On The Course This Week

The  showers we keep receiving every 2 or 3 days is making it difficult to keep the golf course firm. That being said I remind EVERYONE to please repair your ballmarks. They aren't hard to see when the greens are soft so please help out and do your part.

The membership is doing a good job of fixing divots by replacing the turf or using the sand seed containers. My preference is to always put back the turf if it is in one piece. Thanks for your help.

The tree on 18 was cleaned up last Friday after a few days of chainsaw work. The large stump and protruding root mass will be ground down by Carrington & Company when he passes through Edmonton again.

On The Course:

• Spraying control product on clover and any other broadleaf weeds
• Light sanding of fairways Tuesday and Wednesday
• Spraying fertilizer and growth regulator on fairways after topdressing is completed
• Granular fertilizer in select areas of rough
• Completion of  fairway bunker sand adjustment (#3 and #5 waste bunker)
• Continued minor greens repair
• Renovation of the walk off area behind 17 green

We will be removing the worn out turf behind 17 green and replacing it with a section of artificial grass that will be topdressed with sand. The sand will work down into the fibers and give it a better feel when you are walking on it. The section will extend from the top of the mound down to the cartpath. I have seen this used with good success (and a decent appearance) at The Calgary Golf & Country Club. It is just too difficult to grow turf on that narrow exit point.

Bunkers, Trees and Greens

I started blogging at Highlands GC about 10 years ago and continued it consistently here at The Royal Mayfair. This season I have not communicated through this medium in a timely manner. I have used twitter more often but still not often enough. Instead the Turf Care Department has notified the Golf Shop about daily activities so that they could talk to the members as they greeted them at the first tee. This technique is not 100% foolproof and doesn't allow for detailed messages to be conveyed. Without a monthly newsletter I find myself in a quandary. How do we get our messages out to you the members? The answer is back to more blogging, twitter posts and email blasts. I am also out on the course throughout the day so please feel free to flag me down to answer any questions you may have.

Let me explain why the bunkers have seen a delay in edging and sand adjustment. The construction at our front entrance resulted in a delay for sand delivery from Idaho. They only deliver sand with long belly dump trailer trucks . There was no way those trucks could enter until the curbing was finished. The first load arrived 12 days ago and the second arrived last Wednesday. There was enough sand in our inventory to complete the green side bunkers a few weeks ago, had some sand left over to start fairway bunkers and  were finally able to order more sand. Unfortunately with the wind storm the fairway bunkers had to wait while we tasked labor to course cleanup for a week. We have many large fairway bunkers and there are only so many hours in a workday. However we are almost finished, with bunkers on 6,7,10 and 12 to be adjusted.

Many of you have seen that huge poplar that fell Saturday evening on hole 18. When they are on the ground it is easier to appreciate how big they are and how extensive  the cleanup is. By my estimate it will be 8 hours of chainsaw work and 16 hours of labor (4 staff x 4 hours) just to remove the debris and stumps. On top of that will be disposal of the branches and wood. We will chip what branches we can but there is no room in our area for any debris. It will need to be put into 35 cubic yard roll off bins and hauled away. The stump area will need to be ground down and then sodded. Right now I would make a rough estimate of $2500 to $3000 for cleanup. That's just one large polar. Daunting to say the least.

The greens are almost healed with the 14th green being the last to come around. The bentgrass that filled most of the damaged areas will eventually become fine bladed and shorter as we lower the mowing heights and continue with verticutting, brushing and topdressing. We've also had to fertilize each green depending on its health. Some have received more nitrogen than others (to speed recovery) which has made it difficult to maintain consistency across the golf course. Sodded areas have been cut higher but we are slowly bringing those areas down to the same mowing height of cut as all other greens. The sod on 15 is looking great and we will continue to cautiously bring it "up to speed". It is slow but still a very smooth putting surface.

To say it has been a challenge so far would be an understatement. Thankfully our fairways, tees and approaches are in great condition. Lets hope for continued warm sunny weather.

First 2018 Course Information Blog

I would assume that most of the Membership has had a good look at the golf course by now. The fairways are in good condition as are the tees and approaches. There is cross country ski trail scarring and some minor ice damage that has started to recover.

The greens that were unscathed by any bubble wrap inflicted ice problems are in very good shape. The other greens are in various stages of recovery with 2, 14 and 15 being the greens that will require the most attention. Spiking and over seeding is continuous and ongoing. The Poa annua has begun to seed which will also speed recovery in those disruptive seam lines. The sod on 15 green is looking good but we will take it slow with height of cut reductions. We hope to have it open for play in 2 weeks time.

Our nursery needed a little time before we could begin using it but it is now ready so we'll soon begin sodding work on 2 green, the collar on 6 green and some other smaller areas. The greens will always be in play so both Turf Care staff and golfers will need to exercise caution at times.

