Golf Course Update

I wanted to give everyone a quick update on the status of intermediates following the seeding last week.

A week in and we are already seeing significant germination throughout the intermediates and surrounding rough despite the two inches of rain and lack of sunshine over the week.  Now that we are seeing the recovery process, it is important that we protect the grow-in process by limiting cart traffic in these areas.  Entry and exit points have been established in the fairways, please try to remain in the fairways as much as possible even if your ball is in the rough.  You could simply keep your cart in the rough when playing the hole in that case.  In addition, as identified in the pro shop and at the first tee, intermediates will be considered Ground Under Repair untill further notice.

 

This week, we also began seeding various areas of the rough with Turf Type Tall Fescue.  The above picture from the front of 18 fairway to show the difference in a section of Tall Fescue (on the left) compared to our existing hodge podge of a rough.  It is pretty evident in how this variety withstood the challenges of this season with weather, disease and traffic.  Below is a pic of the slit seeder being used in certain areas.

Next week, we will begin addressing some of the slopes that have also experienced turf loss from the season and disease outbreak.  Examples being the mounding of our famed punchbowl 13.  After repeated attempts to seed these areas throughout the season, I've decided to sod with the same species that were utilized in front of 18 and on the driving range project.  I'll keep you posted on the schedule of these tasks as we have a busy start to the week with outings. 


In closing, I want to Thank you for your continued support and cooperation....it has been a challenging stretch on many levels within in the greens department.  Unfortunate and frustrating, but the introduction of newer and stronger varieties will help protect us towards the future.


Check back next week for another progress update! 

Intermediates and Rough Surrounds

The Greens Committee and I have been fielding significant questions and concerns from Longue Vue members regarding the intermediate grass (i.e. the first cut and surrounding rough) throughout the property.  Multiple factors have contributed to the decline and turf loss that is evident in this area of the course, symptoms of which began to arise after Labor Day.  The following is my assessment of what has transpired, and my plan of action to address and remedy these conditions moving forward.

The biggest contribution to the decline was a severe outbreak of Gray Leaf Spot on our Ryegrass population within the intermediates.  Gray Leaf Spot is a devastating disease on Perennial Ryegrass during periods of prolonged excessive heat (82-90+), humidity and excessive rainfall.  The disease pathogen is rapid and can easily spread with rain, wind and mechanical traffic.  Although preventive measures were utilized throughout the season with our chemical program (intermediates are included in fairway sprays), the rainy weather leading into the 5 day stretch of heat (above 90) and humidity caused an outbreak.  Once identified, I applied a curative application to the affected areas in hopes of limiting the severity of outbreak, unfortunately, the conditions continued and the rainfall following the remnants of Gordon halting the damage.

However, Gray Leaf Spot is not the only contributing factor to the decline.  No one reading this blog is a stranger to the weather experienced over the region this season.  The record-breaking rainfall has hindered our operations, practices and turf health.  In a perfect world, we are able to manage the water input to promote root growth because a plant under stress will send its roots towards oxygen and water.  The saturated conditions that have prevailed during large stretches of this summer have left the plant suffocating and not growing in is natural healthy state.  Then when you flip the switch and go from those saturated conditions to dry/high heat/humid conditions on grass that is already stressed, only the strongest survive.  The weakest in our case was the Poa.

I'll be completely honest in stating that the stretch of weather around Labor Day and the week that followed was my toughest from a water management standpoint since starting at Longue Vue.  Knowing that our rooting was compromised, it was imperative that we didn't overwater our playing surfaces in efforts to reduce the chance of disease outbreaks such as pythium, brown patch and wet wilt.  With the way our irrigation is setup, the intermediates will only receive true coverage if we water fairways in combination with the rough.  During that stretch, I didn't water fairways at night for 5 days, simply relied on syringing via handwatering or irrigation during the day for playabilty and disease prevention.  In return, much of the poa population in the intermediates (and rough for that matter) suffered.

So there are the causes; disease and the season's weather finally caught up with us.  This is extremely disappointing given the significant progress we had made in developing intermediates since my arrival.  Although inheriting many varieties, we have made great strides in 5 years while developing uniformity, playability and creating aesthetic value.  Outside of purchasing the proper machine to mow and developing a preventive chemical program towards survival and plant health, we simply maintained the multiple varieties (Poa, Bentgrass, Ryegrass and Kentucky Bluegrass) as they existed...the hand we were dealt so to speak.  We did address the uniformity and conditions around greens with the collar/intermediate project by installing low mow bluegrass.  In return, prior to this year we haven't experienced any issues with our intermediates, maybe a few pockets here and there but overall they had remained solid.

