A little brush up before we get into full swing...

With spring rapidly approaching I wanted to take a few moments to brush up on some etiquette topics.  By taking care of your course, not only will positively impact the golf course but also your experience and the experience of your guests and other members.

Repair Your Ball Marks and One Other:

This is something simple that everyone should do as they play.  Take a prolonged object with a pointed edge, a proper ball mark repair tool is best but a tee will work just fine.  As displayed below you want to insert the tool into the turf at the edge of the ball mark and push towards or twist towards the center of the indentation.  You want to do this in three or four places around the ball mark until it enclosed and then tap down with you foot or putter.  You NEVER want to repair a ball mark by lifting up from the center, that will expose more soil to the surface and tear the roots which will extend the heeling time of that ball mark.

Remember you are doing this to improve the putting surface for yourself, your guest, and other members so when you finish repairing your ball mark, repair one other before leaving the green.

How to repair a ball mark.

Bunker Etiquette:  First things first, when it comes to bunker etiquette, always enter the bunker on the low side.  Major disruption and damage is caused by people entering the bunker on the high, steep sides.  Also, when entering the bunker take the rake in with you.  Remember to use two hands and smooth out any disruptions caused by your feet or the ball first with the back side of the rake and then  rake out the disrupted area always pushing the sand way.  Lines and indentations are made when the sand is raked and pulled back towards you.  Finally, when raking out the bunker you want to exit the bunker the same way you entered minimizing the amount of area you disturb.

But you are not done just yet when you exit the bunker.  Rake placement is a key part to bunker etiquette.  You want to make sure that the rake is always placed on the outer side of the bunker so that it will have the least impact on play with the handle laying parallel with the line of the incoming shot.  Also around greens, make sure to never place the rake between the bunker and the green

Proper Bunker Rake Placement for #1 Greenside Bunker

Incorrect Bunker Rake Placement for #1 Greenside Bunker

How To Rake a Bunker...






























Divot Repair:  Whenever someone asks me "What is the right way to fill a divot?", I always tell them "Less is More."  When adding sand to a divot, you are merely bridging the gap for the turf to grow over.  Giving it a medium to grow through.  When you mound up the sand it does nothing but damage our equipment.  So again, I always tell people "Less is More" when it comes to filling divots.

Cart Traffic:  We, as a maintenance staff, are going to need a lot of help with this one.  The general rule for carts is once you enter the fairway from the cartpath you stay in the fairway until you exit to return to the cartpath.  Even if your ball is in the rough we ask that you  pull up to the edge of the fairway, park, and walk out to your ball.  Parking in the rough or driving in circles searching for golf balls is very bad for the rough.  I know that seems counter intuitive since the rough turf is much longer than the fairway turf and you feel that it should be much hardier and be able to sustain the extra stress.  Unfortunately, that just is not the case and once the rough starts going down hill due to stress (Which summer patch is a turf disease brought on by stress) it is hard to get it come back especially during the hot, stressful summer months.

Each hole will have two posts indicating where to exit the cartpath to drive to the fairway and where to head back to the cartpath (Par 3's will not have posts since they are all CPO).  The first post on each hole will be along the cartpath and the second post will approximately 20 yards short of the green to indicate where to exit the fairway and go back to the cartpath.  These posts will be moved frequently to help disperse cart traffic evenly.

If you ball is in the rough near the edge of the fairway, please park your cart in the fairway and not in the rough

Another example of where not to park.  Pull your cart up to edge of the fairway, while staying in the fairway, park and walk out to you ball.

Bunker Work...

So we finished aerifying tees just before Christmas and, as you may have noticed, we have been using the plugs to fill in a select few fairway bunkers around the course.  Now that we work in the Arctic, our progress has slowed down but the plan is to finish the bunkers with soil on top of the plugs and then sod in the Spring.  The reason for finishing filling the bunkers with top soil is that the plugs from the tees have a lot of sand in them and the soil will help hold moisture and with new sod it is critical that we can hold as much moisture as possible going into the summer months.  

Here are some photos of our progress so far:

Winter Disease Prevention...

