Aerification Day Two Update

This post is going to short and sweet...my hats off to the staff, we wrapped up tees this morning and despite the morning showers started on greens just after 9:30am.

Pulling a 1/2 inch core on the tightest spacing, the team poked, removed and cleaned 16 greens today with just 15-18 remaining for the morning. 

On to topdressing tees and greens tomorrow and starting to repair bunkers after close to 2 inches of rain since Monday.

Again Thank you for your support and cooperation this week!

Aerification Day One Update

Not quite the start to Aerification that I was looking for, but in my first 18 months as Superintendent at Longue Vue....I've come accustom to a few givens.  The biggest is that Mother Nature like Brooke, always wins! 

The course took on just over 1/2 inch of rain from yesterday and overnight, we then had a strong line that passed through this morning dropping 3 tenths of hard soaking rain that has left the place extremely saturated.

Nonetheless, the show must go on!

I called an audible this morning and decided to start with tees as opposed to greens.  Multiple factors lead to this decision, but mainly the ability of pulling a core on the non-XGD greens was out of question, therefore we are going to work on tees throughout the day with the hopes of finishing them up tomorrow around mid-morning and then get started on the XGD greens after lunch. 

The process of tees begin with verti-cutting and grooming followed pulling a 1/2 inch core on a 1.5 inch spacing.  The tees really needed to be treated aggressively this Aeration due to not pulling cores this past spring with the tee restoration project.  Following clean-up, we will start topdressing all tees Thursday morning and will probably have to hold off on amending till Monday so we can focus on greens the rest of the week.

Stay tuned to the blog over the next couple of days for updates, on behalf of the entire Greens Department, Thank you for giving us the golf course for the rest of the week to conduct such a valuable practice towards our success.

Summer Reminders

I apologize for the lengthy period in between post...lot going on both on and off the course recently.  The official start of summer is just a few days away and the increase in temperatures have already settled in.  I wanted to take a minute to mention a few reminders to keep in mind during your next round at Longue Vue over the next period of stressful months.

·       You’ll notice a lot of hand-watering throughout the property as temperatures rise, this technique will go a long way in improving plant health with site specific watering while achieving firm and fast playing conditions.  The assistants and myself will be lapping the property each afternoon checking greens, tees and fairways.  Although, we don’t want to interfere with play, you will from time to time see us watering and we promise to be swift while conducting the task of syringing.  The #1 injury in the turf industry is via a golf ball, so we ask for your patience as we try to provide the championship conditions you deserve. 

·       Last month we touched on cart traffic and we have begun to see some improvements in key areas.  During the next couple of months of the stressful period, we will continue to monitor areas and address how to flow cart traffic.  Rope-lines and directional markers will come and go, along with being moved in new locations to prevent wear.  Please take the time to follow these key components to our success, every little bit helps! 

 

 

·         Couple other reminders during the heat and humidity periods:

o   Remember to apply sprayable sunscreen/insect repellent in the parking lot, it does not protect the turf.

 

 

o   Ball marks take longer to recover during this time of year, please take the time to fix not only yours but others on each green.

 

 

o   Use sand to fill divots if you take a shallow one or it falls apart on you, the compromised root structure will reduce recovery but if you take one like the bottom picture, replace it.

 

 

 

 

o   Ryegrass is not very drought/heat tolerant, so avoid extended periods of driving your cart on the intermediates.  Although the lower height of cut is inviting...they do not serve as alternate cart paths.

o   Finally, if you need a cool down and you see us syringing nearby, we can provide a quick mist, turf is not our only priority.

I'm extremely pleased with the state of turf going into the stressful season, but it needs to continue to be a team effort from all parties involved.  Every little bit helps from the golfers and greens staff in continuing to provide the best possible experience each and every time you visit Longue Vue. 

XGD

During rainy weeks like we are experiencing, the practices conducted on greens become a balancing act.  As many of you know, currently half of our native ("push-up") greens contain XGD drainage that was installed in 2011 and the other half have nothing with the exception of the 15th green, which contains an old terracotta style drainage system. 

I have been asked multiple questions by peers and members concerning the state of our greens and how I manage them following major rain events.  From an agronomic standpoint, I manage the greens very similar when it comes to fertility, chemical and water applications.  The only difference would be that I have to do site specific applications on the drain lines of the XGD putting surfaces because the sand based profile dries out and leaches faster than the native mix that our greens contain.

