Opening Day Update

The 2014 golf season begins today and I would like to welcome you back to a summer of uninterrupted golf. After 2 seasons of construction and hosting the CN Women's Canadian Open the Turf Care department is looking forward to grooming and presenting the course to you and you alone. Our goal, as always, is to provide you with the finest playing experience that The Royal Mayfair can deliver. In maintaining the course at a championship level we have developed a good idea as to what areas we can improve upon and also how we can change our agronomic practices to meet the demands of a premier golf facility. However, during the month of May, we do have to recover from some winter damage that hit the 18th, 8th, large practice and warmup greens.

As you may or may not be aware of the 18th green was resodded with turf from our nursery. The decision was made based on my experience with long term recovery in this part of Alberta. If May isn't warm and wet waiting for Poa annua recovery will stretch into June and eventually July. We will hopefully be back on the 18th green by the May Long Weekend. It won't match the other greens in terms of speed and roll as we need to cautious with our mowing height for awhile. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

The warmup green recovery will take a different path than #18. We don't have enough sod that is ready for use to cover what is required. Any sod we do have needs to be saved for incidental repairs from some minor winter damage and also any future problems we may experience during the season. I didn't want to resod with pure bentgrass from a sod farm because we would then have a completely different putting surface than the golf course greens (a Poa/bentgrass mix). The warmup has been worked on extensively and will stay covered with a tarp that will heat the surface and keep soil temperatures higher than normal for this time of year. By staying off it and basically "greenhousing" the turf, recovery will be rapid. The putting green and #8 are coming along fine and should be back to normal by the end of May. There is also some minor damage to greens #2 and #16 caused by someone walking on the greens. Once the irrigation system is on (next few days) we will plug out those areas.

Course cleanup finally began in earnest last week and will continue for another few days. We verticut all the rough and sweeping up the debris takes time. Not all of the old loose grass could be swept up so you will notice it on your shoes and cart wheels for a few days. Once we begin mowing the rough the loose grass will cease to be a problem.

This was the new sod on #18 after its first mow earlier this week. It has since been heavily topdressed, brushed and rolled again. The cover is back on it to keep it warm at night. The front collar will be sodded in the next week and we will be reshaping the top edge of the right green side bunker to stop the constant washouts that occur after heavy rains.

Before I close I'm very pleased to announce that The Royal Mayfair is now a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. Through the efforts of our 2nd Assistant Superintendent, David Smith, and the members of the Environmental Improvement Committee we are now one of 18 courses in Alberta and the first in the Edmonton area to achieve this status. I'm proud of our efforts to combine the game of golf with stewardship of the land and air especially in the center of a major metropolitan area.

All for now and see you on the course.
Wade Peckham

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.

Royal Mayfair Turf Care Update

We have now been able to assess the entire golf course after a week of warm, windy weather. I'll review the rough, fairways, tees and greens separately and outline what will entail over the next few weeks before opening day which is tentatively planned for April 30th.

The practice facility will open on April 16th. The natural range tee surface is in good condition but will not open for use until we have better growing conditions and the irrigation system is turned on. Until that time the Turf Hound mats will be used. The chipping greens will be ready as well. The putting green has suffered some damage to the Poa annua but it still has plenty of good area to use while it recovers. The warmup has suffered extensive winter kill due to the high percentage of Poa. We will keep it closed for the time being so that the overseeding efforts stand a chance of success. It will be tarped and should recover quickly if the weather cooperates. It's location near the buildings and paths will also help raise the surface temperature on sunny days.

The rough throughout the golf course is covered in snow mold. It is quite obvious where the dividing line is between fungicide treated turf and untreated turf. We did treat a pass around every green so most of the side banks are free of mold. As occurred last spring we will begin verticutting all the rough to break up the mat of mold. After some sunshine, warmer temperatures, and fertilizer it will be okay.

#15 looking back at the tee. Without fungicides the fairway would look like the rough on the left of the image. Snow mold rarely kills turf in the rough. If the fairway wasn't treated most of the Poa prevalent here would be severely damaged.

The fairways and tees have come through the winter in very good condition. Our tees are predominantly bentgrass so they can withstand our harsh winters far better than the Poa that is mixed in with the bent on some of the tees. The fairways have changed dramatically over the years to the point where Poa has become the main turf type in many areas. When aerated, topdressed regularly and treated with winter fungicides it seems to come through winter in fairly good condition year after year. Of course if the fairways were covered in a thick layer of ice for more than 50 days I imagine it would be a different story.