The bunkers do require a major sand adjust and some edging which is scheduled to begin next week. We do have a good supply of bunker sand in our inventory but we cannot order more from Idaho until the construction work just outside our entrance is finished. It is too small an opening for the large trucks to make the turn into the parking lot. A car barely even fits.

On The Course Over The Next Few Weeks:

• Stump grinding repairs using soil/seed, sod or wood chips.
• Tri Wave overseeder used on some fairways (eg: left edge of 9) and the mainline trench on 3 and 5 that requires more work.
• Bunker sand adjusting and edging.
• Fairway top dressing.
• Ongoing greens repair.
• Removal of some dead trees specifically at the Tee House and holes 12, 13, 14 and 2 tee
• High broken branch at 14 green.

Of Note:

• Old sprinkler removal is well underway. The front 9 is finished and we are currently working on the back 9. I'm sure a few have missed a few but we will attend to those as we see them. The old location maps are not accurate in a way, shape or form.
• Tees are being core aerated and topdressed on Monday and Tuesday. The back 9 today and the front 9 tomorrow.

 

September Notes

 It seems like the leaves are turning color early and falling sooner than normal. Probably not. We likely just have short convenient memories. In reality summer is almost over and autumn is upon us. With the arrival of September come changes in the Turf Care Department and also changes in turf management procedures. As happens every season we lose approximately half the staff as students return to school. Replacing them and their experience is not easy when a new person will only be hired for 30 to 45 days. Fortunately turf growth begins to slow as the days get shorter so the practice of everyday mowing of the greens, tees and fairways will be reduced to help us deal with lower staff numbers.
The Turf Care team we assembled this year was one of the finest I've had in my 26 years as a superintendent. Dependable senior employees combined with mature, responsible young adults was what we needed to help the golf course come through a difficult spring and the major work of recovering from the irrigation project. They have earned my respect and admiration and I can't thank them enough. The days will fly by now as we have so much to do and it seems, not enough time in the day to accomplish our tasks.

The following are changes in turf management procedures that have already commenced or will soon occur in September:

• Tees, approaches and fairways will be mowed less often and rarely on weekends.
• Mowing heights will be increased on the greens allowing more leaf blade and deeper root depth as the plants prepare for winter. The green speeds will slow but our goal is to still keep them smooth and rolling true.
• Greens will be rolled rather than mowed as conditions dictate.
• Leaf removal begins in earnest so that means blowers and sweepers out in full force.
• AERATION. Tees, approaches and fairways will be aerated and topdressed this month. THE GREENS WILL BE AERATED IN EARLY OCTOBER.
• The grass tee at the driving range will close. We need the last few weeks of good growing weather to help our small range tee recover from this past summer's use.

Small Course Projects:

• The final phase of the irrigation project is the removal of the old sprinklers. We have already started and will continue until freeze up. Note: the coyote population loves to dig up our sod work as I'm sure you'll periodically notice this fall.
• Some shaded, wet areas (especially beside the tees on 16 and 18) will be stripped and resodded.
• The new range building is almost ready for "occupancy" by the Golf Shop. Once again Dave Quinn from Turf Care has come through and delivered a very nice product.
• As many are no doubt wondering, the new sprinklers on the fairways will have yardage plates installed on them next spring. We are waiting for Alpine Irrigation to give us accurate GPS numbers in October. 
• Removal of dead trees. The list is long and we will get to them as time permits. Stump grinding will be done in October.

Enjoy the last couple months of the 2017 golf season.

Bunker Project and Course Update

As touched on throughout the summer we are testing a new bunker lining process to reduce the occurrence of washouts during heavy rain events. This season we have been very fortunate. There have been no serious sand washouts to date. However over the last several golf seasons the bunkers have been flooded many times. With each washout the clay base was compromised and the expensive sand was contaminated. In addition, many hours of labor was tasked to repairing these bunkers.
Beginning this week CTC will be on site installing the Better Billy Bunker (Google search) liner system. We will be doing all the bunkers on hole 9 and one bunker on hole 2. Why 9 and not elsewhere? The reason is twofold: first there are washout issues on this hole and second the work is very close to the Turf Care Center where all supplies are located. I think the golf course has seen enough damage from project work for awhile.


Bunker Work Timeline: August 9th to the 18th

• Remove existing sand
• Check and repair drainage lines if necessary
• Edge the bunkers
• Install a 2 inch layer of aggregate (small fractured rock similar to gravel put down in parking lots for winter)
• Spray the Billy Bunker polymer that will penetrate and coat the gravel layer
• Install new bunker sand

The bunkers  worked on will be ground under repair and we ask that you stay out of them until the new sand is installed. CTC and Royal Mayfair Turf Care staff will retrieve errant shots. This will be critical when the gravel layer is installed.


On The Course:

• Greens vented and topdressed Tuesday/Wednesday
• Dead tree removal in several areas
• Tree line trim (string trimmers and rough mowers in tight to the deeper tree lines)
• Bunker sand depth check and level later this week and into next week

Irrigation Q and A

When is the new system going to be used in its entirety?

