Winter work

Winter came early and so we have been forced to stop working on fall projects and start with winter work. This week we started on our tree removal, which is focused only on dead or dying trees that are not only an eye sore, but also a safety hazard. The trees are primarily ash that have been killed by the Emerald Ash Borer. There are about 100 trees we are hoping to remove this winter, which shouldn't be an issue as most of the trees are fairly small and out of the way.

Something else we address in the fall is the course equipment. Over the season things like tee markers, ball washers and benches get abused, so we try to clean things up in the winter when we can't get out on the course because of heavy snow or extreme cold. The tee markers were sanded this week and we will repaint them so they look as good as new next spring. It can get a little messy, as you see below.

Things have already slowed down for us and will continue to as winter tightens its grip, so I'm going to be posting less frequently. My weekly posts would just be to tell you that we removed more trees, plowed more snow and did more winter maintenance; so I'll just post if something interesting happens. You may have noticed that I added a link to Hyde Park Golf and Country Club's maintenance blog. Hyde Park is a Donald Ross course in the Cincinnati area. I interned there in 2007 and learned a lot because, as you'll see if you look at the blog, they do a lot of course improving projects. Pat O'Brien is the superintendent there and his blog was what gave me the idea to do this blog. So take a look, they do a lot of cool things and have a lot of different challenges (Zoysia grass fairways for example) than we do.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ian

Great weather

The first three days of this week gave us some great weather, allowing us to get a lot of work done. The bunker on #2 had been sodded, a snow mold application was put on fairways and greens, a few more fairways were top-dressed and we started slit seeding the fairways with an aggressive verti-cutter. When the weather turned cold today we blew out the irrigation at the swim/tennis club and winterized the bathrooms on the course. Tomorrow we will start blowing out the irrigation system on the golf course, unless of course we are plowing snow! 

#2 bunker

Vertical mower. We used this machine last year and had some great results. 

Slits up close. 

Ian 

#2 bunker

This week we started working on #2 bunker. The sod and sand is all peeled off and we put new drainage in the bunker bottom. We also re-graded the rough in front of the bunker so that surface water will run in front of instead of into the bunker. The bunker itself will not be changing, we are simply re-doing the drainage and moving the bunker faces back down to where they originally were. I've attached some pictures below.

This is the bunker with everything pulled out. You can see that the valley in front of the bunker is more prominent. It looks drastic right now, but once we add topsoil and sod to the rough area it will soften.

A view looking at the green.

Ian

#1 update

The project on #1 is moving along quite well. This week we added a thick (4-6") layer of topsoil and put in all the bunker drainage. Today we put down 13 pallets of sod today. We will continue sodding next week. 

Drainage

Drains topped with gravel. The darker layer of dirt is the topsoil we added to all the bunker banks. It will really help us growing grass on the banks. 

Lots of sod

Sodding party. 

A few different shots with sod. This is the first bunker. The white line will be the edge. The bare spot left of the sod will be filled in after we add sand, but we need to be able to get in and out of the bunkers without damaging our new sod. 

Second bunker

From the tee

We'll continue to keep you updated on the progress as we move along. Hope everyone has a happy Halloween! 

Ian 

#1 fairway bunker

Work is continuing on the new fairway bunkers on number 1. All the old sod is peeled off the faces, the sand is removed and the old drainage is gone. Today we will have all the new drainage (6") exits put in the ground and hopefully start on some of the smaller (4") in bunker drainage. The new bunkers are rough graded in and things are starting to take shape. There is still a lot of work left but we will get as much done as we can before the rain tomorrow. I'm including many pictures but if you want any more just let me know because I take a lot (film is cheap these days).

Peeling sod.

First bunker off the tee

Second bunker off the tee

Third bunker. 

Willow roots growing into the old drain lines. This helps explains why this bunker held so much water. 

Main drain line exiting bunker. Each bunker will have a 6" solid line draining to the creek or pond that all the 4" corrugated lines will tie into. 

Back filling with pea gravel. 

Trenching for the 4" lines. 

We'll continue to keep you updated as we progress. 

