Golf Course Update

It has been a beautiful week for bonus days of golf to start the month of November and a very productive week for us towards rocking out Fall projects.  Here is a recap of the week:


#5 XGD Installation:

 

XGD was on property Monday to install drainage into our final green on the property.  This was the final phase in completing a valuable asset to the health and playability of our putting surfaces.  Below are some pictures that show the process:

 

 

To start, a laser site was used to identify the slope of the green and the layout of the drainage lines to intercept surface water.

 

 

Once marked, a sod knife was used by hand to strip the putting surface where the drain lines would go.

 

The sod was removed and stacked to return in it's exact location.

 

Then the lines were trenched and the material was removed (much of the material was used on the 16 tee construction projects).

 

 

As the process continued across the green; the pipe was placed, drainage mix (sand) was added and tamped followed by returning the sod.

 

 

#3 Collar Dam:

 



Throughout years of topdressing, a ridge had formed on the back walk-off portion of #3 green.  The ridge restricted surface runoff following rain events and more importantly the melting process of snow. This project was the start of addressing three areas (#3,#4 & #7) to reduce the possibility of winter injury from standing water that freezes and thaws effecting the Poa.  The area was first stripped, then we simply started removing material with shovels to create a subtle 2% slope towards the back of the green and into the intermediate.  Although winter injury on #3 & #7 has been minimal following my first two winter (geez round 3 is approaching), it was important to address #3 because of the location in relation to the entry & exit of the green and all the foot traffic.

#13 Tee Identity Project:

On Monday, we knocked out one of the two holes that remain towards returning our tee boxes to the classic squared look.  The old tee on #13 was a two tiered tee with curved edges and unusable bentgrass on slope separating the tiers.

The picture above shows the new tees prior to laying rough side.  The tiers were split into two separate tees.  They were measured to form a perfect square to provide uniformity with the rest of the property.

I've often stood in the area pictured above (highlighted) and thought of building a new tee...a little tree work down the left side and who knows, those wedges may quickly turn into 7 & 8 irons. 

#12 Green:

One blemish that plagued an otherwise stellar year on our putting surfaces was the rightside of  #12 greens.  A couple of factors lead to the thinning of a few paces off the collar.  The signs really started towards the later part of June when we were receiving all of the rain.  As many of you know, #12 has a severe surrounding slope towards the middle to back portion of the green on the rightside. 

Following quick downpours or steady large rain totals, runoff would settle and runoff along side the first 5-10 feet of the entire right side of the green.  Extended periods of rain (meaning days and days) resulted in saturated conditions that were constantly under stress of mowers, rollers and foot traffic because the right side also serves as the entry and exit to the green.  Therefore, to help alleviate these stress factors, a small project was conducted to improve soil composition moving forward.

  

First we aerified to pull a core at a 4inch depth on 1.5 inch spacing.

 

 

Next we used soil amendments to improve soil chemistry and water infiltration.

 

Finally, we topdressed to fill the holes and channels to improve porosity for root growth and drainage.

 

 

#16 Tees Project:

 

I updated everyone last week on the start of a in-house tee construction project on #16 to create a new White/Gold tee and renovate to lengthen/widen the forward tee.  I'm happy to report that both tees were completed and sodded on yesterday!  Here are some pictures to show the progress towards completion.

 

White/Gold Tee:

 

 

I completed the subgrade on Monday and we started bringing sand for the tee top Tuesday morning.

 

It was a tedious process, utilizing stakes to mark our grade for ensuring a level tee while tamping to compact all along.

 

Once the tee was to grade with a 4 inch sandcap, we began laying bentgrass for the tee surface.

 

The finished tee surface.

 

The finished product with rough sod.

 

 

The finished product from the front of the back tee.

 

Forward Tee:

 

Utilizing the soil from #5 XGD installation, I started to form the backside of the forward tee to create some much needed tee space to one of the smallest tees on the property (that just so happens to be on a par 3).

 

Side angle of how much we were able to push it back.

 

We then started to bring in sand to for the sandcap for the tee surface (First real indicator of how much additional tee space was created).

 

 

A site in combination with a level were used to ensure a level teeing ground.

 

View from the back.

 

The right of the ropes show how much additional tee space was created.

 

 

As you can see it was a busy week, the good thing is that a lot of tasks were checked off the Fall list of projects.  Next week we continue to make progress by completing the tee identity project on the upper tee of #10, breaking ground on bottom tee and forward tee of #10, fall/winter fertility on tees/greens and needle-tining/topdressing greens.  Check in next Friday for your next update on the progress made.  



 

 

 

 

 





 



Golf Course Update

Wow, I didn't realize that it has been over a month since I have posted.  A lot has gone on during a busy stretch to close the season and then the start of fall/winter projects...so there is a lot to report.

Aerification:

During the third week of October we completed our Fall Aerification of tees and approaches along with the practice of venting our greens and fairways.  Below are some pictures to highlight the process.

