THE WEEK IN REVIEW (Pictorial)

This week we refurbished the front green side bunker at the practice area.  The process consists of stripping the sod, re-establishing the edge contour and removing the excess sand.  As you can see from the photo to below, eight inches of sand had accumulated.  Over the course the season, sand is "flashed" onto the face from the numerous players utilizing this bunker.  The location is convenient and is often the only bunker used.  This renovation process will become part of our program at the end of every season.

Green Collar - Note the 2" sand accumulation

 

FALL REVIEW

FROST FACTS

How can a footprint be a killer? 

When it's a footprint made on a putting surface that's covered with frost. It's hard to believe that simply walking across a golf green covered with frost can cause so much damage, but the proof will be there in a few days as the turfgrass dies and leaves a trail of brown footprints. That's why most courses will delay starting times until the frost has melted. And it's also why golfers who appreciate a quality putting surface will be patient during frost delays.

Why does frost cause problems?

 Greens are fragile. The putting surface, or green, is an extremely fragile environment that must be managed carefully and professionally. Remember that every green is a collection of millions of individual grass plants, each of which is a delicate living thing. Obviously, Mother Nature never meant for these plants to be maintained at 3/16 or even 1/8 of an inch for prolonged periods. This stress makes greens constantly vulnerable to attacks from insects, disease, heat, drought, cold  and frost.

Frost is essentially frozen dew. It can form when the temperature (or wind chill) is near or below the freezing point. The ice crystals that form on the outside of the plant can also harden or even freeze the cell structure of the plant. When frosted, the normally resilient plant cells become brittle and are easily crushed. When the cell membranes are damaged, the plant loses its ability to function normally. It's not much different than cracking an egg. Once the shell is broken, you can't put it back together.

The proof is in the prints

Although you won't see any immediate damage if you walk on frosted turf, the proof will emerge within 48 to 72 hours as the leaves die and turn brown. And, since just one foursome can leave several hundred footprints on each green, the damage can be very extensive.

Thanks for understanding

The damage isn't just unsightly -- putting quality will also be reduced until repairs are made. Those repairs are expensive and, in some cases, the green may have to be kept out of play for days or weeks until the new turfgrass is established. A short delay while the frost melts can preserve the quality of the greens, prevent needless repairs and may even save you a few strokes the next time you play.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW (Pictorial)

BYE BYE BERMUDAGRASSS

 

As you can see from the above photo the rough to right of #4 White Fairway has been taken over with common bermudagrass and undesirable weeds.  These weeds have become too difficult to control with traditional chemical methods and a complete overhaul was necessary.  This week's project was to renovate the rough on #4.  The ground current cover really compromised not only the aesthetics but the playability of the hole.  It should be playable by Thanksgiving.  I know those reading this blog don't hit the ball in the rough, but tell your friends it's going to be great!  

The sod is roped off and should be played as "ground under repair" , please keep off the grass until it's ready.

 

The sod was stripped and completely removed

Creating a clean edge to keep our transition with the fairway

The area will be roped off to keep traffic of the wet sod while it tacks down

The BEST sod laying crew in the world.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

THE WEEK IN REVIEW (Pictorial)

Well the rain has stopped after a total 5.35" fell on the golf course last week.  This week, we were able to work on the collar enhancement project that was delayed.  This consists of sod repair and beginning a step down cut.  The step down area will eventually be maintained at green height thus reducing the collars to 40".  This will be gradual and take a few weeks because we don't want to scalp the turf.

So why are we doing this? 

The goal is to have consistent collars all year.  Collars are susceptible to mechanical and environmental damage because of their growth habit.  They create a transition between rough and the green surface.  The increased height of cut exposes more leaf tissue to damage from traffic and equipment.  This is evident by the fact that the bentgrass cut at greens height handles these pressures much better. My plan is to reduce the problem area and lower the height of cut on the new collar area.  We will then maintain the collars with the same light weight walking mowers we use on greens.

#8 White

#3 White

THE WEEK IN REVIEW (Pictorial)

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THE RAIN?

 

3.4" of rain so far this week has forced us to postpone our sod work on the collars until

next Tuesday.  We were able to began shaping the collar edges with new mowing

contours to prep for the enhancement.  This weekend we will work on bunker repair/water

removal and leaf clean up.

NEW ADDITION TO THE COURSE 

We recently added this sign to direct cart parking on #1 Blue near the green.  This area is a "pinch" point on the course.  The path was widened during the CRI project to help with traffic.  The next step is to park the golf carts in a single row on the left starting at the sign.  This will allow through traffic from both sides.  - Thank you for your cooperation.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW