Like so many things, our annual tradition of celebrating together wasn't able to take place in 2020. We were happy to be able to enjoy a hearty meal once again this year.
We are fortunate to have a great team that is committed to getting the job done throughout the year for you--neither crazy hours nor wild weather will stop them!
The weather has been great to address the much needed job of raising and releveling sprinklers, particularly around the greens. Over the years, topdressing and bunker sand accumulate, eventually leading to sprinklers being low, which can dramatically impact their efficiency and performance.
 |
| Selvin and Ricardo raising a sprinkler on #16 green. |
While this isn't a glamorous project which will be seen by the membership, it's importance can't be overstated.
With turf covers now installed on several of the tees, we have entered the next phase in the ongoing battle to improve divot recovery. These covers will act like a greenhouse during the winter months, keeping the grass nice and warm.
Don't be surprised if you see us pulling the tarps on and off--based on the weather we may need to break out a mower in January and February!
Actually, it's time to hit from the mat. A few weeks ago, we talked about divot replacement. One of the things we mentioned is that any divot taken now (and not replaced) won't be healed until well into the spring. Temperatures are typically the major factor in reduced growth this time of year, however we have also seen a significant lack of precipitation over the last month, with November, 2021 being the third driest on record.
While we do have a few tricks we can do to help promote growth, as you can see below, #17 tee is already peppered with divots taken this fall.
So for the same reasons that we shift to "mats only" on the driving range this time of year, we are also placing mats on the Par 3 tees for use during the winter months. Each of these holes has two mats to hit from. Additionally, smaller mats have been placed in the carts for use when hitting an iron shot from a fairway.
More detailed information on the use of mats can be found here: Winter Mat Use
We have just completed the first week of using these mats, and it's been very encouraging to see the positive response from players on the course.
For the past few years, we've been trying to increase the frequency of collar aerification beyond the two times per year when the greens are aerified. Collars tend to accumulate sand both from topdressing as well as from bunkers. This can lead to "sand dams" or "collar dams" where water is no longer able to freely surface drain off the green.
We start by making a single pass with our aerifier:
The next step is to use one of our core harvesters to collect the plugs:
This is then followed by blowing off any remaining debris:
Lastly, we roll the collar:
Unlike when we aerify the greens, we are not filling the holes with sand, instead leaving them open. Again, one of the goals of this process is to actually lower the collar a tad, so removing material and then rolling helps to accomplish this.
Judging by the tee sheet, there is still plenty of golf to be played in 2021. However, while we continue to focus on providing exceptional playing conditions throughout this fall, as the golf course mowing requirements start to decrease with cooler temperatures, quite a bit of our efforts are now geared towards having a successful 2022 season.
There is probably no better example of this than our fall Take-All Patch prevention sprays.
 |
For the past several years, we have supplied the golf carts with a dry sand and peat mix for filling divots. While this product flows easily from the divot bottles, and works well in the summer, when the Creeping Bentgrass in the tees and fairways is growing, it is not the best option in cooler weather. Truthfully, a divot taken now and filled with the green sand will likely be visible until late next spring.
In order to improve divot recovery, moving forward, we will be providing a damp mix on the cart. This contains seed and fertilizer which will help to decrease recovery time. However, with this mix being moist, it tends to become clogged in the narrow-necked bottles, so we are asking you to grab the scoop instead.
Please keep in mind that while the new moist mix will work better than the dry sand, this still should not be your go-to after taking a divot. At this time of year, we strongly encourage players to replace their divots whenever possible. Below we have rated divot recovery on a scale of 1 to 10. With a rating of "5" the damp mix is definitely better than the green sand, however neither comes close to the recovery seen in the two replaced divots. So please, take the time to walk a few steps, retrieve that strip of sod, and return it to its happy home.
Of course any of the above receives a higher mark than the head-scratcher shown below. Clearly this would have been a great opportunity to replace a divot (or two). On a scale of 1 to 10, this example is off the charts--and not in a good direction:
Lastly, if you're a player who often emptied several bottles (of divot mix) during your round, have no fear. You can reload your saddlebag at #2, 8, 12 and 13 tees.
