Seasons Greetings

From all of us on the grounds crew, we'd like to wish you and yours a spectacular Holiday Season, and look forward to seeing you in 2015.

All the Best...

-Grounds Crew

Time is Fleeting

The 2014 Golf season has come and gone as quickly as the latest social fads pop up and fade into trend purgatory.  It was again a very successful season, where we felt we had built upon the foundation from years past and streamlined our operation to continually improve.  We continue to progress and grow, and will continue to offer conditions that suit our golfing membership.  That being said I hope you enjoyed golf this year as much as we enjoyed providing you with great daily conditions.  So we leave 2014 and welcome a new season, with new challenges and new goals of which we intend on exceeding, we will see you in 2015.

Throughout the week we will be going through our standard procedures to close the golf course.  These steps include closing the holes in the greens, removing all tee markers, bunker rakes, benches, as well as the remainder of garbage cans.  We will be placing the flags in the temporary greens in those holes that have them, keeping in mind that most par threes are lacking a temporary cup.  We understand that sometimes the turf may resemble a healthy actively growing stand, but this time of year does not offer much latitude for recuperation.  By that we mean that although green and healthy, the turf is not growing at this time (and if it is, it's growing at a negligible rate).  Also with a great reduction in solar radiation and it's strength, normal rain events that would typically dry in a 12 hour period during the summer take a couple days this time of year, leaving a saturated profile not capable of withstanding golf cart traffic.  Not to mention excessive water, with freezing temperatures pose a problem as well.  As you're all aware ice is simply water with a crystal lattice structure, that lattice structure is created when the water expands as it freezes.  Now if it expands in the plant and fails to rupture the cells in the plant, chances are your golf cart will rupture the cells rendering the plant dead.  We tend to err on the side of caution, because everything takes place much slower this time of year, and that includes recovery if it is even possible.

COURSE UPDATES

At this point we have completed the renovation of the 2nd blue tee, 7th water tee, 10th ladies tee, and 18th blue tee.  Each tee involved the stripping of sod, regrading of base material (Which was added), followed by the eventual resodding.  We have also begun the renovation of the seventh hole configuration.  If you are not aware the new design will bring fairway height turf right to the green itself, the front left bunker will be removed to accommodate the new fairway, and the bunkers on the far right and left will be renovated to breath some new life into the hole.  We are very excited about the project, and after getting started last week we have made good progress until getting stymied this week with wet conditions.  To this point we've stripped all the sod from the area being transitioned to fairway, the front left bunker has had all the sand removed, and the original fairway on seven has been halved from its original size.  We will continue to update you on the status of the project as things progress.  Apart from projects, the leaf cleanup has kept us quite busy as I'm sure many of you can attest to, while over the past couple weeks we wrapped up our final chemical applications as well as our final cuts to all areas.  That being said we are excited about the prospect of our ongoing projects and hope everyone has been enjoying the holiday season.    

Stripping nearly half of existing fairway on seven, and  salvaging quality sod to be reused

Resodding what use to be fairway with quality rough sod harvested from what will serve as
the new fairway expansion 

A look at the transition from fairway to rough, and the beginning of the transformation from
rough to fairway nearest the green.

Resodding the seventh water tee following the final grading of the surface.

The seventh tee following sodding

Adding an additional irrigation line to accommodate slightly larger teeing surface on ten
ladies tee.

Fall Ball and More

It's that time of year when trees begin to steadily shed their leaves, the full spectrum of hues can be seen among the trees, and incidentally (this is a person preference) this is prime time golf weather.  Autumn brings in cooler temperatures and tends to push out the humidity that does it's best to cling on to this metropolitan area.  It also signals a change in our maintenance practices or I should say at least the frequency of practices when compared to the peak summer months.  With cooler temperatures and a great reduction in solar intensity, the growth habit slows, water requirements are reduced, disease pressure is greatly reduced due to lower humidity, and inputs as a whole are greatly reduced.  This allows us to alter our mowing schedules, spray schedules etc., which happens to be great timing, allowing us to focus on other practices that correlate to the autumn months.

