ENTER SANDMEN

Part of our yearly program is refurbishing the practice area bunkers.  I really should say bunker in the singular because the front side bunker receives the majority of use.  Each morning the bunker team for that day redistributes the sand with the goal of achieving uniform sand depth.  Over the course of use however the sand is flashed onto the bank.  Players will continue to blast the sand until they've reached the gravel layer and then to the drain itself.  Self maintenance while practicing is required.  I ask that while you are practicing, please rake the sand back from the bank and leave the bunker  
so every member can enjoy the facility.

Thank you for your support

TURF TOOLS - "What is that thing?"

As the weather warms, many suspected pest problems turn out to be drought problems instead. This is not surprising, since the symptoms of drought stress are very similar to the symptoms caused by many turf diseases and insects.

The culprits involved in drought stress range from poor irrigation distribution to localized dry spot to pump failures, to contour issues and/or surface sealing.

Whatever the causes, it is very important to avoid drought stress — for both obvious and not–so–obvious reasons. The immediate damage is of course unsightly. That is the obvious part. But the hidden problem is that because soils that completely dry out are very difficult to re-wet, drought stress can end up being a gift that keeps giving — throughout the summer — as water-repellent soils remain bone–dry, unable to support turf growth and recovery.  To alleviate this issue, we apply a soil wetting agent each month from April-September to help provide uniform wetting and moisture penetration.

To detect drought stress before serious damage occurs, we use a hand–held TDR 300 soil moisture probe , outfitted with 4.8 inch rods, from Spectrum Technologies. On sand-based greens, we target 15-25% volumetric water content for healthy turf.  I like to irrigate to 35% and let the soil dry down to between 10-15%.  This allows the green surface to remain firm yet provide ample moisture for the roots.  The data collected is mapped and then we are able to target apply irrigation, making better use of our water resources.

We put a HEX on 7 Blue Green

The two main challenges with maintaining the back edges #7 Blue Green are shade and traffic pattern.  Morning sunlight if critical for sustained turf vigor and quite frankly we were allowed to remove as many trees as needed during the CRI project.  The traffic wear is a result of the exit point from the back of the green to the cart path.  Repairs were made utilizing our turf nursery and a hex plugging tool. Hex plugs allow us to repair the area completely by puzzling the pieces together without gaps.  Although more labor intensive to install, plugs perform better than sod during this time of year due their increased root mass.  In a few weeks these plugs will blend in with the rest of the
putting surface.

Repair In Progress

Turf Nursery  Between 1R & 9W

STAIRWAY TO SEVEN

Led Zeppelin would be proud!

After a delay from the sod farm, we have completed the Stairway to Seven.  

The grading and sod installation wrapped up just in time for a nice soaking rain.  This stairway will provide a much safer descent from the back of the green to the cart path. One thing to keep in mind, is that we will have much more wear and traffic on the back of the green as golfers exit.

DAY 1

FINISHED PRODUCT

A View from the Rough

I want to update you with a spring “state of the course” report and address an issue I see currently affecting your golfing experience.  The golf course has received numerous complements since the start of the season but one subject has been consistent from most members I speak with -  ROUGH!

“The rough is too thick”

“I can’t find my ball”

“Have you raised the height of cut?”

And my favorite – “do you hate us?”

Allow me to give you a brief history of our rough.  When I first started at ANCC 20 years ago, the rough was just that – ROUGH.  It was sparse and inconsistent and the desired turf was bluegrass and perennial ryegrass.  These two varieties do not thrive in our Mid-Atlantic summers and are disease prone.  In 2005, I changed our management practices to promote tall fescue.  This included spring/fall aerification and over seeding along with an aggressive organics program to help modify the poor soil.  The height of cut has remained consistent since that time.  The result is what you see today, thick healthy turf that can withstand more environmental stress.

The unintended consequence however is a difficult spring golfing experience.  It bears repeating that we have NOT ‘raised the mowers’ as some have suggested.  Nonetheless, based on generally improved turf stand and conditions, the rough has become too penal and we will be making an adjustment to the height of cut (HOC) until summer temperature take hold.  Depending on the weather patterns, I will raise the height back to current standards in order to maximize plant health and playability. 

  

NOT AN OVERNIGHT PROCESS

Lowering the HOC will take 7-10 days.  Starting on Monday May 18^th the HOC will be lower and clippings will be abundant.  Clipping removal is labor intensive and will take priority over other maintenance activities during this time.  

WEEDS

All maintained turf has been treated with a pre-emergent herbicide application made in early April.  The coverage and timing has been good and I don’t see significant crabgrass breakthrough.  It is designed to last until we over seed fairways in September.  Post-emergent broadleaf weed control will continue as needed.

