Update

After nearly 3 months without internet at the maintenance facility, we are back online.  Sorry for any inconvenience you endured without information from our blog.  We have been busy since the last post on September 6th.  Super storm Sandy came through and uprooted 15 trees.  We lost four maples and eleven pines.  We were able to get the course cleaned up and back open for play pretty quick compared to some other local courses.
We also rebuilt the regular black tee on 13, tripling the square footage, and raising it by 6 inches.  This will allow the blue tees to be played from this tee on a more regular basis.  If you notice a difference in the sod on the tee, we used sod from the putting green to expand this tee.  The turf from the putting green is a mix of bentgrass and poa annua, while the existing tee surface is a pure stand of bentgrass.  We will be able to slowly eliminate the poa in this tee using growth regulator, and eventually the turf will all be pure bentgrass.
Once we finished the tee, we put our focus on leaf clean up.  Super storm Sandy was actually a big help in this task, as it knocked many of the leaves out of trees for us.  After the storm passed we experienced a long period of dry weather that allowed us to do a complete clean up of all the leaves.  It is rare to have the course as dry as it was this time of the year, and be able to run equipment over the entire course without worrying about causing damage to the course.
As the leaf work wrapped up we began putting together a drainage plan for several of the fairways.  some fairways needed just a few drains installed, while others needed more extensive work.  We added drainage to the left side of 13 fairway near the bunker.  This was an area that would lay very wet after rains, and force us to skip it when we mowed fairways.  We should be able to get equipment on this fairway much quicker after rain now.  We also added several runs of drainage to 7, 11, 2, and 9 fairways, picking up some problem areas.  All these spots are now dry after it rains instead of puddles.  Several hundred more feet of drainage was installed on 6 fairway next.  We still have two areas on 6 we hope to get addressed before the start of next season.  With the drainage added to 6 in spring of 2012 and what we did this fall, this fairway has gone from a real problem when it rains, to seeing minimal standing water after heavy rains. The finale and largest drainage project came on 8 fairway.  This fairway has problems from the beginning all the way to the approach.  We installed over 400' of drainage to this fairway, and still have several areas to finish.  The difference already though is night and day.  8 would be covered in puddles after rain, and we have now narrowed it down to two areas.  While there are still many areas that need drainage, we are very excited about the progress that has been made this fall.

Why We Aerify

Why do we aerify?

1. Relieve soil compaction from players and equipment.
2. To ensure optimum levels of oxygen are available to the roots.
3. Opens air pockets improving the absorption of fertilizer and water to the root zone.

In a soil or sand profile, there is either air or water consuming any available space. Air/oxygen is much more beneficial to the plant in this space because; it allows the plant to breath well, and the water that does come in contact penetrates the surface rather than sitting on top of the surface. When a green, tee, or fairway become compacted, the air pockets are eliminated and it becomes difficult for the plant to breathe. This leads to a slow suffocation of the plant’s root system, and can lead to a much more detrimental problem than a two-week inconvenience.
LCC's greens had reached the point where they would puddle after a short rain.  The greens here have great drainage, so when we start having to wait for puddles to drain into the soil profile we know compaction has reached a point where relief is needed.  This has come from intense maintenance (double cutting 6 days per week, and rolling 4 times per week) and excessive foot traffic. 

Living On The Edge

        The cooler nighttime temps could not have come at a better time.  Saturday afternoon the poa annua on green number 5 really was struggling.  When soil temperatures reach 80 degrees, the plant begins to shut down.  When you see us hand watering greens, we are typically giving a quick "mist" over the plant to cool it down and get it through the remainder of the day.  We have actually been fortunate that there has not been excessive moisture, because these soil temps with excessive moisture basically creates a crock pot effect on the turf.  Our daytime high soil temps have been between 80-90 degrees since may, and we are literally forcing the turf to just barely hang on (hand watering, fungicide applications, cultural practices, and praying).  I think it's safe to say that most of us on the grounds staff are just barely hanging on as well.  Below are graphs showing soil temperatures for #3 green and the greens as a whole.  The other picture is a poa annua plant (most of the greens are 50-60% poa) with less than a .5" root system, and a pure bentgrass plant from the short game green with nearly 4" roots.  Obviously the soil at .5" is much warmer than the soil at 4-5".

Irrigation Upgrade



We have taken the first steps of bringing our irrigation system into the 21st century.  I'm not sure when the irrigation satellites were originally installed, but the satellites that have been running this irrigation system came out on the market over 40 yrs ago.  The old satellites only had capacity to control 12 stations, while the new ones are set up for 48.  One of the many new features these satellites allow us to do is, turn on multiple stations on the same hole.  Before we could operate one fwy station at a time while syringing, and now we can operate as many as the water flow can handle. Many features in these satellites are going to allow us to function more efficiently.  We have also installed a new weather station that gives us an ET (evapotranspiration) reading at our site.  Though Jim knows what every inch of this property needs when it comes to watering, watering off of ET will allow us to put back just enough water to ensure the plants are getting whats necessary.  Feel free to ask Jim, Dan, or Mike how our irrigation upgrades will help improve your golf course.  



Out with the old






In with the new



Update: White Tee #9

Construction of the new white tee on #9 has been completed.  We have begun rolling the teeing surface to work all the bumps from sod out.  We will begin mowing and applying sand topdressing next week to help in the smoothing process.  Once the turf begins rooting and we see growth, we should be able to get golfers on it. 

