June's Aerification

We have finished the aerification process including the greens and all went well on the golf course.  Now we are in the cleanup mode which will hopefully will be done completely over the upcoming week.  It will take a bit longer to regain green speed since the sand from the aerification dulls the greens mowers blades quite quickly.  During the course closure we additionally had all the palm trees trimmed (first time in three years) and two dying trees removed.  Next week we will be addressing the oleanders along El Dorado.

Transition is in full swing and the sprayed ryegrass in the fairways and tees, and in the greens.  If you look at the tees you made notice that it seems that there is much more bermudagrass than on the fairways ... there is two major reasons for this look.  The first is that the tees do not experience cart traffic thus healthier turf, and second, the main reason, is because the tees are 328 bermudagrass and the fairways are common bermudagrass.  Common bermudagrass takes longer the the hybrid bermudagrasses to recover, but they will indeed recover quite nicely.  Thanks to aerification the greens will heal quite quickly from transition with needing only minor repairs.

Bunker "Lips"

Recently, and in the past, I have heard questions about the "lips" or edges on the bunkers and why are they there.  Well, lets first discuss why they are there ... every two weeks we edge and remove bermudagrass runners from the edges of the bunkers which leaves an "lip" on the bunker.  We use to pull the sand back up on the edge but due to the lack of sand in the bunker this ended up causing a groove along the rake line that our members did not enjoy. 

After several discussions with our Green & Golf Committees it was decided that we needed to address these grooves which inferred with the playability of the bunker.  We decided to treat the edges of a bunker in the same manner that we address the the cleanup pass on the greens ... we do not rake them every day.  Instead we go in rotation from pulling the edges out, then no edge raking, then pulling the edges in, and back to no edge raking.  We continue this pattern all the time now and during the last Green/Golf Committee meeting the net effect was enjoyed.  I should note that over the past two years quite a bit of effort has been put to reshaping and addressing these bunkers at little to no additional cost to the Club.

Back to the "lips" on the bunker again.  Every attempt is made to ensure that the edge of the bunker that experiences your back swing stays flush to the turf near it.  The reason for this is because if during your back swing your club strikes the bunker's edge it counts as a penalty stroke.  As far as the front lip or the one closest to the green we do little to correct this lip because it is not a penalty if your ball strikes it on the way out of the bunker if you hit a "line drive" instead of lofting your ball out.

One day we will add and rebuild the bunkers but sadly that day is today.  The good news is that we do rake them every day and put as much effort into them as we can to keep them attractive.

Transition & Why We Don't Compare Courses

Last week we finished spraying the ryegrass on the fairways and tees.  One look at that dark green stripe on 9 that we missed spraying will show the difference in the health of the rye.  Transition is an ugly time of year no matter what and can vary from course to course.  With the weather being cooler than normal some courses may at first look better than others than are chemically transitioning but over time they will look worse and will be less healthy than those who force their transition.  The overall goal is to get at least 100 days of good growth without completion for the bermudagrass to ensure its health for years to come.  Weather, trees (or lack thereof), age of irrigation and nozzles all become factors in the speed and quality of the transition.  This year, although great for the golfers, the weather has not been our friend in aiding the growth of the bermudagrass.

Upcoming Aerification

Starting this upcoming Monday (June 6th) we will be starting to aerify the roughs.  This is quite a large undertaking and I should note that the plugs will be left to be cut up by the mowing.  During this process the plugs and their holes are considered "grounds under repair" and under the rules of golf free relief is allowed.  Note: This holds true also for the areas that we are currently "scuffing" in the fairways to remove the dead ryegrass if not swept or blown.

We have finished spraying out the ryegrass and its death should occur soon.  Between heavy fertilization's and aerification (with a little heat from Mother Nature) we should be seeing some recovery soon and in no time have our fairways and approaches back to healthy bermudagrass.  With the June's aerification starting on the 13th of June you will see our new plan go into effect.  We will be close the 13th to the 15th with the back nine ONLY open on the 16th and the front nine ONLY open on the 17th.  The entire golf course will be opened on the 18th ... which will have a limited crew size due to the personnel needed for the aerification.

