THICK ROUGH, YELLOW RINGS AND NEXT WEEK

Once in awhile in golf course maintenance all the planets line up and "The Perfect Storm" hits you hard. The conditions in the rough right now are a good example. It is thick, growing non stop and wet. That usually results in upset golfers and maintenance staff that can't understand why they have to cut the same area they just cut 24 hours previously. Two weeks ago we fertilized the fairways and rough. Then you always hope for a little rain (in addition to irrigation) that will help release some of the nutrients. We all know what happened next. More rain in June than we have seen in years. In addition to the rain, the temperatures were just right for turf growth in the rough. To cap it off the long days of mid to late June mean lots of daylight and lots of growth. On weekdays we have had all our rough mowers out and even then it is difficult to keep up. Eric and I have been out after the staff has finished their day to get some extra mowing in as well. On weekends with reduced staff hours and our desire to stay out of your way on Saturdays and Sundays the rough has the advantage. It will slow down and we will catch up and all the clumps of clippings will back off. In the mean time try and stay on the fairways.

The yellow rings that are prevalent on the greens right now are a mild patch disease (Yellow Patch) that will ocurr on Poa/Bent greens that are low in nitrogen, thatchy and subjected to cool wet weather. It will stop activity when temperatures get above 21 C. We have not been able to put a granular fertilizer down to increase nitrogen levels due to the daily rainfall. We will be getting that done on Monday regardless of the weather. As for spraying a fungicide I would prefer to wait to see if conditions change. We sprayed a fungicide last week that prevented a different cool weather disease (Fusarium) from appearing and it usually helps control mild outbreaks of Yellow Patch. Not this time. So before I go putting a different, more effective chemical down we will wait a day or two. It is unsightly but should not affect the putting surface.

On the course this week:

• mowing rough non stop
• verticutting and topdressing approaches on Monday and Tuesday
• verticutting and topdressing greens on Wednesday followed by a roll and double cut before the start of Mens League
• fertilizing greens, tees and approaches
• finishing off minor repairs on collars and greens

What a week we just went through: flooding to pretty nice conditions in the span of 5 days. Never a boring moment. There are 2 more new pictures down below.

Wade

COURSE IS FLOODED - JUNE 20th

A quick update for the membership:

We all know its been very wet since last week. The frequent heavy showers we experienced all day Sunday didn't help matters and now on this fine Monday morning the course has reached its limit. While you were sleeping a heavy downpour began around 3 a.m. and it hasn't let up.  Eric and I did a complete course tour around 5:30 and every hole has large areas of standing water or streams running across the width and sometimes length of the fairways. You cannot drive a cart anywhere without pushing water. The good news in all of this is that the greens and tees have held up well. I have only seen standing water at the front of #2 green. But I would guess that everyone would be more concerned with the condition of the new bunkers. I only saw 1 bunker with water in it and that was on 7 fairway. There is very little wash out if any. All minor in my opinion. This storm was a good test and it appears that they have passed with flying colors (at least for now).

Unfortunately the course is closed for the time being. When we do get back out there we have a lot of work to do. Pumping water, repairing cartpaths, adjusting sand in bunkers and mowing the course. The turf will be long and unsightly on fairways and rough until we can get it back under control but we will not mow if turf will be damaged. The greens and tees have been cut daily so far (aside from today that is) so no worries there.

We will do our best to get you back out there but please have some patience as nature is running the show at present. Check out some pictures at the bottom of the blog.

It is now raining again (and hard) so who knows what we"ll see when we go back out.

Wade

HOW WEATHER AFFECTS OUR SCHEDULING

At the beginning of every week we strive to implement our plans for maintaining the golf course. Of all the variables we have to consider inclement weather tends to be THE major factor that leads to changes and reorganization of our schedule. This is just part of what we do as grounds managers. I'm going to go over what we had planned and how changes had to occur as the rains fell (and are still falling this dreary Friday afternoon).

1.) Mowing Changes

• We had planned to lower the fairway and greens height of cut on Thursday and Friday. The heavy rains led to the decision not to mow fairways on Thursday and I don't like lowering a height if the turf is longer than normal or too soft. Same plan for the greens except that we did keep mowing daily (and double cutting if it wasn't too wet). However I would much rather lower the height on firmer, drier greens so that will wait until our first chance next week. As for not cutting when it is too wet I would much rather deal with "shaggy" turf and some disgruntled members than damage the course just for the sake of mowing.

