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.