- Alpine Irrigation is marking out the remaining sprinkler locations on the short game practice area today and tommorow. On Friday they will begin the actual work, continue installation Saturday and Sunday and carry on into next week.
- CTC is moving equipment in at present and will begin work at #11 and #18 green sites in the next 2 days. It is still not dry enough in spots but they will work around these areas. The ground is now firm enough to bring in the large boulders/slabs that need to be laid in place on #11 before CTC can really get going.
- Ted Locke was here on Tuesday to make a few small design changes that will allow CTC to begin moving in root zone mix and capping soil. Sodding will follow.
Facing Change
I'll get right to the point. Our greens are no longer predominantly creeping bentgrass and our fairways are a combination of Kentucky bluegrass and annual bluegrass (Poa annua). This change occurred slowly over the last 2 decades. We are a different golf course today. The greens are different and the fairways are different. These changes require different turf management practices. Mowing heights, topdressing frequencies, double cutting, rolling, fertility and pesticide rates, etc. must be modified to adapt to our existing turf conditions.
However, with the change in turf type, comes changes in how we try and get our course through the winter and spring seasons. One option is to resurface the greens to creeping bentgrass. Bentgrass isn't perfect (what living organism is disease and stress free?) but it gives the best chance of good spring and late fall conditions. This is a whole different debate for the membership to consider in the future. Right now we have to manage what we have. There are so many things that can go wrong with annual bluegrass over winter and through spring that I won't even list them. There are techniques and tools being used to tip the odds in our favour but they are not 100% tried and true. We now need to investigate and possibly implement some of these techniques. Fortunately the wheel doesn't have to be reinvented here. There is considerable research and ongoing practices on Alberta courses to help with any changes we will make moving forward.
One change I have implemented this spring is the use of greens covers for the first time since the greens were converted to bentgrass. These covers allow both air and water to move through to the putting surface and also increase the temperature underneath. This will get the turf into a more active growth phase and finally show us just how much grass (especally the Poa) is really healthy and what is not doing so well. Here I have to thank Brad Eshpeter and Redtail Landing Golf Course for lending us their covers. We have nothing of our own. That needs to change. Even with pure bentgrass greens they can be of assistance during a cool, wet spring. Just like the one we are experiencing right now. So that is the question moving forward. What changes can we make to get this course through the winter in the best condition possible? Just a final thought to consider. If the club does decide to convert the greens back to creeping bentgrass in the future there are management techniques and new products that are successful in keeping Poa encroachment at bay.
No comments:
Post a Comment