Mid July Course Update

Its been awhile since we've updated the Turf Care activities on the golf course. It's already the middle of July and the Men's Member Guest is quickly approaching followed by the Judge Walsh and the Club Championship later in August. Here's hoping the great weather holds for the remainder of the summer and these events get the same conditions we experienced for the Women's Member Guest held earlier this month.

The recent hot and dry weather has exposed some flaws in our irrigation system. The greens are fine and most of the surrounds are okay. Any dry areas around the greens is primarily due to the soil type under the turf especially on the top of mounds. This situation has been a problem at the club for many years but always improves with cooler weather. I am also not a believer in requiring a golf course to be emerald green across the property for the entire golf season. A few dry areas should not be of any concern. Having said that however the fairways are wetter than we would like. The Poa annua on the course requires more water than normal during long dry spells. Also over the last few days we have applied a second application of wetting agent on the fairways that should allow us to reduce irrigation requirements for the remainder of the summer. Unfortunately it needs to be watered in and that has resulted in some wet areas. We are cutting back the water and should be able to dry the turf out, hopefully before the thunderstorms that are sure to arrive in the next few weeks.

If you follow me on twitter or play the course enough you will have noticed some yellow spots and streaks on the turf on the greens and tees. There is no regular pattern or specific condition (shade or sun areas) that seem to be present either. Testing has not identified any disease organisms. We did test for nematodes and to our surprise we do have a small population of cyst nematodes that are harmful to turf. This is a complicated problem that we have never encountered. For that matter it is pretty much an unheard of issue in Alberta. Without going into great detail (there is detailed information on the internet) there is no registered chemical control for nematodes in Canada. There is a treatment protocol involving a mix of non chemical materials that we are currently researching for effectiveness but we aren't holding our breath. Fortunately the situation seems to be stable at the present time. No better and no worse.


On The Course Next Week:

• Adding irrigation coverage between the 9th green and the 1st tee slope
• Adding a sand/seed bottle exchange site at 16 tee
• Core aerating the collars (3/8 inch hollow tines) 
• Topdressing greens, collars and approaches
• Light topdressing on fairways (remember: once a month for June, July and August)
• some sodding next to the putting green and behind the 9th green
• Clover control

Overall I am very pleased with the golf course and the work above will allow Turf Care to fine tune some areas and improve the playing conditions even more. Enjoy the great weather.

Regards,
Wade Peckham and the Turf Care Team

Late June Course Update

It now appears that the Edmonton area will finally get a nice run of warm weather. With the high temperatures will come the warmer nights that really help fill in those areas that are slow to recover. We are focusing attention on some of the rough that was damaged by snow mold and the residual effects from hosting the Women's Canadian Open. A few tees also need some extra attention.

The warmup green is now open but it still needs a few more weeks (as does the east side of putting green) before it's 100%. The 18th is recovering nicely from a setback that occurred 2 weeks ago. We still aren't completely sure what happened but most of the bentgrass was affected. We had our theories and decided to proceed with a new plan that has had positive results. The warmup and #18 green are currently being mowed at a higher height so they will be slower for another week. Your patience with the 2 practice greens and #18 have been very appreciated.

On The Course:

• We are aerating a few select tees. #7 Blue, #17 Gold and #18 Red have been cored to help with the final stages of recovery and water penetration issues.
• The Gold tee on #4 will be resodded next week with Penncross creeping bentgrass. That tee is just too small to sustain the play it is getting. In fact the whole complex is not designed for par 3 use. Look for a late season renovation that will greatly increase tee space.
• The Short Game Practice Greens will be solid tine aerated to aid in air and water movement. Water holding amendments are being added to those tees with water issues.
• Bunker sand adjust next week.
• The tree stumps that have been springing up recently will be ground down and filled in.
• The benches for some of the tees have finally been shipped. The delay was due a manufacturer's error.
• Sodding various areas of troublesome rough.

Now that school is out more juniors will be playing the golf course. However etiquette school is in.
 If you are a junior reading this blog please remember to replace your divot or add sand if the divot breaks apart. On the greens fix your ballmark and maybe a few others as well. We've watched a few juniors over the last few days thus the reason for this reminder. Tell those that you play with and any guests you bring too. Actually we all need to remember these points no matter what your age. Thanks for your help in keeping the course clean and ready for the golfers behind you.


Regards,
Turf Care

The Difference Between Aerating And Venting

This morning our Teaching Professional pulled up to the first tee for an early round of golf, took a glance over to the 18th hole and saw a scene that strikes fear in the hearts of all golfers. The green had been topdressed, 1/2 inch cores were being pulled and cleanup of the surface was soon to begin. I was watching the procedure when he asked me if all the other greens were being worked on. Not being one to miss an opportunity I replied that we had punched all of them. The look on his face was priceless. Sorry Mike. Just kidding!! What it did tell me was that even with twitter, the Turf Care Blog and communication with the Golf Shop (several days in advance) not everyone got the message we were hollow coring the new turf on 18 green today. Or that we will be venting the rest of the greens on Wednesday and Thursday. Food for thought. The main point of this blog post is to review the difference between the two procedures and briefly explain the purpose of each.

