Early Winter Update

Its been awhile since I lasted posted a blog as I've been on vacation for 3 weeks. My wife and I were in Maui enjoying some down time. If you know that Jenn is also a golf course superintendent you can imagine how we both needed a break. No golf. Just a lot of beach time, exploring parts of the island we've ignored in the past and eating a lot of Maui Onion potato chips. We stayed in Hana for 1 night. If anyone has been there besides doing a drive-by you can really appreciate the term "a different world". Its almost like stepping back in time. We arrived home last Wednesday to -30 temperatures and foul rush hour air. Our daughters had no sympathy for us.

As far as the golf course is concerned there is plenty of snow cover. Unfortunately the very warm weather and all the rain we had in mid November has led to cause for concern on some greens. We may have some issues on a few greens (especially the 2 practice greens) but I'll go into more detail in a future blog. Been there done that.

I'm hoping the Royal Mayfair Nordic Club members and all others who have used the trails are pleased with the changes we have made to further enhance the experience of cross country skiing at our club. The maps, on course directional markers, and the clock/thermometer (for adjusting wax requirements) are nice additions. For that I have my assistants to thank. Especially David Smith. After seeing what some clubs in the Northeastern USA were doing I had a chat with Dave and we came up with what you see out there now. The following is a picture of the map posted at the beginning (or end depending on your perspective) of the trails at 9 green and 10 tee:

As you can see we have several different options based on description, distance and level of difficulty.

Well done Dave. As always we welcome feedback but lets remember that there are limitations to what we can do out there based on equipment, expertise, timing, etc.

When the new year rolls around we will begin work on the skating rink at the lake on 10. We have some ideas that should make it another nice outdoor winter experience at The Royal Mayfair Golf Club.

All of us in Turf Care (Eric, David, Ian, Maureen and myself) wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year wherever and however you celebrate the Holiday Season.

Wade

Covering The 6th Green

This winter will mark the second winter in a row that we are covering the 6th green with the bubble wrap and non permeable plastic cover (Green Jacket ice shield). This system has been developed and successfully implemented at The Glendale Golf and Country Club over the last few years. However I want to see how it performs at The Royal Mayfair with our unique environmental conditions down here in the river valley. This winter is shaping up to be different than 2012 when the snow cover was pretty much ideal for overwintering sensitive turf. It may come to pass that we eventually cover all the greens. Or not. Another option is the conversion to bentgrass that I've mentioned previously but that discussion is for another time.

The purpose of covering the green is to greatly reduce the effects of freeze / thaw weather patterns or to keep freezing rain events from causing ice on top of minimal snow cover. Fresh air is blown under the cover and bubble warp every 10 to 14 days throughout the winter because there is minimal oxygen available to the turf. It's still a living organism requiring gas exchange even though it is almost completely dormant. When snow is present on top of the cover surface temperatures stay between -5C to -1C even when air temperatures are far below zero. This is very similar to the same naturally occurring phenomenon that happens in nature depending on snow type, depth  and moisture content.

The following pictures show the 4 main stages of covering a green. You'll notice that we have shoveled off the green. When the snow fell the green wasn't frozen enough so exposure to a few very cold nights took care of that.

1.) Laying down 3 rows of inflatable perforated plastic tubing. We don't use hard drain tile as the mice will travel along the edges and can cause damage to the turf.

2.) Connecting the plastic tubing to sections of non perforated drain tile that run outside the cover. Each line is then attached to posts beside the green. Back pack blowers are inserted into the end of the tile and fresh air is then blown in (about 10 minutes). If you recall the video from last year it showed the heavy snow cover lifting up and then settling back down when the blowers were shut off. The fresh air is being being pushed laterally to all areas of the green at that point.

3.) The bubble wrap is laid down with the side everyone likes to pop facing the turf (more air channels).

4.) The non permeable cover is laid over top and spiked down along the edges. On the high sides we use 1/4" plywood strips to assist in keeping a tight fit to the undulating surface. This helps reduce the potential for runoff  travelling under the cover. The other option is to "tuck in" the tarp by cutting the turf but the ground is frozen so that won't work in this case.

All done.I hope this further adds to your knowledge base or begins to pique your interest in our turf management practices here at The Royal Mayfair.

All for now,

Wade

The 2013 Golf Season Ends At The Royal Mayfair

The sudden, overnight change in the weather has closed the course for the year. We had intended to remain open until the end of the month but with snow and rapidly falling temperatures the above decision was fairly straight forward. Yes the snow may melt but it'll be well below zero for the next few nights and the ground will begin to freeze solid, especially in the first few inches.  I've mentioned before about turf damage in the late fall not recovering until next May. Now is not the time to squeeze in a couple of extra days of golf. Now is the time to stop play and allow the course to move into winter without any additional stress added to the system.

This now leads to my next discussion. Some members have talked to me about how many years ago they used to play into November on frozen ground. They couldn't get a tee in the turf and drives would roll down the fairway as if it were a parking lot. Next spring there didn't appear to be any problem. I personally can't speak to that but I do know that golfers expectations have changed over the last 30 years. Long gone are the days of always opening on temporary greens and accepting less than ideal conditions until June. Golfers (and superintendents for that matter) want great conditions right out of the gate. We all publicize and thirst for information as to how the courses overwintered as soon as the snow melts. In addition to preparing for winter that is why throughout most of Alberta, closures usually occur a week or two before the end of the month: to help increase the odds of good spring conditions.

At The Royal Mayfair we have decided to extend play well into late October as long as I feel the course can sustain the pressure. Up until Saturday I was satisfied with that philosophy. The weather was pleasant, the final fungicide applications were complete, the turf is in good shape and the root zone wasn't frozen. However, change is upon us and it's the right time to close the course.

Now we will remove all the golf course accessories, rope off greens that cross country skiers won't stay off of and eventually cover the 6th green. On a side note we are already registering for turf conferences occurring in early 2104 and discussing plans for next summer. More on that later.

In closing I want you to know that this past summer has been the most rewarding year of my career. I am very proud of all we achieved at The Royal Mayfair Golf Club and I hope you are too.


Wade

Winter Preparations Continue

Compared to last October our preparations for winter are progressing at a reasonable pace. For now. I don't trust long range forecasts at this time of year and that is why we will continue spraying until we are finished. The weather is always unpredictable during the transition periods of spring and fall so we need to take advantage of the pleasant weather. Also the new chemicals we are using can be applied earlier than others used in past years so the days of waiting until "the last minute" appear to be over. Of course as I've always said nothing is 100% but we can deal with the unforeseen if and when the time comes.

• The fairways and approaches were completed on Tuesday. You may have noticed that the brass fairway yardage plates have been removed. We don't want them stained by the fungicide and they need to be cleaned up over the winter. 
• Tees will be sprayed today. The yardage plates on the tees are difficult to remove so they will be covered to prevent staining. 
• Greens will be treated on Thursday.
• Greens surrounds and areas of the rough that remain shaded well into the spring will be sprayed on Friday.
• All of the above is weather permitting.

On The Course

• Irrigation blowout was completed late last week and went according to plan.
• All of the roughs will have been solid deep tine aerated by the end of the week.
• Several sodding projects are underway to cleanup some issues from the Women's Canadian Open, repair a few areas damaged by poor drainage and to fill small patches of rough that have been devoid of turf for several years (beside the fairway bunkers on #13 and #14).
• We are making headway with the leaves and with each nice day we get a head start on next spring's cleanup.
• Many of the tee surfaces are showing excess wear and tear due to the dry weather, lack of irrigation and no recovery from divots. As a result the tees will be placed in areas that I feel can sustain play until we close. That means they will be moved forward on all the par 3's. Considering the alternative this is a fair trade off. 
• Surprise. The gold tee on #12 is open for play.