Which brings us to recovery.  Regardless of whether this year's weather was a fluke or not, we must do our best to prevent this turf loss from reoccurring.  I believe the answer is to introduce stronger varieties to our intermediates--most notably, the same varieties of Bluegrass that were in the sod purchased for the collar/intermediate project back in year one.  The above picture clearly shows the difference and survival comparison to our existing species.  After a little research, I was able to identify the varieties used and located a blend being sold containing a majority of those in the sod.  In addition to the Bluegrass, a percentage of Tall Fescue will also be added to aid in drought and traffic tolerance.  Work began on Tuesday afternoon with the process of aerifying, broadcast spreading and slit seeding all of the intermediates and surrounding affected areas.  Unfortunately, Bluegrass has a slow germination rate and will take up to 21-28 days to show signs of life.  Therefore, I ask for your patience and try to focus on the big (long term) picture.

In the meantime, it is important despite frustrations that we work together to monitor traffic and play within our intermediates over the next week to 10 days till the seed has established in the soil.  We will keep areas marked and will establish entry and exit points on each fairway.  When playing the hole, I ask that you try to remain and keep cart traffic in the fairway without crossing intermediates.  As we get further along in the process, these restrictions or requests will be lifted.  The main reasoning behind this request is to prevent any seed from making its way onto the fairways.  We spent the first three years eradicating Ryegrass from our fairways with great success and any efforts to prevent contaminating them with a different species will go a long way.  These areas will also be kept moist via handwatering, so please watch for the staff and realize that any cart traffic could lead to rutting.

Outside of intermediates, we will include focus on areas of the rough that have also declined over the recent weeks due to the above mentioned causes.  In closing, I thank you for your continued support, patience and cooperation during a trying and frustrating year.  Every day has seemed to have it's new challenges and struggles, I share your frustrations towards a course we mutually admire and expect only the best when it comes to conditions.  Rest assured, I will continue to address any issues that arise and continue to build towards the future.

As I tell my staff; "We use today to improve on yesterday and build for tomorrow".



Golf Course Update

Dear Members,

I know that it has been quite sometime between posts and I apologize for that; look for a season recap and fall project posts to start in the upcoming weeks in which I'll also touch on why such a delay in posts.  In meantime, I thought it would be a good idea to update everyone on the state of the course following the remnants of Gordon over the past few days and the game plan for the week.

Needless to say; unless you are a stranger to the region, Pittsburgh and Western Pa received record breaking rainfall over a 72 hour stretch that could even be started 12 hours earlier when the cold front came through this past Thursday dropping .75 inches of rain in a short 30 minute window.  Fast forward 4 days and the property received 6+ inches of rain, including setting the 2nd all time recorded amount of rainfall on Sunday with 3.5 inches.  So where does this leave us? How's the course?

As expected, the course is extremely saturated....we reached field capacity on Saturday morning, which the end result called for a rain shortened Jim Henry.  The continued soaking rain over the next couple of days resulted in standing water and runoff (streams) throughout the property that I personally haven't experienced in my tenure here.  The good news is that we received very little damage in the form of landslides on the property.  The Driving Range tee held up strong and even the drainage on 13 that gave so many problems during our spring rains, handled it like a champ. 

        

Every bunker on the course washed and majority of them still had significant water in them as of Tuesday morning. 

The tree to the left of the fairway on #13 was the only "in-play" tree damage experienced.  A few trees within the wood-lines uprooted as well.

 

Quite a bit of algae formed in lows and runoff points of our putting greens along with other playing surfaces.

So.....what's the gameplan?  And I say this, because our entire week will not be the normal practices that you have grown accustom to.  Because we are so saturated, any damage that could occur would be self inflicted and not to mention the stress being put on a wet, tired plant.

On Monday, we spent the majority of the day (in and out of the rain) addressing the clubhouse and surround grounds.  Today was dictated to restoring the bunkers since the rain has finally stopped.  We began working on the down tree on 13 by cutting up and hauling off by hand due to the limited ability to access with out causing damage with equipment.  The tree on #13 will be a work in progress throughout the week as conditions become more favorable.  We spiked, lightly topdressed and applied ecolite to the areas of algae that had formed.  Finally, we needle tined and topdressed a section of the putting green that has showed signs on thinning.