The transition in weather correlates directly to our transition in maintenance focus.  As cumbersome as it is to stay on top of leaf cleanup, it's something that must occur.  It does in fact suck up a good portion of our maintenance crew, however as mentioned earlier the weather acts as a universal growth regulator slowing down the otherwise voracious pace of mother nature.

You'll notice that the greens have been aerified just this past week.  The crew worked exceptionally hard, and with cooperative weather we couldn't be more pleased with the results.  This may in fact be a bone of contention for many, but it is imperative that it be done, and frankly they're still relatively smooth.  Aerification signaled our last significant cultural practices, and now with autumn weather in full swing our focus can begin to shift to other projects that need our attention.  We have completed the resurfacing of the men's blue tee on the second hole, and we are poised to begin other tee projects the scope of which are more substantial than the second tee.  Ironically enough the weather while slowing the growth habit of the course in preparation for the looming winter months, has accelerated our work habit toward other ancillary projects, which will all have a positive effect on the not too distant 2015 season.  Enjoy the fall ball, and we hope to see you out there.

Touching up rough grade of the blue tee on number two, before putting finishing grade on tee.

The blue tee following sodding.

The Breakdown: What's the Thought Process to Watering

I apologize for the long hiatus, but the time that elapsed from the last post til now seemed like a moment of brevity.  The summer has been cruising by, or so it seems such, however for as mild as the year has been the past couple weeks of hot sunny weather is beginning to impose it's will on the turf.  I'm sure many of your home lawns are experiencing a similar set of circumstances, if enough water is not applied than your likely seeing some browning, discoloration, and a much slower growth habit.  It's very natural, but that brings us to that limiting factor, the one vital resource that dictates whether our lawn is green or brown, lush or hardened off, and that of course is water.  We've touched on this topic via a previous post, but today we're trying to provide a different perspective in order to provide a more complete understanding of the nuances that go into properly managing water usage and thus turf health.

The rough on the right side of the 17th fairway, is getting
stressed because the rough is only watered when the
fairways are, and we water lightly to help with playability

  As you drive around the course I'm sure you've noticed that peripheral rough areas are turning brown, and some may even be entering a stage of dormancy until weather conditions are more apt for growth.  This is normal for a course that does not have wall to wall irrigation coverage, not to mention one that does not have their own irrigation supply.  Due to the nature of our irrigation supply (City water feed), we must also be cognizant of water usage to be fiscally responsible when meeting our forecasted budget.  When we set the irrigation system for nightly watering we have a hierarchy of importance, with greens being the most important, followed by fairways, tees, and rough.  With most golfers it doesn't matter if the courses fairways and tees are perfect if the greens are thin, diseased, and overall in poor condition.  Greens are the focal point for every course, which is why they are our initial priority, meaning if we need to run the rough less in a dry spell to give the greens additional water we will do so.

Drain lines drying out on the 10th fairway.  Due in large
part to the sandy nature of the trenches.  If we watered
enough to prevent the drain lines from wilting, the fairway
would likely be a swamp.

Throughout the day we'll monitor greens, tees, and fairways with hand held moisture meters in order to gauge their condition as well as to determine the length of time irrigation needs to be run that night.  When determining the length of time to run irrigation, we also take into account playability.  It would be easy enough to just run everything for extended lengths of time to make sure the turf was wet, but that would not provide the best playing surface.  So we collectively look at the upcoming weather, is it going to be hot, wet etc, then we must take into account is there a tournament, or is it a day where there's little to no play, meanwhile having a pulse on the condition of the greens prior to running irrigation.  In lieu of weekends and tournaments we will error of the side of less water to promote greens that are relatively firm but also receptive, striking a balance that most golfers appreciate.  To assure there's not excessive wilt on any given day, we will also schedule a team of handwaterers to preserve playability as well as the overall health of the turf.

The rough right of one fairway stressed, due to warm dry
weather, coupled with a lot of cart traffic.