#14 tee looking down the fairway. The importance of an effective winter fungicide program is obvious.

Now about greens 1 to 18. As I touched on in the previous blog we have not come through winter unscathed. All the greens except #8 and #18 are in good condition with a few blemishes here and there (being no different than any other year).

#13 green from the southeast side. Similar look to all the other greens aside from the front of  #8 and #18.

Someone walked across #2 green at the wrong time of winter and the footprints are quite obvious. That damage will be plugged out soon.

 #8 has the usual damage behind the front bunker. It will grow out with some help from Turf Care. The 18th green has taken a hit from ice damage as I suspected it would. I find it interesting that the 3 greens suffering the most this spring were all located around the clubhouse and golf shop. The micro climate in this area must have been warm enough at some point this winter (that week in January?) to cause the ice problem. It shows just how close we were to a serious situation on the other greens. The term is "dodging a bullet" I believe.

The 18th green showing some of the damage to the Poa on the right of the image. 

Over the next few weeks we will be out cleaning up the golf course. No matter how well leaf removal goes in the fall our winters seem to leave the property covered in branches, downed trees and more leaves. The turf on the greens, tees and fairways will be worked on so that we can present the course for opening day. May is always a month of rejuvenation and this year is no different. I'll blog the recovery outline for the warmup and the 18th green early next week. Until then enjoy The Masters.

Late March at The Royal Mayfair Golf Club

It has certainly been a month of extremes in March. However if you have lived here for any length of time it should come as no surprise that the weather can be very warm but quickly turn very cold. Like this year. That is why I am not in favor of clearing greens until it is absolutely necessary. I'll review my reasoning shortly. First we need to review the type of turfgrasses on our greens, some very basic plant physiology and the weather conditions that the golf course experienced over the last several months.

I've explained much of the following in previous blogs since the winter of 2011. For the benefit of all, especially those who have just recently started reading the Turf Care Blog, it is important to have at least a basic understanding of your golf course. Our greens are composed of two unique turf species, creeping bentgrass and annual bluegrass. Many of you know annual bluegrass as Poa annua or just "Poa". There are volumes to say about how and why we have these grasses on our greens. I only want to discuss adaptation to our winter climate. Creeping bentgrass survival rate far outweighs that of annual bluegrass and there is pretty much nothing we can change about that. The only thing we can do is modify the environment. An example would be covering a green with bubble wrap and an ice shield and then exchanging air under the covers throughout the winter. This is done to prevent ice buildup, a condition that is harmful to both bentgrass and Poa depending on how long the ice remains on the surface. We've done this on #6.

Fortunately bentgrass left to its own devices can tolerate upwards of 120 days of ice cover. But unfortunately Poa can't. In my experience continuous ice cover of 40 to 60 days is enough to kill the plant resulting in that dark green color (fool me once) and sickly sweet odor after the ice is removed or melts off the surface of a green. Various techniques are utilized to try and remove ice when the number of days begin to creep towards the lethal limit. These procedures come with a host of problems, the least of which is exposure to the most brutal unpredictable months of our winter here in central Alberta.

The second issue we now have to deal with is how each of these two turfgrasses will break dormancy in early spring. Too keep it simple, Poa annua will do it quickly and begin to take up water as soon as it is exposed to warm temperatures and daylight. Bentgrass on the other hand will stay dormant longer. When this occurs in March the potential for very cold weather following a warming trend leaves the Poa very vulnerable to freeze/thaw cycles that can shatter the plant cell wall leading to death. That is why we prefer to keep the Poa (and bentgrass) dormant as long as possible. Leaving the snow on usually helps at this time of year.

This past winter was not ideal for our course. We experienced several very warm and windy periods that led to reduced snow cover. Even though we had a fairly decent layer of snow the temperatures were high enough to cause extensive melting. Water is heavier than snow and it could only go in one direction. Down. Down to the surface in a few areas. Of course the weather changed and severe cold retuned leading to ice formation. I surveyed all the greens in mid February as reported in my last blog. Yes we have ice in areas as suspected. I also found healthy turf as well. We did clear the putting green before this last cold spell and the Poa is damaged on the east third of the green. Just as I thought it would be. It had ice on it in early January so we saw no harm in exposing it early. It still remains to be seen as to how we will fare on the rest of the course. Read my previous blog to see the areas we are concerned about. We should have a good idea how the course wintered by the end of next week assuming the weather forecast remains positive. Until then all I can say is have patience.