2.) Weed Control

• All bets are off until we are confident of several hours of dry weather from about 6 a.m. until around noon. The herbicide must be absorbed by the leaves of the plant to be effective and rainfall will wash off the treatment and run "off target". Therefore my hopes of finishing weed control on the fairways and rough by the end of the week are dashed. So we try again next week.

3.) Course Fertilization

• Now this one kind of had an opposite effect on our plans. A double edged sword I guess. When you put down 200+ bags of granular fertilizer you do hope for some added moisture to help with a partial release of the nutrients. A heavy rainfall last Friday evening, a warm weekend as a follow up (with little or no rough mowing as it is a weekend after all), some staffing issues on Monday then more rainfall and a restriction on just how much mowing we can accomplish without damaging the turf led to "US Open" conditions in certain areas of the course. Someone thought I had this idea of mimicking Congressional for the week. NO. NO. NO. We are out there doing our best to get the rough under control but I have a feeling it will be a little heavy by Monday morning. At least its healthy and green.

4.) Sodding Projects

• We prepared some areas of the course that needed new sod or old sod replaced on Wednesday and also picked up 3 pallets that afternoon. The forecast changed abrubtly that evening and now we are laying sod in less than ideal conditions or waiting a few days hoping it will dry up. If it doesn't we will then roll out the sod next to the nursery so it doesn't overheat and get back at it on Monday or Tuesday.

So there are a few examples of how we adapt to the weather. My staff on the other hand can't wait to get home and dry off. They all have course supplied rain gear but working in the rain is never ideal. Kudos to them for not complaining (at least not to me anyway). Oh well, most of them had Thursday off due to the long period of rainfall.

Lets hope for dry weather soon.
Wade

POA SEEDHEAD, IRRIGATION AND OTHER THINGS

In this blog 2 topics to discuss and a maintenance update for the week of June 13th to the 17th.

On the course:

• Greens will be verticut and lightly topdressed early Monday morning (as per the biweekly schedule: barring inclement weather or scheduling conflicts).
• Haul road sod that crosses fairways on holes 1, 2, 6, 7, and 9 will be aerated, topdressed and mowed down in height. It won't look too good for a few weeks but will recover. Its just something that has to be done so we can eventually send the fairway mowers over these areas.
• All the LREP sod areas are being aerated at present.
• Weed control should be complete by Friday if the rain stays away for a good part of the day. The knottweed is backing off and the dandelions are slowly fading away.
• Collar repairs as required.

Topic #1- Poa annua seedhead (scroll to the bottom for a good picture of Poa and seed head on the putting green):

If there was any question as to the presence of annual bluegrass (Poa annua) on the greens it should be answered by now. Each green has different populations and bio types of this particular turfgrass. Some varieties are vigorous producers of seed head and some aren't. Green #1 not so much. Green #16. Wow. How do you recognize the seed? That is the whiteish to brownish tinge you are no doubt noticing the last week or so. Not much can be done to stop this physiological response that occurs a couple times per golf season. Double cutting greens and rolling can help reduce any bumpiness that will affect ball roll later in the day. On that note please allow the afternoon mowers the few short minutes it takes to cut the greens and please do not hit up on them while they are on the green. I've been hit by a golf ball in the past and believe me, it hurts and it hurts bad. Oh and by the way. The fairways are also affected by varying degrees of Poa seed head as well. A good example is the 15th hole and about 100 to 150 yards out from the 10th green.

Topic #2 - Irrigation practices:

To get right to the point: Both myself and Eric believe that keeping the golf course on the drier side will lead to much healthier turf and more enjoyable playing conditions.  I'm talking about finding a compromise between too dry and hard and too soft and lush. I feel that for the weather conditions since we have opened the course has been irrigated correctly. Very little if any standing water, greens that are tending to the firm side and fairways that encourage some release forward after your drive comes back to earth. I know. Its been drier than normal. But when you have fairly good sprinkler coverage throughout it is easier to deliver on your promises. The heavy rains of July and August are still too come but hopefully by keeping conditions a little dry the course can absorb some of that excess moisture before it starts to cause problems. I am under no illusion that we will not have wet areas develop if nature decides to bring on more rain than we need at the club. I guess that helps identify future drainage requirements.

Enjoy the week.