A few members have asked about covering the 6th green. Yes we will be using the same system as last year which will involve blowing air under the tarp / bubble wrap every 2 weeks. However it is far too early to cover the green. The ground must be frozen for several days so that plant respiration is very low. A few weeks at least before we work on that green.

All for now,

Wade

Happy Thanksgiving

We have a lot to be thankful for here in Edmonton. Aside from winter I'm sure most people that have traveled around the world feel pretty fortunate when they return home. Personally I have a great position at The Royal Mayfair, a very competent and dedicated management team and a family that has always supported me during the very busy summers. Happy Thanksgiving.

We are getting closer to wrapping up the 2013 golf season. As each day goes by certain tasks are taken care of that prepare the facility for winter. I've been listing the work in previous blogs but much of what we do goes unannounced and has to do with maintaining turf health in advance of the snow.

Speaking of snow we are currently reviewing our plans for the cross country ski trails and the skating rink on #10. We will have 3 routes laid out on the course this winter to try and accommodate how far or difficult a trail will be. We will post maps and flag the trails as well. I'm looking into new grooming equipment to help keep the trails in good condition. Of course the weather will have to cooperate. We've been learning a little more each winter but your input is still welcome.


On The Course This Week:

• The irrigation system will be cleared (blown out) on Wednesday and Thursday. The weather looks promising (warm and dry) thus we will be giving the entire golf course a thorough watering tonight. This will be the last chance to keep moisture levels at a reasonable percentage until we get a permanent freeze or it snows.
• Fungicide applications will begin Friday on fairways and rough. If the forecast holds we'll take a break over the weekend and continue spraying next Monday. The final application on greens and tees will follow. Notification and signage will be posted as usual.
• There are ruts caused by the crane from the Canadian Open, some cartpath entrances and a few areas in the rough that will be repaired and sodded this week.
• And of course continued leaf removal.

Wade

Life After Aeration

The back 9 greens will be aerated, topdressed and rolled by the end of the day, assuming the weather cooperates. The approaches will also be aerated by the end of the day and we will topdress them tomorrow. That will finish the golf course for the 2013 season. As always there is the odd bit of turf damage around the perimeters. Depending on the weather those minor repairs may take place next spring after the irrigation system is back on and we have a dependable water source to keep any sod alive.

However, there are 2 spots we'll fix this week. Those are the 2 divots on the front left corner of the 8th green. We noticed them early Sunday morning. Many have mentioned the damage and some of you have theories. Here's what Eric and I have surmised. First of all its vandalism not just damage. The person that did it is a pretty good golfer as both divots are perfect and side by side. The same person was likely hitting a wedge over the trees onto the first green. The same person thought it was pretty neat to hit off a green. The same person should maybe play at a municipal golf course where that sort of  damage is a common problem. I know. I worked at a public facility and that type of person cares not for etiquette or the traditions of the game. I told Eric I was over it yesterday and wouldn't give it another thought but after consideration of what the Royal Mayfair stands for it is embarrasing for something like that to happen at a facility such as ours. I can only hope it was not a member that decided to "have some fun".

Divots, ball marks, cart damage, etc. are a fact of life on any golf course and superintendents accept that as part of golf course life. But when vandalism happens sometimes we need to discuss it such as now. I sincerely wish that whoever caused the damage thinks long and hard before doing it again. There, I've said my piece and now I'm over it.


On The Course This Week:

• City water lines are off for the season. The washrooms and drinking fountains are therefore closed. Portable washrooms will be placed at #6 and #17 later today.
• The water feature at the Golf Shop will be winterized and Maureen's gold fish will be released to the wild (lake on 10).
• Greens will be cleaned up throughout the week to help with playability until the end of the season.
• Approaches will be topdressed on Wednesday.
• Lake aerators will be removed from #10 and #18.
• Continued leaf cleanup.

All for now,
Wade

Aeration Update And Some Important Information

Surprise!! The weather didn't cooperate with our best laid plans. A trend that has continued all season long. No matter as we have rescheduled the aeration of greens and approaches to the 7th and 8th of October. The front 9 will be closed on Monday and the back 9 will be closed on Tuesday. We managed to sneak in all the practice greens on Tuesday so all that is left are the 18 greens on the golf course. Enjoy one more weekend of good putting surfaces. The weather actually looks promising after we get by the next couple of days.

Over the next few weeks we will also be solid tine aerating the rough assuming we can stay ahead of the leaf cleanup which will be ongoing until the snow arrives or when the temperatures stay below zero and the ground freezes.

We will be working on the drainage problem at the Tee House beginning tomorrow. Hopefully the problem can be solved by replacing the drain line that leads to the large sump next to the lake edge.


Important Dates to consider:

• Greens aeration - October 7th and 8th.
• Course washrooms and drinking fountains closed for the season - October 7th. Portable washrooms will be brought in.
• Irrigation system blown out - October 16th and 17th.
• Lake aerators removed - October 16th.
• Fungicide applications - beginning October 4th for tees and continuing throughout the month on fairways, greens and some of the rough.

Course Closing:

• On or around the 31st of October. That date will be firmed up as we get closer to the end of the month and the condition of the course is assessed on a day to day basis.

All for now,
Wade

Audubon Update

I would like to mention that there will be an Environmental Improvement Committee (EIC) meeting next Tuesday (Oct. 1) in the clubhouse conference room at 7:30 AM. At this meeting we will discuss the current progress of our Audubon International certification and have a forum for input into our environmental efforts on the golf course. If you are unable to attend, but would like to provide input or receive a copy of what was discussed, please call Wade or myself (David) at (780) 433-9666 or email us at wpeckham@mayfair.ca

Leading up to the LPGA tournament, the EIC discussed how we could advertise the environmental side of our golf course to the public during the event. With many thousands of people attending each day, we knew we couldn't pass up the opportunity. I was restricted by what I could use to advertise in that it had to fit on the Royal Mayfair table located at the front entrance. I opted to avoid handing out sheets of paper, as it seemed strange to advertise an environmental program by handing out pieces of paper that would just be discarded. In the end, I decided on a small sheet briefly summarizing some key areas of the environmental program. It was there to hopefully pique the interest of anybody that was interested and give them an opportunity to contact us if they had any questions regarding the Audubon program.

Probably the best way we were able to present our program was through television. Information was passed on to Ron MacLean and he featured the Audubon program several times during the television broadcast. One of the pheasants even made an appearance on 15 green and was caught by a camera. Also, if you were watching the broadcast on Saturday, then you know that one family of ducks caused quite a commotion on 18 fairway.

Overall, I believe our efforts to advertise the course and its natural elements during the tournament was a success. By taking proactive steps, we can help change the image of golf to one that is focused on our partnership with nature.

Regards,

David Smith

2 Recurring Issues And An Aeration Update

Issue #1

We have a lot of trees on the property and as a result we also have a lot of shade, especially at this time of year. As the angle of the sun decreases and daylight hours drop 2 greens in particular do not get enough sunlight. The back sections of greens 14 and 15 struggle in September and October. In fact the southwest areas will not see any sunlight until all the leaves are gone. I won't go into details but the most important sun for plant growth is early to mid morning and as you can well imagine those 2 greens are sadly lacking for that. We've identified a few "branches" that need to be removed this winter. If you notice more open space on these holes next spring keep in mind that the greens will be healthier in the spring and fall.

