Important Course Update For Tuesday, August 30th

Pond Dewatering Update:

• The original plan to use our large water pump and to discharge the water into existing storm sewer locations did not work. The pump has a major seal leak and the storm lines cannot handle large water volumes.
• Plan B is currently being setup. We are renting a 4 inch pump, 2000 feet of discharge line and routing it down to the maintenance facility and from there we can deal with the water.
• Please take note that the shortest, easiest path for all involved (staff, golfers and vehicles) is to go around the west side of the clubhouse, behind 18 green, across the first tee, behind the 9th green and then along the 9th hole until it reaches the greenhouse and then it doesn't matter. We will build travel ramps for all parties involved. Hopefully we should be done in a weeks time.

Greens/Tee Topdressing:

• I forgot to mention in my last blog that we need to get back to our topdressing routine. Therefore we will be brushing, verticutting, topdressing, etc. on Wednesday morning. The tees will be done later this week, time and labor permitting.

Twitter:

• I have established a twitter site for quicker updates. It is: @MayfairSuper. I think. I'm going to get Matt to help me out here so that I can keep the membership informed as to the LREP progress and other course issues. Pictures as well. Hopefully this works out alright.

Wade

More Divot Chat And Notes For The Week

I have been asked to put sand/seed containers on some par 4's when the tees are moved up. Iron use in these situations results in more divots. Fine with me. My staff will fill these divots with the correct sand/seed mix the next morning. Everyday, every morning. Those of you that play in the mornings can attest to this fact. One of my "obsessions" if you will is a clean tee surface devoid of broken tees and ALL divots filled. A goal that is usually met.
 I have noticed that some tee divots are filled with sand/seed from the golf carts. Please save that for the fairways and rough divots. It is not suitable for our tees. You help us look after the fairways and we will look after the tee surfaces (on par 3's everyone can help out as the containers have the correct mix). Fair enough?

On The Course This Week:

• Fertilizing greens, aprons and fairways.
• Continued weed control on holes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.
• Preventative fungicide application on greens and tees (early fall, cool season disease potential).
• Dewatering of ponds beginning late Monday.

Note:

• It is soon approaching the time of season when double cutting ends and we begin to raise mowing heights on the greens. My next blog will go into more detail as to when and why.

All for now,
Wade

Important Course Updates

Before the updates I hope both Member Guest Days will be well received by all the participants. My short time here at The Royal Mayfair has really illustrated to me what a first class facility the club is. The next phase of the LREP will only improve upon the "Royal Mayfair Experience".

On The Course:

• The ponds will be drained beginning Monday. I want a few more days to work out how we are going to deal with all the water. I also think we have enough time to allow for one more weekend of pleasant golfing conditions without a loud pump roaring away in the background. For those that may be concerned about the young ducks I'm working on a solution. Hopefully we can get them over to the ponds next door.
• If you remember earlier this season we were in the middle of spraying herbicides to control broadleaf weeds and knottweed on the fairways. The weather changed (rain) and the application window basically closed for the summer. It is now time to begin another round of control. The front nine will be treated over the next few weeks. The knottweed is beginning to take on its fall color (look for yellowish brown patches that are starting to show up) and now is the time to go after it. It is also a good time to deal with dandelions and such. Notice will be posted on the holes that are treated each morning.
• It is also the time of year to watch for frost delays. A few points I would like you to consider. The first being it is almost always colder down on the course than at your home or even in the parking lot. Many times frost will form after you have arrived for a round of golf. We keep a close eye on the temperature and years of experience allow us to make informed decisions about course closures. My second point is that we are just as frustrated by frost delays as you are. We can't get our work done and the work day is adversely affected. Especially on a weekend. So please have patience when we post delays.  Frost damage to turf is avoidable by staying off it until the plant has thawed.
• In advance of the LREP start date we will be doing some selective pruning and grubbing of tree and shrub lines as per Ted Locke's request. More to follow as we begin the work next week.
• Keep repairing ballmarks and fixing divots. I think the membership is doing a pretty good job of it actually. Please keep it up and thanks for your help.

All for now,

Wade

Course Updates

The weather has been reasonably pleasant lately and the forecast for next week looks promising. Sunshine and heat for the Member Guest events on Tuesday and Wednesday. Keep your fingers crossed. We will not be disturbing the greens, tees or fairways to any great extent for the next week. Only rolling, mowing and double cutting as usual.

On The Course:

• Small sod repairs on fairways and a few collars.
• Root removal on a few fairways (poplar roots run out very long distances).
• Aerating and topdressing the walkout area from #2 green to the cartpath (I know it was renovated last fall but it sees an incredible amount of traffic and will need continuous attention).
• Repairs to the old oil spill in front of #9 tee reds and the small fuel spill on #2 fairway.
• Aerating, overseeding and topdressing of various wear and tear areas that are not in play and mostly on the front 9.

LREP:

• The ponds will be emptied after the Member Guest next week. Our large (and loud) 6 inch water pump will handle the work.
• Eric and I have met with CTC to review the logistics of the work this fall. Our goal is to minimize turf damage after learning a few lessons last fall.
• We will begin some tree and brush removal in advance of the projected LREP start date.

Aeration:

• We will be core aerating the course in 2 phases this fall. The back 9 will be done first soon after it is closed. We will wait until early October to work on the front 9 in order to give any members that are  still playing some good conditions for a little longer than usual. I'm not worried about seasonal timing. The late work will not adversely affect the front 9.
• In addition to the short cut turf areas we plan on aerating as much of the rough as possible. I think its been awhile since the rough has been aggresively aerated.

