Aerification Day Two Recap

Yet another solid performance by the staff as all greens were completed last night shortly after dinner despite a lengthy frost delay in the morning.  We began topdressing around lunch and all that remains today is holes 6-10 and we can put a stamp on Spring greens aerification.

Topdressing, although a short term inconvenience for play, is a vital role in the success of our putting surfaces.  Over 66 tons of sand (roughly 750 lbs per 1,000 sq ft) is applied to aid in firmness, playability and improving the soil profile.  Once complete, the green is drug in with a pull behind mat to move the sand particles into the holes. 

 

#5 Green
Due to concerns of heaving the sod on the renovated #5 green, we used different means of cultural practices outside of pulling cores like the other greens.

 

We used a 3/8 inch solid tine to poke holes at a inch and half spacing.  This method was far less aggressive on the shallow rooted sod from the project completed late last fall.

 

 

Next, to avoid the weight and traffic of the pull behind topdresser, we applied over 3,000 lbs of sand by hand with a walk behind speader.

 

 

Finally, a roller was used to work any imperfections created during the entire process.

 

Overall, I'm very pleased with the progress of the recovery from the renovation process.  With limited rooting capabilities due to the timing of completion last November, the practices used over the winter and this early Spring have helped expedite the process.  However, there are still some areas that needs to be addressed resulting in the delay of opening the putting surface.  Again (and I know I sound like a broken record), we need prolonged warmer temperatures to help in the establishment and recovery.

 

The false front is still unstable under foot.  Constant foot traffic will delay the process and can pose as safety concern.  From a playability standpoint, the seams created from laying the sod are still lingering in certain spots.  As the putting surface starts to grow, these seams will quickly fill in. 

 

With that being said, the green will now have a new target opening day centered around opening events.  The additional time will allow me to conduct various practices to improving rooting and playability prior to hustle and bustle of the season.  A temporary green will now be created in the approach of the 5th for the next couple of weeks. 

 

I apologize for this short term inconvenience but want to ensure the health and playability of the surface throughout the entire season once the very first putt is holed. 

 

 





Day One Aerification Recap

Safe to say we really lucked out with the weather yesterday, the forecasted 90% of rain only brought sprinkles and allowed us to get started on aerification right out of the gates.  It was a extremely productive day and my hat is off to the staff, even with limited numbers we were able to poke, clean and amend 13 greens.

The purchase of core collectors (the black blade pictured above behind the aerifier) really helped in the efficiency of the process.  If you take a look at the picture below, in the past we would have to push all the plugs to the collars as the first set up the process.  That was time consuming and labor intensive.  With the core collectors, the cores would form into a pile with the blade and move across the green as the 648 was poking.  Once the 648 reached the edge of the green, the mechanics of the machine while lifting would also lift the collector leaving a pile at the edge of the green.  An additional benefit during the process is gained with the amount of sand material that is breaking from the core while moving across the green. 

 

The goal of any aerification is to remove 20% of the total green surface area.  To achieve this, we use our standard regimen of using 5/8 inch tines on a 1.5 inch spacing. 

 



 

Today, once the frost lifts we will finish the remaining greens and begin the process of topdressing and dragging in all putting surfaces.  We will remain on temporaries today with the full hopes of making a enough progress to give the membership a complete setup golf course tee to green for tomorrow.  As always, thank you for your patience and cooperation while conducting such a vital practice towards our success.



Aerification Update #2

After a weekend that brought night temps in the teens and a all time record low temperature as a high on Saturday, we have to be wondering if Spring will ever get here.  With the forecasted rain tonight and into tomorrow; aerification has yet again been placed on hold.  However, the mid week warm-up and forecasted dry days could be our saving grace.

If we can avoid a major rain event leading into tomorrow, I am optimistic with how all the XGD greens have been responding and hope that we can get a head start tomorrow afternoon.  If all the pieces fall into place, we should be able to complete the entire process by Thursday evening prior to the next wave of rain on Friday. 

I realize that this upcoming weekend is a holiday and apologize for the inconvenience.  The extended forecast is calling for rain leading into the weekend and multiple days next week.  Therefore, I feel that this is our best window to push the envelope while staying focused on getting ready for the season and opening events.

We will remain on temporaries throughout the aerification process.  However, once each green is poked, cleaned, amended and topdressed, we will move the hole location back onto the putting surface. 

Please stay tuned to the blog and twitter for updates.

Aerification Update

The combination of the dusting of snow on Friday and cold night temperatures over the weekend has caused multiple greens to re-freeze; thus preventing us from starting aerification today.  In fact, greens will likely not thaw out till after the mid week warm-up and forecasted rain due to the cooler night temperatures across the region over the next couple of days.  The extended forecast remains a question mark as temperatures are expected to drop come Friday; calling for day time temps in the mid to low 40s with nights dropping into the low 20s throughout the weekend. 

