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