In making the decision to water, we must also consider a number of other variables such as the state of the irrigation system.  In a number of areas on the course we still have transite main lines (combination of cement and asbestos), which are very brittle in nature, thus they can only withstand so much pressure without increasing the potential for the main line breaking.  In many cases we are also relegated to city water pressure, so we don't have exceedingly high pressure to run numerous heads at once.  You see, each head requires a certain PSI in order for it to run, if the pressure is insufficient the head will not pop and the following day that area will likely be wilting.  This now runs into another consideration, when running the heads in multiple areas it could take up to 8 or 9 hours to cycle through all the set programs, the issue there is we only have so many hours in between the last group of the day and the first group of the next day.  So we must customize our water schedule to fit within this window, but also strike a balance that will not leave widespread areas with insufficient moisture.  Also, when you run the water for extended periods of time you increase your likelihood for disease, so this is another variable we must consider.

Looking back at the 18th and 9th tees where the rough is
badly stressed, due in large to an irrigation system that
doesn't have full coverage.

It sounds daunting in some regards, but you must work with what you have.  Which is why throughout the summer there is a crew handwatering greens, tees, and fairways to supplement for the inadequacies of the irrigation system.  The importance of water management on greens cannot be understated, too little for too long and you're wilting substantially, too much with extreme weather and you promote disease, succulent turf easily injured by foot traffic, a lack of oxygen in the root zone, and a number of other detrimental side effects.  Perhaps a bit verbose, but we wanted to give you a broad view of what goes into water management during the stressful months of the season (playability, time, priority, money, state or irrigation system, and weather), and that at the end of the day you have to work within the confines of your system to keep things in an acceptable health and playability range.    

A Striking Topic

We all can relate to Bishop Fred from Caddyshack, where he's having the round of his life and on the precipice of breaking the course record in severe thunderstorms.  We've all been there where we feel we need to finish the hole, but let me assure you it's an ill advised decision that can end much like it did for Bishop Fred in Caddyshack.  On average 54 people every year are killed by lightning strikes, and as one might guess the majority of these strikes occur during the summer months when people are outside enjoying the warmer temperatures.  Lightning strikes cause more deaths annually than tornadoes and hurricanes in the United States, a statistic that certainly caught me off guard (As of research conducted in 2001).  Overall there are 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning strikes annually in the United States, so it's very important that proper safety measures be taken to prevent potential accidents.

A retrospective photo depicting the path the lightning traveled after
striking the green.

The Golf Course Industry has really made a concerted effort to stress and implement safety measures for not only golfers but for golf course employees.  Lightning detection systems are currently the status quo for golf courses around the world.  Technology has advanced (and continues to advance) to allow each course to customize their system, allowing them to dictate the radius at which the lighting detection horn sends out their signal to alert golfers to impending thunderstorms. For instance the lightning detection system at Willow Ridge is set to sound the horns when lighting strikes within a 0-5 mile radius.  Thus it's critically important to immediately stop playing and seek shelter, preferably at the club house.

A breakdown of lighting caused deaths based on location

Here at Willow Ridge our system will send out a continuous high pitched tone when lighting is within our set parameters, alerting golfers to immediately stop playing and make for the clubhouse to seek shelter.  When the storm cell moves through and is no longer in close proximity to the course, the lighting detection system will send out an intermittent tone alerting golfers that if they wish they can go back to finishing their round of a lifetime.  It's imperative to get off the course in the event of thunderstorms, because there are miles of wires running beneath the turf and they can conduct current if struck.  While the likelihood of this happening is very slim, there's no sense in playing with fire.  Also when playing with a group remember that it's just not about you and finishing out your last hole, the well being of group is being jeopardized by a fool-hearty decision.  Safety is paramount, it's much easier to come back and finish the round or play another day than to survive a lightning strike, just some food for thought.   Lightning, the threat is real and we take it very seriously, and we will continue to educate and make sure our system is running properly.  So we only ask that you value your safety and well being, and make judicious decisions when thunderstorms are headed our way.  Live to golf another day.

Happy Independence Day!!!

The Greens Department would like to wish everyone a Happy Independence Day, and we hope you enjoy the long holiday weekend.  A quick update, through Friday morning we've received over an inch and a half of rain, it's certainly softened things up but the course received the water quite well and should be playing well.  There is however potential for more rain, with some forecasts calling for up to two inches of rain throughout the afternoon.  This can certainly cause some problems for golf this afternoon and the prospect of carts.  With an already saturated profile this next wave of rain could in effect cause extensive flooding in low lying areas, and create an environment unsuitable for cart usage.  In the meantime we'll hope for little to no rain, and again we hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend filled with ample golf, food, and libations.

