On Thursday and Friday we shovelled off 2 or 3 patches on each green. We also took in 2 plugs from the 12th green and brought them into the greenhouse. More on that in a bit. I'll briefly outline what we found and then give an early assessment. We didn't find any areas of sheet ice covering extensive areas of any greens. In most spots we were able to shovel and scrape off solid snow cover down to the turf. There was no tell tale odor that signifies dead or dying turf. However there are small spots of ice that formed wherever an animal, person or skier crossed a green. This ice formed early in the winter. Long enough to cause problems.
The 2 plugs we took in consisted of one that was clear of ice and one that had an small ice block on it. The plug with no ice looked good this morning (Saturday). The ice covered plug began smelling Friday morning. This morning the smell was gone but there is dead turf. There is some live turf as well which is creeping bentgrass (can survive under ice for over 100 days). The dead turf is the annual bluegrass (Poa annua). So generally I am cautiously optimistic that we will come out in fair condition considering the winter we had. Some problems yes but we will deal with them as soon as conditions warrant. The next issue is how the spring progresses. We aren't out of the woods yet. Turf has been lost during the critical period between winter and consistently warmer temperatures. As the days progress we will make further decisions on when to begin removing snow. My preference is to keep the snow on as long as the greens are dormant (frozen) at the surface. More for protecting the vulnerable annual bluegrass than anything else.
It is still only mid March. Winter can rear its head again. Hopefully not though as it will help us get an early start on both the LREP and the 2012 golf season. Its late so this blog has not been proofed. Please excuse any errors. More updates later in the month.
Wade
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Thoughts On The Rough, Fairway Widths And Other Considerations
As promised in my last blog it is now a good time to express my thoughts on the width of our fairways and the mowing height of the rough. Let me first state that my resistance to any drastic mid season change in fairway widths had to do with turf health rather than some stubborn resolve to abide by the status quo. Spring is the time of year to make fairway changes. It is easier to cut down turf that is not lush and dense and recovery can begin quickly. It is my hope that by widening the fairways in many of the landing zones the game can become easier and more enjoyable for most of the membership. Changes for the longer ball stikers may involve bringing more bunkers into play by reducing the rough between a bunker and a fairway . To me that is now moving into how one manages their game and the golf course.
Early in the spring I plan to bring Robb out with me to review each fairway to establish generous landing areas if necessary. That is not to say it will meet everyone's expectations. We will do our best to identify problem areas but also keep in mind that design restrictions such as bunker placement, fairway routing and turf type will factor into the results. Also, its funny how thick long turf in the rough can give the illusion that fairways are "narrower than ever". That brings us to our next issue.
Last season the rough was extremely dense and at times was too long due to a variety of factors. The desire to improve the overall turf health in the rough by changing the fertilizer program and the constant rains that followed created the perfect storm. It certainly made for some difficult golf on a few occasions. Usually weekends. I played on a few Sundays and realized changes were required. This season the first cut will be wider by a foot and as a fairway is widened obviously the rough will move outwards as well. The actual height of the main rough will be lowered so that if we do get into a situation where we cannot mow for whatever reason we are not faced with 6 inch turf by the time we can begin cutting again. Remember that with all plans the odd wrench can be tossed into the mix but we'll do our best to keep conditions consistent, fair and enjoyable for all.
Now that we are getting the snow we could have used earlier this winter I will delay any discussion about target opening dates until I return from a vacation on the 26th of March. I promise to keep a far away eye (thanks Eric) on the weather in Edmonton and update the membership if warranted.
Anyone out on the course whether walking or skiing will notice some activity on holes 17 and 18. An independent wildlife monitoring company is working with some researchers on coyote movement through the river valley. They have identified a den and are tracking a mating pair of adult coyotes on our property. I'm sure many of you have seen them and their pups in the past. They are also filming the work for an outdoor/environmental show and The Royal Mayfair will be identified for assisting in the work. Definitely a positive example of the benefits that golf courses have for sustaining wildlife habitat in the city. On that note, with the addition of David Smith, our new 2nd assitant, we will be revisiting the process to become Audubon certified in the near future.
Before I close I thought I should mention that Eric and I recently returned from the Golf Industry Show in Vegas. This turf conference organized in large part by the GCSAA (Golf Course Superintendents Association Of America) offered a week of in-depth seminars, shorter daily interest sessions and an outstanding trade show highlighting all aspects of turf management needs and associated research institutions. The keynote speaker, David Feherty, was the highlight for many. I can't begin to express the value of attending this conference as well as our own in Canada. Our industry is constantly evolving especially with the popularity of social media sites and the rapid exchange of information between our colleagues that is now occurring. Another blog topic in itself! Scroll to the bottom for some wildlife photos.
Aloha,
Wade
Early in the spring I plan to bring Robb out with me to review each fairway to establish generous landing areas if necessary. That is not to say it will meet everyone's expectations. We will do our best to identify problem areas but also keep in mind that design restrictions such as bunker placement, fairway routing and turf type will factor into the results. Also, its funny how thick long turf in the rough can give the illusion that fairways are "narrower than ever". That brings us to our next issue.
Last season the rough was extremely dense and at times was too long due to a variety of factors. The desire to improve the overall turf health in the rough by changing the fertilizer program and the constant rains that followed created the perfect storm. It certainly made for some difficult golf on a few occasions. Usually weekends. I played on a few Sundays and realized changes were required. This season the first cut will be wider by a foot and as a fairway is widened obviously the rough will move outwards as well. The actual height of the main rough will be lowered so that if we do get into a situation where we cannot mow for whatever reason we are not faced with 6 inch turf by the time we can begin cutting again. Remember that with all plans the odd wrench can be tossed into the mix but we'll do our best to keep conditions consistent, fair and enjoyable for all.
Now that we are getting the snow we could have used earlier this winter I will delay any discussion about target opening dates until I return from a vacation on the 26th of March. I promise to keep a far away eye (thanks Eric) on the weather in Edmonton and update the membership if warranted.
Anyone out on the course whether walking or skiing will notice some activity on holes 17 and 18. An independent wildlife monitoring company is working with some researchers on coyote movement through the river valley. They have identified a den and are tracking a mating pair of adult coyotes on our property. I'm sure many of you have seen them and their pups in the past. They are also filming the work for an outdoor/environmental show and The Royal Mayfair will be identified for assisting in the work. Definitely a positive example of the benefits that golf courses have for sustaining wildlife habitat in the city. On that note, with the addition of David Smith, our new 2nd assitant, we will be revisiting the process to become Audubon certified in the near future.
Before I close I thought I should mention that Eric and I recently returned from the Golf Industry Show in Vegas. This turf conference organized in large part by the GCSAA (Golf Course Superintendents Association Of America) offered a week of in-depth seminars, shorter daily interest sessions and an outstanding trade show highlighting all aspects of turf management needs and associated research institutions. The keynote speaker, David Feherty, was the highlight for many. I can't begin to express the value of attending this conference as well as our own in Canada. Our industry is constantly evolving especially with the popularity of social media sites and the rapid exchange of information between our colleagues that is now occurring. Another blog topic in itself! Scroll to the bottom for some wildlife photos.
Aloha,
Wade
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)