greens are still very bumpy but we are on our way to recovery. A reminder that fairway aeration will take place on Monday with our contractor.

An example of an Irrigation Repair

Laying the Bentgrass Sod on the Fairway Expansion

Aeration

The greens were aerated yesterday and were completed before the rain started. We used a slightly smaller tine this spring, due to the cold spring start, the greens would not have been able to handle the larger tine. I added an extra step this season with an aggressive verticut before we aerated. This additional process is possible due to the purchase of the new tri-flex mower late last fall. The greens are open but are very sandy and bumpy and extremely soft from the near one inch of rain we received. We will continue to brush and roll during the afternoons this week with the first mowing being Friday.

The construction company will be here tomorrow to fix the irrigation break in the bunker and begin prepping for sod. Our goal is to lay sod on Friday.

Aggressive Verticut

#2 Green Aertion

Course Update

We were able to mow the greens twice this week and roll them as well. The greens were also fertilized in preparation for next weeks aeration. Our plan is to aerate on Monday but weather might alter those plans forcing us to aerate during play. If your playing next week and encounter the crew aerating a green please pick-up and move to the next hole.

All of the other short turf was mowed this week as well and the course is slowly greening up. Due to the forecasted weather next week we switched gears and aerated the tees on Thursday. The crew has also worked on the landscaping this week adding pansies to the clubhouse, replacing some plant material that didn't make it through the winter, and adding some Viburnum behind 6 green keeping that area natural looking.

We had an issue on Thursday when we began to charge the irrigation system with a large leak under the renovated bunkers on the 9th hole. Unfortunately a large irrigation line runs under the left-side bunker and was compromised during the winter. A section of the liner will have to be removed allowing for the repair then the bunker can be put back together. As you can imagine I was not in a great mood yesterday but the positive is that the bunker isn't full of sand and completely sodded so the repair will be much easier to complete. Topsoil and sod should be finished next week if the weather cooperates and our goal of men's opening day, April 26th, is still a reality for opening the 9th green complex for play.

Tee Aeration 5/8 inch tine 1.5 x 1.5 inch spacing

Weekend Update

The forecast is calling for some heavy rain this weekend so the golf course will remain walking only. Carts are scheduled to be allowed on Tuesday weather permitting. The 9th hole remains with a temporary green. This week the cedar benches and cedar tee markers that were refurbished have been placed back out on the course. The crew also continued course clean-up and pick-up from the wind storm on Wednesday where we saw gusts up to 40 mph.

The construction company finalized the drainage in the bunkers on 9 and began to install the bunker liner. We should be sodding by the middle of next week leaving us 3 good weeks of rooting weather before the opening day scramble.

Bunker Liner being Installed

New Jersey remains the nation's most densely populated state but golf courses provide a haven for many different creatures including fox, deer, and birds. In an effort to be more sustainable we are installing bluebird nesting boxes on the golf course this spring. Our hope is to increase our bluebird population for the enjoyment of our members while at the same time reducing the amount of problem insects. I had the New Jersey Audubon visit the golf course and show us where we can place these boxes including trees and posts as prime locations. We will then monitor the houses to see what kind of birds we attract, some will be bluebirds but I was told to expect other species to also make a home at Madison. These nesting boxes were made using New Jersey grown white cedar and were dressed up with the Audubon and Madison logos. I am really looking forward to this experiment to see what we can attract to the golf course.

Walking Only

The golf course will open for play beginning on Saturday March 22 at 9:30 AM for walkers only. The 9th hole will play to a temporary green until the greenside construction project is finished. Please be aware that there are some muddy areas along the right side of 1 green and all around the 9th green complex. Please do not walk through these areas. 5 and 8 greens had the covers removed and will be ready for play. The forecast is calling for a weather event the beginning of next week so there is a possibility that the course will be closed again for a period of time.

An update on the construction project - All of the new irrigation has been installed on the new fairway expansion, 9 green and bunkers, and 1 green and bunkers. The left-side 9th green bunker is shaped and new drainage has been installed. The right-side bunker is currently being shaped and is awaiting drainage. The liners will then be installed, sand added, then all areas will be sodded. As you have heard me say, this process is weather dependent.

We use a Growing Degree Day (GDD) model to time application of certain plant protectant materials for seed head control and crabgrass prevention among others. The basis of this model is the number of days starting March 1 where the temperature is above 50 degrees. I noticed today that we have zero GDD but in 2013 we only had 2 GDD so in actuality maybe we aren't that far behind. We shall see what next week brings.

Shaping 9 Bunker on Friday

Painting Course Accessories