Issue #2

The irrigation patterns and sprinkler control on the tees and tee surrounds are a problem. Consider all the rain storms we had this summer. Now think of how dry September has been. As a result we've had to use the irrigation system frequently over the last 20 to 30 days. Not a problem on and around greens as we like to keep things firm and the irrigation improvements have helped tremendously. The fairways have been okay as well but there has been some extra water here and there at times. To make a long story short the tees and tee surrounds were actually better off when it was raining so frequently. The deep watering was great for the tee surfaces and the consistent albeit heavy rains didn't really affect the surrounds. Fast forward to fall. More shade, shorter days and dry weather. The configuration of sprinklers and the lack of individual sprinkler control has resulted in the mess we now see around several tees. If we had the manpower it would be better to hand water the tee surfaces just to keep some surrounds from turning into a quagmire. Of course the ideal solution is to improve the irrigation system which is what I will be pushing for in the future. We need individual sprinkler control and correct placement of modern sprinkler heads. Until that time we will have "problem areas" and more tree pruning to undertake.


Aeration Update

• The fairways should be completed by the end of Wednesday. Many members have asked about the extra machine we are using. We own a tractor driven power slicer/verticutter that we decided to use on the fairways in order to open up the surface and get the sand topdressing down into the profile quicker than usual. Yes the sand goes down first then we verticut and aerate. Its working out very well. During summer the lighter sand applications only require an irrigation cycle to move the sand down.
• The tees and approaches will be core aerated beginning on Tuesday.
• The greens will be aerated on October 2nd and 3rd, weather permitting.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR GREENS AERATION:

9 Holes will be aerated each day. The 9 being aerated will be closed for the day so if you want to play 18 holes you will play the other 9 twice. We really appreciate this accommodation by the membership. The short days, risk of frost and absence of golfers on the closed 9 will give us the time we need in order to do a thorough, complete job of aeration. Thank you.

Enjoy the week,

Wade

Aeration Begins Mid Week

As mentioned in earlier blogs, this week heralds the beginning of the fall aeration schedule. The great weather feels like summer but unfortunately it is only a matter of time before normal September conditions arrive. The leaves don't care about the temperature and the high winds this past weekend resulted in some difficult areas to keep clean. Hopefully we will be able to get a handle on things today assuming the winds subside.

Fairways will be topdressed, sliced and solid tine aerated beginning Wednesday morning. We will continue into the following week if we do not finish by Friday afternoon. Tees and approaches will be core aerated beginning next week. We may get to #4 and #16 approaches on Friday if we have the time and manpower available. Greens work will commence in the first week of October. I will be asking that 9 holes be closed each day when we aerate the greens. At that time of year we don't have the daylight to stay ahead of golfers and the likelihood of frost will also be a problem. The dates of greens aeration are planned for October 2nd and 3rd.

We have almost completed a couple of small projects. The repair of the road across #1 and #9 is 95% finished. We will be adding another 500 sq. ft. on the edge of the rough below the first tee Wednesday morning. The paving stone path from the 11th green to the forward tee on #12 is open for use. It looks great and I hope all that use it feel the same. Remember it is for walkers only. NO POWER CARTS are to use that route. As it is late in the season the ballwasher stand, etc. will be purchased for 2014. The tee slope will be sodded on Wednesday as well.

   
The gold tee on #12 was sodded last week and is doing well. The warm weather has certainly helped as new roots are already established and anchoring the turf. Hopefully it will open for play by late May of 2014.

All for now. Enjoy another great week of golf.
Wade

On The Course This Week

Aside from continual rough mowing and regular turf care we will be undertaking some projects this week that relate to the LPGA tournament and work that was discussed earlier this season. It looks like we have a run of nice weather coming up that will help get these tasks completed and also dry up the course after a steady rain late Saturday afternoon.

• Sodding of #12 tee golds will be completed on Tuesday with Penncross creeping bentgrass delivered from Eagle Lake Turf in Strathmore.

• Repairing the worn out areas on the 2 chipping greens with Dominant Extreme creeping bentgrass.
• Resodding the road that crosses holes #1 and #9 with Kentucky Bluegrass mowed at 3/4" from Eagle Lake. I first saw this sod at the Calgary Golf and Country Club last season and it is the best bluegrass sod I've seen in Alberta. It should be easier to bring this sod to our desired mowing heights rather than sod delivered at 1.5" to 2".

• Dave Quinn is beginning work on a promised paving stone path from the asphalt beside 11 green and through the trees leading to the forward tee on #12. 

In addition:

• Approaches will be treated with a preventive fungicide we use every September. Greens and tees were completed late last week.
• Greens will be verticut and lightly topdressed on Wednesday. They will be cleaned up and rolled in time for Men's League.
• Mowing heights are being increased on greens and fairways to prepare for winter. Increased leaf blade length and density translates into increased root mass in the fall.
• The parking lots were swept last week but we will be blowing them periodically with our own equipment to keep them a little cleaner than usual.

One last comment. The result of mowing heavy rough quickly is a lot of grass clippings. These clippings are being tracked everywhere especially with the heavy dew we are seeing each morning. We've been using our blowers and sweepers to help reduce the clippings. Conditions will improve over time as we sweep the course for leaves during the fall season.

Wade

Recovery Work And What's Ahead In September

The "tear down" of the tournament infrastructure has progressed well and should be complete by early next week. Aside from a rogue semi driver everything has gone according to plan. The major rain storm late Thursday has delayed work out on the course but the crews were able to take care of other areas on Friday.

We have already begun some repairs on the course which has come through very well thanks to the dry weather during tournament week. Even a light rainfall would have turned the spectator areas outside the ropes into a muddy mess. The transition zone between approaches and fairways has been core aerated with our greens aerator. Double cutting of fairways for 10 days resulted in a lot of compaction about 25 to 30 yards out from the greens. The spectactor and equipment cross paths are being solid tine aerated at present. They will be fine until we begin our fall aeration program. The paths that were worn down outside the ropes will be solid tine aerated and verticut once Golf Canada is finished on the property. Again these paths are in pretty good shape as it stands right now. We have some ruts to repair from the crane and the semi but they are out of play.

The obvious signs of damage are the areas under the suites, grandstands and tents. It will take a while for the color to return to normal but these zones should be okay. The road across #9 and the gold tee on #12 are another matter. The wood decking has been removed from #12 tee and it looks bad. It will need resodding. We will assess the situation and decide on what recovery plan to implement in a few days. The road across #9 will be resodded after all equipment has left the property.

The driving range setup and repair has been delayed somewhat as the staff was pumping water and is still pushing sand on the golf course. The plan is to stay on the mats and begin work on the natural grass surface. More on that next week.

Anything else you may notice on greens or tees is basically some first aid to repair zones that have thinned out for a variety of reasons, most of them having to do with the Tournament.


September Changes - fall preparations begin at this time of year:

• mowing heights will come up on greens, aprons and fairways
• walking mowers are replaced with riding mowers due to labour shortages that happen every year in early September
• mowing frequency is also reduced as growth rates and turf recovery slow down
• leaves will begin to fall and the long cleanup will start
• tees, approaches (or aprons if you prefer) and fairways will be aerated as the month progresses
• greens will be aerated in October however we will mini / solid tine next week and our light topdressing program will resume. 

Finally, NO MAJOR PROJECTS are scheduled for the remainder of the season. Good news for all after a very busy summer.