With We Live, Without We Perish

Without it we cannot thrive, our metabolic process is disrupted, our cells lose rigidity, respiration and temperature increase because we cannot cool ourselves; that very important thing we cannot survive without is water.  The same principles are relative to the grass that is vital to the quality of the property as well as the overall playability of the course.  With a lack of water, plants much like humans begin to lose their turgor pressure, which helps to keep the plant structure rigid.  This is accompanied by the breakdown of chlorophyll, the primary pigment used to produce food that is vital to survival.  You factor in the heat of the summer, with a lack of water, you get a recipe for disaster.  The plant is using more food than it is producing, while the cellular structure slowly begins to degrade because an essential need is lacking.  This eventually will lead to death if not remedied in a timely manner.

Now unlike the human body, too much water can also cause issues and in many cases it can be more detrimental than too little water.  The plant can expel excess water through their leaves much like we can via sweat glands, however with excessively wet soils the likelihood for disease is greatly increased.  Excessive wetness also does not bode well for foot traffic, hundreds of golfers a day walk on the small greens whose leaf blades are succulent with too much water.  Thus imposing damage from compaction and the twisting of spikes.  One also has to take into account that water holds heat very well, so when the sun heats the earth, which then incidentally heats the air the soil can get to extreme temperatures.  The soil will generally be a few degrees warmer than the air, so in that regard with too much water we can essentially cook the roots eventually leading to their death.

So it is our most pressing duty to maintain a healthy balance that will promote plant health, while also providing the golfer with a great playing surface.  You may have seen employees out walking the greens and probing them with a purple utensil, this small tool is a very valuable piece of equipment that allows us get a reading on soil moisture.  With these meters we are able to determine at what percentage the greens will wilt, and which percentage deems it wet, allowing us to make decisions on if, when, and how much water we need to put down.  This also allows us to focus on only those spots that are dry, rather than watering spots that already have sufficient moisture.  We also have soil moisture sensors that are actually buried in a number of greens on the course.  These sensors relay information such as soil temperatures, soil moisture, salinity and a number of other indicators back to us, to allow us to make a more informed decision when considering to water.

Hand held soil moisture meters that are used by employees when checking greens to help
determine whether or not water needs to be applied.

We have a couple great tools at our disposal to help in our pursuit to maintain great playing surfaces, however with that being said it's difficult to substitute a good eye.  The men handwatering are trained to identify physical characteristics of the plant, which helps to ascertain drying spots much easier.  As the plant begins to wilt, it will transition from green to a sheen of white (at which time your footprints will remain visible), then from white to purple (signaling the breakdown of chlorophyll), and if not dealt with in a timely fashion from purple to brown/black (aka. dead turf).  All this can take place in a matter of hours depending on the weather, so it is crucially important to have a great team, equipped with the right tools out there to stave off any significant wilt.  So if you find yourself wondering what the guys probing the greens and waving their hoses around are doing, remember they're keeping the greens is great shape for play.  Also, now that we're heading into July and August I'm sure you'll see them on a more frequent basis.

Presence of footprints during the initial stages of wilt.

Turf that experienced heat stress, leading to a brown thinning stand of turf.

Can Brown be the New Green?

The US Open has come and gone, and the hosting course looked fantastic, if you're in the minority who see brown as the new green.  In a day and age when a well manicured golf course is the norm for member expectations, Pinehurst has reverted back to a more retro and rustic look more akin to the early nineteen hundreds.  From a longevity standpoint, it's a fantastic management approach with water restrictions only getting more stringent, and the cost off maintaining larger parcels of land becoming increasingly expensive.  Pinehurst has removed approximately 55 acres of rough, switched to a single row irrigation system, and has strong varieties of grass (bentgrass) capable of withstanding extreme summer conditions.  It was mentioned that their water usage has been reduced by 70 percent, an extraordinary amount especially at courses that use a municipal or city water supply.  That's incredible savings, no matter what part of the country you're from.

