Greens Closed Tomorrow

Unfortunately, I am closing the greens effective Wednesday, December 1st.  The recent heavy rains combined with the cold temperatures coming will leave the greens difficult to play and succeptible to damage.  Aside from that, we also need any openings in the weather to finish applying our end-of-season fertilizer and sand topdressing.

Many people lament the closing of the greens, but I assure you that giving them the winter off is the way to go.  Foot traffic during winter on greens will not recover, and could potentially do damage to root systems if the ground is partially frozen.  Also, it ensures we hit the ground running in springtime with nice, playable surfaces without ball marks and footprints.

As always, we will be placing temporary holes in front of the greens just in case a little break in the winter allows us to dust the clubs off, hit a few shots, and surely remind us why we put them away in the first place!

Have a great winter.  I will be posting photos and blurbs through the winter with insight into just what the heck it is we do in the winter time.  Please check from time to time.  Thanks for visiting!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

My parents and In-laws flew all the way from Washington State to visit me and my wife this week.  We've had a full house, but have been constantly reminded what to be thankful for this year.  I hope everyone is as fortunate as I am to be surrounded by friends and family. 

I will resume blogging next week and begin a series that will hopefully give a little insight into what we do when the weather turns.  We are getting near the time when we need to close the greens and put them to bed for the season.

The november 19th USGA Green Section Record

A couple of interesting articles related to the North-Central region. Just because the snow flies doesn't mean we pack up and go home. Issues persist year-round.

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/The-Green-Section-Record---November-19--2010.html?soid=1103157499740&aid=FzNCqfREPPA

Smartphones for Supers - Blackberries

Smartphones for Supers - Blackberries

An odd and interesting stump perhaps with a drinking problem.

While we were continuing to remove dead trees, we were forced to remove the unusual tree on the south side of #10 creek. (Some locals referred to it as a swamp willow, but that is inaccurate).  It had been in declining health over the past couple of seasons and we took it down after it produced almost no leaves this year.  It left behind an unusual stump formation from the odd growth habit.  There was an empty Busch Light can that probably dates back to the 1980's or sooner that was lodged in the crotch of the tree somewhere. 

This can was found in the tree and looks to be at least 20 years old.  Hopefully alcohol wasn't to blame in the trees demise.

A little brush clearing.

 We've spent some of the last week or so getting control of some of our brushy areas.  Here's the hill below #11 tee.  Every year, we battle to keep this under control so it won't obstruct the view of the green from the black or blue tee on 11.  There's nothing here but woody brush and weeds, so the view from 12 tee is also unsightly.  We also cleared brush behind #5 green in order to increase air circulation around the greens complex.

The view of 11 hill from 12 tee before. 

All the brush gone after.

The obstructed view from 11 tee.

The view of the green is much more clear after the brush is removed.  We will try to keep this knocked down and establish some grasses in these areas over the next couple of seasons.

Tisk Tisk!

With the great late season weather, it's great to see the golf course has been quite active for this time of year!  Unfortunately, with the late season fervor, there have been a few hooligans stepping off the mats and using the grass tee.  Our tee is extremely undersized for the amount of play we get, and any divots taken now will not have a chance to grow and heal until probably May.  We do everything we can to get grass on this thing, and we need the help of the membership to do it.  Please stay on the mats, and if you see anyone hitting on the grass, feel free to give them a 'friendly reminder' to get back on the mats.

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LET THE BLOGGING BEGIN!!!

I never thought I would ever 'Blog' about anything.  After careful consideration and looking at what other superintendents are doing to keep their members in tune with what's happening at the course, I figured I would give it a try.  I'm not quite sure how often I will post, but count on me to periodically share pictures, articles, links and thoughts that I hope will give members and any other interested parties a look at what goes on behind the scenes here at the golf course.  Please comment, complain, and participate as you like.

USGA Green Section Record November 5th

Interesting articles about the past summer and how tough it was to manage bentgrass this year in certain regions.

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/The-Green-Section-Record---November-05--2010.html?soid=1103157499740&aid=Nps5qqNlNtE

As usual, a few trees to remove in the fall.

Each season, we continue to remove the dead ash and pines that litter the golf course.   We also chose to relocate a few trees to places where they will have a greater impact.

This spruce behind #2 tee was struck by lightning during the late summer and didn't make it.  Weeks before, during a wind storm, the top 15 feet of it blew off.

This dead ash next to 12 tee had to be dropped into the creek and retrieved with a boom truck.

Digging the hole for the tree with a large mechanical spade.

Removal of the sycamore headed towards its new home. This sycamore on the corner of #14 dogleg was planted way too close to the fairway and would have been far too large for that spot.  Before the tree grew too large to move affordably, it was decided to move it farther into the rough, where it can become huge without making the hole unfair.

Placing the large tree in its new setting.

Replacing the biggest divot I've ever seen.

Fall fairway cultivation. A heavy de-thatching and some deep holes.

After years of pulling the same cores from the same depth, it has become evident that the fairways here at the club are in need of some different attention.  To manage thatch, we performed an aggressive 'de-thatching' using an old seeder attachment.  This machine removed much more material from the thatch layer than core aerifying. 

The fairways have developed a 'pan layer' which is a compacted zone just below the surface at the normal coring depth.  To alleviate this compaction and allow for better water and root penetration, a 'deep tine' cultivator was used to poke and heave the subsoil. 

Our old Rodgers Seeder attachment ripping the fairways six ways from sunday.  Look at the thatch fly!



The thatch mess left behind by the vertical mower.

 

The 'deep tine' machine punching holes 5-6+ inches deep and 3/4" in diameter.

Fall Greens Aerification. A little different this year.



After careful consultation with my agronomic consultant and other superintendents, we elected to perform our fall aeration a little differently.  Instead of removing a 'core', we instead applied sand first and used 'solid' tines to punch the sand into the profile.  It was very successful in getting the needed fresh material into the greens profile to continue diluting organic buildup and ensuring good drainage.

Vertical mowing removes thatch from the turf canopy and creates openings for sand to get worked in.

Blowing off the mess from the verti-cutting.

The results of the verti-cutting and cleaning.

A heavy sand topdressing.



After the sand dries, we punched it in with solid tines instead of pulling a core.

Much of the sand went into the holes as soon as we punched them.

The first brushing with our greens groomer brush.  It takes about 4-6 trips across a green to get most of the sand into the holes.

The crews favorite part.  Hand brooming the rest of the sand in to ensure all the holes are filled.

Finish it off with a good rolling, and the results were pretty good.