Wade

Life Is Slowly Returning To Normal

The 2013 CN Canadian Women's Open is over and The Royal Mayfair is settling back into our normal day to day operations. All course materials should be out on the course by the end of today. Washrooms have been reopened, the drinking fountains are once again flowing and all the ball washers will be filled. It would have been great to have everything in place Tuesday morning but there are only so many hours in a day and my entire staff aside from Eric, Ian and myself had a well deserved day off on Monday. Please be patient if you notice something out of place. We are aware of it and will get to it soon.

Before I blog about recovery work that will be ongoing over the next few weeks some thank-you's are in order.

I'll begin by thanking the Royal Mayfair Membership for opening up your facility and allowing this tournament to be held here. I hope you are proud of the golf course. It stood up well and showed the golfing world what Edmonton and Alberta has to offer. I cannot miss thanking, Mr. Don McGarvey, Mr. Kevin Mckee, all the Volunteer Chairpersons, Robb James and his team, Brian Lacasse and his staff for looking after us and keeping us fed, the clubhouse staff and especially our GM, Mr. Wade Hudyma who seemed to be everywhere at all times ready to shake hands and offer encouragement to my team.

Our experience and time spent with CN, Golf Canada, all the setup teams, the LPGA and the great group of volunteers was an experience I will never forget. Bo Ream and his officials from the LPGA taught me more about major tournament preparation and rules that will help me in the future. The spectators were very respectful of the course and it was an awesome sight to see that many people completely surrounding the 18th hole on Sunday.

I would also like to thank the competitors for their kind comments and appreciation of the golf course. Their praise of the conditions and the tournament as a whole validated the work we put into the facility. A huge thank you to the champion Lydia Ko for her comments about the course and especially the greens. Probably the best thing I heard all week. Make that THE BEST thing I heard.

My last and most important thanks goes out to my Turf Care team and all the volunteers we had from area golf courses. To have colleagues, their staff and industry suppliers here was a great help. Without that kind of  committment an event like this cannot be held. Ok, my last, last thank you goes out to 3 very professional people on my staff. Ian Scott, our equipment technician, Eric Mitskopoulos, 1st Assistant and David Smith, 2nd Assistant. To make a long story short, they are critical to our success. End of story. Thanks Guys!!!!

Another blog post is on the way in the next few days that will detail recovery work and other course happenings as we move into September.

Wade

Advance Week Is Upon Us

Known as "Advance Week" this is the 7 days leading up to Monday, August 19th. We will spend the entire week fine tuning all our procedures and cleaning up loose ends. The forecast also suggests we'll likely be dealing with some weather like we are this morning. It's been worse this season but we still have fairways to pump water off which will restrict mowing there and in the rough today. The bunkers came through fine this time. You could just see the relief on our crew's faces during our morning meeting. They are very good at bunker repairs but they've been through the ringer this year.

Part of advance week is protecting the pin positions on the greens. What this entails is cup locations that you will not be used to seeing very often or even at all. I apologize in advance. Hopefully it won't be too bad. We have given printouts of each green to our 2 setup staff so that should help. They have done a great job over the last couple of weeks fixing small imperfections in the greens which has further improved the putting surfaces.

On The Course:

• Cups will be painted daily and edges trimmed with small scissors.
• Snow fence will be laid out on all the par 3 tournament tees, #2 gold, #3 gold, and #10 gold to protect the majority of those surfaces from use by members or those competitors that may arrive early.
• Major tree line trim. We haven't really been cutting in these areas over the last month as our resources have been directed elsewhere. The string trimmers, push mowers and smaller rotary deck mowers will be out over the next 3 days.
• Golf Canada, Tower Equipment and SER will be out in full force from sun up to sun down. They are behind schedule.
• CBC technicians and Golf Canada electricians will be arriving this week as well. You will notice small green flags in the rough where any cables are laid down. They are there for our rough mowers but please be mindful of these flags and such. 
• A very large crane will be driven out to the 18th hole near the hospitality suite area on Friday. Wish us luck. It has to go there at the request of CBC, no compromise. Believe me I tried to have it located somewhere else. 
• Member divot sweep over the course late Friday organized by Mr. Bob Ingram. Thank you for all your help.

Speaking of divots. Now more than ever divot repair must be done consistently and correctly. Please put large divots back in the divot hole and sprinkle sand over top. I cut fairways on Sunday and could not believe some of the divots that were not repaired in any way, shape or form. I hope I am correct in putting the blame on guests.

• One other task. I mentioned in my last blog that we were done for topdressing. We changed our minds and will be doing a very light topdressing on the greens tomorrow morning (Tuesday). 

All for now,

Wade

On The Course This Week

Before I outline the course work for the next several days leading up to Advance Week a few thank you's are in order. First I would like to express my appreciation to the members that were here on the evening of August 5th to cleanup any small branches that the crew hadn't got to since the wind storm 2 weekends ago. Mrs. Kelay Ohlhauser  assisted in coordinating the group and they worked for a couple of hours and enjoyed some food and beverage afterwards. I wish I could remember the names of everyone so at the risk of missing someone I won't try.

The second thank you goes out to the membership as a whole for enduring the topdressing program last week. We compressed greens, tees, approaches and fairways into 3 days. It went well and the golf course is going to get a break for awhile. From this date forward we do not want to disrupt the playing surfaces until the tournament is over.

Golf Canada, Tower Scaffolding and SER have been setting up infrastructure since early last week and they will continue 7 days/week until they are finished. Now the presentation of all that is built upon the steel will begin to take shape giving our course the real look and feel of a major golf event In Canada. There is obviously some wear and tear to deal with especially across 9 fairway (as usual). We made the decision to use the single crossing point rather than spreading out the traffic in order to keep damage limited to one area. It will be marked as a crossing point so it won't affect play

On The Course:

Mowing Heights
The fairways and collars will see a slight drop in mowing height as requested by the LPGA. The cut on greens will remain the same. We feel that with rolling and control of moisture we can attain speeds and roll befitting the demands of Professional golfers. However the greens can sustain lowering if need be. Hopefully the weather cooperates with us for a change this summer and we have dry conditions the week of.
The rough will be brought up to 3 inches beginning on Wednesday, August 7th. It is healthy, dense and green. Bad news for those playing over the next 10 days so keep it in the middle.

Bunkers
Good timing here. They are in need of another thorough sand adjust and complete edging especially after all the heavy rains we have experienced this season. The goal is to attain the type of lip we currently see on the front faces and less of one on the shallow back faces (approximately 1 to 2 inches). Steep back faces will naturally have a deeper lip as we do not want to pull too much sand up the slope. Ideally we only want 1 to 1.5 inches of sand covering any slope in order to keep balls from staying high and not rolling down to the floors (bottom) of the bunker. Or at least that's the theory.

Presentation
As you can see we are repairing many unsightly areas on the perimeter of the course. We are also in full conversion to fine hemlock/cedar bark chips in our move away from pine straw/needles shipped in from the USA. We have added many new areas around the course and I hope you like the look. It will mean a concerted effort at weed control in the future but we feel it's worth it.

All for now,
Wade

On The Course Next Week And Some LPGA Reminders

3 days in a row and no rain. The course is drying up nicely just in time for the Club Championship Weekend and the greens and fairways are firming up allowing for better ball roll and very quick putting surfaces.

We are now mowing the greens at a height not attainable 2 seasons ago. We are also rolling 5 times per week. This is all possible due to a variety of maintenance practices but one in particular has had the greatest effect. Consistent bi-weekly applications of light sand topdressing. We have been slightly off schedule due to the inclement weather and the major club events occurring at present. However, topdressing will be the theme on the course next week. Here is the schedule:

• Monday to Wednesday - fairways
• Tuesday - tees and and approaches (aprons)
• Wednesday - greens

All these applications will be light and should be of minimal nuisance. We will be applying a little more sand on the fairways than last month due to the dates of the LPGA event. In addition we will also be fertilizing all areas of the course by next Friday. Greens will be sprayed tomorrow. Tees and aprons sprayed early next week and the fairways / rough will see granular fertilizer after they have been topdressed. As usual growth regulator (Primo Maxx) will also be applied to greens, tees, approaches and fairways.