To give you some perspective to the resiliency of bentgrass, Pinehurst has greens of the same variety as our bentgrass greens (3,6,11,16,18) that withstand a substantially hotter climate.  Bentgrass is very efficient grass that requires little water to remain healthy, or at least within a tolerable health range.  Thus you can push these greens to the brink, yielding firm and fast putting surfaces that many golfers would rather not experience.  It's a very interesting approach to course maintenance, reducing water inputs, using the most efficient varieties of grass, and adding acres of no maintenance naturalized areas to become a more vigilant steward for the environment.  There are also benefits stemming from becoming more environmentally responsible.  For instance drier conditions help reduce disease outbreak, because most diseases are fungi that require sufficient moisture to encourage growth.  Also with improved varieties of grass such as the newer bentgrasses, you can stretch your chemical application window much further, thus saving money as well as reducing inputs on the golf course.  As with everything I'm sure there are cons to the transition as well such as initial cost and disruption to play, the question would then have to be do the pros outweigh the cons?  It's a very interesting proposition making the change, it makes great sense.  However where issues arise, is the reception by golfers and members.  It begs the questions are members ready for a change to a course that's not lush green, and one that offers aesthetic value they're not used to seeing?

Pinehurst before renovation with a nice lush green appearance.

Pinehurst following the renovation displaying a more rugged and dried out look.  Looking for more roll on your drives,
this is what you want.

Weather is to Friend as Enemy is to Weather

The course has been playing fantastic through the beginning of June, with true putting surfaces, tight healthy fairways, and great weather to enjoy the game of golf.  The recent weather has been ideal for providing great playing conditions, and at this point we're hoping the weather stays in our favor.  Mild weather makes things more enjoyable for both the golfer as well as the turf.  Sound agronomic principles and there timely implementation are necessary to maintain highly manicured turf. Fertilizing, irrigation, mowing and topdressing all help produce great golf conditions.  However, the one variable we have no control over that has as much to say about the condition of the course as anything is the weather. The greens department has really been working quite efficiently this season, and through the beginning of June the weather has been fantastic for plant health.  So the combination of hard work and favorable weather has provided great conditions with healthy turf, fantastic playability, and great resiliency and vigor.  You can expect the work ethic of the greens department to sustain energy and consistency throughout the season, the same can't be said for the weather unfortunately.

With mild daytime temperatures and cool night temperatures, the plant has the ability to build more carbohydrate (energy) reserves than it uses (this is good for the grass).  As the weather gets hotter and more severe in July and August the dynamic flips and the plant begins to burn more carbohydrates than it can produce (the grass gets weaker).  Did you ever wonder why the U.S. Open is played the second week of June every year?  One of the reasons is that the turf at nearly all of the U.S.Open sites is at its strongest and able to tolerate all the mowing, rolling and moisture stress necessary to produce the extreme conditions.

Temperature is the driving force in this process, root zones thrive in a soil temperature range of 50-65 degrees, but during the peak of the summer when soil temperature reach upper 80's to mid 90's the roots lose their ability to function properly, and they begin to die leaving us with a root zone relegated to the upper inch of the soil.  Not to mention nighttime temperatures during the summer don't offer much relief to the plant, because many times they fail to cool substantially.  Everyone can relate, it's 70 degrees out with a cool breeze so deciding to go for a run is a no brainer, however at 95 and humid you're tired thinking about running and excited about the prospect of air conditioning.  A bit dense of an information download but, it's important to know that during the stressful time of the season courses across the country back off the accelerator a bit to maintain a healthy stand of turf.  That doesn't mean the conditions aren't great, it simply means that necessary precautions are taken to preserve the health of the turf, and as a result you don't have your fastest greens of the season.  So if you find that in the heat of the summer the greens aren't as quick as in May/June or September/October, it's our adaptation to the harsh weather to prevent turf loss, while still providing you with the best conditions possible.  If you're interested please check out the link below to gain more insight.

Summer Stress...It's a HOT subject

A look at the third green.

Looking at the 6th green from the fairway.

The picturesque 15th green from the fairway.

To portray how the turf feels during different times of the year, imagine the turf on the left feeling pretty good in May, while the turf on the right is feeling less than ideal in August.