We started by double spiking greens, with events this was the first chance to vent since actual Aerification back in August, so it was a much welcomed sight for these eyes.

 

Our sandpro attachment was used to create inch long slits at 1/4 inch depth

 

Because of limited disruption, we went in 2 different directions

 

 

We are planning on taking a slight different approach with greens heading into winter this year, in the past I have traditionally conducted a light topdressing application (similar to our summer apps) around the first to second week of November.  This year we plan, depending on weather because I'm fully aware of the desire to sneak in those last few rounds, to needle tine with a 3/8 inch tine and topdress with a heavier coat of sand going into the harsh winter months.  The goal is to provide adequate sand in the canopy to protect the crown from crown hydration during the freeze and thaw process of the months to come.  Man, I hate that I'm already discussing or even thinking of precautions for the dreaded winter months of Western PA.  With that being said, I hope to hold off on this process as long as possible, it is always a goal to provide the best surfaces possible when the opportunity to play golf is available.

 

 

I've stated multiple times throughout the year that improving the playabilty and health of approaches was a major goal of mine for the 2015 season.  Since the introduction of approaches on our property when I first started (2 seasons ago, time is flying), we have been able to incorporate sand through the process of aerification and light topdressing to improve firmness along with slowly lowering heights to provide different shot making options around the green.  For areas that were mowed at .500 fairway height prior to my arrival, towards the end of the season this year we reached our lowest heights to-date of .200 for the Lesley Cup during the first of October.  In efforts to continue the success of the program, below are some pictures of the process that helps in achieving what we are shooting for.

 

 

First we groomed approaches, we conducted this process weekly throughout the season.  Prior to aerification we dropped the heights and aggressiveness of groomers to tighten the playing surface.

 

Next we removed a 1/2 core, removing the thatch in combination with topdressing will influence firmness moving forward. 

 

Our goal is to always remove as much material as possible to promote plant health by reducing thatch and providing channels for root growth and water infiltration.

 

Finally the most important step, applying a hefty coat of topdressing sand to fill the holes and canopy.  This aids in firmness and smoothness of the approaches.  Like greens, we hope to apply a light topdressing application heading into winter in middle to late November.

 

 

While aerifying approaches, we completed our third aerification of tees for the 2015 season.  Our tees continue to be problematic due to thatch content reducing the firmness and plant health towards divot recovery.  In addition to thatch, layers have formed over the years that need to be address due to restricting root depth and drainage.

 

 

The same process was completed on tees as approaches with the exception of pulling deeper to address the layers that have formed.

 

A 2 x 2 spacing was used.

 

 

Finally, we sliced fairways for the first time of the fall with hopes of completing one additional application prior to the ground freezing following recovery of this practice.  I've gone over the benefits of cultural practices such as venting multiple times, so I want repeat myself.  Here are some pictures of the process.

 

 

We use our oldy but goody slicer to vent all 24 acres of fairways 

 

The slits are about 2.5 - 3 inches long depending on ground speed of the tractor at a 1/2 inch depth.

 

 

Cart Path Installation:

 

 

The first phase of a multi year program to install and repave our cart paths began on #8 and #9 during the same week of Aerification.  Pretty sure I can speak for everyone in that this was overdue and will greatly influence the overall experience for the membership and their guest.  A couple of factors are going into this process when looking at the property by improving plant health and congestion when re-routing existing cart path layouts.  #8 will be the biggest change during the project as the new path has been relocated to the right of the green to improve the area between #8 green surround and #9 tee.  In addition to plant health and conditions within a highly in play area, safety and congestion was addressed.

 

The new route swings you around the back of #8 green before connecting into the existing (old) path between the white and gold/red tees of #9



 

The old path in the bottle neck of #8 green and #9 tee was removed to improve the turf conditions and reduce the chances of those wayward approach shots hitting the path.

 

Outside of the re-routing around #8 green, a new extension was created with a turnaround to the left of #9 tees.   

 

Finally the existing path across the land bridge to #9 fairway was repaved.

 

I am very pleased with finished product during the first phase, yes it may alter your normal routine but once you see the benefit of plant health and flow in an otherwise extremely congested area, I think everyone will be just as happy too!  The allocation of capital funding for the 2016 season will dictate how much we will be able to bite off moving #10 forward next spring prior to the start of the season.

 

#16 Tee:

 

We started our first in-house project on #16 this week with the addition of a new tee serving the white and gold tee players along with widening the forward red/green tee.  The new tee will play about 140-160 to middle of green depending on finished product.  To me this is a welcomed addition to provide parity on are par 3s, the whites will now have the option to move back and forth from the back (main tee) and new tee for events and everyday play preventing that 170-190 shot on 4 of our 5 par 3s.   Here are a few pictures showing the process and progress during the past three days.

 

 

The sod was striped prior to last weekend before starting the project. 

 

Most of Friday and Monday was spent hauling in the material to build the tee. 

 

On Tuesday, the tee really started to take shape prior to the rain coming. This a view from the front of the main tee.

