Fall is here and the sudden change in temperature certainly backs that up. We finished verticutting fairways yesterday. This fall we removed over 216 cubic yards of organic matter (36 Wiedenmann loads). This is in line with our last three verticut applications. Since fall of 2020, when we purchased the Wiedenmann, we have removed over 700 cubic yards of organic matter (117 Wiedenmann loads). This is a large contributing factor to why the fairways have performed so well over the last few years. Removal of organic matter increases water infiltration into the soil profile firming up the playing surfaces.
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| Mike verticutting #12 fairway |
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| #18 fairway after clean-up |
Nelly, the border collie we contract out to help with geese harassment, is back on property.
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| Nelly on #7 |
We talk a lot about tree competition, most of the time we are referring to competition between tree and turf roots. Below is a photo of an irrigation head and casing we had to replace because it was totally encased by tree roots. We had to cut the roots back before we could even unscrew the case from the pipe.
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irrigation head on #11 encased by
maple tree roots |
As temperatures have cooled, the turf growth has started to slow down, and we have shifted into project mode. Last week we replaced the bluegrass that was surrounding the poplar tree in the middle of #5 fairway that we lost in the storm last year. We used fairway aerification plugs so that the turf will blend seamlessly once it is grown in.
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| plugs on #5 fairway are growing in nicely |
This week we started repairing wear areas at the end of cart paths. We have leveled the areas and sodded them; currently, #13, #15, and #16 tee cart paths have been completed. In an effort to help with traffic management, we are using a rubber product called Traqmatz. The matting is laid over the sod and attached to the ground with stakes. The sod grows up through the matting and the matting helps protect the crowns of the plants. These areas are currently roped off to help the sod get established.
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| #15 tee cart path |
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| #13 tee Traqmatz being installed |
Two and half weeks ago we aerified tees. During the process, we overseeded the par 3 tees with a newer, more aggressive bentgrass variety. We moved the tee markers to the front of tees to keep traffic off and allow the new plants to thrive. They are recovering great and the new plants are filling in nicely. The tees are undersized for the amount of play they receive; we are taking a pro-active approach and conserving space to ensure the tees are ready to go next spring.
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| # 6 tee healing nicely |
Over the next couple of weeks, we will continue to repair cart path wear areas. In addition, we will sod collars on #3 and #4 which were affected from by drought. We will also be repairing and sodding select bunker faces that are caving in and showing their age.