Last week we did our final chemical application on greens for the year.  The main target of this application is a disease called Snow Mold.  Snow Mold is a fungus that strives during the cold, winter months and takes advantage of weakened turf plants while temperatures are low and also when there is persistent snow coverage.  The turf is weak this time of year because it has used up all of it carbohydrate reserves and energy to try to stay green and healthy before going dormant for the winter.

Snow mold can affect all types of turf in our region but Creeping bentgrass and Annual Bluegrass, Poa, are most susceptible.  Since the primary turf type on our playing surfaces in Creeping bentgrass this is a disease that we do need to be cautious of and try to prevent.  A big component that brings about this disease is periods of elongated snow coverage, 20+ days in a row, which we don't typically have every year but there is always a chance that we can get a huge snow storm that brings about that type of snow.  This is why every year it is in our chemical program to treat greens sometime after Thanksgiving for snow mold.

  Infected turf from this disease is typically collapsed and has visible mold on it.  Also the diameter of these rings range anywhere from 6 inches to 18 inches to even a yard wide in extreme cases.

Thank You to my staff...

So with my first year in the books here at Piedmont, I can not thank my staff enough for all their hard work and dedication to club to make my first year a success.  I wanted to take a moment here to introduce my staff so when you see them out there you can say hi and thank them for their work because they are the ones that make this a great golf course...

From Left to Right in the Photo:

• Haroldo Mayorga - Haroldo has been here at Piedmont for 4 years now and besides his great work ethic and attention to detail he brings positive attitude to my department and has a willingness to do any task asked of him and do it well.
• Rene Rosales - Rene is my mechanic and of all the mechanics I have worked with in the past he by far has the most positive attitude and is an absolute pleasure to work with.  Besides the positive attitude he is a great mechanic and has such a familiarity with equipment here that he can get pretty much anything to run.
• Fredys Corrales - Fredys has been here from the beginning.  He is one of my top operators and knows where everything is around the property.  Being a new superintendent, I can not express enough how much it has helped me my first year having a guy that I can give a task to and that's it.  I can give Fredys his job first thing in the morning and I can walk away confident that his task will done correct and efficiently.
• Aleida Meza - Aleida, though she has not been here as long as Fredys and his brother Javier, has been on the maintenance staff for 13+ years.  She takes great pride in being able to do everything that the boys can do and is an extremely hard worker.  Again, like everyone else on the staff she comes to work with a great attitude and work ethic.
• Myself
• Roberto Martinez - Roberto is my foreman and my irrigation tech.  After my assistant, Chris, he is next in charge.  It has been a huge help having another person that can handwater, spray, and run the crew when needed.  On top of being able to do all of that, Roberto is great with fixing all problems that we may encounter with our irrigation system.
• Chris Rainbolt -  Chris is my assistant.  He got his turf degree from Rutgers University.  He also has interned at TPC Potomac (also while I was an assistant superintendent there) and Robert Trent Jones.  It has been great having Chris because even though he is relatively new to the industry he comes to work everyday ready to work, learn, and grow into becoming a better assistant.  And I look forward to watching him grow in his role over the coming years.
• James Altizer - James is the diamond in the rough that we added to the crew this year.  Though he is new to Piedmont he is not new to the golf course maintenance industry.  He came to us back in April and from day one he could anything on the course from course set-up and mowing to spraying and watering.  The rest of the staff treats him like he has been here for years and he has been a great addition to the team.
• Javier Gutierrez - Like his brother Fredys, Javier has been a member of the staff since the grow in.  He can operate every piece of equipment and shows great pride in everything he does.  I know when I give Javier a job to do that it will be done right the first time and that he will put 100% effort into making sure he does great work.

Again, my success has all been due to everyone in the photo above.  I can not thank them enough for everything they do not only for me but for Piedmont Club.

Thank You GCM... 

Course Amenities and Par 3 Tees...

Staring Monday November 27th we are asking members hitting from the white and blue tees to start using the mats that we have placed around the tees.  This year, to help preserve the tees even more during the winter months, I would like to keep all traffic off the heavily used par 3 tees to protect the turf for the spring.  We will topdressing and fertilizing the tees with the aerification but along with that we will be filling the divots with seed and sand separately.  We will not see a full recovery from the divots with the colder temperatures upon us but it will give us a good head start for the spring.  Please use the mats through March of 2018 and thank you for helping establish a better teeing surface for the spring...

