Rings and Dots

The picture below shows two things on #11 green.  The first is some patch disease, which really isn't all that unusual this time of year.  However, what may be more noticeable, are the bright green dots on the edge of the green.  Unintentionally, we caused this by allowing some fertilizer to hit the putting surface.

For the past several years, we rarely use any granular fertilizer on the golf course, but last year's weather took its toll on the rough, and a bit of fertilizer was applied to encourage growth and recovery.  The green dots are where prills of fertilizer landed on the green.

What this picture may illustrate more than anything else, is how lean and hungry the greens are.  Why don't we feed the greens more?  Well, as we must balance plant health with playability, limiting leaf growth is one of the best ways we can maintain green speed.  In-season, we often provide nourishment to the plant through a liquid fertilization program, while also applying a plant growth regulator at the same time.

This all may make more sense if you think of the putting greens like a lean, mean elite athlete.  In order to perform at their peak, their workout routine--mowing, rolling, verticutting, topdressing, aerifying--and everything that goes into them is carefully monitored throughout the year.

Irrigation System Start-Up

Laurel Creek's irrigation system was installed in 1989, a full 30 years ago.  During the nine months of each year that the system is in service, we have 20 miles of piping that is constantly at 115 PSI.  The vast majority of this is gasketed bell-end pipe, which is held together by nothing more than the weight of the soil around it.

Given all of this, it's probably not surprising that when we do a system start-up each spring, we have our fingers crossed. Unfortunately, this year's start-up included a main leak on #9--that's the bad news.  However, the good news is that our winter purchase of main line repair fittings had us prepared for this, and as main line repairs go, this one wasn't bad at all.

In the photo below, it's not an employee napping on the job.  No, Selvin is cleaning out muck from around a main line gate valve, so the valve key will easily fit on the valve when needed.  When we have issues with any part of the irrigation system in-season, it's a real bummer when you can't isolate a section, and have to shut down one of the pump stations.

If the current weather pattern continues, we might not have much need for the irrigation system again this year.  Of course, we'd rather have it operating well, and not need it, than to find ourselves scrambling to make repairs when some hot, dry weather does shows up.

Spring Has Sprung

While the calendar may say that there are still a few days of winter remaining, it feels like the switch has been flipped on the golf course, and spring has arrived.  With some warm weather this past week, it was great to see members swinging away in short-sleeved shirts.

For the Grounds team, this change in seasons also meant that we had to kick things back into gear.  The week's activities included:

• Returning to one cup in the greens.
• Mowing and rolling greens.
• Placing ballwashers back on the course.
• Placing divot mix boxes and bottles out on the course.
• Raking bunkers and checking bunker rakes.

The return of ballwashers to the course, means golfing season has arrived.

So while the trees have yet to leaf out, and the Bent is still beige, we will unofficially welcome in the 2019 season.  Our fingers are crossed that we will have better weather this year than last!

Prepping for the Season

Throughout the golf course, there are underground sensors which provide us with valuable information.  Each sensor measures soil moisture, temperature and salinity from two different depths, and transmits this information back to the maintenance facility.  As with all of our equipment, winter gives us the opportunity to make sure the sensors will be good to go for the upcoming season.

This winter, we replaced the batteries in several of the sensors.  The first step in this process is to find them--sounds easy enough, but again, these sensors are buried beneath the surface.  Detailed notes, measurements, and pictures can be very helpful in locating them.  In the case of a tee, a yardage marker makes an ideal reference point.

However, when it comes time to find the sensor in a green, we will triangulate from a pair of sprinklers to the point where the sensor is buried.  If needed, the metal detector can be used to pinpoint the "buried treasure."  (On a side note, that is some seriously dormant grass!)

Once the sensor is removed from the ground, it is cleaned and a new battery pack is installed.  Then it is returned to its subterranean abode, where it can continue to do its job maintenance-free, for several more years.

The sensors are a great tool, and have proven to be extremely durable.  Of course, there is one way you don't want to locate one of them--with an aerifier.  In a head to head competition, between a Toro 648 aerifier and a Toro Turf Guard sensor, the aerifier wins 10 out of 10 times...

As we enter mid-March, we are looking forward to checking the sensor data this week and seeing soil temperatures on the rise.  Some lower moisture readings would certainly be an added bonus!

The Perennial Pruning

Per the course's original wetlands permit, we are only allowed to trim the four wetlands crossings once per year, during the months of January and February.  An additional requirement of the permit is that only hand tools may be used in the wetlands.

Thus far, 2019's weather hasn't been much of an improvement over 2018, and has limited the projects we have been able to address on the course this winter.  Fortunately, trimming the wetlands is one job which can be done under almost any weather conditions.

March certainly came in like a lion--we can only hope that it leaves like a lamb!