NATIVE AREAS

Weed control in these areas has been the highest priority yielding a much cleaner look.  Multiple applications have been made and will continue.  As they have matured, some have become too penal and just don’t fit the landscape. These will be modified or removed.  Last season we removed the native grasses between the fairway and #7 Blue Tee and seeded to Tall Fescue.  Although still tough, the golfer now has a chance to advance the ball.  

PRIORITIES

Exceeding Member Expectations

Continue to raise the bar on course conditions.

Native Areas – Weed control and trimming to promote clean appearance. Modify selected areas to promote pace of play and golfing experience. 

Sincerely,

Carmen A. Giannini, Jr.

Golf Course Superintendent

THE BLOG IS BACK!

After a long hiatus, the BLOG is back!

Over the past year my postings have declined due to time constraints and that I've been helping some of my colleagues start their own blogs.  

I'M BACK!

My goal is provide informative content on a consistent basis and not bombard you with filler.  Many have requested the return of the "Week in Review" videos so you will see my smiling face soon. 

THE NATIVES ARE RESTLESS

Over the past few weeks we have begun the process of refurbishing some of the native "no mow" areas.  Since the completion of the CRI project I have not been happy with the establishment or overall look in some the most highly visible areas.  Establishing fine fescue from seed is best done in the late summer and early fall months.  Fortunately, I was able to secure 25,000 sq. ft. of Aurora Gold fine fescue sod from a local farm that is rotating their fields.  It was a "win-win" for both parties. We will not be able to sod every native area, but will focus on locations with high visual impact and steep slopes.  Sod is best utilized on the steep slopes where seed is difficult to sow. 

As we move forward thought the season, we will continue to trim all the non sodded native areas.  Along with herbicide applications for invasive weeds, the appearance will be manicured and clean.  Seeding and establishment of thin areas will commence in the fall.

4 Red & 5 Red

4 Red & 5 Red

3 Blue Tee

3 Blue Tee

3 Blue Tee

3 Red Tee

Finished Look - 4year Old Aurora Gold Fine Fescue
Harmony Landing Country Club - Louisville Kentucky

SPRING HAS ARRIVED?

ENOUGH SAID!

I thought it would be helpful to give you a update on the impact this winter’s weather has had on the golf course and our maintenance plan.  It goes without saying that we’ve experienced near record snowfall and low temperatures that have extended the winter season.

 FAIRWAY AERIFICATION AND SEEDING

Our ability to core aerify and seed the fairways and rough has been halted to this point.  The past three weeks have either been too wet or snow covered to perform this vital cultural practice.  Why is this an issue? WEEDS!  My program is designed around having our spring seeding sowed and germinated prior to a pre-emergent weed application.  Unfortunately, crabgrass seed is already in the soil lying in wait for its opportunity to germinate.  Temperatures can rise quickly and crabgrass will have the advantage.  The plan for this spring is to solid tine aerify/seed selected fairway and rough areas.  If we are unable to aerify/seed this week, we will only solid tine and hold seeding until fall.  The result will be a half season delay for rough establishment following construction.  As weather dictates,
Pre-emergent herbicides will be applied to minimize weeds course wide.

 BUNKERS

Part of my winter program is to supplement and touch up bunkers that have been contaminated over the season.  This consists of exposing the drainage, inspecting the piping and adding fresh sand.  I had ten bunkers on my list and we’ve only been able to address three due to weather.  The process is time consuming and disruptive to play, so we will have to look for opportunities when the spare nines are closed on Mondays to continue.

PAR 3 TEE SODDING

For the past two years we have sodded portions of the Par 3 teeing areas that have been thinned by play.  We used our entire in-house turfgrass nursery for these repairs, but more is needed.  Sod availability and harvest has also been greatly affected by winter weather.

COLLAR MANAGEMENT

Collar management is a challenge in the Transition zone and we’ve had our fair share
of setbacks.  I changed our management protocol that consists of reducing the width and
addressing thatch build up.  Phase 1 (Width Reduction) of the program has been completed .  Phase 2 (Small Tine Core Aerification/Topdressing) began and was halted by snow cover.  Six holes have been completed. 


 GOOSE CONTROL

 With snow cover off and on since the end of December, geese have had full run of the property.  Assembling in areas not accessible due to snow cover made it difficult to run the dogs as a deterrent. The result is excrement on the snow, that when melt occurs, is quite a mess.  Clean up is difficult because of wet conditions.

Although the weather has caused disruption, we have regrouped and completed other projects on my hit list.  Stay tuned for those updates!

I hope this will give you some idea of how things are going and help answer any questions.