Moving forward over the remainder of the week, we will place our first cut on greens tomorrow (Wednesday) in three days and start to address the amount of debris down on the course.  All other playing surfaces will be monitored and cuts will follow once deemed dry enough without posing any harm.  With the forecast (including clouds and chances of additional rain), it is highly unlikely that we will mow rough with our machines this week, instead we will address key in play areas via pushmow.  If all stars align and we don't receive any additional rain, I'm hopeful we could cut a few passes around the fairways prior to the weekend if not more.

I ask for you patience during this week and ongoing weather saga that we have experienced.  Like most Superintendents in the region, everyday poses new challenges and our number 1 mindset is the long term health and product that we provide to our memberships.  As always, we will do our best to provide the product that each and everyone of you has grown accustom too!

As for Cart Status over the upcoming days, I am hopeful that we can start Cart Path Only on Wednesday around lunch with strict restrictions via signs, stakes and rope-lines.  This will likely continue for Thursday as well.  With limited sunshine and shorter days, it is going to take awhile for the property to dry out and I hope that all those using carts over the upcoming days use caution and obey these guides to help prevent any long term damage while protecting our asset. 

As always, Thank you for your cooperation and continued support!





Aerification Update

Dear Members,


First and Foremost, Happy Master's Sunday!  Seeing the wet and cooler conditions in Augusta over the weekend is definitely out of the norm but seems to be the recurring nightmare in Pittsburgh.  The continued unseasonable weather patterns is forcing some changes (postponing) of aerification week that is scheduled to start tomorrow (Mon 4/9).  The combination of rain, snow, low day temps and below freezing temps over the next few days will be problematic towards completing the process in a timely fashion forcing the below alterations towards spring aerification.

Greens

Tuesday (4/10) and Wednesday (4/11) our Contractor will be here to attempt deep-tinning greens because of no alternate dates.  The course will remain open (weather permitting).  For the remainder of the week, the holes will be exposed but the surfaces will be rolled and mowed to provide the best conditions possible. 


Monday (4/16) and Tuesday (4/17) our bi-annual process on green will commence.  The jury is still out on whether we will pull a core or not.  Using a solid tine will be considered if conditions aren't favorable.  As of know, the weather looks promising as warmer temperatures return this upcoming weekend. The course will be open on Wednesday (4/18).




Fairways/Tees/Approaches

Monday (4/23) and Tuesday (4/24) will become the new dates to address these areas.  Unfortunately, these two dates are the only remaining options this Spring from our contractor to pull a core on fairways.  Since we missed last Fall due to weather, I'm optimistic that we can make this happen with only one conflict on the calendar.  While the contractor is working on fairways, the staff will complete the normal process on tees and approaches.  The course will be open on Wednesday (4/25).


I apologize for the inconvenience and rest assured that we are chomping at the bit to get the season going as much as you are.  I truly feel that considering the circumstances this is the best alternative to complete all tasks while providing limited disruption to being open for play.  Thank you for your continued support and understanding of the necessity to complete this process that serves as the foundation towards the season and moving forward. 




Stay tuned for updates or any additional changes.  Enjoy the corner and one of the best back 9s in tournament golf!




Fairways and Dreams,
Josh A. Saunders

Driving Range Update

Here is a picture update of the progress over the past ten days:

Work began by stripping the sod of existing tee complex.

The largest section of prep work was on the far right side. 



As this is the section that is being raised to accommodate the extension.



 

It took about 3 full days to bring in all the material.  We used the dirt developed from the Maintenance Facility project.

Once the right side began to take shape, stakes were placed to outline the new tee.



 

A view from the main drive to show the amount of material that was brought in.

Picture taken from dead center of the tee on the far right side.



Jim Nagle (our architect) was on property this past Monday to review progress and to address a few tweaks.

Finally on Monday afternoon, the existing putting green and surrounding area was plotted to aid in design purposes of our new putting green.

The overall project remains on schedule.  The remainder of the week will be used to create the cavity of the tee.  Next week, drainage and irrigation will be installed and we should be at the point of adding tee mix towards the end of the week.  