We are all familiar with hollow core aeration. It is the removal of a predetermined percentage of the root zone and modifying it with sand that is brushed and or blown into the open holes. It is disruptive to play but is also an essential turf management tool here at The Royal Mayfair. We typically aerate in early October to extend "summer like" greens throughout September. In our area of the country if greens aeration occurs in September the quality of the putting surface will be changed for the remainder of the season. The later aeration date means the aeration holes do not heal over before winter but I believe that it helps drain away minor amounts of excess moisture in the late fall and helps in water and air movement in early spring. Just a personal preference and something that not every superintendent would agree with but it works here. The exception to the rule this year is the 18th green, the warmup and 1/3rd of the putting green. They are being "punched" several times to aid in recovery. Recovery that has gone very well to date.

Venting is a procedure that punches many small pencil like holes in a green using a soild tine (no core is pulled). The main purpose is to open up the surface to allow better air and water exchange, not to modify the root zone. However we do lightly topdress each green before venting. The mechanical action of the aerator loosens up the turf canopy (which is very tight at present) and quite a bit of the sand is vibrated into the grass. Also when we brush the remaining sand some of it does make it into the small holes in addition to smoothing the surface of the greens. Following the brushing we will roll and syringe (light watering) each green. The putting surface is now pretty much back to normal. Aside from some evidence of our regular topdressing program the holes are barely noticeable. We vent the greens once a month from June until September.   

Both procedures are important to maintaining our quality greens and their correct soil physical properties.  

There are many types of solid tines used for venting turfgrass. We have installed a "cross tine" on this aerator for our purposes.

Course Notes and Happenings

The first substantial rainfall on Monday has helped improve conditions after a week of warm weather and fertilization of the fairways and rough. There's a scientific reason that turf looks greener after significant natural moisture but I won't go into here. It is enough to say that as May comes to a close and we move into summer the golf course has shown increased growth where we needed it most. We are very pleased with the golf course especially with the look and playability of the 18th green. The warmup green should be fully recovered in 2 to 3 weeks and the putting green is coming along nicely considering it is open for use.

Before some upcoming work is listed and some pictures are posted a brief note about the 18th green:

• We are slowly lowering the height of cut which will change the speed and move it closer to the others during the month of June.
• The green requires hollow core aeration and that will take place in the middle of next week. The holes will fill quickly and the new turf will be healthier for it. 

On The Course:

• Rainbow trout were released into the pond on 10 last week.
• Spot control of dandelions over the next 2 weeks. We have done a good job of keeping the "yellow flower" in check but the City of Edmonton seems to be having some degree of difficulty in controlling (whether it be chemical or mechanical) the weed so get used to seeing a few dandelions on the course at times.
• Topdressing and venting the other 17 greens next Wednesday and Thursday. Nothing out of the ordinary but necessary to keep air and water moving through the root zone.
• Sodding of the fertilizer spill west of the 9th green (spreader malfunction).
• Fairway topdressing (light monthly sand application program that was implemented last season) will begin June 9th.
• Retaining walls are being added to the flower bed expansion on the 1st tee to keep soil from eroding down the slope. 

Pictures and Explanations:

 

 The goslings have hatched at the Golf Shop and will soon be moving to one of the ponds.

 

 

This strobe light is designed to disturb the geese so that they eventually leave. Results are varied by all accounts but right now we are willing to try anything.

 

 

The 3 spruce that were planted to screen the view of the cart path on the 2nd hole have been removed for 2 reasons. The first being that they look out of place, as if they were just plunked down out of nowhere. The second reason being that they interfere with cart access to the path creating wear patterns in the landing area that is already difficult to maintain. Once a new retaining wall is built and the path is paved it might even be less noticeable than the existing gravel path.

 

 

 

 

 

 



The 18th Green Is Open For Play

30 days ago on April 17th we sodded the 18th green after deciding that waiting for recovery would be an unreliable alternative in our short golf season. On Saturday it will open for play. If you've been following the progress of the work you know we used our own sod even though some of it was a little "loose". It was difficult to obtain a consistent cut off of the nursery which then made it tough to install on the prepared surface. That being said we're happy with the results especially considering the less than ideal weather we've experienced in Edmonton over the last month.