Wade

 

Ice was present along the east 1/3rd of the putting green. If you look closely you can see x-country ski tracks. The Poa is damaged but the bentgrass is fine. We'll cover the damaged area to help heat the surface and get the bentgrass growing in early April.

A Challenging Winter

Before I discuss the trials and tribulations that we in Turf Care have experienced this winter I'd like to welcome Matt Johnson, our new Head Professional, and Kristi Larson, Merchandise Manager, to the Royal Mayfair team. They have brought a new approach to golf shop operations that will be appreciated by all. While I'm on the topic of the golf shop the addition of the new golf course simulator is very impressive from both a teaching perspective and a great way to pass some time at the course this winter.

The other winter activities we have provided are being adversely affected by the changing weather. Unfortunately the frequent cycles of cold then warm, windy weather (mixed in with more rain than I can recall in a winter) has resulted in several challenges for making ice and grooming ski trails. I'll begin with the skating rink on #10. When we were finally able to get onto the ice in early January we found a surface that resembled a gravel road. The rain and snow that melted into the thin ice layer in mid November left it very rough and bumpy. We began by flooding the surface for a few days and then another warm windy trend about 2 weeks ago turned the surface into a mess. We are presently trying to get it ready for Family Day. Hopefully it's "okay" by then. A Zamboni would sure come in handy right now.

The ski trails have been turned into rock hard tracks where there are any tracks at all. Without a significant snowfall we cannot reset them. Our grooming equipment is not capable of dealing with the present conditions. It is so hard out on the course that you can drive the snowmobile almost anywhere and not settle down into the snow pack: a snow pack that has been rapidly disappearing throughout January. We will be purchasing a new groomer for next season that'll allow us to groom the trials when conditions aren't ideal so that we don't lose a significant amount of time for skiing during the winter. We also plan to lay down 2 side by side tracks so that it is easier for skiers to be more social with each other while out on the course.

Now for the turf conditions. Winter started out with a fairly decent cover of snow. However a warming trend and several days of dreary rainy weather in mid November resulted in less than ideal conditions on several greens. Heavy snows in December were certainly welcome but once again more warm, very windy weather in early to mid January began to eat away the snow layer and deposit ice in various locations on the golf course. I have been through similar winters before in my years as a Superintendent and typically nothing good comes of them. I inspected all the greens last week and I think I have a good idea as to what we can expect this spring. Unfortunately I found ice on several greens. The warmup and putting green are covered in a thin layer of ice as are #16 and #18 greens. I also found some patchy ice on #'s 4 and 8. I didn't locate ice of concern on any of the other greens. That doesn't mean to say there isn't any ice or that those that I think are completely covered really are. After all I can't check the entire surface. I'm fairly certain we will have problems on the four greens with extensive ice cover. I'll be cautiously optimistic about the others. Of course the removal of snow in the spring, if necessary, is another matter to consider but I will discuss that as March arrives. If you recall we have covered the 6th green and have been blowing fresh air under the ice shield every 10 to 14 days over the last few months. We now have a true ongoing test of this turf protection system that is relative to the unique environmental conditions here at the Royal Mayfair. What this holds for the future remains to be seen. Four courses in the Edmonton area have committed to the use of these covers this winter. I really believe that investment (averaging around $100,000) will finally pay off. Time will tell.

I know that the greens are paramount when it comes to mind but the fairways and tees should come out in good condition based on the checks we have done to date. As is my habit I will keep the membership updated as spring arrives and we prepare for the 2014 golf season.

In other news we have ordered a set of markers that will be placed permanently on the fairways in order to assist juniors, beginners or any other member that wishes to play a shorter golf course. I believe they will play to approximately 5000 yards.

We have also purchased a new bench and trash container to display on the 18th hole and at the Teehouse. The wood used to make these products is called Shorea, a tropical hardwood similar to teak. I really like the quality, look and feel of this equipment and I think it adds more class to the paving stone convenience areas that are being installed beside all the tee complexes.

 Enjoy the upcoming Family Day activities and here's hoping for pleasant weather.

Wade

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