Mats on Par 3's

Starting Monday November 3rd we are asking members hitting from the white or blue tees to use the mats that have been placed in the tee boxes on par 3's. This is done during the winter so that we can protect the turf for next spring. Using the mats help the tees not get any worse over the winter when we are not getting any turf recovery. We will be filing the divots with seed and sand over the next week, as well as applying addition fertilizer to help with recovery. We will not see a full recovery from the divots with the colder temperatures upon us but we will see improvements. Please use the mats through March of 2015. Thank you in advance for helping establish a better teeing surface for next spring. 

Winter Bunker Project

This fall and winter we will be continuing the cleaning out the fairway bunker drains, like what we have done on number one. This helps the bunkers not hold water after a half inch rain storm, which will allow them to be ready for play quicker. They currently hold water because the sand and gravel is contaminated with silt and clay from the subsurface of the bunker. This happens when we receive heavy rains and the bunker slopes wash out and mix the clay with the sand. Fixing these will not prevent wash outs but will allow the bunkers to drain. This means we can push them up and get them ready for play rather than having to drain them first. This will be a slow process, but worth it for next golf season.

This was a bunker this past season after a heavy rain. All the sand and silt washed to the bottom of the bunker over the years has clogged the drains. 

Drew supervising as we cleaned out the drain lines and added new gravel.

Here sand is being put in the bunkers after the drain lines have been topped off with new gravel. 

Status of the Creek Bank on #5

As many of you seen the initial clearing of the creek bank on number five was started earlier this year. We planned on seeding this area in the spring but with the excessive rains we received throughout May and June we are going to have to wait until the fall to continue this project. We are waiting because the summer is a difficult time due to the heat, and weeds that would be tough to control in the seed bed. Fall is the optimal time to seed with cooler nights and less weed pressure. In late August we will spray the entire area with round up to kill all the undesired weeds. This will be followed up by tilling up the ground to prepare for the seeding in mid September.

Spiking of Greens on June 11th

On Wednesday June 11th we originally had our 2nd aerification of the year planned but with the long recovery from the spring aerification, this one will not be necessary. Instead of the aerification we will be spiking the greens followed by a light topdress. This is a less aggressive way to help water and oxygen penetrate the surface of the green. The spiking will also help generate new growth in any thin areas remaining on the greens. This cultural practice is important before the heat of the summer, so we can help the overall healthiness of the greens with minor impact to playability.  The spike marks will be visible for about 3-5 days but will not affect playability after the first day.

The day after we spiked, fertilized and topdressed the small practice green.

Importance of Ballmark Repair

Repairing your ballmarks does more than just maintain a smooth putting surface.  If ballmarks are not repaired, it can result to unwanted grass or weed contamination on the greens. A seed needs soil or sand contact to have a chance to germinate. For instance, if a weed seed lands on an area of the green that has no ballmarks/voids then the seed will not have any contact with the sand. If a seed lands or blows into an unfixed ballmark, then it immediately has contact with the sand and can start germinating in that ballmark. Seeds can be spread from one surface to another by way of getting stuck on someone’s shoes, by an animal or even through the wind. Since we have no control over this, we need to try and do our best to control the unwanted grass or weed germination through unfixed ballmarks. Eliminating these unwanted seeds growing environment means smoother greens. So please fix your ballmarks and any others you may see while waiting for your playing partners to finish putting. Thank you for your continued efforts with helping maintain the golf course.

Above: This was a unfixed ballmark from number one green with a poa plant growing inside of it.

Status of Golf Course Greens

The greens this spring are healing slowly for a few reasons. The first reason is due to the cooler than average spring we have had. The soil temperatures are about 10 degrees below average, which means the roots are not pushing the plant to grow. The second reason is that this year we have been treating for the Poa seed head. We are at the point where if this was not done the Poa plants on the greens would double each year. Treating for the Poa seed head slows the growth of the Bentgrass down for a few weeks after the application. The last application was made on April 17th and that will be the final one for the season. These two factors are creating a slow recovery from aerification. With warmer temperatures forecasted for next week we should see more growth out of the Bentgrass. Thank you for your patience.

Spring Aerification

As most all of you have noticed our spring aerification process has been completed over the past two weeks.  We pulled cores from tee boxes and greens, and performed a solid tine aerification to our fairways.  Our goal during this process was to remove 10% of the organic (or thatch) layer that is just beneath the surface of the greens turf.  A ¼” tine, which has been pulled from greens during every aerification process in the past, removes 5% of the organic matter within the green.  During three aerification processes throughout a season, only 15% of the organic matter had been removed.  This year we are attempting to remove a total of 20% of the organic matter, 10% being from our ½” coring early this month.  The USGA recommends that 20% of organic matter be removed for each year.

Our first aerification process is key to helping the greens roll more consistently and smoother through the summer months.  We are trying to avoid the soft feel that we can get on greens during hot and humid weather during the summer months. This process will be continued over the next several years until we have removed our desired amount of organic matter. Removing a ½” core from greens also allows us to fill more of the green surface with sand.  The topdressing sand is intended to help create a smoother surface, while also firming the surface to help them roll more consistently.  The sand also gives the bentgrass a good base in which to grow on.  Bentgrass grows in a fashion that is more sideways, as opposed to vertical like our rough areas and intermediate rough areas.  Another main reason for aerification is to alleviate soil compaction, which is common in high traffic areas like putting greens and tee boxes.  Pulling the cores from the green surface also allows oxygen and water to reach the compacted root system of the bentgrass plants, which is key for springtime growth.

To aid in the healing of our greens, we have been fertilizing on a weekly basis, and mowing when possible.  We have been rolling greens in the afternoons on dry days to help create as smooth of a surface as possible.  We will be continuing to monitor the healing process of our greens and overall greens turf health to help them heal as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience during these first few weeks of our golf season.  Please remember to repair your ball marks on the putting surfaces.

Winter Projects

We have been very busy this winter even though we have not been able to get out on the golf course much with the all the snow we have had. Every year we sand and stain all the amenities from the golf course. This is done to protect the wood from the outside elements for the upcoming golf season. This year we're also making new benches to replace all the old ones. These will be installed hole by hole throughout this spring. Below you can see the process of how we make the benches.

The First step is to rip the log in half, this is done with a jig that rests on a ladder for a level cut.

Then we plane and sand the logs to make sure they're level and smooth.

Here we notched out areas so we have a flat area to attach the legs.

Then for each leg we cut two pieces of rebar 8" long to securely attach the legs to the bottom of the bench.

The last step is to apply about five coats of polyurethane to the areas that aren't protected by the bark.