As you may have noticed we are also cleaning up some cartpath entrance / exits, adding more fine bark chips around the course and sodding some worn out patches next to greens. I'd love to work on some sorely needed drainage projects but that will have to wait until the fall. A busy week ahead.

Note: The LPGA has requested that no red, white or yellow line paint be applied anywhere on the course 30 days out from the tournament. Therefore we cannot paint the lateral hazard lines on the ponds or mark any ground under repair for the Club Championship.

LPGA REMINDERS

• Please stay off the grass surface at the driving range. Remind your guests too. Somebody has been using the grass instead of the mats. It's not hard to miss. Please help us out, as any divot pattern from now on will not recover by August 18th.
• Please stay off the course tee surfaces used for the LPGA. Again, the divots are giving it away. We don't want to use plastic mesh until Advance Week (August 12 - 16). Its easy to do. Just tee off from whatever markers you are using for that day no matter where they are placed. Back to normal on August 27th.
• The lower parking lot (and any other open space down there) has begun to receive infrastructure from Golf Canada. Parking is going to be difficult for the next 4 weeks.
• Course structure installation begins next week. 

One final note. I want to thank the Royal Mayfair Membership for your patience and understanding over the last few weeks. It's been difficult for everyone, members and all the staff included, with the course closures and multiple power cart restrictions. It has caused me a fair amount of stress. Never in my 22 years as a superintendent have I experienced so much rain in such a short time period. Your cooperation kept the course from being damaged beyond the drainage issues we had. I only hope we don't go through that again anytime soon. Lets hope for a dry August.

Wade

Storm Update

Many of you will have no idea what happened at the course last night. Aside from another storm bringing the standard heavy rains and hail we also were hit with extremely powerful, damaging winds. Very weird as it was almost 5? years to the day when the Edmonton river valley was hit with the "Push Wind" that caused severe damage to all the courses along the river.

Regardless of whatever the winds are called we have a long day or 2 ahead of us. Every hole has debris to remove from greens, tees, bunkers and fairways. Some are worse than others. The plan is to remove all debris with greens, tees and aprons being priority. The path from 8 green to 9 tee is impassable. Several trees from the City side fell south onto the course, crushing the fence and blocking access . In fact 2 members were lucky to escape injury as their power cart was hit by a falling tree. There are also other large trees that have fallen on holes 1, 3, 7, 9 and 18. ArborCare Tree Service  may have to take care of some of the work on Monday. One positive: There appears to be very few if any large branches broken and hanging from above.

Water removal from fairways and bunkers as well as bunker sand adjustment will be the final step of the cleanup procedure. The forecast is calling for heavy showers and/or rain tonight so until we know for sure I don't want to waste valuable time and labour.

Unfortunately being a weekend we have reduced staff numbers but we have managed to contact some of them that had it off to come in and help out. The Golf Shop/Member Services guys will also be helping out which will be much appreciated.

I'm sad to say that the course is closed again until we can make it playable.

All for now,
Wade

CN Canadian Women's Open/LPGA Agronomist Update

On Thursday I toured the course with John Miller, the LPGA agronomist. We looked at all areas of the course and then we spent some time afterwards discussing the preparations with my assistants, Eric and Dave. John was pleased with everything he saw and basically stated that we are in a very good position one month out from the event.  He gave us some guidelines for green speed, mowing heights for fairways, rough and collars. He really liked the bunkers and the sand quality and would only like to see less of lip on the backside of most bunkers which we plan on adjusting in the near future. We have completed a check list for the event with John so now we will enter a phase of final preparations and then a run through of our procedures leading up to advance week so that we are ready for tournament week.

Any changes we make will be minor. No additional widening or narrowing of fairways. No change in the type of collar cut we employ here and no changes to the step cut of rough. The secondary (main) rough will be cut and topped off at 3 inches. As to when that occurs depends on the weather. These days we could get to 3 inches by missing 1 or 2 mowing cycles. Translation: about 36 hours.

The one requirement from the LPGA is that we do not play from the tees that will be used for the tournament. I asked him about the time frame we decided upon (around 30 days) and he said that was correct and common at many professional events. In the interim we will try to average out the yardage from the blue tees by using both gold and white tee complexes. It will rarely be perfect and it won't satisfy everyone but it's the best we can do for the month of August. The par 3 tee complexes not being used will require the most attention and cooperation on your part so PLEASE stay off those and the other tees that are not in play. The Member Guest and Club Championship weekend are the only exceptions. I will set tees on some of the out of play complexes but they will not be near the supplied yardages I have been given by the LPGA.

One last reminder. Beginning next week the Golf Canada infrastructure will begin arriving on the property with a major push starting around the 31st  involving setup on the course. It promises to be very busy with contractors buzzing around everywhere so be prepared for some additional equipment and noise throughout the coming days leading up to the tournament.

I am now asking for those members that have inquired about volunteering for divot work on the fairways to contact me through my email or cell anytime. Several of you have approached me in the past but now it is time to get organized and discuss numbers and scheduling. Your help will be a much appreciated addition to our Turf Care team.

Wade Peckham

Audubon Certification Update

It has been awhile since I posted my initial blog entry discussing the Audubon program. I feel now is a good time to provide an update on our certification progress and some of the projects we have going on.

A couple of Scaups on 10 pond

I often find it difficult to describe in writing how we are progressing with this program. It would take me several pages to describe here in full what we need to accomplish and what has already been done. Instead, I have made a spreadsheet containing the various goals we need to accomplish if we want to become Audubon certified as a golf course. If you click this link, it will take you to the spreadsheet. Hopefully this document will provide insight into what this program practically means for this golf course and how far we have to go. If you have any questions about the program, either give me a call here at the office (433-9666) or send an email to Wade (wpeckham@mayfair.ca).

Here are a couple highlights of current and future projects:

-          Continued monitoring of on-course pheasants (yes, there is still a pheasant or two out there and they are doing very well)

-          Use of a trail cam on the course to catch close-up pictures of wildlife (see below)

-          Future expansion of our butterfly garden on #8 (more on this in another update)

-          Creation of a brochure to hand out at the CN LPGA Canadian Women’s Open advertising our environmental efforts

-     Create a display in the clubhouse to advertise our environmental program to the membership

-          Maureen and I will be writing an article for the Edmonton Horticultural Society about the unique horticultural challenges on a golf course. A link will be posted when it is published

-          More native and naturalized species of perennials, annuals, trees and shrubs will be used on the course

An up-close shot of a coyote taken by our trail cam

If you are interested in getting involved, then I encourage you to become a part of the Environmental Improvement Committee (formerly called the Resource Advisory Group). This group meets to discuss current environmental progress and how to improve upon our current plan. It has been a great help to me to get ideas from members who are concerned for the property beyond its use as a golf course. We share this land with a wide array of wildlife, and we continue to find new ways to respect that wildlife while providing quality turf and playing conditions.

David Smith

2nd Assistant Superintendent

Royal Mayfair Golf Club

Course Condition Update

We have now been through our third consecutive thunderstorm since the lashing we took late Monday afternoon. The constant pumping of water, bunker adjustment, etc. is starting to take a toll on the staff as well as the course itself. Our mowing schedules for the fairways and rough have been ripped up for now. We need to reduce the impact that heavier equipment has on saturated turf. Its easier to cut long grass and deal with the clippings over repairing damage caused by the temptation to run a mower through low, wet areas.