Practice Area Renovation



The Practice Area Renovation that is a part of the 2nd Century Gifting Campaign was recently approved by the Board.  Work is slated to begin next week and I thought it would be a good idea to recap everyone on the project and the sequence of events during construction. 

Driving Range Tees:


Work will begin on the on creating the new Driving Range tee first.  The top three current tiers will be combined to form one large 12,200 sq ft tee with an additional 3,000 sq ft synthetic mat section located on the back side.  Prior to the project, our entire tee square footage was just over 20,000 sq ft.  In addition to the new tee, the bottom two tiers will remain and a portion of the third tier will still be available for use following the project.  This is important to note because of the additional sq ft of hitting space that this will provide in addition to the new tee and the existing tees will answer a lot of questions that the membership may have during the construction when it comes to range use.


The lower tiers will allow the range to be open once the pro shop chooses to open range for the season despite construction.  Use of the lower tees may be limited at times depending on weather, accessibility and contractor requests.  However, in the event of restricted use on the lower tiers, the short iron tee located along the drive across from the shield will be made available for the membership to get some early season practice time.


Getting back to the "contingency" square footage of the lower tiers.  I call it a contingency because the existing tee space will provide space for early and late season practice sessions while reducing damage to new tee for in-season use.  This will also allow us to monitor the new tee for a season.  The second phase of the project down the road would call for the remaining DR tee space to be combined and form a second lower tee. 


The new 3,000 sq ft synthetic mat section will be a welcomed addition during outside parties, tournaments and inclement weather days.  25-30 stations will be made available on those days.  The area above the tees that we have used to stage carts will be regarded and drainage will be installed to improve on the past.


Construction on the tee will likely take 3-4 weeks depending on the weather.  Following completion, a few weeks will be needed to allow the sod to establish prior to use.  However, the mats will be made available at that point.  Goal is to have the grass portion of the new tee open and ready for play on the Opening SWAT weekend of May 5th.


Putting Green:


Work on the putting green will begin following completion of the Driving Range Tee.  The new 9,000 sq ft putting green will double in size and will finally mimic our putting surfaces on the course.  The new surface will be cored and built to a modified USGA spec putting surface to replicate our native pushup surfaces.  Since Poa Annua is not an accessible sod, I've facilitated a lot of questions as to what I'm planning on doing.  Two years ago, I built a 10,000 sq ft nursery on #17 using the cores from aerification.  A combination of harvested sod from the existing putting surfaces and the nursery will be used to provide an identical surface for practicing.


During the construction, the short 9 will be made available for practice putting.  Following completion, which should take 2-3 weeks, an additional 2-3 week window will be needed for sod establishment prior to opening for use.  The goal is to have the putting green open for use during the week of Willie McKay.


Short Game:


The final aspect of the project will be work on the short game.  8 trees have already been removed around the chipping green in advance of construction to create an open growing atmosphere while providing additional space for expansion.  The two bunkers will be reconstructed and formed to mimic our bunkering on the course while providing a different array of shot options.  The bunker located in front of the chipping green will be eliminated to provide an opening into the green.  The approach off of the short 9 chipping green located closest to the clubhouse will be expanded all the way to the chipping green to now provide multiple different shot options up to 60 yards to two different greens.


A new bunker will be constructed to the right (lowerside) of the chipping green.  The new bunker will now allow the membership to practice bunker shots that require carrying a face.  The bunker will also be constructed to allow the option of practicing fairway bunker shots onto the range.


This final phase will be the most problematic when it comes effecting member usage during construction.  Unfortunately, due the timing of the above mentioned scopes, the short 9 chipping green will be the only source of chipping and putting for a few weeks at the tail end of project.  A short term inconvenience with a long term gain!


Once construction begins next week, I plan on giving weekly updates on the progress.  So stay tuned, it's an exciting time at the Vue and a promising start to the 2018 season!


All the Best!

#14 Tree Removal Project

 #14 Tree Removal Project:

We are about a week into the tree removal project on #14 and we can already see drastic changes.  Here are some pictures to show the progress:

 

 

A before picture taken from the start of the approach

Picture taken on this past Friday from a similar angle.  All that's left is the one main tree directly behind the flag and the cluster of trees that you see in the distance behind the two Oaks left of the green.

Phil Miller was on property once again to help us with the project.  Using his excavator, he would begin the process of clearing the section of woods.