Along with going to the mats my staff and I will start bringing in all the amenities from the course.  That will include:

• Water Cooler Houses
• Ball Washers
• Score Card Boxes
• Divot Sand Buckets
• Non-permanent Benches
• Trash Cans
• Bag Stands
• Tee Markers
• Most of the Bunker Rakes

We bring in all the amenities not only to get them out of the elements during the winter months but to also clean them up, sand them down, and re-paint or stain so that they look fresh for opening day in the spring.  With tee markers coming in for the winter we ask that you play from the yardage plaques on the tees.  And bunker rakes will be left out there but we will take a majority of them off the course so we ask that you please place them in easily accessible spots when you finish raking the bunker.  Thank You 

November Update and Look Ahead...

      Now that the prime golf season is behind us and cool temperatures are approaching, it is time for my staff and I to start focusing winter projects and important agronomic practices that will help keep Piedmont great.

Tee Aerification and Bunker Elimination:  I know I touched on these points the other week but we will be continuing with our tee aerification over the next couple weeks.  Again it important we aerify to not only relieve compaction and improve drainage but it opens up channels for oxygen, nutrients, and water to reach the root system.  Aerification is arguable the most important agronomic practice we do as superintendents and doing it this time of year is almost like hitting the “reset button.”  We will be topdressing and fertilizing them heavy along with the aerification and come next spring when growing conditions improve we should have great tees for the upcoming season.  Along with the core aerification, we will be using the plugs to fill in a select few bunkers (#8, #9, and #14).

#4 Green:  #4 green is now being mown at the same height as the rest of the greens on the course, which is .12 hundredths of an inch.  It is still a new green but I have been happy with how it held up all year to the stresses that come with growing grass outside Washington D.C.  The plan is to continue treating it like a new green through the winter but hopefully by the time spring comes around next year it will be mature enough that I can manage it the same as the other greens on the course.

Tree Work/Removal:  A big task my staff and I are going to focus on this winter is improving air flow around the course.  Whether that is clearing underbrush in heavily wooded areas, taking limbs off of trees, or taking trees down entirely one thing I noticed in my first year that there are a few areas on greens that struggle or stay wet entirely too long.  A major reason for that is poor air flow.  Obviously the houses have something to do with that as well but with areas like to the left of #17 green and to the right of #6 green and even to the right of #16 green we can go in there and clear a lot of material out that will not only improve air flow but to reduce shade and improve sunlight on areas that may stay overly saturated. 

Frost Delays:  It’s that time of year again, though it has been a mild fall so far FROST DELAYS are right around the corner.  Frost is essentially frozen dew that forms ice crystals on the outside of the plant.  Obviously the turf is resilient to foot and cart traffic during regular weather conditions but when the plant has frost on it, it becomes brittle and fragile.  And when pressure is applied to the turf plant in this state the plant tissue will be punctured by the ice crystals and plant cells will rupture.  Damage caused by traffic won’t be visible right away, it will take several days before you start to see the signs of frost damage.  On top of that, frost damage caused by cart or foot traffic coupled with dormant turf and poor growing conditions means we will be looking footprints and cart tracks until the spring.  So please, be patient when we say there is a frost delay it is better to play it safe vs. stare of photos like below all winter long.

A little brush up before we get into full swing...

With spring rapidly approaching I wanted to take a few moments to brush up on some etiquette topics that not only positively impact the golf course but also your experience and the experience of your guests and other members.

Repair Your Ball Marks and One Other:

This is sometime simple that everyone should do as they play.  Take a prolonged object with a pointed edge, a proper ball mark repair tool is best but a tee will work just fine as well.  As displayed below you want to insert the tool into the turf at the edge of the ball mark and push towards or twist towards the center of the indentation.  You want to do this in three or four places around the ball mark until it enclosed and then tap down with you foot or putter.  You NEVER want to repair a ball mark by lifting up from the center, that will expose more soil to the surface and tear the roots which will extend the heeling time of that ball mark.

Remember you are doing this to improve the putting surface for yourself, your guest, and other members so when you finish repairing your ball mark, repair one other before leaving the green.

How to repair a ball mark.