As expected power carts will not be permitted on the course for the enitre day. I know many of you would be careful but it is difficult to avoid so many areas that are saturated but not as obvious as standing water would be.

In addition to more rain last night and this morning we also had a pretty good hail storm too. The hail was about half the size of a golf ball and caused some damage to the greens. Not severe but enough that putting would be affected. If they weren't softened up by all the rain I think they would've been okay. We made the decision early this morning to lightly topdress, vent (small solid tine aerate), brush, roll and then a very short irrigation to wash down the sand. The same procedure we carry out with our monthly venbing program. They may be cut today but that will be decided upon later. Hence the course closure until 10. That gives us enough time to finsh the procedure ahead of daily play, assuming we have no equipment issues.

My apologies for the inconvenience but nature has forced our hand as it so often does.

Regards,
Wade

6 Green, Pond Algae and LPGA Notes

6 Green

As advertised we have replaced the bentgrass sod on the right side of the 6th green. Recall if you will that we had winter kill in 2012 and rather than nurse it back to health we made the decsion to use extra bentgrass sod from the 10th tee construction. In retrospect the quick fix was probably the wrong choice of the 2 options. I think we pushed it too hard and rushed it into play before it was ready for our lower mowing height. Later in the summer we raised the mowing height to help it recover. It was doing okay until early this season when the Take-all patch disease outbreak set it back again. Could we have nursed it back? Probably but it would've taken all summer. One other glaring issue. It stands out like a sore thumb next to the rest of the green which is a bentgrass/poa mix. So we decided to resod it. Different game plan this time. Unfortunately our new nursery which we built from our aeration cores and overseeded with bentgrass will not be ready for sod removal until later this summer. It would have been the perfect match. However my wife's course has a nursery that is very similar to our greens. I know she has maintained it far better than any sod farm and she graciously gave us enough to redo the 6th green. The preparation of the surface was very thorough and it will not be rushed into play until it is ready. Yes it will be okay by the CN Women's Open. Hopefully in regular play far sooner than that.



Pond On 10

The algae growing around the perimeter of the lake will need additional solutions beside applying a control product (which we will be doing next week). It needs to be sprayed on the surface over the weed growth. We will likely use our large sprayer with the hose and spray gun as it can reach out up to 30 feet from the shore. This is just a band aid approach for now. I have been talking to a company (Ackenberry Trout Farm) about an aerification system that will "turn over" the water from the bottom of the lake and also add additonal oxygen to the water. We'll install it this summer but it will really take effect next spring. So for the remainder 2013 we will be removing what we can mechanically and applying control products. I don't imagine we'll have complete success because the process to improve the "health" of a large pond is a long one. We seem to have a handle on the pond at 18 as it is smaller with more aerators. The product we are using there to help with weed growth is more suited to a pond of that size (read that as $$).



LPGA Notes

A reminder that we will be moving off the range tee on July 15th so that we can have it fully recovered by August 17th. In addition to the range we will also be keeping daily play away from all tee surfaces that will be used during the tournament. I've detailed those locations in a previous blog. You may have noticed the upper parking lines have been repainted. We didn't do the lower lot as it will be used to stage much of the infrastructure for Golf Canada and the lines would get worn out far quicker than normal. The lower lot will be repainted after the event has packed up and moved on.


All for now,
Wade

Approach/Apron Aeration and Other Happenings This week

Let me start by wishing all the best to any golf course facility that was affected by the floods down south. I realize it may seem like a secondary concern when homes and businesses are severely damaged and there was loss of life but the golf industry is an important business in Alberta and many employees are now in a state of limbo. I've been through some minor flooding long ago and it will be some time before any sense of "normal" returns.

Aeration of Approaches
We have made the decision to core aerate the approaches (or aprons as they are called) and give them a pretty heavy topdressing. They are very thatchy and need to firm up both for the LPGA event and the long term. The type of walking mower and our desired height of cut demands a firm surface to reduce scalping, ridges and unhealthy turf. They look good but they need to be better and the only way to do it is by pulling a fairly large core. The holes will heal quickly as growing conditions are very good and they have been fertilized ahead of time to speed recovery. It shouldn't be much of an inconvenience.

ArboCare
The tree company will be back on Wednesday assuming it doesn't rain too much today. We need a boom truck to get at a list of hanging limbs that we identified last week. The elm behind the putting green will need climbing in order to get at the broken branch as there is no access for the truck.

Parking Lot
We have shovelled the debris that has piled up along the curbing and moved it into the open to aid the cleanup that will take place before 5:00 am tomorrow morning. I know its a mess but only for a day. In the next week or so the parking stall lines will be repainted as well.

6th Green
Without going into great detail we have decided to remove the weak bentgrass sod from the right side of the green and replace it with a bentgrass/poa mix sod from another golf course with similar greens turf as the Royal Mayfair. Guess which one. Hint: I see this superintendent every day. Aside from the poor condition of the existing turf the distinct color difference in comparison was too obvious. Hopefully we have better luck this time. We plan on resodding early Thursday morning. If the date changes we will let you know on twitter and through the Golf Shop.

Course Detail List
If you recall from my last blog we have developed a comprehensive "Details List". You will notice small projects proceeding now and throughout the remainder of the season. For example there is some sodding work proceeding on #10 rough and a few collars that will be adjusted  by changing the turf type to make them consistent with other green sites (#4 left collar, #11 right collar).

All for now,
Wade

A Course Tour and LPGA Information

A Walking Assessment Of The Golf Course

As a turf manager I know that one gets a much clearer picture of course conditions when playing a round of golf than when driving the facililty in a cart. Even mowing greens or fairways gives me a better perspective of the grounds. However I did something on Wednesday that I have never done in my 23 years as a superintendent during the golf season. Eric and I needed to do a comprehensive course tour and I figured we'd be doing the usual "drive the course", review our progress to date and identify problems. Wrong. Eric suggested a walk through beginning at the back of the first tee all the way to the 18th green. At first I thought why not ride as usual? But with the showery weather and a very quiet course until the Men's League shotgun we did the tour. I have Eric to thank for nudging me forward. It shouldn't surprise anyone to learn that it was the best thing we could've done.

Out of the tour we have developed a very thorough list of important detail work that we can now concentrate on. This is something that has nagged at me since my arrival here at the Royal Mayfair. The major project work of the last 2 golf seasons and the final stages we are very close to finishing this year didn't allow us to really focus in on many small details that needed attention. Much of the work you probably wouldn't notice, and of course, some of it you will. The list is too long to go into here but I will inform you of anything that may cause you to sit up and take notice. 90% of the work will not affect play. Other work will result in small ground under repair areas. For example there will be some collar adjustments around a few greens that will involve some minor sod work and we are finally improving the right side of the 10th hole on the corner.

Eric and I were both very pleased with the overall condition of the golf course and I hope that you as members are as well. Perfection by definition is a goal that cannot be reached but it is extremely important that we make every effort to strive to attain perfection and that myself and the Turf Care Team are clear on the path we will take throughout the golf season.

I want to be clear that this list was developed to further improve the club for YOUR benefit. The LPGA event in August just happens to be a benefactor of the process. Be rest assured the goals and methods of care we have established for the Royal Mayfair will continue well into the future.


