Natural Area Test Plot - Take a look!

As many of you probably know, I seeded the old #14 tee with a 'links style' fescue blend.  The motivations behind this were 1.  Test the proper technique of seeding new species into an existing stand,  2.  Find the seeding rate that would work best for the course, and 3.  Show the membership what a properly planted 'natural' area would look like.  Well, I'm happy to report that it came out great, and looks just as I hope our native areas would look should we decide to kill and reseed these areas.

Looking at the areas, the differences are very noticable.  First, while the area looks like a 'wispy wheatfield', the finer, bunch-type fescue is less dense, making it much easier to walk through, find your ball, hit your ball, and much easier for us to mow down.

Secondly, and probably most important, (since none of you ever hit your ball into the native areas, hee hee) the more uniform height and texture is far more aesthetically pleasing than our existing mixed stand.  Currently, our 'natural' areas consist of a mixture of bluegrass, annual bluegrass, fescue, ryegrass, and whatever else has invaded over the years.  These grasses create a dense, messy, and often times 'fallen' look that is not desirable. 

Thirdly, the areas we have grown 'natural' do not have sprinklers.  Fescue type grasses survive in good health much better in un-irrigated areas better than the bluegrasses and ryegrasses. 

The point of the re-seeding will ultimately install a more appropriate and attractive grass to survive in these areas where no sprinklers exist.  It is important to note that the layout of these areas will not be taken lightly.  We will consult with members and architects to make sure that the proper lines and areas are re-grassed.  Please swing by the old 14 tee this fall and let me know what you think.

I mowed a pass around to better define the fescue.  A nice, uniform stand of grass that looks good tall.

The matted down grass in the foreground is our existing "mix".  Where Aaron stands is the re-seeded fescue.  It's easy to see the difference in uniformity from our existing grass to the new fescue area.

Old 14 black tee turned out looking good as well.

Here's the old, existing grass grown tall.  You almost can't see the ball, let alone hit it.

The less dense fescue offers a much easier view of the ball and the opportunity to make a play.

Again, the fescue offers a much more playable 'out of play area'

The grass is growing....finally

After a long and very hot summer, the pleasant late summer weather has made for some good grass growing conditions.  Weak areas in the rough such as #3, 13, and 9 that were seeded multiple times during the summer and again recently are finally getting the right conditions to grow.

Most of these areas were lost due to the excessive rain and subsequent heat around Memorial Day weekend.  Unfortunately, they were reluctant to regrow for a couple of reasons.  First, the abnormally hot summer made for difficult conditions in keeping the seed sufficiently moist, especially considering our priority was keeping the golf course playable and not a squishy mess.  Secondly, and more important, these rough areas are treated every spring with products designed to inhibit the growth and establishment of crabrass and other grassy weeds.  Unfortunately, these chemicals will inhibit ANY seed from growing in these areas, which has greatly influenced our ability to re-establish any new growth.  As summer comes to an end, these products are finally wearing off and the seed has finally started to grow.  Some areas, such as #3, however, are still showing signs that they aren't ready to allow any germination just yet.  We will give them another dose of seed in early september and hope for the best.

The bottom of #9 near the creek was hit hard by spring rains and heat, but there is a nice amount of seed starting to take.  Note the uniform rows of new growth in the bare areas.

Closeup of new seedlings getting started.

An area in front of #13 tee in the courtesy walk-up with a few rows of new grass.

Here's another area on #13 courtesy walk-up that hasn't had any seed come up.  I suspect the herbicide we use for crabgrass control in the spring is still inhibiting seeds from growing here.  The patch of grass in the middle is a patch of ryegrass and bluegrass that survived the summer stress.  The bare area was likely all bentgrass and poa-annua, which are weeds in the rough.  A textbook case of why these species are not as well adapted under stressful, wet, and hot conditions.

More good seedling growth.

International additions to our crew

Just last week, two new crew members arrived and started work.  Their names are Yin Jingqi and Zhou Shuang.  They go by Steven and Andy and will be working here from mid-August through mid-November.  

Steven and Andy are 2 of over 70 participants in the Michigan State University-China turfgrass internship program.  The golf and turf industry is beginning to boom in China, and there is a need for turf professionals.  Currently, most new golf projects in China are managed by Americans, with limited number of Chinese with any type of golf experience.   After passing an english proficiency test, the students are sent to East Lansing for a few weeks of basic training before being carted to golf courses all over the US.  Just in the Toledo area, there are a total of six between HMGC, Toledo CC, and Sylvania Country Club.