Bunker Etiquette:  First things first, when it comes to bunker etiquette, always enter the bunker on the low side.  Major disruption and damage is caused by people entering the bunker on the high, step sides.  Also, when entering the bunker take the rake in with you.  Remember to use two hands and smooth out any disruptions caused by your feet or the ball first with the back side of the rake and then  rake out the disrupted area always pushing the sand way.  Lines and indentations are made when the sand is raked and pulled back towards you.  Finally, when raking out the bunker you want to exit the bunker the same way you entered minimizing the amount of area you disturb.

But you are not done just yet when you exit the bunker.  Rake placement is a key part to bunker etiquette.  You want to make sure that the rake is always placed on the outer side of the bunker so that it will have the least impact on play with the handle laying parallel with the line of the incoming show.  Also around greens, make sure to never place the rake between the bunker and the green

Proper Bunker Rake Placement for #1 Greenside Bunker

Incorrect Bunker Rake Placement for #1 Greenside Bunker

How To Rake a Bunker...






























Divot Repair:  Whenever someone asks me "What is the right way to fill a divot?", I always tell them "Less is More."  When adding sand to a divot, you are merely bridging the gap for the turf to grow over.  Giving it a medium to grow through.  When you mound up the sand it does nothing but damage our equipment.  So again, I always tell people "Less is More" when it comes to filling divots.

Cart Traffic:  We, as a maintenance staff, are going to need a lot of help with this one.  The general rule for carts is once you enter the fairway from the cartpath you stay in the fairway until you exit to return to the cartpath.  Even if your ball is in the rough we ask that you  pull up to the edge of the fairway, park, and walk out to your ball.  Parking in the rough and driving in circles searching for golf balls or just going to point A to point B is very bad for the rough.  I know that seems counter intuitive since the rough turf is much longer than the fairway turf and you feel that it should be much hardier and be able to sustain the extra stress.  Unfortunately, that just is not the case and once the rough starts going down hill due to stress (Which summer patch is a turf disease brought on by stress) it is hard to get it come back especially during the hot, stressful summer months.

Each hole will have two posts indicating where to exit the cartpath to drive to the fairway and where to head back to the cartpath (Par 3's will not have posts since they are all CPO).  The first post on each hole will be along the cartpath and the second post will approximately 20 yards short of the green to indicate where to exit the fairway and go back to the cartpath.  These posts will me frequently to help disperse cart traffic evenly.

If you ball is in the rough near the edge of the fairway, please park your cart in the fairway and not in the rough

Another example of where not to park.  Pull your cart up to edge of the fairway, while staying in the fairway, park and walk out to you ball.

Why we have frost delays...

As a golfer, there are few things worse than a frost delay, maybe going CPO (Cartpath Only).  But as a Superintendent I promise there is a reason...

Frost is essentially frozen dew that crystallizes on the grass.  If you didn't already know, grass is comprised of 90% water much like the human body.  When explaining to people why we have frost delays I typically relate it the human body.

Since the grass is comprised of so much water it also freezes along with the dew on the surface.  This makes the individual blades of grass very brittle (especially the low mow'n areas like the greens).  Walking or driving on the turf while it is frozen causes the cell walls inside the plant rupture making it impossible for the plant to function properly much like breaking your arm or even your back.  But unlike the human body the turf cannot repair itself, you will have to wait till better growing conditions and new grass germinates.  Which it happens early on in the cooler months you will be looking at damaged and affected playing surfaces for months

And why we are so careful...

The average golfer takes 60 steps on each green.  Multiple that by 18 and then lets say its a decent winter day and we have 65 rounds.  That comes out to 70,200 steps just on the greens.  That is a lot of pressure to put on turf that is cut down as low as an eighth of an inch and is made up of 90% water.

And it is very difficult to judge when it will lift.  Have to consider shaded areas, low areas, and even sometimes it appears to be fine but the frost likes to linger at the base of the plant.   We do our best to judge when it maybe good to go but it is something to err on the side of caution...

We do it for the golfer, we promise...

Is it Fall Yet!?

After a very hot July we are hoping August temperatures stay cooler moving into September. July's average high temperature was 90 degrees which is two degrees warmer then the average of 88. Most areas of the golf course held up well through the heat and humidity. We have only noticed a little bit of Summer Patch in the roughs. The intermediates where we saw it the most last year are holding up well so far. The additional preventative application for Summer Patch has helped significantly this year.