Those players behind you--today, tomorrow, next week, and next month--will appreciate your help in keeping the course in good condition!
Since you may rarely see it in your own backyard, golfers often underestimate the damage that can occur by walking or driving on frost covered turf. In this brief video, the USGA explains the "how" and "why" of frost damage: Frost Delay--It's Worth The Wait
In an effort to keep up with increased play throughout the year, we continue to make changes to our divot mix recipe. Recently we started to include a new product called AquaPerk in the mix, and the divot recovery time has decreased dramatically. Actually, if there's such a thing as growing too fast, then this might qualify.
AquaPerk is a combination of an absorbent polymer (similar to what you'd find in diapers), and used coffee grounds. The polymer helps with moisture retention, preventing the seed in the divot mix from drying out.
Below you can see a side by side comparison we made earlier in the year. Everything about the two pots (including the amount of water received) was identical, except the one on the right had AquaPerk included.
We are clearly seeing a significantly improved rate of seed germination using AquaPerk, which may allow us to decrease the quantity of seed needed in the divot mix. With seed prices doubling over the past year, less seed in the mix could lead to some welcomed savings.
Another benefit we've found from AquaPerk is that it helps to prevent all of the divot mix ingredients (there are six of them, before adding AquaPerk) from separating. Following the Club's Halloween party last Monday night, we received a downpour, with over 2.5" of flooding rain.
In one of our trial areas, this deluge caused the test divots without AquaPerk (blue dots, below) to have the seed and peat completely separate from the sand--this will clearly not lead to a quick divot recovery. However in the divots with AquaPerk (red dots, below) all of the ingredients remained evenly distributed.
Again, with increased play and practice tee use, we need all of the help we can get. A product which can improve results while saving money certainly looks like a great tool to add to the arsenal.
While we've still got a couple of months until it's holiday season, to many golfers, this is the best time of the year to tee it up. The leaves are beginning to turn, the summer's oppressive heat and humidity are in the rear view mirror, and the greens are pretty darned slick.
If you haven't done so already, make spending some time on the golf course a priority this fall. Before you know it, the cold winter winds will come sweeping in!
It's been a little over three weeks since the short game area greens were seeded, and their appearance has changed dramatically. What started out looking pretty desolate and lacking in life, has now filled with seedlings.
We are mowing the greens on a daily basis, and will slowly be lowering the height as they continue to fill in. As we do with other greens during the summer, turning boards are being used to prevent damage to the Bentgrass area surrounding the greens, when the mower changes direction.
It often feels like we are doing battle with Mother Nature on the golf course. However at times like this, one can only have an appreciation for the beauty she allows us to present.
The new tees on #10 were sodded last month, and we've already started to aerify them. Why is this needed so soon?
Well, when you think about it, sod is similar to a skin graft. However, in this situation, we're not just moving it from one part of the body to another. No, the sod came from someone else's body--or in this case, farm--and is now being grown in very unfamiliar territory.
Aerification will help break through the layering that exists between the soil the sod was initially seeded into, and the soil where it will be spending the rest of its life. The first meeting between the sod and the aerifier was done using solid tines, so no cores were removed.
The tees are now well-rooted and being cut several times each week. The hollow tines will be making an appearance on the fine turf in the near future.
You might be wondering if all of this aerification is something you should consider for your own lawn if it was sodded. While aerification is a good idea for most every lawn, in the case of a home lawn, it's typically not necessary to aerify as frequently and aggressively as we do on the golf course. Your lawn likely leads a relatively easy life, with higher mowing heights and way less traffic than this turf will have to endure on the golf course.
So while we all enjoy the instant green that sod provides, it's going to take some time for it to acclimate to its new surroundings, and be ready for the wear and tear that the short game practice area and #10 tees will be receiving.
