Reel to Reel

I have always admired the intricate mowing patterns that athletic field turf managers create. I have been watching the college baseball world series this week, taking place in Omaha, Nebraska. It inspired me to try a new pattern on #11 and #15 approaches.

#9 Tee #7 Tee

Linda Lester, a member of the USGA Women's Committee, visited KCC today. I had the pleasure of speaking with her regarding the U.S. Women's Amateur Qualifier we'll be hosting on July 11, 2011. We're both looking forward to the qualifier and working with each other once again. She commented on how impressed she was with the condition of the course and how she's enjoyed past events held at KCC.

Grain is defined as the direction in which grass is growing or laying. Green speed and smoothness can be greatly affected by grain. This morning, we groomed greens to reduce some of the lateral growth that had occurred over the last few days. An up-close look at the groomer The use of groomers help stand up the turf blades before cutting. The greens are rolling smooth after the grooming this morning despite the 1.5" of rain over the last four days.

There are a few areas of standing water after .75" of rain. The golf course is absorbing it well. I have staked off wet areas, please drive with caution and avoid these wet areas.

One of today's tasks included resodding the heavily shaded area on #5 just west of the green-side bunker. The trees that populate the area compete with the turf for sunlight, water and nutrients, making it a difficult area to maintain healthy turf.

I prepared a short video summarizing the clean-up process of the trees that blew down last week on #9 and #17.

We were scheduled to verticut and topdress greens a week ago. Due to the hot weather, this was postponed until weather conditions were less stressful. Both maintenance practices are important tools in maintaining fast, firm conditions.

The first priority today was to repair the tree damage on #17 fairway. We also were able to verticut and topdress greens, as well as put a fresh layer of mulch down on the playground. See you on the course-

In doing a little research, I discovered a plausible explanation for the high wind damage the golf course endured yesterday. Environmental conditions were conducive for a weather phenomenon know as a microburst. A microburst is a small intense downdraft that descends to the ground resulting in strong straight-lined winds. Although microbursts typically last only 5-15 minutes, they are capable of producing extremely strong winds and tremendous damage. See you on the course-

Early this morning, between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., a windstorm blowing 33 mph tore through the golf course. The Red Oak on the west side of #17 was blown over, as well as a Norway Spruce between #9 and #10. This morning has been spent blowing off greens, tees and fairways and removing all of the debris. Our tree company is currently on-site removing the trees, in addition to pruning limbs in various trees that have broken off. I am grateful for their timely response, as it has taken 3 of their crews to accomplish the prompt clean-up.

Here's a snapshot of some of the tools we use on a daily basis to monitor turf conditions. As temperatures get warmer, it is critical to observe these variables as they all affect plant health. The moisture meter measures the volumetric water content of the soil. An infrared thermometer measures the surface temperature. A soil thermometer measures the soil temperature. The macroscope allows examination of the turf in great detail through magnification.

High winds and low humidity the last couple of days has resulted in some localized dry spots on a handful of greens. This afternoon, I syringed the necessary greens. What is syringing? Syringing is the technique used to add moisture to cool the turf canopy down. Light amounts of water applied with the hose typically drops the surface temperature 10-20 degrees. See you on the course-