Be aware that that greens will be quite sandy for a couple of weeks but we will be doing all that we can to get them back playable as soon as we can.  Aerification is a necessary evil that neither equipment nor members enjoy but the greens love.

Cup Setter

I have heard that a few members over the years believe that my set up team member doesn't use the the cup setter ... let me assure you that he does use it everyday and every time he places a new cup in the green.  So what happens to lift a edge of a cup on a green -- this can be several things from a greens mower team member being too lazy to get off their machines to remove the flag thus pulling the cup up slightly to what I see happening often is a golfer pulling the flag stick while walking and thus lifting the cup and thus the lip.  Even dull blade on the cup cutter itself can lead to an issue but this one is fixed when the cup setter is used.

We do everything we can to limit these problems but if you happen to find one lifted please contact me with the hole number so we can address.  Usually when this problem happens it is just one cup or two at the most.  That being said, I have found on numerous occasions the problem is the turf itself and a slow putt speed at the cup.

Spraying of Monument

Today, we have started spraying the Monument on the fairways, tees and surround of the greens.  The chemical Monument is use not only as a purple nutsedge removal and control but also is used as a transitional tool by killing the ryegrass thus allowing the bermudagrass to fill in and making it healthier for the summer months.  In addition, bermudagrass requires 100 days of growth to aid in the establishment of a healthy base for overseeding.

Speaking of transition this is the second year that the month of May has been quite cooler than normal.  Sadly, these lower temperatures impede the success of a smooth transition by not encouraging the growth of the bermudagrass.  The good news is that warmer temperatures are on the horizon.

Nozzle Issues

Over time the nozzles (the part where the water comes out of the irrigation head) starts to wear out.  Over the past couple of years we have replaced hundreds of head's nozzles but every year during the stressing of the golf course time we find even more.  Considering there are a couple thousand heads around the golf course this will be an ongoing process for years to come.

Bees & Trees

It is that time of year again when the bees are on the move.  The hives that you may see in the bushes and trees usually are migrating bees and in most cases are gone within a day or two.  The bees that you find in the ground in our irrigation boxes are a different story all together and have to be removed.  So if you see bees coming out of the valve boxes please contact me directly and be very careful.  If they are the Africanized bee they can cause great harm to you.

The date palms that were unsafe at the clubhouse have been removed.  At this time there are no plans for replacement; however, at a later date replacement will be considered.

Date Palm Tree Safety

Over the past couple of years we have been having issues with the date palm trees snapping in the wind and dropping 700+ lbs of tree top to the ground.  Especially around the clubhouse this has become more and more an issue which so far no one has been hurt or property has been damaged.  To this end with the Board's blessing we are removing the three last potential date palm tree hazards to ensure the safety of our members, staff and their property.

Trees and Their Roots

Over the past couple of days with the winds we have lost two trees ... a carob on 14 near the gold tee and homes; and another palm at the clubhouse.  The date palms around the clubhouse need to be evaluated since this is the fourth one we have lost in two years due to structural defects.

You may have noticed some lines near the edges of several greens around the golf course such as 1.  These lines are from a root pruner that slices the roots that are going into the greens.  This is the first time that this process has been done and hopefully it will help the overall health of the green's turf.

Upcoming Timelines

Timelines:

Upcoming Week:

a) May 23^rd foliar spraying greens.

b) May 23 – 24^th rototilling greenside bunkers.

c) May 24^th verticutting greens.

d) May 24^th 21-0-0 greens.

e) May 24^th 21-0-0 tees & fairways.

f) May 26^th spraying Monument on fwys & tees.

In Next Week After:

a) May 31^st continuing Monument spraying.

b) May 31^st aerify CGs, Small PG, and nurseries.

c) May 31^st verticutting greens.

d) Jun 1^st fertilizing greens with 21-0-0.

e) Jun 2^nd fertilizing fwys & tees with 21-0-0.

f) Jun 2^nd verticutting greens.

