Avoiding Sticker Shock

 As we've all seen at the gas pump over the past month, the war in Iran has lead to a dramatic rise in fuel prices.  During our last Green Committee meeting, Dr. Mark Walker (a 27 year Committee member) asked how the conflict would potentially impact our golf course operation.  There was good reason to inquire about this...

While Urea has traditionally been one of the most cost-effective sources of Nitrogen in granular fertilizers, the battle in the Middle East has changed that.  With 30-50% of the world's Urea being transported through the Strait of Hormuz, prices have skyrocketed.  There is clearly potential for sticker shock if you are a big user of Urea, however we still anticipate being in good shape with regard to our Fertilizer budget for the year. 

Urea prices have doubled since this time last year.

One of the primary reasons we don't foresee fertilizer becoming a budget-buster, is our limited use of products which contain Urea as their source of Nitrogen.  A single spring application of a Urea-based fertilizer in the primary rough accounts for about 90% of our annual usage of this material on the golf course.  As to the cost of this fertilizer, we had price-shopped the product and ordered it in February, prior to the issues starting in the Strait in March.

What about fertilizer for the tees and fairways?  Our lone granular fertilizer application of the year for this fine turf is completed using a product with the Nitrogen component being derived from organic ingredients, not Urea.

So, will there be any financial impact?  Yes, there are a couple of parts of our operation that may be affected by higher fuel prices.  Obviously one of these is the price of gas and diesel we are paying for our equipment's use.  While we do have some electric vehicles and mowers, the majority of our fleet is still powered by gasoline.  

The second is the indirect cost that will be passed along by those who provide us with services such as trash removal, or transporting bulk loads of sand to us.  Fingers are crossed that prices will not remain high for long, and will drop back down before our seasonal use ramps up over the next couple of months.

Landscaping Refresh

As you enter the Clubhouse parking lot, it’s hard to miss the activity taking place on the main parking island, and you may wonder what’s going on.  The short answer is that the 30+ year old trees in this space have seen better days, and many have outlived their typical lifespan.

For the past several years, the flowering plums have been losing major limbs during storms, leaving them quite asymmetrical.  Suffice it to say that this winter did these trees no favors…

 

On the far end of the island, the Zelkovas have outgrown their space and because of this, have also been in decline.  

These trees are being removed and new landscaped beds will be installed in this area, providing a fresh, cleaner appearance.

Under Cover

 As you may recall, with the greens not being tarped over the winter, we did cover a couple of small test plots for comparison on #9 and 17 greens.  This past Friday we removed the covers from these two areas, and below you can see the covered vs uncovered section of #17:

We will keep an eye on things over the next few weeks to see when the two sides even out.  However, even with the prolonged snow cover this winter, it appears that the tarps still make a difference in how quickly the greens recover from aerification.

Better late than never...

When mowing needs slowed late last fall, the project work started out at a fast pace.  However, with the frigid and snowy winter weather, things quickly came to a grinding halt.  As the soil has finally thawed, and we are able to get back out on the course, it now feels like a race to get things wrapped up before opening day.  

The to-do list includes completing cart path work, as well as regrading some tees.  This past week, the team made quick work of releveling and expanding the lower tee on #17.

The cart path contractor is as eager to get finished as we are to have the work completed. Fingers crossed that we get a spell of dry weather to get the paving done soon... 

Dots?

 As you finally get back out on the course after this long winter, you may notice some white dots on the perimeter of the greens.  "What are these for?" you ask.

These dots are a guide for the mowers, differentiating the collar from the green.  Over time, collars can widen or narrow, based on mowing habits.  With the current cool weather, and the greens still recovering from November's aerification, now is the best time to get the collars back to a uniform width.  Trying to reclaim any lost putting surface in-season typically doesn't work well. 

Fox Facts

There has been a dramatic increase in daytime fox activity on the golf course this winter, which has some residents concerned.  In general, foxes are typically crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk), so why are they roaming the course mid-day?  There are likely a couple of reasons for this.  

First, given the harsh winter we have been going through, it shouldn't come as a surprise to see the wildlife on the course desperate for food.  For a fox, this may mean hunting at all hours of the day in an effort to find a much needed meal.

A second reason for the unusual behavior may be mange.  Foxes with mange are often (mistakenly) thought to have rabies.  To be clear, mange is a treatable skin issue caused by mites, whereas rabies is caused by a virus.

A fox behind #17 green mid-afternoon.

When spring eventually arrives, we can expect an increase in human daytime sightings on the golf course, accompanied by fewer daytime fox sightings. 

"Growing" concerns...

We are now entering week four of having the course closed due to snow cover, and questions about what is happening with the turf beneath this white blanket are starting to be asked--and rightfully so.  One important thing to keep in mind is that when we talk about potential winter damage to the turf (in very general terms), snow is good and ice is bad.  

Snow can help protect the greens from desiccation due to the wind, and it has pore space which allows gas exchange.  In contrast, ice often seals gases in, leading to anoxia (a lack of oxygen).  Fortunately, the precipitation from the big storm in mid-January came down as snow first, then ended with just a crusty layer on top.  

If the current covering melts away in one fell swoop with a prolonged warmup, that would be good.  However, if we start to get some melting, followed by a refreeze, we will be facing the possibility of a layer of ice, particularly in low areas.  Should that occur, we will be taking a hard look at the long-range forecast to help decide if there is a need to remove ice or not.

In addition to the concern over ice on the greens, another potential issue is direct kill from low temperatures.  The greens are primarily Poa annua, which is less tolerant to low temps than Creeping Bentgrass.  Again, we are hoping that the snow acts as a layer of insulation to help keep the ground just a bit warmer than the frigid air temperatures we have been experiencing.

So should we be worried?  Only time will tell.  While it may be frustrating to wait, patience is often needed in these situations.  There are many factors at play, and based on the course's history, there is no reason to panic at the moment.  Once the greens' surfaces are accessible, we can pull some plugs, and bring them inside to see how they recover under a better growing environment.  This can be a good indicator as to whether we will be facing any issues once spring arrives.