Reel to Reel

Since this is the last post of 2011, I thought it was apropos to review the year... Happy New Year to you and yours!

Over the last couple of weeks most of our efforts have been spent cleaning and preparing our equipment for winter maintenance. The entire fleet including mowers, tractors, trailers, line trimmers and blowers are now clean and ready for preventative maintenance to ensure everything is in working order for the spring.

As we all know, conditions on the golf course can change in a heartbeat. We accumulated 2 inches of rain yesterday followed by a little snow last night. There are several areas of standing water, which will be pumped off over the next few days.

It has been a busy November, as numerous tasks have been crossed off the list in preparation for winter. Completed: - Irrigation system winterized - Final fungicides applied to greens, tees and fairways - Ball washers, benches and trash cans moved inside - Pond levels pumped down to help take water overwinter - Leaf clean-up To Do: - Remove tee markers and bunker rakes - Topdress greens - Clean-up ornamental beds - Rope off specific greens to eliminate winter foot traffic - Final leaf clean-up once all are down

REMINDER The irrigation system will be blown out November 1-2 . Air will be blown through the irrigation lines to winterize the system. Thanks, Andy

We will have a frost delay this morning. Clear skies and cold nighttime temperatures make for perfect frost conditions. Essentially, frost is frozen dew that has crystallized on the grass, making it hard and brittle. Walking on frost-covered turf causes the plants' internal cell walls to break down and rupture. When the cell walls are broken they can not be put back together, much like an egg, and the plant losses it's ability to function normally. During frost delays, please remember to avoid walking on any turf. Thank you for your cooperation.

We finished our work on the short range just before the rain began to fall this afternoon. Work this morning included: aerification of the greens, topdressing, and the finishing touches on the new fairway bunker. Below are a few photos from yesterday and this morning.

It was a productive start to the week as greens were aerified with the deep tines and we started a renovation project on the short game practice area. Greens were aerified at a depth of 10" with the Soil Reliever. The new pore space will allow for increased water absorption this fall and winter. Keeping water off of the surface and keep it from refreezing are key factors in trying to limit winter damage. The renovation to the short range is going to be a great improvement to the property. The changes will include a new 5500 square foot putting green, an additional 5000 square feet of fairway, a new fairway bunker and a larger north target green. Tuesday's agenda will include topdressing greens, leaf blowing, leaf mulching and continued work on the short range.

My staff did a great job with the construction of the new tees on #15 and #17. I want to thank them for their tremendous effort. Tee Project Fun Facts: - 75 tons of soil - 1700 square feet of bluegrass sod - 700 square feet of bentgrass/poa sod Finished Products

It was another great day, as we continued shaping, rolling and putting the final grade on #15 and #17 tees. Tomorrow's agenda includes sodding both the tees and banks. See you on the course-

Today, we started forward tee construction on holes #15 and #17. The tees will be a great addition to the property, both tees will play close to 115 yards. Today's work included: - Removing the sod - Addition of soil - Shaping of tees - Compacting the soil - Grading to final shape We will be sodding the tees later in the week.

Fairway aerification was completed yesterday right on schedule. This process reduces the compaction that occurrs throughout the season. Fairway firmness has also increased dramatically. Considering the 1.5" of rain last week, fairways like #5 and #7, which are typically soft, are now extremely firm. Over 7.8 million holes were created at a depth of 10". The depth of our aerification increases the pore space and allows for increased water infiltration. Below are photos of the .75" aerification tines we use. The tines we use when aerifying the fairways are 14" in length (tine on left). This photo illustrates how tines wear down after only 3 fairways (tine on right). This photo compares a new tine (on left), to a tine that hit a buried rock on #14 fairway (on right).

Temperatures hovering in the mid 40's, and rain and wind gusts around 25 mph, have not made it a pleasant day to play golf. The golf course is in good shape, but soft due to the 1.25" of rain this week. Our attention this weekend will be focused on mowing, rolling and keeping the course clean, as the leaves have started to fall at a rapid pace. See you on the course-

Photos are unable to completely capture this in-depth process, so I've prepared a brief video for a closer look at deep-tine aerification.

Fairways aerification commenced yesterday with the aerification of #4, #6, and #8. Everything ran smoothly as we punched 10" deep holes. We will be aerifying fairways over the next two weeks as it is a slow process moving at a 1 mph pace. We will be moving around the course in a strategic manner to try and avoid play as much as possible. Thank you for your patience. Below are two photos of the soil reliever aerifying #6 fairway and the nice clean 3/4" holes left behind.

The pictures of #5 (behind the green) and #11 (fairway) tell the entire story. Standing water in the rough and on most of the fairways will prohibit the use of carts this morning. We will reassess conditions early this afternoon. We are working diligently to make the course as playable as possible. Stay dry- Andy

Over an inch of rain was not enough to hinder our productivity today. Although the course was too wet to cut in many areas, we were able to catch up on detail-oriented work like line trimming and edging sprinkler heads. Tomorrow's agenda will include: - Cutting & rolling greens - Cutting & blowing fairways - Cutting collars & approaches - Raking bunkers - Cutting cups

The tees were verticut, aerified, cleaned-up and mowed today. Everything ran smoothly as we created 1.9 million holes and removed over 15 cubic yards of material. Nearly 50 cubic yards of aerification plugs were harvested from the aerification of greens and tees. That's enough to fill one and a half garbage trucks. Instead of discarding the plugs, we decided to reuse them and expand our bentgrass/poa nursery. The 8500 square feet nursery will provide sod that will perfectly match our existing turf texture and color.

...what your golf course can do for you, ask what you can do for your golf course. Please continue to respect the golf course and your fellow members by remembering the following: - Repair Ball Marks - Replace Divots - Rake Bunkers - Obey Cart Protocol If we all do our part, the golf course will benefit. Have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day !