Lack of air movement keeps the top section of the greens mix saturated which leads to shorter roots and unhealthy turf. The 6th and 12th green are two examples of where the air is stagnant during the summer months. You might have noticed a few things we have been doing to help reduce the moisture and create more airflow. A week ago we punched some small holes in these greens as well as the other areas weakening from stress, this is to help more oxygen get down to the roots. We have also been setting up a pull behind blower behind the green to help move air across the surface. The blower can be loud but it will help the plant recover from the stress heading into the fall. We  have also done a little bit of spot seeding on some collars to help the Bentgrass fill in. This fall and winter we will be doing some more brush and small tree clearing around these greens to help going forward.

The 12th green where some of the turf has weakened 

Blower behind the 12th green to create air movement

As we move into the fall we will be spraying out weeds and undesired grasses throughout the golf course. You will notice these grasses/weeds turning yellow then eventually dying. We will also be applying grip paint onto the cart bridges on September 6th when we are closed for aerification.

Thank you in advance for filling your divots and fixing your ball marks.  If you have any questions at all please feel free to email me at Patrick.McNamara@clubcorp.com. 

Annual Bluegrass Weevil Damage

This morning we noticed some Annual Bluegrass Weevil damage on the collar of the 6th green. They chew on the edges of leaf blades or stems of the plant close to the crown. They create a look similar to heat stress or ware areas from mowers and or rollers. We sprayed for them this morning, we should see the turf bounce back over the next few weeks. This was the only area that we saw bad damage from them.

Damage on the left collar on #6 green. 

Adult Annual Bluegrass weevil and Pupa found in the collar on #6. 

Things to expect over the next few months.

With the hottest two months of the year approaching we would like to remind everyone of a few things you might notice on the golf course. When we get into a period where we haven’t had any rain for over two weeks you will notice some browning on parts of fairways and roughs. This is due to shale close to the surface which heats up the roots from underneath. These areas get extra attention and receive more water to make sure we don’t lose any turf. The high humidity during the summer months makes some areas on tees become puffy in the thatch layer. These areas are usually seen on tee boxes that aren’t used as much (i.e. Gold and Green tee boxes). The tee boxes that are used more receive more foot traffic which helps firm them up and not get puffy. Summer patch in the intermediate cut and roughs can show up toward the end of July. We have added a spray which was talked about previously to help reduce the severity of it. When we talk about summer stress these are the things we are referring to.

Area on #1 forward tee that scalped and heated up due to excess thatch  

#7 fairway is a prime example of where we don't have much soil and the roots heat up from underneath. 

We have also applied some traction paint to the walk bridges. If  this paint shows to be durable it will help up decide if this is the best product to apply to the center of the cart bridges for walkers.

Thank you in advance for understanding how big of an impact the weather plays a role in what we decide to do every day on the golf course. When we get consistent temperatures in the 90’s we may reduce the amount of mowing and rolling we are doing weekly to help reduce the stress on the greens.

Last but certainly not least please remember to help maintain your golf course by fixing ball marks, filling divots and raking bunkers! Have a great summer from the Piedmont Maintenance Department!

Sixteen Days of Rain and Counting

Well we were in need of rain three weeks ago, now we can all agree we have had enough after 16 straight days of  precipitation. This many days without sunshine and having wet conditions has some affect on the turf.

The greens on holes 1,2 and 16 have small sections that are high traffic areas from walking on and off the green. These particular areas wear down easier in wet conditions.  We have used a tool to put some small holes in these areas to help get the water off the surface and help them dry out. We have added some seed to a couple of the worst areas. Once we get some sunshine and dry weather these areas will start to recover. Please do your best to try to avoid these areas when walking on and off the greens so they can recover faster.  You will noticed we also added a rope line to help keep everyone from walking in the same spot.

Left side of  #1 green 

Left side of # 2 green

Red Thread

In the roughs you might notice some grass that is red and thin looking. This is called Red Thread Disease. This will very rarely actually kill the grass, it just turns red and the affected area will get thin. This disease becomes active when we have a lot of humidity in the air for multiple days in a row. This is not something to be concerned about on the golf course, once we get some sunshine and dry days the grass will grow out of the disease. 