The Best Offense is a Good Defense

Not a glamorous week, but a very productive one with far reaching implications.  Many vital chemical applications were made, targeting pests that could potentially cause many adverse effects to the overall health of the turf.  Throughout the season the course is for a lack of better words under attack, be it from insects, diseases, temperature, and moisture stress, and this typically rages on until the weather breaks in the fall.  Now, apart from sound agronomic practices, particular chemicals and products are our last line of defense when keeping the wide variety of pests at bay.  This week many of the products applied were root absorbed or soil sprays, thus the irrigation system was used in earnest to assure the product was washed through the turf canopy and into the soil profile.  Without ample water to wash the product into the soil profile, the chemical is essentially rendered useless, and it becomes a fiscally irresponsible application.  So if you find conditions aren't as firm as the weather would lead you to believe this week, rest assured we were using the irrigation system to properly apply very important chemicals.  We at the greens department also wanted to put your minds at ease.  We know spraying has a particular stigma within the golfing community, and while most portray the chemicals as agents of death many are rather innocuous.  Most chemicals applied on golf courses are the same chemicals applied to staple agricultural crops, not that that is great.  However, to put things in perspective many of the chemicals when in solution are less toxic than your household Windex product.  Rest assured we don't make applications light-heartedly, safety before all else is our priority.

The fairways were also fertilized using a granular material this week in order to provide a sustained nitrogen source into the middle of the summer.  We will likely experience a flush of growth in the near future, but it should help to rapidly heal the verticut lines on fairways, and really sharpen things up leading into our member-guest tournaments.  This granular application was also watered in to prevent foliar burn.  Fertilizers are essentially salts, so when they sit on the leave blade water exits the leaf to help dilute the salt.  In doing so the leaf dries out and becomes discolored and could potentially die.  Same concept as having salt on your skin or in an open wound, it pulls moisture out and dries things at a pretty rapid pace.  In all, the greens department is poised leading into the busy month of June, and we hope you're enjoying the playing conditions.    

  

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

The Greens Department would like to be the first to wish everyone out there a Happy Memorial Day weekend.  I'm sure many of you have a very busy weekend planned with family and friends, and a bit of golf mixed in there now that the season is upon us.  It's been a highly productive week on the course, with the completion of both greens and fairway verticutting.  You may notice some faint lines in greens, and surely in fairways throughout the weekend.  However this practice has allowed us to remove a little thatch from the profile, as well as remove some grain (laid over blades of grass).  Eliminating grain on greens will assist in providing a truer, and smoother putting surface, thus rewarding a well struck putt on the proper line.

We also managed to apply a granular fertilizer product to the greens, to aid in fertility throughout a good portion of the season.  Nitrogen at this point in the season is very important in both aiding in the recuperative capacity of the turf, as well as staving off a couple of diseases that could prove detrimental to the overall health of the greens.  With the fertilizer application we will see an accelerated growth pattern, which could slightly slow greens speeds, however this is a moment of brevity in comparison to the length of the season.  In other news we've completed the bunker on the eighteenth fairway, as well as sodded the once confused bed behind the sixteenth green.  Lastly, we find it important to relay information that will benefit both short and long term goals that serve to benefit Willow Ridge.  That being said, this week we did receive a couple large rain events, however in lieu of continually adding drainage, verticutting fairways, topdressing fairways, as well as dredging brooks, drying of the course has been greatly expedited.  Now while this is great news, it's also a reminder that these practices must continue to be a staple in our management repertoire, otherwise we will begin to lose ground, and revert to softer, wetter days.  Again Happy Memorial Day weekend, and don't forget to take some time to appreciate members of the armed forces who have dedicated their lives for a greater good.  Cheers and we hope to see you out there.

