The beat goes on...

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!

Managing Moisture

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.  

A tad warm...

 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.

Due to the extremely short root system, the aerification process is particularly stressful on the Poa annua greens in August.  Seeing a very solid dew pattern on the greens Friday morning (four days post-surgery) was definitely encouraging,  

Meanwhile...back at the short game area, the excitement continued with the irrigation being installed in a quick two days, and it is now good to go.  Sod for the bunker and green surrounds will be going down this week.

"Weather permitting" remains our mantra as we hope to finish our major aerification of the year this current week, and move on to our next project.

Observations from construction...

 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.  

However, if you look closely, you can see some green dots on the old fairway.  Those dots are from aerification which took place exactly one full year ago!

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!

Keep your eye on the prize...

 Undoubtedly, the short game area construction requires a good bit of attention.  Again this past week, the team from Mottin Golf Course Renovations  was able to make great progress in shaping the area's features and adding drainage.

However, while the construction is important, we can't become complacent about golf course maintenance as we enter August.  Out of the 12 months, this is the one when cool-season turfgrass has its shortest roots of the entire year.  

In scouting for Annual Bluegrass Weevils, we continue to use a disclosing solution to get a head count, and see if they currently pose a threat to the fine turf.

At this time of year we also take additional measures to try and protect the turf.  For example in areas which have limited room for equipment, pieces of lattice are put in place each morning for the mowers to turn on.

With all of these plates spinning, we will be adding one more, as we prepare for aerification, which is right around the corner.  Our fleet of equipment takes a pounding during this process, so we have to make sure it is good to go.

August weather can certainly be unpredictable and challenging, but a night in the 50's over the weekend felt like a small victory, and was certainly appreciated by both the turf and those who tend to it!