Royal Mayfair Golf Club Update

Good Friday is tomorrow and the weather is not cooperating in the Edmonton area. After a previous week of warm weather we are not progressing any further. There is still snow and ice on the course and many areas that have cleared are still quite wet. We cannot move freely about the course and begin cleanup due to the conditions. A few sunny warmer days will allow us to finally sweep the debris from winter and begin preparations for opening day which should be around the 30th of April. The driving range and practice area are ready to go once it quits snowing. When the practice area does open we have designated the north green and bunker for chipping and the south green for putting practice as the warmup and putting greens are not ready at this time. A new change you will soon notice on the practice tees are range finders for members to use to determine target green yardages  We are currently working on the details and setup. This will reduce "signage clutter" and provide a new unique service for those members who want accurate distances for their practice sessions.

The golf course turf is in a holding pattern with the current weather conditions. The cold temperatures at night and throughout the day are not unusual for April and as a result the bright green look when the snow first melts is being replaced with a duller more natural color for this time of year. The Poa annua throughout the course really tends to back off until the temperatures begin to climb again. The snow we have been getting is actually providing needed moisture on the tees and some of the greens.

As you may be aware we are currently working on the 3 damaged greens around the clubhouse area. The warmup and putting greens are being aerated, verticut, overseeded and topdressed when the weather permits. They are then covered with tarps to increase soil temperatures far quicker than if they are left uncovered. In addition to staying off them for a few weeks this will greatly assist in recovery.

The 18th green is currently being sodded (between snowfalls). The decision to resod was based on my experience with recovery of damaged greens at past golf courses. If the month of May isn't as warm as required recovery of damaged turf will stretch into June and even July. The 18th green would be very bumpy and would need to be continuously topdressed in order to provide a half decent playing surface. By sodding now with our own nursery turf we have reduced the recovery time dramatically. The use of our nursery is important at this point. It is similar to our other greens in that it is a blend of Poa annua (from our aeration cores) and bentgrass seed. We used Penncoss creeping bentgrass to match the turf type on our greens. Of course this will mean the use of a temporary green until mid May thus giving the sod enough time to establish itself. The green will not be the same speed and firmness as the others when we do open it for play. That will take approximately another month of care and attention but it will be open.

I realize that the mention of a temporary green strikes fear in all golfers and is something not seen here since the late 1980's but when a golf course changes over the years from a newly renovated bentgrass green facility to a Poa/bentgrass mix we now need to accept some damage at times or decide on change. This will be discussed at length this season and will be presented in future blog postings and course communications.

The 18th green looks okay from a distance but there is not enough healthy turf to result in a quick recovery. The ice cover was not complete as you may notice towards the back. That turf is in pretty good condition but still not enough when you look in the foreground.

Earlier this week we recorded the elevation numbers across the surface, rototilled the top several inches, added amendments and root zone material. This picture only shows the preliminary work. It was then rolled, firmed up and had the elevation (or contours) checked.

Its Thursday morning and the sodding has begun even with the snow that fell overnight. We need to get this finished before warmer weather returns. Difficult, tiring work for the Turf Care staff but definitely worth the effort.



When the green is finished and cleaned up it will be rolled, topdressed and covered with a dark colored tarp to heat the surface and speed establishment of the sod.