Once the larger trees were knocked over, our staff would cut off the stumps and chain the tree to his dozer.

He would then drag the trees to the dump site

An added benefit of the project was that our normal dump site located behind #14, tripled in size

A view from #11 tee just after the start of the project

A couple of days later

Near completion, Phil is going to put a final grade on the entire section of woods that have been removed.  Once completed, we will seed the area to fine fescue that will become a native moving forward.

The project will improve light and airflow to the green complex along with drastically changing the visual of the hole.  Although I would use the words reclaiming or restoring loosely, it is nice to see what Robert White was seeing close to 100 years ago.  From drainage to tree removal, all of #14 has received quite the facelift this offseason both agronomically and aesthetically. 



Golf Course Update

#13 Tee:


The recent nice weather trend has allowed us to button up the tee top of the new back tee on #13.

We brought in sand after staking off the perimeter of the tee to form the tee top.



Following the arrival of sand, we used a plate tamper to compact the top to depth of 3 inches.

Once the entire tee was filled, we used a board and laser level to ensure a level tee surface.

Finally, sod was placed to form the new tee.

The new tee will add about 25 yards to the #13 hole and will be the permanent home for the black tees.  The blue tees will venture back and forth from the front of the new back tee and the existing tee to provide parity with course setup.  I wasn't anticipating finishing the tee till March, so the warmer temperatures have us ahead of schedule and I'd anticipate the new tee being in use for Willie McKay.

Cart Paths:

During the past two Springs we have completed the first two phases of a cart path project to resurface and install new cart paths throughout the entire property.  I touched on these phases in the blog over the past two Springs as phase 1 in 2015 addressed #8 green/#9 tee and phase 2 was completed last spring on #1 green, all of #2 and #3 and #4 tee.  I'm thrilled to announce that we have received approval to complete the remainder of the golf course this spring.  Work will begin towards the middle to end of March on the excavation of the new paths in anticipation of the asphalt plants opening the first of April.  We are looking at a 6-8 week process depending on weather, with the goal of completion prior to Willie McKay.  Below you will see a hole by hole outline of the project on the remaining paths using Google earth.  On each outline, you will see lines indicating the paths.  The red lines are the existing paths that are being re-surfaced and the yellow lines indicate newly constructed paths.

 

Tying into the existing path, a new path will be constructed to send traffic up the hill along the right wood-line.  This is a similar direction that has been used following rain events and was used during the seeding project of the fairway this past August.  One of the key areas addressed to get carts out quicker following rain events.

The existing path on #4 fwy/green and all of #5 will be resurfaced.



 # 6 will see all of its existing paths re-surfaced and with two newly constructed sections.  The first will be an extension from the lower blue/white tee to service the red tee.  The second section will be a new path that will connect the path by the upper white tee to the entry point of the path by the green.  This path will run the entire left side of the hole on the native line to reduce daily traffic wear along with providing a "cart path only" option following rain events.



#7 will have it's existing path re-surfaced by the tee.  A new extension will be created to service the red tees and the upper section of the path on the tee (by the H20 fountain) will be connected to the entry point of the path above the fairway bunkers.  Again, this path will hug the native line on the left side to reduce daily traffic wear (especially at fwy bunkers) and improve patterns following rain events.



#8 will be resurfaced starting at the red tee continuing across the land bridge to the "y" before the fairway.



The entire existing path on #10 will be re-surfaced with some changes and additions.  A new path will be created for the bottom tee with an entry in-between the oak and satellites.  The path will be reduced at #11 tee (as indicated with yellow turn connecting two sections of red) in preparations for the expansion of #10 green in the near future as a part of the Master Plan.  The existing turn at #11 is feared to be in play with the expansion of the back left corner of #10 green. That section of old path will be removed, backfilled and seeded to rough. Finally, an extension will be given to the exit of #11 tee to get traffic past the dip between the tee and fairway.

 

The entire existing path of #11 green and all of #12 will be re-surfaced.  The gravel section to the right of #11 green will be paved along with a little additional path before the start of the existing gravel.  A path with a turnaround will also be provided to replace the gravel path servicing the upper tees of #12.