  

Red Thread on #9

PoaCure

So far we are seeing great results from the Spring trial of PoaCure. The 3rd application was made yesterday and the last application will be made in two weeks. The wet weather has actually accelerated the root uptake of the chemical into the Poa plant, which can kill the Poa Annua quicker. We will be fertilizing the trial area to help push the Bentgrass to over take the Poa voids and any seeding will be done during the June aerification. Thank you for your patience during this trial.   

PoaCure on #4, The bentgrass is green and the Poa is Yellowish brown.

Overall the golf course has recovered nicely from aerification. We still have some projects that will continue through May. For example we will be doing another bunker audit for sand depths and weeds in all bunkers The rains can move the sand off slopes and produces weeds on edges of bunkers. Hopefully next week will be drier so we can get a good dry cut on all surfaces. Thank you for remembering to fix your ballmarks and divots.

Spring is Here!

Spring Projects

• This spring you will see many different small projects going on throughout the golf course. We have completed installing new irrigation on #11 gold tee and #17 green tee. On #4 we have changed the irrigation heads out so they throw a shorter distance and more accurately on to the gold tee box. 
• Over the last two weeks we have been sodding along side cart paths in high traffic areas. 
• We have also started putting wood chips down on walk paths and around cedar trees. We will be mulching the rest of the areas with black mulch over the next few weeks. 
• Throughout April we will be checking sand depths in all bunkers and adding sand where needed. 

New This Year

• This year we will be mowing some of the native areas more often then previous years. This will be done to areas that seem to attract a lot of golf balls. For example in between holes 1&9, 2&8 and 10&18 will be kept around 6 to 8 inches throughout the year. A few other areas will also be maintained the same. This will help a few different things, controlling weeds, play-ability and pace of play. It will still frame the holes and keep the aesthetic look desired for the golf course.  
• If you have seen it already, we will be using green divot mix this year on the golf course. This sand does not have seed in it for multiple reasons. Mainly the seed will germinate in the divot bins on the course and on the golf carts. Another factor is during the summer months the seed will not germinate due to the lack of water. The divot will recover quicker from lateral growth of the Bentgrass.
• In terms of equipment capital we have been approved for a new rough mower to add to our fleet. This will give us the ability to keep up with rough and mow it twice a week during the growing months. We will also have the ability to mow only in the mornings during hot summer days, which will help with heat stress and summer patch in the roughs.  Hopefully you will be seeing the new mower out on the golf course before the end of April. 

Below are some pictures of the irrigation projects. Please do not drive on the newly sodded areas while they become established when leaving or coming back to the cart path. We will have a PoaCure update in the spring turf talk sent out via email. Thank you in advance for helping take care of the golf course by fixing your ball marks and replacing/ filling your divots.

#17 forward tees

#17 forward tees

#11 gold tee

Winter 2015-16

We hope that everyone had a safe and happy holiday season. We hope you have took advantage of the last few months now that it looks like winter has arrived after an unseasonably warm November and December. We have a number of projects in store for this winter and into the spring before the 2016 season begins.

Our projects include:

Adding irrigation to #4 gold, #11 gold, and #17 forward tees

• This project will allow us to combat summer heat and drought stress through the season.  These tee boxes currently have poor irrigation coverage.  Adjusting the irrigation heads and moving the placement of them should help us control our water usage, and allow us to keep the tees healthy during the heat of summer.  The new placement will allow us to use water more efficiently on a regular basis.
• Drainage along cart path edges
• We have had some issues in the past with our cart path drainage.  The asphalt has eroded in certain low areas and has allowed for puddling and cracking after rain storms.  We plan on adding drains to a few select spots. The majority of the puddling can be reduced by removing soil and lowering  the edge of the grass line. This should allow the water to move freely from the cart path and into the roughs to properly drain.
• Bunker sand audit 
• Adding and moving sand in the bunkers that need it will improve playability.  
• We have already sodded the areas where our sand pro machine enters and exits the fairways bunkers, and re-cut the lip of those areas as well. This is caused because of the Fazio designed, deep bunkers which the bunker rake might only have one enter/exit point.