New White Tee on #9

We have started construction on the new white tee on the 9th hole.  We were able to get it rough shaped today, and will begin to fine tune things tomorrow.  We will start by adding 6" of 6-2-2 mix (60% sand, 20% soil, 20% peat) for the playing surface, and adding a layer of clean top soil to the banks.  At the same time Mike and Dale will add two new irrigation heads for proper coverage of the tee.  Things will be finished with Bentgrass sod for the teeing area, and bluegrass sod around the banks.  Things should be all wrapped up by Monday, but could be earlier depending on material delivery.

Deep Tine Aerification on Greens

Tuesday we had a contractor out to deep tine the greens.  While our in house aerification practice does a great job removing thatch and alleviating compaction at the top 3"-4" portion of the green, this deep tine practice gets to depths of 7"-8".  This machine creates macropores at greater depths for better air and water flow in the soil profile.  This practice also creates deep channels for the plants root system to follow (the deeper the root, the healthier the plant stays through tough periods).  This is all done with almost no disruption to the putting surface.  We will post some pictures and a video of the process.  The photo on the right shows the depth these machines are getting to (oh how we love 7" roots). 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRitEjZc2ic

Water Please

With only 1.15" of rain in May, we have been pushing the old pump station and irrigation system to the max.  Everyday this week we pumped between 275k-300k gallons per night.  If nothing else, I am getting a great refresher course on repairing old electro-mechanical Rainbird irrigation controllers.  In April we only received 1.58" of rain, so just under 2.75" for April and May thus far (need water, very thirsty...)  You are sure to see sprinklers popping on, and grounds staff running around with hoses as long as the dry spell continues.  We apologize for any disruption due to sprinklers and hoses, as we are beginning the constant application of water to stay ahead as long as we can.  It is very difficult to rehydrate this clay once it has become dry.  The photo here shows how the soil responds once becoming too dry.  Water just runs off rather than absorbing creating what are called Localized Dry Spots (LDS).

Almost Healed

 2012 Spring aerification is almost a memory.  With the exception of #6, the greens are at about 95% healed.  6 green became extremely dry before the irrigation was up and running, thus providing a bit of a slow start for it. 

The Vines On 15 Tee Are Gone

We had to remove a large dying Maple from the bed on 15 tee.  this also gave us the opportunity to take down the fence and vines that were failing as well.  It has been replaced with a wall planting of Arborvitae.  This is a huge improvement visually, while also providing protection to 14 green.

A Warm March and the Effects on Golf Courses

The link below is a good article from the USGA on the effects of the early warm weather on golf courses across the country.  March of 2012 has been officially recorded as the warmest March on record.

http://gsr.lib.msu.edu/article/usga-warm-3-30-12.pdf

Range Divots Headed Right Direction

We are seeing more members use the correct method when hitting practice shots, but there are still too many who choose to dig craters while taking divots.  Please take a few minutes to watch the video below if you have not had the oppotunity.

Someone is Looking For China

Oh The Beauty!


Straight Line Divot Video

Aerification Update



As mentioned in course conditions, the entire course was aerified as of April 13th.  Today we were able to get our first cut on the greens since being aerified on April 9th.  We wait this long to allow all the sand to work its way down into the plant canopy.  Studies have shown this sand layer helps pevent anthracnose, while adding speed and smoothness to the greens.  We greatly appreciate the memberships patience during the week we don't mow allowing the sand to settle into the plant.  You will also notice that the holes have begun to recover despite to the cooler weather.



Day of Aerification

1 Week After Aerification



 



Who Would Have Thought!

After a season as wet as last year, who would think we need irrigation running in April.  Well, other than 3 and 6 green nothing is really in need of water yet.  While the sprinklers you may see running on the course are not for turf health, we are just being proactive with the dry weather we have received thus far.  It takes a lot to get a irrigation system as old and obsolete as ours running properly, so we have spent the last week repairing sprinklers, leaks, and electrical problems to ensure all is ready when the time comes to irrigate the turf.

Greens Aerification

As you speak to different superintendents, it seems that we all have our own process to complete a project with the same objective.  Here at LCC we begin with two walking aerifiers to pull the cores from the green.  We choose to go at 2"x2.5" spacing, 3/8" wide holes, and 4" deep.  The greens have reponded well to this approach, so we will continue to use it until we feel the greens may require something different.  The plugs are then blown to the collar where they are collected with shovels.  Once clean the green is then covered with a blanket of, fines free kiln dried sand.  This sand is important because it is free of particles small enough to create a choker layer, that would prevent the greens from draining properly.  The sand is then dragged, brushed, and blown until all the holes are filled, and a light blanket of sand still covers the green. We will continue to drag these daily until enough sand has fallen into the plant canopy that mowers can cut the turf without removing large amounts of sand.  With proper growing conditions these holes heal in 2-3 weeks, and the green is back to its previous condition.

Yes, The Time Has Come

Aerification-The act of taking a beautifully manicured golf course, put as many holes as possible in it, throw a bunch of sand over the top of it, and then drag a steel mat over the top until you can no longer recognize it!  

Believe it or not, superintendents don't like doing this as much as members don't like playing on it.  Unfortunately this crazy act helps give the plant what it needs to stay healthy during the season.  The good news is, we should have everything done much earlier this season, and that means a longer playing season on undisturbed turf.

Driving Range Tee Divots

Using Bentgrass instead of Rye grass is a great benefit for our members, unfortunately Bentgrass takes much longer to germinate and fill in.  To insure that our practice tee is in the best possible condition year round, the grounds staff would like the members to begin hitting their practice shots like the video below demonstrates.  Using this method will assist the Bentgrass in recovering much quicker, and allow members the best possible playing surface when returning to that area.

Straight Line Divot Video