The green is fairly consistent in terms of ball roll and turf quality. The speed is "slow" and will be maintained that way until we determine how it is reacting to play (foot traffic, ball marks and other less obvious stresses). It is very important that you treat this green with more care and attention than you would the other mature greens on the golf course. Be careful how you walk on it (don't drag your feet), fix your ball marks but don't be too vigorous with your repair tool. Nice and easy for awhile. You may also find that cup edges are soft and will wear out quickly so it is very important that you do not scoop the ball out of the hole. Over the next month we will slowly bring the green speed closer to the others.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

ON THE COURSE NEXT WEEK:

• Greens will be lightly topdressed early Tuesday morning.
• Tees will be core aerated and topdressed on Wednesday and Thursday.
• Fairways will be sprayed with liquid fertilizer.
• Greens will be sprayed first, with growth regulator (the beginning of the seasonal program) and then again with a combination of fungicide and nutrients so that we can hopefully prevent the occurrence of Take-all Patch disease. 
• Bunker edge and adjustment work should be completed by Tuesday.
• Parking lot lines should be painted by the end of the week.
• Maureen and Val will continue with bed cleanup and planting should begin in the first week of June.
• The pro paths are now being reintroduced. #6 and #9 were cut this week and the rest will be cut over the next week or 2.

All for now. Enjoy the long weekend and the BBQ on Monday.

The Turf Care Department

Open For A Week

We've been open for a week and aside from one warm day the weather has been awful especially compared to last season when the high was +31C on May 6th. The present conditions don't lend themselves for any chance of a quick recovery on the 2 putting greens. The warmup is showing progress but it has a long way to go. There is no chance of seed germination with the below zero temperatures we are experiencing at night, even with the covers on. The putting green will open later today. Please avoid practicing on the eastern 1/3rd of the green. Obviously the cups will not be placed in this area for the next few weeks.

The 18th green is progressing nicely and we are scheduled to open it for play on May 17th. The mowing height will be reduced slowly over the next month and topdressing will be the order of the day until we feel the surface is comparable to the other greens. The small areas of winter damage on a few of the other greens has been repaired and is looking good. As we move into our regular topdressing program and the weather warms up the greens will soon be where we want them for May. The aeration holes from the coring last October have been slow to close over but it won't be long before they don't affect ball roll.

 

18 Green on May 7th. Picture quality is poor but it conveys the message. The dark lines are shadows from 2 sprinklers running when the photo was taken.

 

 

We have made good progress cleaning the golf course and we will be finished with the sweepers tomorrow. However course cleanup is always ongoing in some way shape or form on a course like ours. The bunkers are currently being edged and adjusted. Its a huge, difficult task with the number and size of bunkers on the property but we should be finished next week.

 

 

Turf Care Notes:

• New benches have been ordered for some of the tees on the back 9. A few of the log benches are just not of acceptable quality anymore.
• The ball washer/trash receptacle will be back at 13 reds next week.
• A sand/seed bottle rack has been ordered for the shelter on #6. A good suggestion from a member for those who use the forward tees on #7.
• Maureen and Val will be cleaning the flower beds over the next few weeks. Soil temperatures are not warm enough to even consider planting anytime soon.
• The Stanley Thompson tees are being installed out on the fairways (3000 yard course for kids and those who can't hit it very far).
• Rainbow trout will be stocked in the pond on #10 in the next few weeks.

 

Enjoy what hopefully should be a pleasant weekend.

 

Wade

 



Audubon Certification Announcement

On Monday I had the privilege of speaking before the membership regarding the Audubon Certification program. I was pleased to announce there, and here on this blog, that the Royal Mayfair has received full designation as a Cooperative Sanctuary by Audubon International. This designation signifies the effort we have made to ensure we remain sustainable and environmentally friendly in our management practices. Achieving certification has been a three-year process garnering the following positive changes:

     -   Monitoring and protecting course wildlife
 

     -    Improving soil and turf health
 

     -   Reducing water consumption

     -   Planting native vegetation

     -    Leaving native and natural areas undisturbed

Certification is only the first step for the Royal Mayfair. The environmental program we are adopting is an ongoing process. We are continually finding new ways to improve the habitat on the golf course. Some projects we have planned in the near future include:

     -   Releasing rainbow trout into #10 pond

     -   Inviting a local club to perform a bird count on the course

     -   Creating multiple butterfly gardens across the course

A way for the membership to be involved in this program is to attend meetings of the Environmental Improvement Committee. This group meets to evaluate the current environmental state of the golf course as well as discuss future projects. We will be having our first meeting of the 2014 season coming up in May. If you have any questions or comments about the program, would like more information, or would like to be involved in the Environmental Improvement Committee, please contact myself at dsmith@mayfair.ca or call the Turf Care office at 780-433-9666.

More pheasants were released on Thursday courtesy of another very generous member!

Regards,
David Smith
2nd Assistant Superintendent