Before

After

• Other projects include:
• Refurbishing tee markers
• Refurbishing tee box benches
• Refurbishing water cooler houses
• Rebuilding the small bird houses
• #3 gold tee box tree removal
• Removing the mulch bed behind #6 green and adding native grass  
• Mowing native areas

Poa Cure Demonstration

As most everyone knows every April we battle Annual Bluegrass (Poa) thriving in the spring conditions on greens, especially number four. We have had much discussion regarding the best solution to this problem for the club.

Most recently we had discussions of digging it up, which would entail stripping the top several inches of turf and root zone. We would then have to add new greens construction sand and re-seed the green. The major downsides are the green complex would be closed from mid August to April the following year. The agronomic practices and how the green plays would be different from the rest of the golf course for a couple of seasons while it matures.

Before we get to that, there is another option we have initiated. There is a product in trial right now called PoaCure. It is not available for sale in the United States yet, but we have been lucky enough to get selected for a demonstration trial. After recently seeing the results other clubs are getting we feel this could be a game-changer.

Here's how it works: we sprayed two applications of the product this fall on the front half of the green. Then in the spring we will spray 4 applications on the back half of the green, overlapping the middle section. The spring treatments require more applications because the Poa is actively growing. The Poa that has been sprayed this fall on the front half of the green has gone off color (picture below). We won’t see it disappear on the front half of the green until the spring when the Bentgrass is actively growing. The results of PoaCure at other golf courses are showing reduction and elimination of the Poa on the greens. A research professor will be monitoring our green through the process.

The long-term outlook for the PoaCure is both curative (gets rid of the Poa we have) and preventative (work it into the annual spray program so the Poa stays out) throughout the entire course once it becomes available for purchase. In the short-term we are optimistic it will be the solution to #4. The results so far are promising!

Notice the spots turning yellowish-white on the left side and no color difference on the right side. The Poa turning yellowish-white is the PoaCure slowly killing the plant. 

Summer Stress

This summer was difficult for cool season grasses in the Mid Atlantic area. With over nine inches of rain in the month of June, the roots didn't have to move deep into the soil to find water, since it was available close to the surface. This means they didn't have the depth or structure like they normally would, which showed when it was hot and dry in July. With the weak root structure the stress is noticed on areas of fairways that have rock close to the surface which heats the plant from below and wilts.

This also allowed the disease Summer Patch to become a big issue in the Bluegrass intermediate cut and the rough. This is a disease we preventatively treat for in the early spring, which we did the same this year as to prior years. The weather conditions this year were ideal for Summer Patch to develop even with the preventative treatments. Once the disease is present their are no curative fungicides to control Summer Patch. The only cultural control for Summer patch is allow the plant to grow out of it by raising mowing heights. From mid July to the end of August we didn't mow Intermediates for this reason. Below are a few pictures showing when the disease first became active as well as after we raised the mowing height to help put less stress on the plant.

This fall we will be seeding Ryegrass into the intermediates around the greens because it is not susceptible to Summer patch. We are also doing some sodding in the roughs with Tall Fescue where the Summer Patch was the worst. Any large clumpy areas in the roughs will be areified and seeded with Tall Fescue.  The Kentucky Bluegrass always bounces back and fills in from Summer Patch during the cooler growing months. This means it will still be present and susceptible to it but the Ryegrass and Tall Fescue will decrease the amount of area affected by it.
Here is a link to a great article going more in depth about Summer patch. https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/bp/bp-115-w.pdf

Number 15 on July 24th

Number 15 on August 31st

To Replace Divots or Not to Replace Divots?

Every golf course usually has a preference weather they would like you to fill your divot or replace it. This varies from course to course because of different grasses or even different climates. Here at Piedmont we ask you to replace your divots if it is still in one piece and when temperatures are cooler(spring, fall, winter). If the divot is shattered into a bunch of small pieces and or during the warmer months of June, July and August we ask you to fill it with sand. During the warmer months the divot will usually die due to heat and lack of water. Where as during the cooler months the divot can recover and root back into the ground which would have quicker recovery then filling it with sand. If you walk and don't have sand with you we ask you always replace your divot. Attached are a couple videos from the USGA about fixing divots and ball marks. Thank you for all your efforts in helping maintain your golf course.



Fixing Divots

Fixing Ball Marks