Now that all of the sod is down on the short game area, it was time to seed the greens. This process involves several steps:
While the team from Mottin Golf are awesome to work with, it is always satisfying when major construction projects are completed. The creation of a short game area, construction of new tees on #10, and bunker work on #11 were significant, and took a great deal of planning. The Club is fortunate to be working with one of the most sought after golf course architects, Andrew Green.
Now that seed and sod are down, one of the challenges is maintaining turf that is at different levels of establishment. That is, the needs of sod which was put down a month ago are not the same as a roll that was installed last week.
Until everything is well-rooted and we can allow conditions to firm up a bit, the mowing will all be done by hand, and we won't be able to drive a sprayer onto these areas. With any luck, in a month from now, we should be able to include most of this in our normal mowing routine.
Without a doubt, the installation of a tee to green cart path on #10 is a huge help at this time, as it allows us to keep cart traffic off the newly seeded and sodded areas.
It will be spring, 2022 when the short game area is ready for use--we are all excited to see the divots start flying at this new amenity!
As we've talked about in the past, the Annual Bluegrass Weevil is aptly named, due to the fact that it is primarily a pest of Poa annua. In the springtime, we consider this insect a good biological control in helping to prevent Poa encroachment in the tees and fairways. For the most part, the weevils take out the Poa, allowing the Bent to fill in.
But what's a weevil do when there's no more Poa? Well, while Poa may be like filet to these insects, and Bentgrass is ground beef, when their first choice is gone, they aren't going to pack their bags and leave. No, we are finding weevils--and their damage--in record numbers this year on Bentgrass.
What do we mean by record numbers? In sampling over the past couple of weeks, throughout most of the fairways, we have been finding fairly consistent counts of 100 weevils per square foot--that's over four million weevils per acre! As you can see below, the larvae are very small, but unfortunately there is power in numbers.
We have treated all of the fine turf areas of the golf course for the little guys, and have seen some positive results. When we start finding "Rice Krispies" coming to the surface, it means somebody isn't feeling well.
One of the tricky things when treating for weevils is that many control products need to be watered in. With all of the rain we have had lately, you might think we could just let Mother Nature do the watering in for us, but we need a fairly specific quantity of water, not a deluge. Therefore, even with soft conditions, we have had to run some sprinklers to get the plant protectants where they need to be.
A few cooler days (and nights) have been good for turf recovery, and will start to slow weevil activity. However, in planning for 2022, it will definitely be necessary to monitor Bentgrass more carefully and be prepared to play whack-a-weevil at a moment's notice.
September is here, and it feels like someone flipped the switch, sending us from oppressive 75 degree mornings, to much cooler temperatures in the upper 50s. For the turf, this is just what the doctor ordered to aid in recovery. Looking back at the month of August, in addition to the rollercoaster of "all or none" for rainfall, we ended the month with an average daily high temperature three degrees above normal.
So you might be thinking, yes, it was pretty warm in August, but does three degrees matter? Well, an argument can be made that when those three degrees are for an entire month, it does have an impact. In the short term, warmer temperatures over the month may lead us to include an additional application of fungicide for prevention of Pythium Blight on the golf course, which comes at a fair cost.
August is also the month of the year when cool season turfgrass has its shortest roots. Prolonged warmer temperatures may further delay turf recovery into the meteorological fall. More warm days also extend the window of opportunity for our insect nemesis, the Annual Bluegrass Weevil, to cause damage. Of late, for the first time this year, we are seeing weevil damage in Bentgrass.
 |
| Bentgrass thinned from weevil damage. |
Longer term, warmer temperatures allow weeds, such as Dallisgrass to become further established on the golf course. Dallisgrass is a warm season (think southern) perennial grass that looks like Crabgrass on steroids. This weed hadn't been seen on the golf course until a few years ago, and giving it more days to actively grow, isn't what we need.
Again, we are grateful to be in September, and fortunate that the remnants of Hurricane Ida led to nothing more than a soaking rain event for us. But don't discount the cumulative impact of temperature changes--the weeds, insects, and diseases aren't.