As we enter the fall and aerification season, I think this video is both appropriate and informative. In the video Dr. Larry Stowell describes the aerification of greens, but the principles apply to tees and fairways as well. THIS VIDEO IS WELL WORTH THE VIEWING TIME...enjoy!

I find myself uttering this phrase many times in a given day. It helps to keep things in perspective when trying to grow perfect turf in imperfect conditions. In a given day, golf course superintendents deal with many more variables out of their control than in their control. The daily plan I start with rarely comes to fruition. A good superintendent needs to be as proactive as possible to the ever-changing environmental and turfgrass conditions. I have compiled a short list of variables that affect turfgrass health. As you can see by the list, many of these are not controllable. CONTROLLABLE Irrigation inputs Nutrient inputs Mowing heights/frequency Cultural practices UNCONTROLLABLE Temperatures Wind Rain Relative humidity Solar radiation Evapotranspiration Microbial activity Disease activity Insect activity Age of maintenance equipment

There are some definite advantages to getting an early start to the day. Here's a sampling of this season's sunrises.

Soil compaction is a continuous problem that requires constant attention. Management of traffic flow on the golf course is one way we try and limit compaction. Soil becomes compacted by foot and vehicle traffic. As the soil particles are squeezed together, the pore space shrinks. The lack of pore space prohibits air and water movement which hinders plant growth. The green and white stakes located throughout the golf course are moved routinely to help divert traffic. Please refrain from driving through the stakes, as they are in place to help reduce compaction. We appreciate your cooperation in avoiding these areas.

Greens are recovering beautifully. It has only been four days since aerification and the holes are healing nicely. A steady dose of rolling, nutrients and great weather have all helped the cause. A close-up shot of the holes on #7 green. (Pen shown to provide perspective.)

Twenty-one campers from KCC Kids Camp stopped by for a tour of the maintenance facility this morning. The kids and I discussed the type of work and equipment involved in maintaining the golf course. They had some great questions and their knowledge of the game was impressive.

Perfect weather conditions helped the aerification process run smoothly yesterday. It was a productive day as my staff did an amazing job. Thanks, guys! We still have additional brooming, rolling and final clean-up to finish today. The greens are rolling nicely and will continue to smooth out over the next couple of days. The healthy plants we'll see this fall and next season will be well worth the time and labor. Aerification Stats: - 6.5 million holes created - 32 cubic yards of soil removed (enough to fill 1 garbage truck) - 90,000 pounds of sand used to fill the holes (45 tons, think 10 elephants) - Overseeded with over 480 million bentgrass seeds

Weather permitting, the aerification schedule is as follows- Greens: 8/22 - 8/23 Tees: 9/6 - 9/7 Fairways: 9/7 - 9/30

Extreme weather conditions this year have wreaked havoc with our maintenance schedules. Heavy rains this spring and unrelenting heat this summer have made it difficult to get into any kind of routine. Yesterday, we were able to topdress greens with a light application of sand. Topdressing is one of our most important cultural practices. Topdressing: - Produces a smooth firm putting surface - Dilutes thatch - Allows for lower mowing heights - Protects the crowns of the plants - Increases ball-roll distance

I can not stress enough, the importance of the turf having a healthy root system. During the last six weeks, the heat has severely hindered root growth. In an effort to aid the plants in this endeavor, needle-tine aerification has been an active part of our maintenance program. As you can see from the photo of #7 green, the roots are growing down the aerification holes.

And more on the way. I toured the course this evening and it is extremely wet. The rain that fell this evening came in a hurry. More rain is forecasted for tonight, as well as tomorrow. I will assess cart availability first thing in the morning.

-Bentgrass vs. Poa annua- We have seen a good percentage of bentgrass germinating in the thin areas of greens that were stressed during the heat this July. The new bentgrass will be highly competitive with the existing Poa annua, and it is much more heat tolerant and disease resistant. The picture below is of a thin spot on the right front corner of #8 green. The new bentgrass plants have just emerged.

Yesterday's 35 mph winds and 1.25" of rain added some additional clean-up to this morning's list of tasks. Numerous greens, tees and fairways were covered with branches. All of which had to be picked up before the mowing and rolling for the day.

Weather conditions finally cooperated, allowing us to verticut greens this morning. This process removes excess organic matter and benefits the turf in many ways. Verticutting: Promotes plants to put more energy into growing upright Opens turf canopy to allow in more sunlight and air Increases green speed

Last month was the hottest July the National Weather Service has recorded in the last 134 years. Here are a few of the highlights: - Seven-day heat wave (July 17-23); first one in 17 years! - Eleven days over 90 degrees - Fourteen additional days over 85 degrees Although the golf course is far from perfect, I am pleased with how the turf has held up to the unrelenting heat. Cool-season grasses, such as bentgrass and poa annua, were not designed to tolerate the sustained high temperatures and humidity we faced last month. We will continue to be as proactive as possible to Mother Nature's surprises.

Please avoid low lying areas and the green and white stakes, as the golf course remains soft.

The staff did an amazing job yesterday removing the 3 inches of rain from the fairways. Mother Nature was not kind, as we received another .5 inch early this morning. The images below of #11 fairway tell it all, the nearly 6" of water that sat across the entire fairway has made it extremely soft.

The 3 inches of rain that accumulated this morning has certainly made it interesting. Golf course conditions remain soft as there are several areas of standing water. We are currently pumping these areas so we can make another preventative fungicide application. Disease pressure remains extremely high as the soil is saturated, and day & nighttime temperatures remain elevated. As you can see from the photos below, the rain came fast and washed out the majority of the bunkers. One of tomorrow's tasks will be to repair these and make them playable once again.