Ian 

Bunker renovation

Late last week we started pulling sand out of some bunkers that are going will be re-done this fall. So far we have sand out of the fairway bunker on #1 and the green side bunkers on #2 and #3. Once we have the sand out we will pull the old drainage, cut off the sod and then start over. We had to stop hauling sand away yesterday because of how wet the course got, but we have a very good start and once we are able to get back to it we will. The weather can slow us down quite a bit this time of year, but we are able to stay busy with leaf clean up and tree removal until things dry out enough.

We also added a large catch basin between the fairway and green on #1 this week. Doing this will keep the area from turning into a pond after heavy rains which, once the area is changed over to fairway, will be crucial to maintaining a healthy and consistent playing surface. While we were there we also put in a new drain valve for the irrigation system because the one that was there had seized up and was no longer opening. This is something you'll never notice, but it is very helpful when maintaining the irrigation system.  I've added a few pictures below. 

Digging up the old catch basin. 

New catch basin with everything tied in. 

Peeling sod and pulling sand out of #1 fairway bunker. 

We'll continue to keep you all up to speed on our projects as they progress. It should be a lot of fun to see how the course changes, and improves, this fall and next spring. 

Ian 

Autumn weather

Autumn has officially arrived, the leaves are changing colors, temperatures are falling and soon the leaves will too. This time of year we are very dependent on good weather, because when it rains the course stays wet for a long time and limits what we are able to do. This week we have been focusing on topdressing tees, approaches and spots in the rough that are habitually wet. Once the course drys out a bit more we will start topdressing fairways. Topdressing is a great way to firm playing surfaces and improve the plants' growing medium. 

Topdressing tees. 

Top dressed approach. 

Ian 

Seedlings on #7, fescue, nature's vandals & cart rules.

The last few weeks of weather have been really nice and it seems that you are all taking advantage of it and getting the last really nice rounds of golf in. We have been holding off on some of the fall projects we normally are doing in the cold, rainy weather so that everyone can really enjoy the last few days of great golfing weather. One thing that we are able to do is cut down the fescue areas. Mowing the fescue encourages it to grow thicker and also keeps trees and bushes from growing. Once the fescue is mowed down, we will add more fescue seed and spray herbicide to kill off the broad-leaf and non-fescue grassy weeds that have invaded in some areas. Overall, our fescue areas are pretty clean, but doing this will further reduce weeds and help to insure they stay nice.

Fescue at #3 tee mowed and sprayed.

The area at #7 that we seeded has started germinating and we got a great catch; the warm weather has been fortuitous. We fertilized and sprayed some organic microbes on the seed to help it along, so now that it has germinated it will have all the food and water that it can handle. Once the seed has grown up a bit more we will mow it to really help it fill in. You can see a lot of green in the picture below, but even the areas that are still brown have seedlings coming up.

If you've ever been curious where the large dead spots on some of the greens (usually 5,6 &12) come from, it's our friendly blue heron defecating on the greens. I think the reason why we have more spots in the spring and fall is because the course isn't as busy, so golfers aren't scaring them off the greens. It's not a big deal, just annoying. The only way to fix it is to plug the damaged area out. The picture below is about the average size spot you see, but sometimes they are a lot larger.

Another pest this time of year are squirrels. Sometimes they decide a putting green is the best place to bury, or look for, their nuts. This results in some minor damage, generally about the size of a ball mark. I think they like digging in greens because it's sand based and easy to get into. These are easy fixes; I simply push the sand back in the hole and use my ball mark tool to repair it as best as I can.

From #3 green.

Finally, I wanted to say something about the cart rules. I know it's frustrating to be on the path two days in a row when the weather has been beautiful and the fairways (for the most part) have been firm. The problem is that the rough is still very wet and sloppy. This time of year, the humidity is high, the days are short and the sun stays low in the sky, increasing shade. All this is terrible for drying out. So, if you were standing on a nice dry fairway and wondering why we had you on the path, it's because of the soggy, muddy rough. Staying on the path this time of year when it is wet really helps prevent damage to the course. Thank you very much for understanding!

Ian

#7 Update.

Today we seeded the area at #7 and tomorrow we will have mulch sprayed on the area. This area is roped off and will be ground under repair for a while. Tomorrow morning we will move all the tees forward to help keep stray shots out of the seeded area. Please avoid walking in the area if you can, especially if it's wet because you will make a mess of your shoes.