18 Fairway bunker following sodding

Another angle of the 18th fairway bunker

Out with the Old in with the New

It's amazing what a week does, with warmer temperatures and longer days the course is really shaping up nicely heading into peak golf season.  The course has greened up substantially over the past couple weeks, and we are now starting to see more accelerated, sustained growth.  This bodes well for the natural recuperative capacity of grass, as well as aesthetics and overall playability.  As many of you have probably noticed the aerification holes on greens have all but disappeared, allowing for a more uniform and true putting surface.  So while the weather is a fickle beast, patience and implementing the right agronomic practices will transform a course in a matter of weeks.  We have also remained persistent with our crabgrass applications over the past week, timing our applications with rainfall events to assure better control.  Due to an older irrigation system, timing our sprays with rainfall events is paramount to the degree of suppression on crabgrass germination.

This week has also allowed us to delve into a few other projects, taking what was and transforming them into course improvements.  First, the pipe that crossed the brook behind the 16th green was rerouted to run along the base of the brook, rather than above the water itself.  This eliminates exposure to floating debris or other potential hazards that could break the pipe, leaving a number of areas without water until the break was repaired.  We also attempted to inject some life into the fairway bunker on the right of the 18th fairway, making it a relevant feature to the hole itself.  The bunker was shelled out, re-contoured, and the bunker edges were hand shaped to provide a rolled face. New sand was added and surface water was directed around the bunker.  The project is currently ongoing and should be completed by the middle of  next week.  However at this point we are very pleased with the outcome and believe that aesthetically it adds some character to the hole.

Rough grading the new contour perimeter on the 18th fairway bunker.

Establishing the new rolled edge of the bunker.  This higher face will create a flash of sand
making it more visible from the tee.

More progress on creating the rolled bunker edge.  At this stage the floor of the bunker was also shaped out and compacted.

The addition of sod really brings the bunker to life

Prepping the new pipe installation, thus eliminating the pipe crossing the brook above the
waters surface.

New pipe installed which sits in a trench in the brook to help preserve the pipe.  The elbows
were also stabilized with concrete to assure preservation.

Water....Our Most Important Resource

The beginning of the week presented an opportunity to showcase the course to local MET PGA golf professionals.  The Club hosted the MET PGA Seniors Golf Tournament which took place Monday through Wednesday, and all feedback from the players was resoundingly positive.  Although aerification holes are still slow to close on greens, as is the case many area clubs find themselves in, the greens were rolling great and relatively true providing a fun yet challenging test of golf.

From a management standpoint, this was a big week in terms of our preventative crabgrass control.  As many of you I'm sure are familiar with, as temperatures warm the ever present nuisance that is crabgrass begins to rear it's ugly head.  Crabgrass begins germinating in late spring/early summer, and has the ability to persist strongly until temperatures begin to drop and repeated frosts render the annual dead.  This week we began making our preventative crabgrass herbicide sprays on fairways and tees.  The catch with this product is that it must make it's way into the soil, and the only way to do this is with water.  We try to time these applications with rain events, but if the rain is an insufficient amount we must supplement with the irrigation system.  While most people that see sprinklers running after receiving rain are left scratching their head, it is very important that enough water is applied to maximize the efficiency of the product.  So rest assured that it is not a prodigal use of water.  Although there is a stigma with watering on golf courses, water is to the golf course what the vascular system is to the body.  Without water we could not meet our operating standards, thus failing to provide excellent playing conditions.  To dispel or soften the stigma of water use, it's important to understand that water use is not one dimensional, it is used a number of ways for a number of different reasons.  So if you find yourself with a bit of free time and a dearth of reading material check out the link below, which provides some great insight into water use on golf courses.

Water and its many uses

Mother Nature's Pensive Sentiment

The beginning of May marks the opening tournaments for women and men, thus officially setting the golf season in motion.  Leading up to the weekend we've completed the addition of trees chosen to supplement those removed, on both eight, nine, and near the fourteenth green.  To reiterate, these trees are improved varieties that will add both landscape and aesthetic value.  We've also put the finishing touches on the seventh tee, and the area adjacent to the new expanded collar on the back of the thirteenth green with the addition of rough sod.  Again as has been the status quo this season,the weather played a significant role in dictating what was accomplished.  Throughout the day Wednesday and into Thursday morning we received over four inches of rain, saturating the soil profile and flooding a substantial amount of the course.  I'll let the pictures do most of the talking, but the torrent of water created from the relentless rain, washed out numerous bunkers, as well as flower beds, and sod that was recently laid.  Minor setbacks but we'll rebound strongly, and get the course in shape for the upcoming weekend.  Although this extreme weather has really offset work on the course at times it acts as a great caveat for ball mark repair importance and proper technique.