The section by #13 tee will be re-surfaced.  Then a new path will be created from the green tee using the existing gravel path by the pond before turning and hugging the entire wood-line up the right side of the hole.  The new layout will send the cart path around the right-side and behind the green before tying into the path of #14 tee.  The old path to the left of the green will removed, backfilled and seeded to rough.  This new construction will provide a "cart path only" option following rain events and drastically improve traffic patterns while playing the hole.  Exiting the fairway to the old path was problematic and challenging to maintain healthy turf due to the bottle neck nature of traffic flow.

You can see by the picture how the new path of #13 will tie into #14 tee.  The existing path of the tee complex will be re-surfaced.  A new path with a turnaround will be created to service the back tee.



 

A new section will be installed prior to the entry of the existing path by #14 green, this section will hug the base of the hill.  The stretch of path to the lower tee will be resurfaced on #15.  And the gravel path to the upper tee will be paved.



The path from #15 green to the bottom of the back tee on #16 will be re-surfaced.  From there, a new path will be constructed to the back of the new white/gold tee then to left of the red tee before traveling the entire left side of the hole by the oaks.  This will improve traffic wear and provide uniformity of a tee to green path like the rest of our Par 3s.

 

The layout of #17 tee will change completely.  You can see the yellow line indicating the new path on #16 that will now turn in-between the two oaks at #17 tee to form a "T".  The Black, Blue and White tee players will now turn left and utilize the turnaround for hitting their tee shots.  Following their tee shots, they will use the same path when traveling to the fairway.  The Gold, Red and Green players will simply make a right towards their respected tee.

 

The current gravel path to the left and around #17 green to #18 tees will be constructed into a paved path.

Pretty exciting stuff that will drastically change the experience for our membership and guest on a daily basis while providing the added benefit of getting carts out faster following rain events.  If you are wondering about #18 green and scoreboard section, that will be on hold till next Spring due the project next winter on the Men's Grill parking lot.  While under construction, that path will be destroyed due to traffic, so it will be addressed when all of the main drive and parking lots are re-paved in the Spring of '18.

Speaking with the PSU Turf Club:

I had the privilege of being a guest speaker at a Penn State Turf Club meeting recently.  There I gave a presentation on my journey to becoming a Superintendent, the history and description of Longue Vue, touched on our operation and included slides on all that we have accomplished in 4 short years.  My 15 minute presentation turned into an hour and half discussion on the future/state of the industry, tips towards advancement and the biggest challenges I've faced.  The opportunity was rewarding and will hopefully start a relationship with the university as field trip plans are already in discussion for next Fall. 

In closing, let's hope this weather trend continues as it is shaping up to be a busy and exciting Spring.  Till then, we look forward to seeing you on the course!



Greens are Open!

With the extended forecast in the upper 40s to mid 50s, the decision has been made to "TEMPORARILY" open up the greens during this break from Winter.  Key word is "temporarily"; once the traditional January thaw ends and normal temperatures resume, the use of our winter program of temporaries in the approaches will return.




This serves as an opportunity to dust of the clubs and take a break from the cabin fever that we all are experiencing.  Please keep in mind that the pro shop and all club amenities are closed during the month of January.  Therefore, I ask that you respect the possibility of frost on each given morning.  Using the 40 + an hour rule is a good way to deifier when to come out to the course.  For example, if you see that a day has a high of 50 but the previous nights low was 36, then look at the hourly for the day of 50.  If it says that it is going to be 40 at 10 am, then add an hour to that and 11 am would be a good time to peg it up.




Members of the Greens staff are on site and I am always a email away for those that may have further questions towards a good time to come play.  At this point, we all know the effects of frost on the plant and the damage that can occur due to foot traffic, playing while closed is at your own risk and failure to comply with the above mentioned recommendations towards timing will be reported to the Greens Committee.




Enjoy the break and Think Spring!

Fall Recap

It's becoming all to familiar to start off posts with apologies for lack of or timing between blog postings.  As most of you that are reading know, it has been a tough year for me both on and off the course and finding balance has been a struggle; for that I apologize for the lack of communication.  With that being said, here is a recap of the Fall.










Course Overview:




Late summer posed a lot of challenges on the course due to the weather and stresses following a busy 2016 golf schedule.  With Aerification being a month later this season and lack of ability to vent playing surfaces due to events, much of late August and September was spent in prevent mode to reduce the decline that was evident throughout the property.  A powerful storm on August 26th played havoc on our irrigation system resulting in a down booster pump and lack of satellite communication to 11 holes and practice areas posed major water management challenges as Mother Nature continued to throw us curve balls. 