Wade

On The Course This Week- June 6th to the 10th

The only thing going on the course Monday will be about 60 sponsor signs, 4 hole-in-one cars, hospitality holes and a lot of golfers hopefully enjoying a nice, sunny day for the Make A Wish Tournament.

Now for the rest of the week:

• The entire course is scheduled for granular fertilization. Shouldn't be of any inconvenience to the membership.
• Continued spraying of weeds. You might notice the knottweed fading on the 13th and 18th fairways. They were first treated about a week ago. Hopefully we will be finished spraying (round 1 anyway) by the end of next week. I only do a couple of holes/day first thing in the morning until golfers arrive on the scene.
• Tees and approaches will be verticut and topdressed on Wednesday and Thursday. Some problem tees may be aerated as well. Again, little or no inconvenience to you. Although if you are out ahead of the first scheduled tee time you will run into the grounds crew.
• Continued sand/seed on on the small spots on greens 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8. As well we will get that patch on 15 green fixed as I have been promising for awhile now. 
• Now that the sod is taking hold we will be aerating and overseeding the walk off area between the first green and the second tee and the large zone between the end of the second fairway and the front of the second green. Our plan is to be able to mow this zone to fairway and approach height as the summer progresses. 
• Top off the lakes as the liners are showing again.

Before I end this blog I would like to thank my staff for the effort they have put in over the month of May. They have come a long way in a short time. Is everything perfect? Nope. It never is but we are making good progress and they will be seasoned vets in no time. Eric, my assistant, deserves a special thank you from me. He works tirelessly and calmly during some "stormy weather". Builds character :)

Maureen's planting (with the help of all the girls on my staff) looks great and in a few short weeks we will see the flourish and color of all their work. 

That leads me to the topic of my next blog. I will be discussing my irrigation practices and why that deep, lush green color we all long for (including me sometimes) isn't always a good thing. Should be interesting.

Wade

Course Information You Should Know About

I'll cover 3 topics of some concern for me as well as a updating a few bullets from previous blogs:

1. Bunker Raking:  The staff continue to improve on their work in the bunkers. However, Eric and I see the odd problem at times. The hand raking of the smaller bunkers surrounding greens is looking pretty good. The larger bunkers and the others out beside the fairways still aren't up to par. The staff have missed a few, rake too fast, don't reorganize the rakes at times, etc, etc. We're working on it.
2. Fairway Verticutting: This seems to be a sensitive issue at the club however it is an important cultural procedure. It has the same benefits on fairways as it does for the rest of the course. It helps remove thatch, it stimulates growth and it assists in a better cut over time. I borrowed a fairway unit with verticutter reels rather than using the heavy duty machine purchased by the club last summer. That particular machine has worked great for the haul roads that weren't sodded. It's a good tool to have. In my travels yesterday I did manage to find a very good used set of verticut reels for our own fairway units that we will have from now on. I know its a little messy in spots but that will "go away" in a day or 2.
3. Tee Problems: The tees are under some serious pressure. Bentgrass gets very thatchy at higher mowing heights and the root systems tend to go sideways instead of down. That is why they dry out so quickly, even after heavy rains or irrigation cycles. To make a long, boring story short we will be treating them exactly like greens. That means bi-weekly verticutting and topdressing, aeration as required and a lowering of the height to produce a tighter, firmer and healthier surface. Takes time though and lots of supplemental (hand watering) moisture in order to get them through the summer without putting too much stress on me. Regular divot line filling by my staff on all the tee decks will help with their long term health as well.

Course Notes:

• Our dedicated sprayer had a breakdown on Monday and of course, the required part had to come form Calgary so any spraying of weeds, wetting agent and/or fertilizer was put on hold until today.

• Weed control on fairways and in the rough will be ongoing for awhile. I do a couple of loads a day until the wind picks up or golfers arrive on the scene. When you see the "Chemicals Applied Today" signs posted you will know we have treated that area of the course that day.

• Maureen and the girls are planting in the beds and they should be finished by Monday weather permitting. They beds will look great as usual and the added color is welcome to see.

• Greens and collar repair is ongoing and the bigger areas will be completed by Friday. Smaller areas we have been sand/seeding will continue as need be (weekly).

• I've noticed some fairy ring showing up and a few black beetles crawling around so its time to begin control treatments. I will inform the membership when treating for these 2 pests as it involves fungicide and insecticide use.

All for now,

Wade