With soft greens and slow growth the propensity for damage from ball marks is greatly increased, and knowing the proper repair technique will aid in the recovery time as well as the overall health of the green.   Ball mark recovery can be delayed from almost instant recovery if repaired properly to nearly three weeks if repaired improperly.    I'm sure most golfers can relate, we've all had a putt that was tracking toward the hole and in an instance bounces errantly off track after hitting a ball mark, leaving us less than pleased (euphemistically put).  Below is a video that provides insight on ball mark repair, because at the end of the day we all want smooth healthy greens that reward us when we hit a great putt.

Looking back at 17 fairway from the cart path right
of the green

Eight fairway completely submerged in flood waters.

A look at fifteen green from the cart path left of the fairway,
with flood waters above the stone wall.

Twelve green nearly submerged by rising flood waters.

The front quarter of the fifteenth green immersed in water,
following the persistent heavy rains.

New tree planting along the right hand side of the
ninth fairway.

Making Headway with more Cooperative Weather

In case you were wondering, it is in fact the end of April and not the beginning of March.  The weather has been challenging but we've finally had a cooperative stretch to complete the construction of the seventh tee.  From the initial demolition of the old tee, to constructing the sub-base, piping in new irrigation, finish grading the six inches of tee mix (a sandy soil mixture), to finally sodding the tee and banks, the seventh tee has been completed.  It's been an arduous process dealing with unruly weather but the crew worked hard when weather permitted to provide a finished product that we are quite pleased with.  The new tee is more than double the square footage as the old tee, greatly aiding in dispersing wear and tear throughout the season as well as providing a greater range of shot lengths.  We have also begun the process of planting new trees to replace the trees damaged by super storm Sandy. Trees have been added on the right side of the 8th fairway and between holes 10 and 11.  Additional trees are scheduled for delivery this coming week and will be planted on the right side of the 9th fairway.  The trees removed were primarily white pines and Norway maples.  The new trees are red oaks as well as red maples, trees with more landscape value that will add great aesthetic value to the course.  Things continue to take shape as slightly warmer weather and longer days are beginning to help inject some life into the course.

    Using a plate compactor to aid with the addition of six inches of a sandy tee mix.

Putting the finish grade on the seventh tee in
 preparation for sod.

Completion of the seventh tee surface.

Addition of five viburnum behind the sixteenth tee to
provide a barrier from the tenth green.

Addition of Red Maples on the right side of the eleventh
fairway, replacing less desirable plant species.

As the Weather Goes, We go

Mother Nature has a cruel sense of humor and an equally funny way of reminding you that at the end of the day, she is judge and jury.  In what can only be characterized as a bizarre week for mid April, with three frost mornings and the pleasant surprise of one last (or so we hope) snow and ice event, the greens department continued to make headway on the course.  Fairways one through eleven were verticut, a practice with the same objective as aerification, removing excess organic material.  So as you drive around you'll notice deep lines in the fairways, but not to worry, with warmer temperatures the lines will disappear quickly with accelerated plant growth.  Due to unseasonably cool weather the grass has not been growing at a rapid pace, because temperature acts as the catalyst for growth.  Without sufficient temperatures the grass will have a very gradual growth rate, or be dormant all together.  The seventh tee is looking more and more like a tee every day with the grading to the base finished, and the new irrigation installed to accommodate the larger playing surface.  So the next step in the process is capping the tee with six inches of a sandy soil, followed by sodding.  So with cooperative weather the tee should really come together next week. Lastly, I can assure you that the greens department as I'm sure most avid golfers are ready for these cold temperatures to pass, and the season to take on some form of consistency.  That being said the greens department has taken the weather in stride, and continued with an adapt and overcome mentality.

Trenching in new irrigation lines to supply adequate
water to the much larger seventh tee.

Finishing touches on wiring and wrapping up pipe installation

Verticutting the eleventh fairway, after which is dragged
with a metal drag mat, blown into wind rows and cleaned
up using a sweeper.

The end product following verticutting.