Mark running the seeder.

After it was mulched this morning (Saturday 9/20)

Thanks a lot for your cooperation.

Ian

Last update on aerification

We are two weeks removed from aerifying greens and, except for a few small areas, we are completely healed in. Now, if you look at just the right angle you can still see all the holes but that is simply because the new growth is a different color than the old. We had some good luck with the rain right after we finished aerifying and, despite the cooler weather, the results on greens are great. Most importantly though they are getting faster every day.

This is a picture from today.

All we have left to aerify are the tees on holes two through eight. Today we were able to get six tee complexes aerified and cleaned up and we'll be able to get out sometime this week or next and finish up on the front.

After the great success we had seeding the short rough around greens, we decided to seed some other areas, mainly the short rough around fairways and any thin or weak rough areas around the course. So if you notice a whole lot of slits in the rough or short rough, we are simply out seeding. It really shouldn't affect the way the course plays, but it may look odd to you. We are putting in a new cultivar of Kentucky Bluegrass that grows more aggressively and has improved heat, disease, insect and wear tolerance, so it doesn't thin out in the summer.  Doing this should give us a better stand of grass around greens that looks and plays more consistent and also reduce the chemical and water use in those areas.

Where we ran the seeder on the back of #1 green.

Ian

Aerification timing.

It was pointed out to me that I should explain why we close the course to aerify right at the end of summer when the weather is beautiful and the course is in great shape. To give you a more complete answer I will give a bit of background first, and then cover why we aerify when we do.

First off, the goal of aerification is to reduce the layer of organic matter(thatch) by physically removing it through the process of coring the greens. Thatch is the layer of organic matter above the soil and below the green tissue of the living canopy (Christians). This accumulates through the growing season, the more the grass grows, the more the thatch layer grows.If you have healthy, well maintained greens you will have thatch. Now, there are some benefits to thatch: it's a good media for beneficial macro and microorganisms, serves as a natural filter to reduce the movement of pesticides into the groundwater and it can moderate the effects of summer heat stress (Christians). However, too much thatch can cause problems as well, such as: being a good media for turf pathogens and insects that attack turf, causing a green to be puffy, resulting in scalping, and it acts as a barrier to water and air movement, increasing disease pressure and causing the playing surface to be wet (Christians). So, we need to maintain a small amount of thatch, but doing that requires cultural practices to reduce excess organic matter.

Before I cover our aerification process, I should tell you that we have putting greens that are built to the United States Golf Association's (USGA) specifications. This means that below the grass there is a 12" layer of sand on top of 4" of gravel below. Underneath this gravel is 4" drain pipe bedded in gravel. By using sand, water can move freely through the sub-grade, which means that once the sand below the green is saturated, any excess water will flush into the 4" gravel layer and eventually into the drainage. USGA greens drain far better than "push up" greens, which are grown on whatever native soil is present. Because we have sand based greens when we aerify the goal is simply to remove the thatch between the grass and the sand below; we do not need to pull the sand out as it is the desired growing media. This is slightly different when aerifying "push up" greens because often these greens are built on poor soil, so you want to pull out as much of the old soil with the thatch and add good, quality sand in its place.

Things we do to control the amount of thatch in greens include: use of plant growth regulators (PGRs), sand topdressing, vertical mowing, solid tine aerification and core aerification. Core aerification is the most disruptive process and the one that we do the week after Labor Day. As I covered in an earlier post, our core aerification consists of; pulling plugs from the greens, collecting the plugs, topdressing with sand, and then dragging the sand into the holes. Aerification opens the thatch layer and allows moisture and oxygen in, which increases microbial activity that is responsible for thatch breakdown. Filling the holes with topdressing sand firms and smooths the playing surface and also speeds recovery (Christians). Along with all the plant health benefits, this is also an integral step to keep greens firm and fast all year long.

Because aerifying is such a stressful process we wait until after the heat of summer to minimize any mechanical damage we may cause. However, a sufficient amount of time should be allowed for recovery from fall aerification before winter dormancy and by aerifying while the grass is still actively growing the greens are able to quickly heal in (Christians). This means that the ideal time is early September. While this does seem early, keep in mind that we are in northern Ohio and cool temperatures can quickly set in by late September or early October. Furthermore, the later we get in the year the shorter the growing days and that coupled with dropping temperatures slows down plant growth as it prepares for winter. We are 13 days removed from aerifying greens and are almost completely healed in. Sunday morning it was 37 degrees at the course and we already are having cooler than average temperatures, I wouldn't have wanted to wait a day longer with the way this summer has gone already.

