The oleander trimming started today and for the most will be completed today as well. This is a big process that requires most of my team to get completed in one day thus there will be very few crew members on the golf course.
On greens 1, 2, 12 & 15 you may notice a slight bit of scalping from the greens mower. The machine was having problems that included dropping the reels on its own after being lifted from the mowing of the green. Good news is that areas will heal quickly and the machine is in repair.
Spraying of the nutsedge starts today and it herbicide application will take out the ryegrass along with the sedge; however, this application will NOT harm the bermudagrass which will fill in the areas over time.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Fairy Ring, Sedge & Palms
As the summer comes in so does the fairy ring on the greens. This does not kill the bermudagrass but for sure wipes out the Poa Triv. Other than looking bad and producing mushrooms, fairy ring poses no long term harm to the green; however, with that being said we will be treating it during the aerification which allows the chemical to penetrate deeply into the profile.
The purple nutsedge is coming back especially around a few greens. As many of you know purple nutsedge is considered to be the world's worse weed and due to the high number of underground nutlets each plant produces quite difficult to control. Over the past 5 years we have gotten our nutsedge population down from in excess of 40 acres to less than 3 total acres. We have had a very aggressive program and starting next week we will be starting it up again. I should note that the same herbicide that kills the sedge also kills the ryegrass; however, the bermuda is not affected at all. This will lead to some weak areas at first but they should recovery nicely soon after.
The palms around the golf course are NOT going to be trimming again this year in a effort to save thousands of dollars. That being said we will trim the date palms and select few solely around the clubhouse. That trimming will be done during the aerification.
The purple nutsedge is coming back especially around a few greens. As many of you know purple nutsedge is considered to be the world's worse weed and due to the high number of underground nutlets each plant produces quite difficult to control. Over the past 5 years we have gotten our nutsedge population down from in excess of 40 acres to less than 3 total acres. We have had a very aggressive program and starting next week we will be starting it up again. I should note that the same herbicide that kills the sedge also kills the ryegrass; however, the bermuda is not affected at all. This will lead to some weak areas at first but they should recovery nicely soon after.
The palms around the golf course are NOT going to be trimming again this year in a effort to save thousands of dollars. That being said we will trim the date palms and select few solely around the clubhouse. That trimming will be done during the aerification.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Warmer Weather & Transition
Finally, the weather has started to warm up and over the last two days we are seeing the fairways starting to grow back in with bermudagrass. Another couple weeks and we will be filled mostly back in on the fairways,; however, this same warmer weather is going to take out the ryegrass that we did not chemically treat. These areas to will be going through transition and will be uglier at first until the bermudagrass without competition fills those areas. These areas include the greens and approaches as well as areas under the trees.
This upcoming week we are limited of staff due to the holiday and we will also be trimming the oleanders along El Dorado which will take the staff off the course. The week after that we will be starting the aerification of the rough to relieve the compaction from all of the cart traffic. There will be plugs left behind but remember according to the rules of golf you get free relief.
Be patient through these times of aerifications and transition, and just enjoy your round of golf. These are necessary evils that we too do not enjoy but will make the golf course so much better in the long run. As you can tell by the seasons getting better and better these processes make the golf course more enjoyable especially during the season.
This upcoming week we are limited of staff due to the holiday and we will also be trimming the oleanders along El Dorado which will take the staff off the course. The week after that we will be starting the aerification of the rough to relieve the compaction from all of the cart traffic. There will be plugs left behind but remember according to the rules of golf you get free relief.
Be patient through these times of aerifications and transition, and just enjoy your round of golf. These are necessary evils that we too do not enjoy but will make the golf course so much better in the long run. As you can tell by the seasons getting better and better these processes make the golf course more enjoyable especially during the season.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Three "W's" - Weather, Wind & Water
Transition -- this is the time of year that is hated by both members and superintendents equally. It is the time of year for the few in the nation that overseed that we on purpose kill one type of grass (our cool season) to give rise to another (our warm season) just so we can prepare the golf course to be ready for another season of cool season turf (ryegrass) and start the process all over again. In our world we joke that there is two times a year that if we could go on vacation for a month it would be in December when the bermudagrass that we have so hard during the summer months to bring back into healthy condition we have effectively knocked down and the ryegrass hasn't quite filled back in it place; and the other is during transition (May & June) where we go out of our way to kill the ryegrass that we have worked so hard to make perfect leaves the course weak until the bermudagrass can fill back in once again.