If the question last week was to irrigate or not to irrigate following fairway aerification, this week's question has been, "Should we mow or not mow?" Rainfall feels as if it has been all or nothing for much of the summer. From August 7-19, we received only 0.30" of rain, but from August 20-26, we got hammered with 2.90" of rain. The fairways are growing like crazy, and with potential rain for most of the next seven days, we have had little choice but to mow under some less than ideal conditions.
Meanwhile, construction at the short game area continues, with bunker liner being installed on Wednesday. Given the heat, the material remained workable.
Continuing with daily maintenance is challenging during the construction process. If you look in the background of the photo below, you can see Luke making a fungicide application to #10, as the new field bunker receives its Matrix liner.
Lastly, if some white grass jumps out at you as you ride around the course, that is the result of a selective herbicide application we made, targeting Crabgrass, Goosegrass, and Common Bermudagrass in the rough. The herbicide causes chlorophyll loss in the plant, thus leading to the weeds having a bleached appearance.
This was another challenging week with heat wave number six for the summer. The hot days are trying enough, but nighttime low temperatures have not been very low at all, remaining in the mid-70s most nights--the turf needs a break!
We completed our major aerification of greens, tees, and fairways last week on schedule. The forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday had not been good, and we were happy that the weather folks were (once again) incorrect. It feels as if the precipitation has been all around us for most of August, but the golf course hasn't seen much.
With most of the fairways being opened up from aerification this past week, moisture management is critical. Just three days post-surgery and #15 fairway is looking good, and in need of a mowing.
However, the holes create additional surface area for moisture loss, and until they fill in completely, the fairway will be prone to drying out quickly. So, "To water, or not to water?" is always the question following fairway aerification. Basing decisions on the weather forecast may often lead to having things too wet or too dry.
Saturday night into Sunday morning brought 1.80" of rain--not good for playing golf, but a deep soaking that will help the turf heal.
Another way to put this month's general lack of rain into perspective is to consider that construction has now been going on for five full weeks on the short game area. During that time exactly zero days have been lost due to inclement weather.
This past week was roasty toasty on the golf course, as we aerified greens, tees, and started on fairways. Aerification provides long-term plant health benefits to the turf, but similar to a person undergoing surgery, it is a physically stressful process--especially during a nasty heat wave.
It was definitely hot and steamy as we tackled the 4.5 acres of #9 fairway. We used three walk-behind aerifiers, followed by the verticutter and drag mat. The core harvesters came in next, and pulling up the rear were nine of us carrying backpack blowers for the final cleanup. While there are more expeditious ways to aerify and clean off the fairways, we pride ourselves on the quality of the finished product.
As the short game area continues to come together at a fast pace, this project has confirmed a few things, which we deal with on a regular basis.
For anyone who questions the need for, and the long-term benefits of aerification, the construction area provides some validation. This area has had hundreds of pieces of equipment driving over it for the past three weeks, and it has taken a pounding.
This project has also confirmed once again why different plots of the golf course don't perform uniformly. Most of the golf course property was a mine prior to construction 30 years ago. Both fast draining gravel (used for roadbeds) as well as impermeable clay (used for lining landfills) was removed from the site. When the golf course was built, over 1.3 million cubic yards of material was moved, creating pockets of each of these materials throughout the property.
As you can see in the picture below, the moisture and nutrient holding capacities of soils just a few feet apart can be dramatically different. To the left, we have something resembling beach sand, but to the right, the guys are chipping away at material you could make pottery out of. We often say that you never know what you'll hit when you stick a shovel in the ground.
Lastly, prior to Saturday night, it's been really dry over the past three weeks, and while that makes for challenges on the golf course, it also offers some logistical opportunities for construction. The triaxles delivering greens mix were able to bring the material down #10 and dump it directly into the greens' cavity. This wouldn't have been possible one month ago with the excessive rainfall during the first half of July.
Irrigation for the short game area and #10 tees is scheduled to be installed this week, just as we take on aerification on the golf course--it is certainly a busy time!