The greens received a much needed reprieve during the middle of September with our bi-annual process of core Aerification.  A traditional 5/8 inch core was removed on 2 inch spacing to remove organic matter and provide channels to promote root growth that aided in the recovery process on a few greens.  Topdressing and amendments followed the clean-up process.  Outside of greens, all other playing surfaces received a cultural practice during the second week of October with core removal on tees and approaches along with multiple slicing of fairways.  Fairways will receive their first core aerification in 2017 as a contractor has already been booked during both spring and fall aerification weeks to perform the task.






Outside of Aerification, we continued with our Ryegrass eradication program this fall with selective herbicide applications to fairways and tees.  Both playing surfaces along with greens received a fall fertility application to aid in recovery and to store nutrients heading into next Spring.  Greens also received multiple topdressing applications through out the fall months to continue addressing the top organic layer while providing additional benefits of firmness and smoothness for ball roll.  A heavier application was applied around Thanksgiving to protect the crown heading into the winter months, subsequent applications will continue during the next couple of months when we aren't under snow cover.  This is a staple of our program to prevent or reduce winter injury by protecting the crown during the freezing and thawing process, in addition to serving as a canopy from wind desiccation.




Projects:




Drainage has been the main focus of the Fall months as play started to slow down.   Over my first three years, I have been constantly monitoring surfaces following rain events to access the needs for drainage in certain locations.  Over time, modifications to the soil structure will play the biggest role in improving playability following rain by removing thatch and incorporating sand into the profile.  Key word is "time" and as most of you that know me, patience is not my strong suit when it comes to the course.  Therefore, you have to look at improving the drying out process from two angles of attack. One being the installation of internal drainage (like we've recently placed in all of our greens) and the other being surface drainage.




Surface drainage




In many meetings and conversations amongst the membership, I've expressed my stance on drainage.  With our topography, reclaiming the natural surface runoff of the property is the first step in improving.  Over time, during heaving rain events, as water filters or runs to low points throughout the property it carries sediment.  This sediment begins to build in lows or at transitions in playing surfaces (example being fairway to intermediate cut to rough).

Example of water backing up at transition of cuts in playing surfaces.

Example of water backing up at a runoff feature due to sediment buildup

 The build up then creates a dam that restricts water from flowing properly and in return creates wet areas as water is forced to leach into the soil.  This has been evident during the countless amount of trips around the course during rain events taking pictures, measurements and plotting a plan. 


We began addressing areas on #9, #15 and #17 this fall by removing the sod of identified sections to remove soil and re grade for improved surface runoff.

 

On #9, we worked on the swale front right of the green to aid in runoff through the approach and front portion of the green.

On #15, we addressed each of the swales that cross the fairway by stripping and removing soil to widen and deepen the existing grades.

A smaller scale project was conducted on #17 on the right side of the approach in front of the bunker.

Internal Drainage


Over three weeks of work was given to address the drainage on #14; including both surface and the installation of internal drainage.  #14 is notoriously our wettest fairway following even the lightest of rain events.  Therefore, each low that exits the fairway in between the mounding that lines the right side of the hole was re graded to improve surface runoff and over 3,000 feet of drainage pipe was installed throughout the fairway.  Below are some pictures to show the process:

Before (Following an 1.5 inch rain event over the summer)

After (Following an 1.25 inch rain event before Thanksgiving)

Each of the low points were stripped and I used a mini excavator to improve surface drainage by re contouring and accenting the existing natural features.

A box blade was then used to create a final grade.

 

Once at final grade, a automatic site level was used to identify the lows and fall throughout the area.

Once the area was shot to identify fall, markings were used to create the layout of internal drainage.

Then the labor intensive task of cutting the lines at a 12 inch depth began with our trencher.  The staff would clean any lose material from the trenches and dirt was hauled away to be stock piled for future projects.

Once the trenches were cleaned, a thin 2 inch layer of gravel was added to form a base followed by the installation of 4 inch slotted pipe. 

Following the pipe, another two inch layer of gravel was placed to form a bridge and reduce any sand from entering the pipe that could result in clogging down the road.  After the gravel layer was completed, each line was back filled with sand and tamped to final grade.  Catch basins were also added in the lows of all four sections to collect and move surface runoff.