LPGA Information

A quick update to let you know that we plan on protecting the tee zones that will be used for the event. Around the 15th of July any teeing area that has been established for use during the tournament will be kept out of play (except for the Championship weekend). My past experiences have led me to believe we will need to use a covering material to keep golfers off. Something easy to move for our operators that doesn't interfere with light, air or water. I saw it used at Merion. Hopefully after the dust has settled I can contact their Turf Department and find out the exact product. Eric has a pretty good idea what it is but we'll find out for sure. The range tee will move to the Turf Hound mats permanently around the middle of July too. It will take that long for it to recover and be presentable for the best Women golfers in the world.

And without further ado as promised here are the tentative yardages and specific tees that will be used for the CN Womens Canadian Open:

1. 417 yds - back of blue tee
2. 331 yds - back of gold tee
3. 546 yds - back of gold tee
4. 156 yds - back of white tee
5. 434 yds - blue tee
6. 346 yds - back of blue tee
7. 412 yds - back of blue tee
8. 175 yds - back of blue tee
9. 405 yds - blue tee
10. 378 yds - back of golds and the small round tee
11. 191 yds - back of blue tee
12. 411 yds - back of blue tee
13. 397 yds - front of new gold tee
14. 528 yds - back of gold tee
15. 374 yds - back of white tee
16. 143 yds - back of blue tee
17. 397 yds - back of blue tee
18. 402 yds - back of old gold tee

Total       Par 70      6443 yds

If you see some sort of discrepency call the LPGA not me. I'm just the messenger.
This was very long blog post. Hope you found the time to read it all.

Wade

Course Update and Greens Work Tuesday/Wednesday

Greens Work

I'll begin with the greens. We are off schedule when it comes to our bi-weekly topdressing program on the greens. 3 weeks ago we topdressed fairly heavy and then we were dealing with Take-all Patch so we went easy on any aggressive cultural practices on the greens as part of the recovery program.

We couldn't start on the greens yesterday because of the Women's Open/CN Media golf event. By all accounts it went well but now we need to keep woking on the surface and are also venting the greens, something we typically do once a month beginning in June. This involves small pencil thin solid aeration tines that just open the surface to aid in air movement into the soil profile. We are NOT removing a core. It is NOT the conventional aeration that strikes fear in the hearts of golfers around the world. Which, by the way, should be embraced as it is a critical maintenance practice on most greens let alone almost all turf surfaces.

My apologies for the short notice but we will spread the work over 2 days to minimize the interference. The surface is rolled in the final step so you really have to look hard to see the work, aside from a little sand.


On The Course This Week:

• Tee House landscaping
• Rebuild the drinking fountain between the 11th green and the 12th tee
• Step installation and landscaping at the 11th tee
• Completion of remaining sod work beside the 1st tee, bunker to the right of #1 green and a couple of old 150 yard marker areas, etc.
• We missed a bunker trim due to the weather last week so we are on it today instead of Thursday
• Once the above work is finished we will begin installing the paving stone "side-outs" for the ballwasher stand and benches (starting next week in all likelihood)

I will post the yardages that will be used for the LPGA event if anyone is interested in my next blog. These are not set in stone but it gives me a general idea as to what area of the tees we need to protect beginning around the 15th of July. More on that in my next post as well.

All for now,
Wade

Thunderstorm Update

Before the storm that just passed through Edmonton we had already received 27mm (~1.1 inches) of rain up until noon. When Men's League was cancelled at 2:45 I left as the course was closed for the remainder of the day. I could tell from the radar we were in for some nasty weather but I had no idea how bad until I ran into the storm on Calgary Trail.

Needless to say the course is flooded, as expected when faced with so much rain in a short period. I don't have any pictures to post but the Golf Shop has texted me some views of #9. At one point the green was completely covered in water which for one of the fastest draining greens on the property really says something. The open area in the rough short and left of the green is a lake.

This all leads up to Thursday. From past experience I think it is safe to say that play will be delayed tomorrow and the use of power carts will be halted for the day. Of course we will know more in the morning. Stay tuned but expect closures. For how long I don't know.

We've been through this plenty over the last 2 summers so we'll break out the pumps and begin the cleanup first thing. Lets hope this is it for the evening.

Wade

Finally Another Blog Post

May 18th. That was my last blog. I was mildly surprised when I noticed the date. Time flies and the days seem to blend into one long period of non stop project work and course maintenance. Since the 18th the weather has changed with plenty of moisture but cooler temperatures. We've almost completed the cart path tie in work, improved the tee and pin options on #16, installed the patio and cart paths at the Tee House and somehow managed to keep improving the look and quality of the golf course itself.

Recently we diagnosed and treated for Take-all Patch on the greens. The June newsletter went into more detail about the problem so I won't discuss it here other than to report that all is well.  The Legacy Clock has been a issue as we all know but the company has advised us to try one more solution before they fly out here from Vancouver to fix it if we can't.

The next week will see the Turf Staff completing the remaining sod work, replacing some sod that did not make it, landscaping the Tee House Grounds, assisting Maureen and Val with flower work and installing the remaining steps at 11 tee. As for the golf course lets get back to the point form I like to use when describing the week ahead:

• We have now expanded our turf growth regulator program to include tees and approaches. Our plan is begin treating fairways next season as well.
• We have made the transition to mowing tees and approaches with walk behind mowers. We will use the riding mowers occasionally when pressed for time, short on staff or when mowing on Saturdays due to the crossover. The change has led to a noticeable improvement on these playing surfaces.
• We will be aerating the new tees on 10, 13 and 18 to remove excess thatch that is inherent in these year old sodded areas.
• The afternoon cut (or roll) on greens will begin next week. That will be the main topic of the next blog posting as it requires some explanation as to the why and when.
• As mentioned in past blogs the fairways will see increased cultural work to improve their playing characteristics. Next week will see the first of several light sand topdressings followed by a solid tine aeration. The size of aeration hole will be smaller than the size we see in September and the sand will settle into the turf canopy quickly. Our goal as stated in the past is to extend the comprehensive cultural practices we use on greens and tees to the fairways as well. Over time the fairways will become firmer and drain more efficiently. I'm not sure how long it will take but we own 2 large area top dressers so maybe 2 or 3 days. Impact on play will be minimal.
• Greens and tees will be top dressed mid week. Approaches were topdressed this past Wednesday. Did you notice?
• The striping push mower we purchased has arrived and we will be mowing the driving range target greens. By "burning in" the cut on the target greens it's hoped they stand out in relation to the rest of the range.
• Continued planting at the numerous beds throughout the course. Maureen and Val have finally caught up and the course perennials are glowing right now. Great job ladies!!
• I'm sure I've missed something. If you as members have questions or concerns feel free to email me or call my cell. That information is available through various sources at the Club.

All for now,
Wade

5 Further Topics Of Discussion

    1.   The Natural Grass Driving Range Tee

          The tee will open for use on Wednesday, May 22nd. It will be mowed at 3/4inches and then lowered to 1/2 inch (our standard fairway height) until we lower the fairway cut to .450 inches for the LPGA event. This height change will occur around the beginning of August which is about the same time we will have to go back to the Turf Hound artificial surface. The grass tee will need several weeks to recover and be in good condition for the CN Canadian Womens Open. There is a trend in range use to configure your divot pattern for easier recovery time. Although I agree with the rationale I'm not going to go into the explanation and description at this time. I will soon post a link that describes all of the above in a much clearer fashion than I can here.

     2.  The Target Greens

          We have purchased a unique walking rotary mower that stripes lawns and by chance the Royal Mayfair Target Greens. What a coincidence. It also cuts quite low so that the target greens will stand out and give you the feel of hitting to an actual green site. As soon as the mower arrives we will insert the mowing of the targets into our maintenance practices. On a side note we will also begin to mark out and cut shorter turf areas around the the 2 new chipping greens. It will take time as we don't want to severely scalp the existing turf.

