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.

 

Like Riding a Bike

Golf has officially begun, and while temperatures still remain below average for this time of year the greens department is beginning to hit our stride.  The previous week was highly productive with the completion of tee aerification, a thorough course cleanup, continued progress with stump hole cleanup as well as putting the initial cut on greens, tees, and fairways.  However it was just a prelude to this week and the weeks to follow.  Greens aerification was our primary objective for the week, and it resembles tee aerification in many ways.  However rather than verticutting the cores, we physically pick up everything removed from the green, and then follow the cleanup with the incorporation of sand into the holes.  While a laborious process for the crew, we find that incorporating the sand with push brooms is most effective.  That being said the crew really put in some long hard hours on approximately 100,000 square feet of greens surface, and the final product speaks for itself.  We fill the aerification holes with sand in order to replace the organic matter removed from aerification with mineral matter.  High organic matter concentrations can be detrimental to the greens in both the immediate and long range future, exacerbating disease incidence, moisture retention etc. (see two posts ago).  Following aerification golfers can temporarily expect an inconsistent playing surface, however with temperatures beginning to warm, growth will continue to increase and within a few weeks the playing surface will be uniform and true.  We have also been rolling more frequently to promote a smoother playing surface.  Also this time of year the grass is beginning to break dormancy, so during this time the grass if very susceptible to damage and does not have the full capacity to recuperate as it would during the peak season.

Aerification on the putting green

Core cleanup using snow shovels on the
seventh green.

Finished product following core cleanup.

Topdressing the sixth green with kiln dried sand

Pushing the sand using push broom.  In case
you were wondering that's teammwork

One Step Forward...Two Steps Back

Mother Nature continues to show her teeth with variable weather.  This is a very busy week on the course with greens aerification and topdressing scheduled, as well as continued work on seven tee, fairway aerification, and putting down our first chemical applications on greens and fairways.  However we continue to be stymied by uncooperative weather, receiving nearly an inch of rainfall Monday night into Tuesday morning.  A pattern seems to be developing where we have a rainfall event, followed by a couple nice days allowing things to dry down to allow for more efficient work, only to be followed with another rainfall event.  It's rather unfortunate, but we continue to make the best of the situation completing many other essential jobs on the golf course.  We managed to get the greens aerified prior to the rain, however in lieu of rain we had to postpone applying topdressing sand.  The saturated ground really prohibits effective fairway aerfication.  Work to complete the seventh tee has been slow because working with wet soil is an exercise in futility, but it looks like a few good days are on the horizon.  The weather is out of our control, but we will continue to work diligently to get everything necessary done to the highest standard.  

Seven green with water shearing off following
persistent rain.

The seventh tee turned to a quagmire following
rain which began Monday night.

Eight fairway with standing water covering
a good percentage of the landing area.

Looking down on the eleventh fairway from
eleven green.

On the Horizon...

The 2014 season is upon us, and with it many cultural practices that are integral to the success of the course.  We have completed aerification of the tees this week, and while this week is typically dedicated to greens aerification, the wet ground conditions and lack of growth strongly dictated what could be done.  The second week of April will consist of greens aerification and topdressing, a necessary evil and favorite practice of many golfers (Laughter ensues).  Aerification is key to the overall health and longevity of the turf, and while most golfers as well as golf course employees loathe the process, without it the greens would be experiencing many adverse effects over time.  To give you an idea, you would lose firm conditions, they would retain moisture longer thus increasing disease incidence, insect damage, traffic damage, scalping from equipment, while also encouraging moss and algal growth.  So while a nuisance, it is a process that is essential to maintaining high quality turf in the immediate and long term future.  In other news we have also begun mowing the new fairway expansions at fairway height, prepping them for the transition from rough to fairway.  We've also continued cleaning up the stump holes left from tree removal, as well as continued cleaning debris left in the aftermath of winter.
In a timely manner the majority of the seasonal crew has returned this week, with the remainder of the crew starting April 7th.  Having the entire crew return is highly beneficial to our success, because we maintain continuity within the greens department and have a crew that understands our performance goals and standards.  The guys on the crew are very excited to begin the season and provide the best playing conditions possible, and we look forward to seeing you on the course.

Aerification of the tees on the third tee.

Following aerification the cores are allowed to dry, and then
verticut to break down cores and incorporate soil into the holes.

Following verticutting the remnants of the
cores are physically removed.

Scalping down the fairway expansion on
the right side of the first fairway.