I hope this answers most of your questions but if you have any more, please feel free to ask! Thanks.

All the citations are from: Fundamentals of Turfgrass Management. Second Edition. Nick Christians.

Ian

#7 Project

Last Wednesday we started a project on #7 with the intent of removing the fescue bunkers and adding a tee to lengthen the hole. We had a construction company come in to do a majority of the work as we were busy with aerification. After the bunkers were removed, the area was regraded, catch basins were added and we will seed the area soon. The area will be part bluegrass at rough height and part fescue at the taller length that we normally grow it at. If you haven't seen it yet, the area already looks better and will look great once we have the grass grown in.

Before.

Zinni Construction brought a bulldozer in and started removing bunkers.

They added a tee behind the cart path on the right side of the hole.

After they removed everything.

After a lot of tilling and grade work it looks like this.

Current view from the new black tee.

We didn't seed today because of the chance of heavy rains tonight which, if heavy enough, could wash away most of the seed and make us re-seed. So we will let the storms roll through and get it seeded as soon as possible. Finally, I'd like to point out that while the construction company did a nice job, they did had a lot of help from Norm Wells' grandson Charlie on the bulldozer. As you can see below, he was getting the tee shaped in nicely and giving out some bulldozing advice.

This is just a quick overview of the process and if any of you have any questions about, or want to see more pictures of the project, feel free to contact me or Mark.

Ian

Aerification update

Last week the weather cooperated with us and we were able to get all the greens finished and most of the fairways. Then on Friday night we got a whole lot of rain to wash all the sand into the holes, which is perfect. On Monday, we finished fairways and started aerifying tees. We couldn't have asked for a better result. As of today we have mowed the fairways and greens twice since aerifying them. They are healing in very nicely and the more times we mow them the better they'll look.

This is what the holes look like today. You can see they are filling in well and if you look at the picture below, you can see how much sand was washed in by the rain.

To refresh your memory this is what they looked like the day we aerified them. You can see all the sand that was sitting on the top of the canopy has since been washed in by the heavy rain.

Also, if you noticed the white paint that is on the greens, that is for the guys who are mowing greens. Over the course of the year there are always spots where the collars get scalped by the green mowers. While it may only be a quarter of an inch at a time, over a few months it can turn into a foot or more. So we painted these lines to make sure that the crew knows where we want them to mow to. The green height grass will grow up to collar height and even the width of the collars back to where we want them.

We were very happy with how smoothly aerification went and I think by late next week most of those holes should be filled in.

Ian 

Aerification week

For those that aren't sure what aerification is, it is the physical removal of thatch from the soil profile. Thatch is the organic matter that builds up at the base of the grass during the year as the plant grows and sheds its old leaves and roots. This acts like a sponge, holding water and restricting air flow. After we remove the thatch, we add sand in order to increase air flow, water movement and firm the playing surface. This is a very labor intensive process, but it is essential to maintain healthy grass and firm, consistent playing surfaces. 

Every year the course is closed the week after Labor Day so that we can get aerification done. If the weather cooperates, we are able to get all the greens and fairways done in four days. However, we got a bit of rain yesterday which delayed our start, but we will have all the greens done by tomorrow and should have more than half of the fairways done by the end of the week. This is a great start for us and we will be able to get the rest of the fairways and all the tees done in the next week or two, ideally without disrupting play too much. For those interested I've included pictures of the process.

Aerifyer pulling 1/2" plugs. 

Plugs. 

Clean up with TC125 vacuum. These make life very easy for us. The alternative is shoveling them by hand. 

Green topdressed with sand. 

After the sand is dragged into the holes. Theses holes should be healed in 10-14 days. 

We know that this isn't ideal for you guys, as the weather is great and you probably would rather be playing than letting us aerify. But this is an essential process and the health and play-ability of the course would quickly decline if you didn't give us this week to aerify. Thank you!

Ian