As superintendents we are depended not only on our skills alone but also Mother Nature's three "W's" for an easier transition -- you will have notice I did not say perfect transition ... that is not possible unless you are God. The three "W's" -- weather, wind and water control how the transition will occur. Many super high end golf courses just sod out the areas that were affected by transition which give immediate gratification for tens of thousands of dollars; however, leaves the areas sodded to have to be done from that year on. Just like every other course the three "W's" determine just how much they are going to spend.
This year we have had all three "W's" fighting against us ... the weather has been ten to twenty degrees cooler, the winds have been at a all time high for the month of May thus drying the turf, and both of wells went down during the time we needed them the most thus limiting our water to less than half of what we needed.
The good news is that everything will recover ... quickly -- no. With the cooler weather the ryegrass has become strong again in the areas we have not chemically treated such the greens and approaches, which means that when these areas finally do transition they will be rough at first. Turf is not like carpet where one day it is less than desirable and then the next it is perfect ... we are depended on time and the three "W's" to ease this time of year ... but we will get there soon.
As superintendents we are depended not only on our skills alone but also Mother Nature's three "W's" for an easier transition -- you will have notice I did not say perfect transition ... that is not possible unless you are God. The three "W's" -- weather, wind and water control how the transition will occur. Many super high end golf courses just sod out the areas that were affected by transition which give immediate gratification for tens of thousands of dollars; however, leaves the areas sodded to have to be done from that year on. Just like every other course the three "W's" determine just how much they are going to spend.
This year we have had all three "W's" fighting against us ... the weather has been ten to twenty degrees cooler, the winds have been at a all time high for the month of May thus drying the turf, and both of wells went down during the time we needed them the most thus limiting our water to less than half of what we needed.
The good news is that everything will recover ... quickly -- no. With the cooler weather the ryegrass has become strong again in the areas we have not chemically treated such the greens and approaches, which means that when these areas finally do transition they will be rough at first. Turf is not like carpet where one day it is less than desirable and then the next it is perfect ... we are depended on time and the three "W's" to ease this time of year ... but we will get there soon.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Draining Pools & Wear Patterns
As summer is upon us many of the members and homeowners have left for the season leaving their pool people in charge of maintaining their swimming pools in their absence. Sadly, every year we receive damage to the golf course turf due to the laziness of the pool cleaners who instead of draining the pools they are in charge of correctly they take the quickest way of completed the tasks. I would asked that if you could, please speak to your pool people and let them know that you will not tolerate these kind of actions.
There is also a picture to the right of golf cart wear patterns and the damage it causes to the turf from not scattering. During the summer months we remove the ropes to make it easier for the maintenance staff to complete their tasks in a timely manner; however, I need help from you to even out the wear pattern by SCATTERING please. This will not only help now but in the future as well.
There is also a picture to the right of golf cart wear patterns and the damage it causes to the turf from not scattering. During the summer months we remove the ropes to make it easier for the maintenance staff to complete their tasks in a timely manner; however, I need help from you to even out the wear pattern by SCATTERING please. This will not only help now but in the future as well.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Bunker Rakes
Bunker rakes ... in the bunker ... out of the bunker ... sticking up out of the bunker ... the list goes on and on. It was decided the to expedite the maintenance staff during the summer months and lower damage to the rakes themselves that we would place them inside the bunkers until next season. This only a temporary change just for the summer thus the debate can rage on about their placement during the upcoming season.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Why Are the Fairways Browning?
I have been asked a few times lately "Why are the fairways not as green and lush as the approaches?" This is a good question and the reason is because we sprayed them on May 3rd with a chemical designed to remove the ryegrass without harming the bermudagrass.
You may ask did we do that? Well due to our large trees we have difficultly completely removing the ryegrass which competes with the bermuda for inputs such as sun, fertilizer and space itself. For bermudagrass to become healthy during the transition it requires at least 100 days of growth in the growing season. By removing the ryegrass (it completion) we allow the bermuda to fill in and completly recover thus providing a better base for the overseed.
To the right you will also see a overfilled divot ... which we see many of on the fairways everyday. Years ago someone told the members around here to overfill the divots for complete recovery and that the irrigation would level it over the evening ... well that is not true. The picture you see is in the morning after irrigation and level it is not! When we mow the fairways in the morning these divot piles act like sand paper to our reels and bedknives thus dulling them quickly and costing the Club monies in replacement and labor to sharpen. Please level with your foot these divot sand piles and save the Club thousands in the process.
You may ask did we do that? Well due to our large trees we have difficultly completely removing the ryegrass which competes with the bermuda for inputs such as sun, fertilizer and space itself. For bermudagrass to become healthy during the transition it requires at least 100 days of growth in the growing season. By removing the ryegrass (it completion) we allow the bermuda to fill in and completly recover thus providing a better base for the overseed.