Drainage was also installed outside of the area that received grade work to improve surface runoff. 

A lot of moving parts as the staff worked section by section.

 

Once complete, the original sod was placed back

.  

There quite a few late nights over the three week stretch due to forecasted rain the next day.

Not everything went smoothly, as obstacles were found like old metal irrigation pipe that need to receive handwork to form the trench.

And it served as a constant reminder to me of our soil structure, any many cases the subsurface prohibited the use of the trencher and the mini-ex was used for the trench. 

 

But the end result was worth it as all of the hard work was rewarded by seeing the steady flow of water from the exit pipes during the 1.25 inch rain event just prior to Thanksgiving.  A great sign towards improving the dry down process moving forward!

Other Drainage Fixes

Sometimes its not just single rain events that pose problems to certain areas of the course; but prolonged periods of on and off rain can also create areas that leave you scratching your head.  During a period of on and off rain over the summer, a section of #8 fairway was roped off due to multiple wet spots. 

After further investigation, it was discovered that an old irrigation line had developed a leak at a fitting.  It isn't uncommon for unused pipe in the ground to develop water at some point throughout it's run; and as groundwater leaches into the pipe following prolonged or heavy rainfalls it travels to find it's nearest point of exit.  In this case, a fitting.  Once, water exits at the like it travels underground to low points or areas of restriction and begins to build up cause wet areas or bubbles on the surface. In this case, water was traveling along side a current irrigation line in use.

Once exposed, you can see the old metal irrigation pipe (and it's fitting) at the bottom of the picture.

 

To fix the problem, we dug a square hole to the depth of the old irrigation pipe.  With this we were creating a sump to collect the water and then exit at the low via a trench containing solid drainage pipe.  The sump and solid exit pipe will help contain the water and allow it to exit into the rough; thus hopefully eliminating the pesky wet spots in the fairway.





#13 Back Tee

Utilizing all of the dirt created from the drainage project on #14, during the first of November we began construction of a new back tee on #13.  The new tee will add 25-30 yards to the hole and will become the permanent home for our black tee players.  The blue will be moved back to the tee during events to provide parity and during daily play depending on the hole location of #12 for safety purposes.

 The large maple was cut down and removed (I'm standing just behind it's old location with the picture on the right).  Loads of dirt were then hauled to form the tee.

 

After a couple of days, the tee began to take shape.

A view from the front of the tee looking back.  Hopefully you can also notice that I took the time to cut a swale behind the new tee along the hillside adjacent to #12 green.  This will help reduce the amount of surface runoff that is notorious for flooding the green that is coming from the entire hill side up to #17. 

A view from the back side while standing on the existing grade to show the amount of dirt brought in and it's height.

Once at rough grade, we shot numbers to ensure standard fall for subgrade drainage of a tee.  Then it was put to bed for the winter.  I'm not a big fan of sodding this late in the year, colder temperatures do not allow for adequate rooting reducing the likelihood of survival over the winter months.  Therefore, once the weather breaks in the Spring, we will button up the tee by adding sand to form a level tee top and then sod.  If all goes well, I could foresee the tee being open for play come the first of June or around Robert White.

Heading into Winter:

As winter approaches, our time is spent split between being in the shop working towards refurbishing accessories/equipment R&M and tree work on the course.  Choosing tasks is dependent on the weather and accessibility to the course.  Our tree removal for the winter has been started by taking down certain trees throughout in-play areas as identified by the Greens Committee and members of Forse Design in accordance with updating our Master Plan.  Typically, we wait for the ground to be completely frozen before cutting trees that are in play to minimize damage.  While waiting for the ground to freeze, we have continued to address the woodline for thinning and cleanup between the stretch of 11,13 and 14. 

We have multiple contracted removal projects scheduled to begin in middle to late February.  This includes removal behind #14 green and removal within the gulleys on #8 and #9.  The projects on #9 and #14 will improve airflow and light to the putting surfaces of #8 and #14.  In addition, the removal of trees in the gulleys (or cutting back the encroaching wood-line) will improve the sightline for wayward tee shots on both holes in efforts to speed up pace of play.  We will also have a company come in to deadwood and trim certain trees throughout the property to improve aesthetics and tree health.

Look for a update in February on the status of our Winter projects.  Till then; on behalf of all of us on the Greens Staff, we want to wish all of you a safe and joyous holiday season.  See ya next year!