Frost:

• Yes, frost. It is on the way. I will be posting some information in the near future. I know you have all heard the discussion in the past and I'm assuming some of you have your own thoughts on the matter but please read and consider the points I will present in a future blog and the September newsletter.

Thanks,
Wade

Information For The Membership

The last few days of very warm weather (overnight as well), high humidity, high dew point and the recent fertilizer applications have seen vigorous turf growth especially on the greens. More than I would prefer in terms of trying to keep greens speeds up. Missing one day of rolling or double cutting seems to set us back dramatically at times like this. I played Saturday afternoon and by the time I walked off the 18th green at 8:30 I was dismayed with the condition of the greens. They were very slow and bumpy. Thus my decision to cut and roll Sunday morning and double cut in the afternoon. Needless to say the greens were better Sunday. The last few days have further reinforced the requirements for 7 days/week double cutting (environmental conditions permitting) and the the use of PGR's (plant growth regulators) for 2012.

The mowing benefits are obvious. The use of PGR's will help restrict vertical leaf growth and possibly lead to small reductions in fertilizer use. Another issue we are dealing with is soft greens. The high thatch levels can result in hydrophobic patches on the greens and tees. Those are the purplish brown spots you may have noticed. We are using wetting agents and penetrants while hand watering to help deal with this problem. We also have to water more than we would like when it is this warm. Thus the softer conditions. Without going into too much detail it is my expectation that our current program of turf care should reduce future occurrences of hydrophobic conditions. Notice I did not say eliminate. Dry areas are a problem all golf courses must contend with from time to time.

On The Course This Week:

• Investigate as to the reason there is standing water in 2 areas in the rough on #17. There is no known irrigation line near these spots.
• Repair small blemishes next to some greens. Involves very minor sod work.
• Install a quick coupler valve at the 3rd tee for hand watering access.
• Continued course conditioning as required.

Note:
We will begin pumping out the water in the ponds after the Member Guest events in anticipation of pond reconstruction. The LREP start is almost upon us. Look for information from the Capital Strategies Committee to be available very soon.


Wade

On The Course This Week And Soil Reports

I would like to thank my staff for their efforts in preparing the golf course this past weekend. We had the  course right where we wanted it and then down came the rain. They responded with an extra push and got the facility ready after a pounding thunderstorm. A special thanks to some "older guys" Dave, Rick and Kim who managed to pump an incredible amount of standing water which then enabled me to allow carts on the course for Saturday afternoon.

On the course this week:

• Greens will be verticut on Monday and then mini tine aerated, topdressed, rolled and cut on Tuesday morning. They are in need of some relief from compaction and opening up the surface to aid in water and air movement. Disruption to the surface will be minimal and should help us get to September for a much needed core aeration.
• Greens, tees, approaches and fairways will be fertilized throughout the week. The rough will not be fertilized.
• A demo mower is being delivered to the course in the next few days and the first cut will be widened by a few feet. It will take a week or so for the cut to have the finished look I am hoping for.

The soil reports from the ISTRC have been emailed to me. The results are very encouraging and are further evidence (scientific as well) that we are on the right track with our greens maintenance program (and by extension our tees, approaches and fairways). I will post some results from 2010 and show the comparison to 2011 in an email to the entire membership soon. I believe the future bodes well for the overall health of our course as long as we do not deviate from sound, proven cultural turf maintenance practices. If you have any concerns or questions to date about the course please feel free to call me or email my office and I will get back to you.

All for now,
Wade  

Fairways, Rough And Some Course Notes

When I first arrived at The Royal Mayfair last September Ted Locke advised me that fairway widths were a matter of concern. I then discussed this topic with Robb James in the spring and we looked at a few areas on the course that needed attention this season. I widened a few fairways and redefined the perimeter of many others. I didn't however narrow any fairways. I did change the first cut mower and as a result it was narrower this year. We all know how thick and difficult the rough has been to maintain the last few months. Before I go any further be rest assured that changes will occur to make the fairways more conducive to membership play for next season. Does that mean they will all be much wider? No. All landing areas, bunker and mounding position and soil conditions will be given careful consideration before making any drastic modifications. As I have mentioned previously the time to make these changes is when the turf is not actively growing or in the spring.

Here's the plan for now. We have lowered the first cut height from 1.5 inches to 1.25 inches. We have lowered all other rough to 2 inches from 2.5 inches. No more fertilizer either. We only fertilized it once by the way, in late May. I have managed to get us a mower (on loan form Oakcreek Golf and Turf) similar to the first cut machine we are using now but with a wider cut. It should give us about an extra 16 inches. That doesn't seem like a lot but it will be noticeable. This machine uses reels instead of rotary blades so there will be a better quality of cut with less clipping clumps. If all goes well I will make every effort to have it in our inventory for next season. Lastly we will begin to modify the fairway and apron perimeters when the turf growth slows down in September. I hope this is a reasonable plan we can all live with.


On The Course:

• The greens will be sprayed early Thursday morning with a liquid fertilizer mixed with a preventative fungicide (Heritage -  to guard against a couple of common diseases that can show up on greens such as ours).
• We will be landscaping the tree line that is just to the north east of the first tee and west of the 9th green. This area is unsightly with the weed growth and such. A few more Larch, some dogwood and lilacs will make it look much nicer.
• Continued cartpath edging and small sod projects throughout over the next month.
• Preparations for phase 2 of the LREP (details to follow soon).

Good luck to all competitors in this weekend's Club Championship. It is our hope the course meets your expectations. In closing: I picked the pin locations for all 3 days and I'm sure I'll be hearing from some of you after the weekend :)

Wade