To the right you will also see a overfilled divot ... which we see many of on the fairways everyday. Years ago someone told the members around here to overfill the divots for complete recovery and that the irrigation would level it over the evening ... well that is not true. The picture you see is in the morning after irrigation and level it is not! When we mow the fairways in the morning these divot piles act like sand paper to our reels and bedknives thus dulling them quickly and costing the Club monies in replacement and labor to sharpen. Please level with your foot these divot sand piles and save the Club thousands in the process.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Excuse Our Mess
We have started several smaller projects such as re-shaping of 2 and 6's greenside bunkers and adding much needed drains around the course. These projects are mostly finished and should be healed in a couple of weeks. In addition, all roped off areas are out of play due to potential damage to the turf. We have also opened up the area which is always wet along the right side of 2 from the drainage of the streets. This area will be repaired soon.
You may have noticed that there is a crane out on 18 next to the well. This crane has just removed our pump and shaft which required repair to the lowering of the water table in the Valley. Over the past 5 years the water table has dropped 30 ft and since 1995 almost 100 ft. The repairs on the shaft will be completed on Thursday, however, on Friday the crane will be removing the shaft and pump on 6's well since it too has been having issues and is currently blowing out water from the top of the shaft into the motor. This entire project will be completed in a couple of weeks.
You may have noticed that there is a crane out on 18 next to the well. This crane has just removed our pump and shaft which required repair to the lowering of the water table in the Valley. Over the past 5 years the water table has dropped 30 ft and since 1995 almost 100 ft. The repairs on the shaft will be completed on Thursday, however, on Friday the crane will be removing the shaft and pump on 6's well since it too has been having issues and is currently blowing out water from the top of the shaft into the motor. This entire project will be completed in a couple of weeks.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wells & Spraying the Ryegrass
Starting on Monday the 3rd of May you will be seeing a crane out working on the well on 18. We are having issues with that well along with the other well on 6 and have a company coming out to repair the problems we are having. Over the next couple of weeks the crane and their crews will be for time to time on the property until the problems are fixed.
Starting tomorrow we will be starting the process of chemically removing the ryegrass. At first this will lead to weak and bare areas, however, the bermudagrass will fill in over the upcoming weeks leaving us a wonderful base for the next overseeding season.
Starting tomorrow we will be starting the process of chemically removing the ryegrass. At first this will lead to weak and bare areas, however, the bermudagrass will fill in over the upcoming weeks leaving us a wonderful base for the next overseeding season.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Flush of Turfgrass Growth
With the increasing of the temperatures and retention of the cooler night time temps we are experiencing a flush in the growth of the turf. The warmer temperatures are perfect for the warm-season turf (bermudagrass) while the cooler night time temperatures are perfect for the cool-season turf (Poa Triv) thus allowing both turfs to grow aggressively at the same time.
We first noticed this flush of growth on this last Friday when the clipping yields increased from half a basket to three baskets per green. So what does this mean? Well it means that for a period of time until we can control the growth that the greed speeds will greatly decrease, maintenance practices will slow down due to increased clipping removal and overall playability will slightly decrease.
On Saturday we smooth rolled the greens and lowered the height of cut of the turf to 0.090 of a inch. The next day on Sunday we applied Primo (a growth regulator) to our greens, however, this will take about a week to take effect. On Monday we brought out the heavy roller onto the greens along with replacing all the bedknives of our mowers to improve the quality of the cut.
All of the things will help but we will not be able to address the problem until after the Tapestry when we can finally verticut and thin the turf. This flush of growth normally occurs in March, however, this year with the temperatures remaining cool in March this flush did not occur until now. This is normal and will be back to normal soon.
We first noticed this flush of growth on this last Friday when the clipping yields increased from half a basket to three baskets per green. So what does this mean? Well it means that for a period of time until we can control the growth that the greed speeds will greatly decrease, maintenance practices will slow down due to increased clipping removal and overall playability will slightly decrease.
On Saturday we smooth rolled the greens and lowered the height of cut of the turf to 0.090 of a inch. The next day on Sunday we applied Primo (a growth regulator) to our greens, however, this will take about a week to take effect. On Monday we brought out the heavy roller onto the greens along with replacing all the bedknives of our mowers to improve the quality of the cut.
All of the things will help but we will not be able to address the problem until after the Tapestry when we can finally verticut and thin the turf. This flush of growth normally occurs in March, however, this year with the temperatures remaining cool in March this flush did not occur until now. This is normal and will be back to normal soon.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
End of Season
With the final major event coming up this week the 09 - 10 season will come to a close ... or at least for the ryegrass season part.