In Near Future:

a) Jun 6^th foliar spraying greens.

b) Jun 6^th start rough aerification (no plug removal).

c) Jun 7^th verticutting greens.

d) Jun 8^th fertilizing greens with 21-0-0.

e) Jun 9^th verticutting greens.

f) Jun 9^th fertilizing fairways & tees with 21-0-0.

g) Jun 13^th trimming ALL palm trees.

h) Jun 13 – 15 course closed for aerification.

i) Jun 15^th spraying greens ProStar & Scimitar.

j) Jun 16^th F9 closed B9 open ONLY. 

k) Jun 16^th Gypsum, K-Mag & 21-0-0 ALL greens.

l) Jun 17^th B9 closed F9 open ONLY.

m) Jun 18^th entire course open for play.

n) Jun 18 – 19^th – limited crew due to aerification.

o) Jun 20 – 21^st trimming oleanders along El Dorado.

p) Jun 20^th foliar fertilizing greens.

q) Jun 22^nd fertilizing greens with 21-0-0.

r) Jun 23^rd verticutting greens.

s) Jun 24^th heavy rolling greens

t)  Jun 27^th foliar spraying greens including Primo.

u) Jun 28^th verticutting greens.

Revenge Day

Yesterday was the Superintendent's Revenge Day and from all those I spoke to ... really those still speaking to me ... everyone seemed to have a great time. The pin positions were as tough as I could get them and still Mr. Bentzen shot a 36 on the front nine ... WOW. The maintenance team also enjoyed the fact that they could be noisy without getting into trouble which led to one of the most productive days ever.

As part of the prep for the event we dried the entire golf course for three days. This not only increased ball roll and green speed but had other added benefits. This drying of the golf course aids in the transition; helps stress the turf to exhibit localized dry spots and areas of grub activity; and also saves the Club monies in pumping and water costs. We test (or scout) these dry area to determine their cause and then deal with them as needed.

I am tickled pink that everyone seemed to enjoy the the event (even the horse race). The best scores (gross) yesterday were for the men Mr. Bentzen who killed it with a 81, Mrs. Woodson from the ladies who shot a 93. Great job by both.

Six Years & Revenge

This week is my six year with Avondale Golf Club and it is only fitting the that this Friday is the first superintendent's revenge day. We are planning to toughen up the golf course, let staff work without stopping, etc. to complete the revenge. We hope everyone enjoys the revenge day.

May & Transition

With May already here this means that we are at the start of the transition season and the end of maintaining the ryegrass. In a couple of weeks we will be starting the aerification of the nurseries, small putting green (the one near three's tee) and both of the chipping greens. This process not only allows us to daily the machines in for the main aerification but also allows us time to heal these greens in case any sod is needed for green's repair after transition.

Transition is our least favorite time a year as it is with many of the members. This is the time when unlike your favorite northern courses we are going out of our way to kill the beautiful ryegrass that we spent so much time cultivating and start growing in the bermudagrass. The process between the two types of grasses is called transition. The good news is that with the chemicals we have today we can speed up the process and as well even it out. Using chemicals last year Bighorn reduced their sod laying from hundreds of pallets to just a few ... of course they close for 10 weeks on each course during the process.

Roses & Chafers

Recently, I have been asked by the members is the beetle that they are finding on their roses and other plants from the golf course. First, I had to capture the beetle in question and id it ... which I did by going up to several homeowners roses and collecting beetle samples. The samples I collected were chafers beetles and in most cases in a higher population than I have seen in years. This doesn't surprise me since this past winter was one of the wettest I have seen since moving to the Valley eleven years ago.

Are the chafers from the golf course? Not exactly. As with all types of insects the adult stage of the beetle fly for miles and miles to find a suitable location both the feed and lay their eggs ... well your succulent roses provide both as do ours roses on 7's tee. So is the golf course where the chafers are coming from -- no.

Good news is that same with the June Bugs that use to make my Grandmother so mad and excellent bluegill bait for me, there numerous insecticide that can control these chafers. Your local Home Depot or Lowes will have these insecticide that you as a unlicensed homeowner can use.