The new irrigation system is up and running and has been for about a week. We are now making adjustments at many of the sprinklers (arc, rotation, nozzle requirements, etc.) and at the central computer: an important requirement for any new system. This is not a simple process and the current hot weather is actually making it more urgent than cooler weather might. There are both wet and dry areas that were never present before. As time goes on (all summer) our attention will focus on fine tuning the system. However there is one major point to consider. The irrigation system is new but the golf course conditions are not. By that I mean the underlying factors that make up the golf course are not new. The soils are good and bad, drainage can be and is an issue and hot spots will always be present.

Why are we hand watering if we have a new water system?

Hand watering prevents over watering nearby areas that don't need water. Remember the irrigation system is a "large area" watering tool. Small dry areas and sod cannot be watered by a sprinkler without overwatering surrounding areas. There a two separate issues here. First sod requires a lot of water especially at +30C. Turning on overhead sprinklers to water what are generally small sections of sod will over saturate everything. Secondly, hot spots are usually a function of issues with soil (localized dry spots or LDS) that require precise watering in addition to cultural practices such as venting and application of wetting agents. This is very relevant on greens and tees and common on almost all golf courses.

Most of the hand watering seems to be on greens. Why?

In addition to treating LDS with hand watering, using hoses and not the large area sprinklers will  prevent putting surfaces from getting too soft over the entire green. Too much water, high temperatures and high humidity can also lead to disease issues. Hand watering the greens should come as no surprise to anyone at The Royal Mayfair. We have been doing that for 7 years even though that section of the irrigation system was upgraded in 2010 an 2011 although new Toro sprinklers were installed last summer. You would be hard pressed to find a golf course that doesn't hand water.

When is Alpine completely finished their work?

Alpine should be off the property by July 14th. They still need to directionally drill some control wires and a communication line to the new Toro controller at the short game practice area. In addition to that they will spend the week adding soil and seeding the many small scars in the rough left behind from their work when using the backhoe. Also, their work is under warranty and with all large projects there will likely be some issues to correct as the system is used extensively. They will also be supplying us with a GPS mapping of all the sprinklers, valves, etc. by the end of the season. This map will make future writing of programs on the computer even more accurate.

Course Update and Irrigation System Progress

Some areas of the golf course are still not where we would like to see things in terms of conditioning. As stated in the previous blog we have been extremely busy with 2 main tasks: looking after the course and working overtime with irrigation cleanup. We have managed to hire more staff and we have made good progress on all work fronts. The following is a list of procedures that will be undertaken by Turf Care beginning tomorrow morning and continuing throughout the week:

• Greens 2 and 6 require an aeration and heavier sand topdressing to help even out the surface. As we lower the mowing height to match the other greens it becomes very important that the new sod is as healthy as possible. The holes will heal quickly at this time of year.

• The other greens will be verticut and lightly sanded Monday morning. Mowing heights will be lowered later in the week. We are getting close to our usual summer time greens condition.
• As fairways 2, 6,7 and 9 reach the latter stages of recovery they also need an aeration, spot overseeding and a topdressing. That will occur throughout the week. The other fairways (as per usual) will get a light topdressing after the Father's Day weekend.
• Many of the wood chip beds need weed control and we can finally task some labor to spraying Roundup and or Killex as required.
• The bunkers need edging and sand adjustment but that will still have to wait until later this month. They aren't too bad but do need attention sooner than later.
• The 4th tee is sodded and should be open for play soon after the Canada Day long weekend.

 
Irrigation System Project

• Alpine will be finished the majority of their work on hole 13 by Tuesday morning and then move on to the 12th hole at that time.
• Hole 11 will follow with a mainline connection from the north side of 12 to the edge of 10 fairway. This will link the irrigation work done previously on hole 10 in 2011.
• Hole 18 will be the last on course work with irrigation to be installed around the large practice green and the nursery as the final phase. If all goes according to plan hole 18 should be completed during the last week of June.

Irrigation Cleanup

• Turf Care is working on the 9th hole at present (not including the haul road repairs). The haul road repairs will commence towards the end of the month when we are certain Alpine will not be needing the route.
• Trenchlines down the tree lines on 5, 12/13 and other areas difficult to grow turf (basically under trees) are going to be hydro seeded. We have borrowed a small hydro seeder that will spray a seed and cellulose fiber mulch on the dirt. This will protect the seed and allow carts to drive over these areas without too much trouble.
• Turf Care will be returning and taking care of many small locations in the coming weeks to give the project a final "cleanup". July and August are always good growing months so that will help as well.

We are getting close to the finish line. At the beginning of May that "light at the end of the tunnel" cliché felt like a Mack truck about to run us down. Now it does feel we are finally getting to a point where the hard work has  made a difference and results are definitely more positive.