Starting on the 23rd of April we will be verticutting the greens to removed the Poa Triv and promote the bermudagrass growth. And with May just around the corner we will start the chemical removal of the ryegrass around the golf course which will lead to a uglier golf course for a couple of weeks until the bermudagrass can fill back in these transitional areas. The good news is that we had a great bermudagrass base prior to overseeding thus this will speed the process.
May in general is "the button up" month. We will finish any projects we have started (such as the expansion of the irrigation system behind 14's green) and do some final tweaks to the bunkers that we re-designed last year. Our goal is to have everything completed by the first week of June so we can focus our limited staff into just maintaining a high quality golf course for our summer members and their guest.
I will keep you up to date on upcoming projects.
Starting on the 23rd of April we will be verticutting the greens to removed the Poa Triv and promote the bermudagrass growth. And with May just around the corner we will start the chemical removal of the ryegrass around the golf course which will lead to a uglier golf course for a couple of weeks until the bermudagrass can fill back in these transitional areas. The good news is that we had a great bermudagrass base prior to overseeding thus this will speed the process.
May in general is "the button up" month. We will finish any projects we have started (such as the expansion of the irrigation system behind 14's green) and do some final tweaks to the bunkers that we re-designed last year. Our goal is to have everything completed by the first week of June so we can focus our limited staff into just maintaining a high quality golf course for our summer members and their guest.
I will keep you up to date on upcoming projects.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Bad Nozzles
As our irrigation system ages we start seeing the effects of nozzle wear on several heads. Historically, these problems will start in the lower pressure areas such at the ends of the irrigation loops (i.e. 12, 13, 14) and as the temperature rises become more and more visible. As we find the problems we replace the nozzles and check pressure at the irrigation head, but that being said it usually takes a couple of weeks for the visual problem to go away.
On Apr 7th CV Vector control will be on the golf course treating fire ants. So far I haven't noticed any mounds, however, if you see any please notify me so I can get the area treated.
On Apr 7th CV Vector control will be on the golf course treating fire ants. So far I haven't noticed any mounds, however, if you see any please notify me so I can get the area treated.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Temperature Is Rising
As the temperature starts to rise again the ryegrass is going to start transition back to the bermudagrass base. Areas such as under the trees will exhibit the ryegrass stress first followed soon in the rough areas. With two big events left in the season we will hold onto the overseed for a bit longer but after that we will be helping nature take its course.
Along with the ryegrass slowly fading away the bermudagrass will start growing quicker and quicker with each pasting day. This means that our smaller staff size due to budget cuts is going to be more visible than years past in a attempt to keep those excellent conditions that the members of Avondale expect. The crew will continue to work even though play is near by, however, they will be as courteous as possible without stopping work. Your enjoyment is still our highest priority.
Along with the ryegrass slowly fading away the bermudagrass will start growing quicker and quicker with each pasting day. This means that our smaller staff size due to budget cuts is going to be more visible than years past in a attempt to keep those excellent conditions that the members of Avondale expect. The crew will continue to work even though play is near by, however, they will be as courteous as possible without stopping work. Your enjoyment is still our highest priority.
Monday, March 8, 2010
The Country Road Effect
All the time you hear me saying the importance of carts scattering and evening out the wear from the tires. Look at the pictures on the right and you will see one of damaged turf due to carts being forced to drive the same area when the streets were being done. The picture was taken three weeks after the cart traffic and the damage was caused from just one day's worth of driving.
Thus, SCATTER, SCATTER, SCATTER when driving around the golf course.
Thus, SCATTER, SCATTER, SCATTER when driving around the golf course.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Leveling Heads Around Greens
Ever since I started here I wanted to find time to improve the playability around the greens by leveling the irrigation head to the surrounding area. In the past couple weeks we finally started this project and we plan to be finished within a couple more weeks. This leveling not only improves the playability but it also improves the sprinker's performance.
Due to a couple of trips on the ropes around the greens we were requested by the Board to take down all greenside ropes -- which we have done. Please since to the ropes are down do not drive in these areas. The reason we have had the ropes there was because historically these areas became bare due to cart traffic and if driving occurs in those areas the grass will surely disappear.
Due to a couple of trips on the ropes around the greens we were requested by the Board to take down all greenside ropes -- which we have done. Please since to the ropes are down do not drive in these areas. The reason we have had the ropes there was because historically these areas became bare due to cart traffic and if driving occurs in those areas the grass will surely disappear.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)