I apologize for the inconvenience and trust me, I am chomping at the bit to start prepping for the season just as much as you are ready to start venturing to the course.  Multiple factors go into pulling the trigger on spring aerification;

1. Is the forecast favorable for completion:  This time of year, the process of aerification on greens takes multiple days due to staff numbers and the timing of getting started on each given day.   Frost is common this time of year,  night temps can create a frost that prevents us from getting started till mid morning thus reducing the hours of daylight and prolonging the process.  Having those two factors weighing on your mind, you then have to think about rain.  Is there rain forecasted within that window that can set you even further back because of the effects on clean-up, reducing the uniformity of core depths and prevention of topdressing.
2. Are the greens ready for the stress:  "Well they have aerified, how come we haven't?"  This is a common question for this time of year and I understand everyone's curiosity.  I think there are two factors that have to be considered when answering that question.  First, every course has its own unique environment that may allow them to poke holes. The elevation of our property makes our environment unique and creates different conditions.  We may have experienced longer snow cover or cooler temperatures compared to our neighbors and other courses in the region preventing us from getting started or being ready.  The other factor may have the biggest influence, I ask myself the question of "Am I causing more harm than good?' every year around this time.  I have to make the decision on what's best for our property.  Aerification causes stress on any surface regardless of the time of year, therefore I like to see some signs of life in the greens while monitoring soil temperatures, plant growth and the extended forecast to show that the greens are starting to wake up from the harsh winter conditions.  Why self inflict stress to our most valuable asset if they aren't ready?
3. Will the extended forecast aid in recovery:  As mentioned, aerification during this time of year can be stressful and you have to make sure that the forecast is favorable not to prolong recovery are create problems towards the future.  A steady increase in both day and night temperatures would indicate a continued increase in soil temperatures.  The rise in soil temperature stimulates plant activity and in return stimulates root growth and recovery following the aerification process.  The concern would be a prolonged drop in temperatures or extreme changes in combination with moisture events.  The holes created from aerification create channels to promote root growth along with other beneficial factors.  These channels can also create exposure to environmental conditions during the recovery process;  moisture in combination with freezing temperatures can heighten the risk of winter injury, reduce root growth and influence recovery time.  To simplify, a stress plant in combination with freezing and thawing could set us back going into the start of the season.

As you can see it is a balancing act and the biggest factor of them all may simply be patience.  We can never control Mother Nature and we can never control the conditions post winter.  We can however make decisions that are best for the golf course both in the present and towards the future.  Stay tuned for updates on conditions towards aerification.  Till then, think warmth and think spring!

Course Update

The recent warm-up has everyone thinking of spring and me wanting to forget the second half of winter.  February went down as the 2nd coldest month in Pittsburgh history, blessing us with periods of snow, ice and frigid temperatures.  The start of March brought an all-time record low followed by a weekend storm that dumped close to an inch of rain that changed over to inches of snow.  Last week's warmer temperatures allowed the snow to melt and time to access the golf course. 

The challenge was that day temps were aiding in the melting process but the cold nights was causing in standing water to freeze thus posing the chance of crown hydration on the greens from the freezing and thawing process.  With the greens being frozen, the water that accumulated from melting could only rely on surface runoff and manpower (staff with squeegees).

 

example of surface drainage on #2

 

 

Layers of ice discovered during the melt

 

The good news is that very limited winter injury has been discovered on the putting surfaces throughout the winter.  Samples were brought into the office last Thursday to monitor the recovery process of these spots in an controlled environment.  All samples within a week have shown new growth pushing through the injured canopy, which is encouraging as warmer temperatures are around the corner.  On Monday, we applied a light topdress of black to sand to serve as a reflector with the sun to aid in warming up the profile and jump starting plant growth as conditions become more favorable.

 

 

I'm planning on a second application over the weekend with the forecast as we prepare to aerify next week.  Overnight frost may hinder production but with the expected rain during the later part of the week, we are going to give it our best to complete greens with our limited staff numbers.  Like aerifications of past, we will be pulling a 5/8 inch core on 1.5 half spacing on all greens.  Following clean-up, we will apply our soil amendments to improve the soil profile and then finish up with a healthy dose of topdressing sand.  Check in next week for updates.

 

One repercussion of the recent weather patterns and state of the greens is that I have decided to place temporaries for the next couple of weeks to allow the greens to recover from the winter stress along with Aerification.  I apologize for any inconvenience, but decision was made towards ensuring that our greens will be ready to go for the start of the season that is just a couple of weeks away!

 

#3 Tee Tree Removal:

 

 

In conjunction with the construction project on the back tee of #3 last fall, the encroaching limbs of the two oaks framing the tee was addressed last week.

 

 

In addition to the limbing of the oaks by the tee, the two larger oaks that were located in the gulley were also removed to improve sight lines and shot angles for playing the hole.