It works perfect for us operationally, as the students arrive right as our American students head back to school for the year.  More importantly, it has shown to be a great exercise in goodwill, cultural diversity, and an overall wonderful experience for our staff.  If you get a chance, stop and say hello.  They are great kids and so far have proven to be great additions to our group.

Yin Jingqi (aka Steven) heading out for a spray.

Zhou Shuang (aka Andy) working on some drains.

Timeless, common sense turf maintenance circa 1935

Below is a link to an article captured from the USGA Green Section record.  There are several good articles and regional updates as usual, but the article that stood out to me was this clipping from the from 1936 related to a particularly nasty summer of 1935.  I found it interesting that the basic principles and practices we apply to deal with stressful weather today were somewhat understood in the relative infancy of 'greenkeeping'.
As summer winds down, we have been lucky to avoid any disasterous turf loss to this point.  The greens have struggled at times, but for the most part remained intact. I have spoken with several superintendents that have reported moderate to severe turf loss.   Last year, we had some thinning on several putting surfaces due to stressful temperatures and disease pressure.  The pressure this year has been worse due to record temperatures, but we have been most fortunate to avoid any major disasters so far.  With September approaching, we can look forward to more moderate conditions while we hopefully start rebuilding our roots again. 

Keeping intensely maintained turf healthy and able to withstand traffic is only getting more difficult.  Higher member expectations and modern technology have led to lower cutting heights making it tough to keep plants healthy and viable under the stresses of daily play.  It takes a lot of attention, education, and rigid chemical and agronomic practices to keep things up to snuff.  What it boils down to, and what is reflected in the article is that we are still just growing a plant.  While we have far more knowledge and resources available now, common sense and diligence are still the superintendents best friend.

Click here for some wisdom from 1935

What was in that rain?

The same storm that knocked out our pumps (see previous post below) brought a lovely 0.6" of rain to the course Friday.  While the water was welcome, it did produce some remarkable growth on the golf course.  We had the entire golf course mowed and manicured friday leading into the weekend, and by Sunday the greens started to look more like tees!  Areas in the rough were as tall as 5 inches, and the fairways, which were mowed Saturday, were extremely shaggy.  I have never seen this type of growth in late July. 

The upside of this was a noticable greening of the course.  The downside is that the greens, rough, and tees were growing at an unbelievable pace.  Greens were slow, and the tall rough made for a huge mess to start the weeks mowing.  We are continuing to get large amounts of clippings from the greens each day, and we will have to ramp up the mowing to stay on top of the rough.  We have applied extra growth regulator to hopefully slow the growth rate on the greens and we will roll as long as temperatures and stress levels allow.  Please bear with us through this rare, late-season flush of growth.

Last week I volunteered on the grounds crew at Inverness for the US Senior Open.  They were battling the same thing.  While they were mowing and rolling at night and the morning, they were also seeing a tremendous amount of clippings in their buckets despite the extra mowing and extra growth regulator applications.

With the continuation of record hot temperatures, we are still in 'survival' mode.  Our goal is to get through the next couple of weeks with as much healthy turf as possible.  As long as it remains hot, we are limited in what we can do to keep the course firm and fast without compromising the health of our turf.

This rough immediately adjacent to #6 green, was thick and up to 5-6" tall.  US open rough has nothing on us!

The clippings off of #8 green, which is one of our smallest.  This pile of grass is 3-4 times more than we would normally expect from this green.  Hopefully our growth regulator will trim this back, but with continued moist, warm conditions, our course is like a growth chamber.

This is the rough next to #10 fairway on Monday.  The extra growth created an extra mess.

A VFD is a BFD.

Last friday, we had a pretty good thunderstorm roll through the Toledo area.  The rain was welcome, but the lightning decided to knock out an electronic component that controls our irrigation pump station called a variable frequency drive (VFD).  The bad news is that we cannot use our sprinklers to water the golf course.  The only good news is that our pumps still function to some extent.  During the day, we can still use one or two hoses.  This will allow us to at least keep the greens watered and healthy through this record summer heat.  At night, however, we cannot control our irrigation system to water the tees, fairways, or rough.  I was able to get our pump service provider out to diagnose the problem, and a new VFD is on the way, hopefully to be installed no later than Wednesday.  Until then, we will be burning the candle at both ends to keep as much of the course healthy through the next couple of days.  Potential rain tonight will definitely be welcome.  You may start to see some 'browning' on fairways and tees over the next day or so, but with a little luck we should be able to recover these areas as soon as we can water again.  On the upside, the course will be firming up during this time which should make for some fun golf!