Daily maintenance practices is where the true balancing act occurs, let's paint two scenarios:

1. Rain the previous afternoon or night before:  When setting foot on the property following a rain event, I have the normal routine of driving 7 backwards, this allows me to walk on a mixture of XGD and non-XGD greens (For the record, greens with XGD are 1,2,3,4,9,12,13,14 & 16) to decipher how saturated the putting surfaces are and what practice we can conduct that morning.  Typically following #1, I go to number 18 (which tends to be our wettest green, in my opinion) to ultimately make the decision and radio the assistants before starting the crew.  If we can mow, traditionally we mow all XGD greens first and then cycle back to mow the non-XGD greens in hopes of allowing additional dry time.  If I deem the non-XGD greens to saturated for a mower, then we skip mowing that morning all together. I think this is important in keeping the greens consistent for the golfer and from a playability standpoint.  Greens speeds would vary from hole to hole and day to day for the golfer if we were to just mow certain greens. 
2. Rain expected that day or before being able to finish greens: If the forecast or radar indicates the possibility of significant rainfall on a morning prior to 10:00am, then we set the golf course up by mowing/rolling the non-XGD greens first and then cycle back through to finish up the remaining greens or I'll split the greens crew in half to mow non-XGD, with others starting 1 forward to stay ahead of play.

The above scenarios paint the picture when it comes to the playability difference between XGD and non-XGD greens from a daily setup.  Outside of mowing practices, there is a distinct difference in the firmness between the two on days following rain; in addition to multiple days during the drying out process.  Ultimately creating two distinctly different playing surfaces in how a shot is going to respond from the fairway or around the green.

A lot of information to process, I know....the good news is that the end is in sight!!  This coming October we will be installing XGD drainage into the remaining 9 greens.  Installation is slated to begin on 10/20.  Over the past year, I have traveled the course often during rain events and took pictures of the non-XGD greens along with other drainage concerns on the course.  These pictures will serve as an excellent reference when meeting with the contractor to lay out the drainage of each green.

 

Having visuals of surface runoff will allow us to design the proper layout to intercept water as it moves across the putting surface.

 

 

Additional drainage can be added in problematic lows that could be prone to thinning turf because of prolonged saturation or scald from those pesky afternoon thunderstorms during the heat of the summer.

 

Another benefit would be reducing winter damage, having drainage in lows that traditionally hold water will aid in the freezing and thawing cycles we experience following each snowfall.

 

 

Exciting times are in store at Longue Vue and on behalf of the Greens Department and Greens Committee, we thank the membership for their generosity in allowing us to conduct these game changing tasks.  We remain committed to making LVC the best it can be!

 

As always, I look forward to seeing you on the course....just leave the rain home with ya, ok!  

 

 

Ball Marks

 

 

Over the past few weeks, I have started off my day by heading directly to the 4th and 7th greens prior to any maintenance practices being conducted on these surfaces to monitor the recovery from the winter damage that has occurred.  It's no secret that us turf managers are sensitive individuals when it comes to turf, we consider the property that we maintain as our livelihood and some would say that they have been known to have some pep talks or motivational words of wisdom for areas of concern.  Therefore, you could understand my disappointment when I approached the 7th green this morning.

 

The golf balls in the above picture represent that amount of unfixed ball marks over the last few days.  Well over a hundred balls were placed in imperfections created by approach shots into the green (see picture below).  The sad thing is that the 7th green is not the only scenario on the entire course, as multiple greens are experiencing an increased amount of unrepaired ball marks this season.

 

It is important that everyone understands the ramifications of leaving a ball mark unattended.  From an agronomic standpoint, ball marks alter root structure along with creating scars that occur following a mowing.  The recovery process is greatly reduced when a ball mark is properly repaired.  Unattended ball marks also greatly influence the playability of putting surfaces by effecting ball roll.  I have included a short video from the USGA on the proper techniques in repairing a ball mark, please take the time to watch.

 

 

In closing, repairing a ball mark is all about respect and serves as the proper etiquette while playing the great game of golf.  Hopefully over the past year, the efforts by the Greens department have shown what our putting surfaces are capable of, but the continued success has to be a joint effort between the golfers and maintenance practices.  Please take the time to not only repair your ball marks but one or two more per green, remember....it's the little things that will help LVC strive in the future!