On the Course This Month

June has arrived although it feels like July after opening the 2016 season much earlier than usual. The recent rains have really helped the turf as there is nothing like the complete coverage of falling rain and the benefits of soft water over hard water (our irrigation source that we had to rely so heavily on from April 9th until May 20th). Aside from our usual agronomic programs we are working on a few different areas of the course and dealing with new issues that have arisen as a result (in my belief) of the changing climate.

1.) There are more worms than I can recall coming to the surface and depositing that small mucky pile called a casting. This began last fall and has not abated. In fact the heavy rains have made matters worse. The castings are flattened down when the fairway mowers roll over them leaving small unsightly mud spots that interfere with turf health. We are trying some products to help reduce the worm numbers and keep them away from fairways. It's a double edged sword as the presence of worms signifies healthy soil but they interfere with high quality turf surfaces. They are not present on our greens. I read that they typically don't like to ingest sand particles. As we slowly build up a sand layer on our fairways maybe this will help in the future.

2.) The ants are everywhere. In the past we have only had to concern ourselves with the tiny pests that are present around the perimeter of some greens and tees. However they have shown up in large numbers on fairways and the rough. Why? I'm not sure. Possibly because the milder winters aren't keeping their numbers in check. They bring a fine loamy pile of debris to the surface of fairways and the rough. Again when Turf Care mows these areas in the early mornings we end up with mud spots. We are using a registered ant control product with some success.

3.) The fairways are scheduled for a light topdressing before the middle of the month. At the same time we will core aerate the 2nd fairway in our ongoing efforts to improve the quality of turf. It has a small landing area that sees heavy traffic both from approach shots to the green and power cart use. Those cores are full of Poa annua seed head. They will be used in conjunction with Kentucky bluegrass seed to become our fairway nursery. It is under construction in the area adjacent to the 13th green, the 12th tee and the above the right side of 18 fairway (the same location of the TV crane during the 2013 CN Ladies Open). We will soon have turf that matches our fairways when we need to do small area repairs instead of using pure Kentucky bluegrass sod.

4.) The new washroom between the 13th and 14th holes is currently being landscaped. 3 deciduous trees have been planted to break up the row of conifers in that area. Val and Laurel are adding plantings to give it a  more naturalized look and our own wood chips (as opposed to the cedar bark chips we use elsewhere) will be laid down as needed. On the 7th of June the building will have the lightning rod and grounding equipment installed. It will then be safe to use as a shelter during a thunderstorm as are the other 3 structures at 3 tee, 6 tee and 17 tee.