      3.  Fairway Widening

           The widening of sections of fairways on holes 3, 12 and 13 has begun. In addition we are also expanding the apron cut to the right of the 11th green in order to bring the water into play for short right shots as requested by our architect Ted Locke. For better or worse I like the concept too. We are presently mowing these areas at 1 inch and will slowly lower them to fairway and apron heights. As mentioned previously a slow drop in height will reduce unsightly scalping and severe yellowing of the turf.

      4.  Pro Paths

           I was going to wait until the LPGA agronomist visited the club before proceeding with establishment of the short cut walking paths from tees to fairways but I want them started now for your benefit. If a few need to be moved so be it however I think I have a pretty good idea of what to do. I also called Aaron Franceour (superintendent at Coloniale Golf Club and former assistant superintendent at the Royal Mayfair) for some advice. Aaron was at the club during the 2007 Open. I hope I spelled his last name correctly. Its easier to call him by his nickname: Frenchy.

Now last but certainly not least the final point of discussion: TOPDRESSING

        At the Royal Mayfair I believe there is no more important supplemental cultural practice than consistent bi weekly sand topdressing. I think it is the most important tool we have to establish the correct organic matter content (which will likely vary from any other golf course) that will allow for firm surfaces, assist with water infiltration rates and create a healthy root zone. Even more so than core aeration. Have no fear we will still aerate!! I know you are all glad to hear that. The timing of aeration is a topic for a later blog. We have worked hard on the greens over the last 2 seasons with very positive results. We now need to apply the same practices to our tees, aprons and fairways. Topdressing is more intrusive on greens than anywhere else so it won't have the same impact when applied to other areas of the course. Aside from the greens our goal is to get the other fine cut turf areas to another level not seen before at this golf course. Case in point: Keith Blayney and his staff at the Edmonton Petroleum Club have the finest tee surfaces around. We are close but further work is required. This is all leading up to the following. As members you are accustomed to our topdressing practices but now we plan on increasing the frequency of fairway topdressing too. In addition to the major application in late September we will also begin monthly light sand topdressing in June as part of a program to increase the quality of our Poa annua / Kentucky Bluegrass fairways. Although this August we will skip it for obvious reasons. The application will only take a couple of days as we now own 2 fairway topdressers.  The sand will be irrigated down into the turf canopy during the evening irrigation cycle. The improvement to the fairways will be slow but more noticeable as time goes on. My visit to the Vancouver Golf Club last summer was all the evidence I needed to increase the yearly quantity of sand topdressing. 

I hope you have taken the time to read this blog and as always, I'm available to discuss all matters concerning the course in person, over the phone or by email.

Wade

Next Week And Beyond

I'll start off by saying that I have a myriad of topics to discuss and a lot of information that you, the membership, should know about. Unfortunately one blog would be too long and I doubt it would hold your interest all the way to the end. So I'm going to post 2 blogs today: a point form entry concerning work on the course in the week ahead and another entry discussing some important cultural practices and some LPGA preparation talk. Read at your own convenience.

Next Week On The Course

• Lowering mowing heights on the greens and tees. We are still a few steps away from our lowest mowing height on the greens but we will be there much quicker than in the past.
• Liquid fertilizer application on the fairways with a weed control product added to the solution to eliminate the odd dandelion and some knottweed that is difficult to see on the fairways but is present in certain locations.
• Arbor Care Tree Services will be on the course working at #16 reducing the impact the overhanging poplar branches are having on tee marker positioning and pin locations. It will take a couple of days and some noise until 11 a.m. each morning.
• Following the work on #16 Arbor Care will then cut off any broken or dangerous limbs throughout the course. Please use caution when you are near the boom truck.

Note: The early and deep snow pack last winter did not allow the work to be completed at a more convenient time. Any work we had planned for the elms was also not done thus we now have to wait until November as required by a very strict City bylaw.

• The curbing work is finished and we will be sodding the cart path tie ins beginning on Wednesday. Precast concrete steps will then be added at the 1st and 11th tees. Paving stone side outs are the final piece of the project.
• Maureen and Val will continue with planting bed cleanup. They are about 10 days behind their usual schedule because of the extended winter. It is difficult to give them extra help at this time with the work the Turf Care staff are doing elsewhere. They will start planting in late May and early June.
• Opening the natural grass driving range tee on Wednesday. More on that in the 2nd blog.
• The Legacy Clock will be bolted to the concrete base and powered up on Tuesday.
• Weed control in the rough and alongside treelines. Watch for notification and signage. Please contact me for more information if required (Killex: 2,4-D, MCPP and Dicamba).
• Topdressing greens, tees and aprons. Greens scheduled for Tuesday morning due to the long weekend.

We are off to a great start but there are many loose ends that need to be attended to on our way to reaching our goal of achieving the highest level of conditioning and presentation at The Royal Mayfair.

Wade

LPGA Site Visit And On The Course This Week

Jim Haley from the LPGA visited the course last week to review the Golf Canada site plans on the course, review course conditions and make some fairway and rough adjustments. He also supplied me with specific tee decks and yardages that will be used for the Professionals in August. The changes have been explained to me and I can't say I disagree with the rationale. Be rest assured though that once the tournament has ended we will widen any areas that have been narrowed. Some fairways will actually be widened in spots and there is a good chance we will leave those areas as is. Here are the changes:

Note that for our reference a pace is one normal stride for someone 6 feet tall (a little more for someone vertically challenged like myself).

• Hole #1- the rough will be brought in 6 paces on each side.
• Hole #2- the rough will be brought in on the left side up to and even with the fairway bunker by 12 paces.
• Hole #3- the left side will be narrowed by 6 paces and the right side will be widened by 12 paces from 200 to 300 yards out from the tee.
• Hole #12- the left side will be widened by 12 paces 200 to 300 yards out from the tee.
• Hole #13- the left side past the fairway bunker will be widened by 6 paces.

Jim was pleased with the course conditions and approved of our mowing patterns and practices. The LPGA agronomist will be visiting the club in late May to discuss our cultural practices in more detail. I'm sure we will hear the most used term in present day golf course terminology: "We like it firm and fast". I'll report the results of that visit as well.

We will begin making these changes immediately especially since we need to cut down some rough and now is the time of year to do it. I know the Ladies Open is 3 months away but time flies. Over the next few days you'll notice a lot of white paint on the course. In addition to fairway marking the greens will be adjusted as they tend to get larger at the end of every season.

The pro paths (short cut path for walkers from tee to fairway) will also be established. Jim suggested we wait until the agronomist visits but we are going ahead. They can always be moved if necessary. These paths are for the membership too so there is no sense waiting any longer.

On The Course This Week

• continued curbing work at the 1st and 18th tees
• continued landscaping work, cart path tie-in and step installation
• install water fountains/aerators on the ponds
• clean out and turn on the water feature beside the Golf Shop
• pour the concrete base for the legacy clock
• aerate, overseed and topdress the haul road across the 9th fairway (this same path will be used as a crossing point for spectators, etc. during the Open
• mechanical removal of debris in the ponds and begin weed control practices
• fairway and greens height of cut to be lowered mid week

As for the height of cut on greens we are still a few steps away from our desired cut but it will come quicker than the past few seasons. We are rolling frequently and it is time to apply growth regulators as well.  My thanks to the Turf Care Team for a job well done over the last few weeks. Another busy week lies ahead. Hard to believe we've only been open 6 days. 

All for now,

Wade