 

To keep with the same design features of the main tee, I'm really striving to create the same sightline on our final Par 3.

 

 

The forward tee has been stripped and awaits the material generated from the XGD installation on #5 to be widen and lengthen for additional tee space.

 

As you can see, a lot is going on.  Fall is always a favorite time for me, well with the exception of those pesky leaves constantly falling and who knows what is going on with Hokie football this year; however it is a great time for course improvements as we continue to build towards the future.  Stay tuned for updates and progress with all that we have on our plate this Fall and Winter.

 

 

All the Best!

 

 

 









Golf Course Update

Last week I posted on the start of the seed project, seven days out and we are already starting to see significant germination in the slits created by the seeder.  We have made continued progress on the course throughout the week.  Last week, focus was placed on key areas and this week we have shifted to a broader approach and have tackled areas on each hole all the way through #14.   A couple of well timed rains and cooler nights will help with germination as we continue to address the Poa population in our rough.


#10 Green:

One thing I failed to mention last week since we have started various projects throughout the course is the clearing around #10 green.  Once morning jobs have been completed, we have dedicated staff members to start working on areas that have become overgrown in our gullies and other key aesthetic features on the course.  The guys have made great progress on #3, #5 and #6.  In efforts to regain the infinity look around 9 green and 10 green we have shifted gears if efforts to complete prior to the seasonal H2B guys going home for the winter months.

 

Before

 

 

Progress thus far

 

The pictures really don't do it justice.  Can't wait to see the finished product as we continue to work around the right side exposing the view from the lower tee.

 



Golf Course Update

Disclaimer:  I tried using the caption feature for the first time in this post yesterday and I guess I didn't do it properly cause you couldn't view the text as it was blocked out...oh well, pays to preview before publishing and I guess I'll just stick to growing grass.

 

Here's the edited post.  Sorry!

After one inch of rain spaced out over 50+ days, it would only be fitting that Mother Nature would play havoc on our final busy week of the year with major member events.  The Ladies Abernethy Cup was unable to finish as a system came through that gave us a much needed buy poorly timed inch of rain.   The following three days saw an additional 1 1/4 fall slow and steady during preparation and competition of the annual Jim Henry event.  Nonetheless, we needed the rain and it has created wonders in recovering the property following a very stressful and crazy weather pattern over the last couple of months.

 

Rolling Greens on the Saturday of Henry served as an additional mean of removing water although not recommended by most in the turf industry.

 

 

Fall Projecfts:

 

Yes, it is not technically Fall yet, but when football starts...it's Fall to me.  Just a few events remain on the schedule as the season draws to an end and we are starting to switch gears by beginning some of our Fall projects.  Our annual seeding project started on Monday as we addressed areas of previously high Poa content in our rough.  These areas suffered during the heat and drought of late July/early August due to lack of rainfall and irrigation while effecting playability and aesthetics.




 

Example of area being seeded due to Poa loss would be left of #13 green

 





First we scalped the areas down to 1 inch with our pushmowers



 

We then used our seeder to create slits and drop seed into the grooves for proper seed to soil contact

 

We used a turf type Tall Fescue variety (hardier to traffic and drought resistant)

 

Lets face it, we are in Western Pa and Poa will come back in these areas come next spring to create uniformity  throughout the rough.  However in effort to minimize the downward spiral of the summer months, it is important to incorporate different varieties into these areas to withstand the above mentioned stresses.  On a yearly basis, we will address these areas to reduce the Poa population and encourage healthy/playable rough year round.  This week we worked on areas behind #2 green, #3 blue tee, behind #5 green and left of #13 green.  You can expect to see Matt sitting atop of the seeder throughout next week as we continue to address areas on the course. 

 

 

In addition to starting our seed project, we applied our first light topdressing application to greens and interfaces since Aerification.

 

 

Using push spreaders, we applied sand to improve firmness, protect the crown (dreaded anthracnose) and maintain smoothness. 





 

A new practice is to apply to our interfaces where the approach meets the green, this over the long term and multiple applications in conjunction with Aerification will help improve the firmness of our approaches

 


 

The guys then used push brooms to move the sand into the canopy.

 

 

Close up of an Before and After

 

Golf Course Etiquette:

 

 

It has been a few posts since I've had to remind, vent and encourage about golf course etiquette during your round.  I on multiple occasions am amazed at I would I see during my rounds throughout a day and thought that I would share some recent findings.
 

 

This guy would survive, remember to replace your divots or maybe during your next round an otherwise fairway hit, will turn into a tough approach out of a hole

 







 

Unfixed ballmarks take 14-21 days to heal and will impede your line and roll on putts in the meantime



 

Cart sign are there for a reason, it protects the turf and condtions



 

Try to use the cart paths around tees and greens, its just a few extra steps



 

Most courses institute the practice of keeping carts on the paths on Par 3s, for us it is also a practice of safety

Just a few friendly reminders, I'm a firm believer that if you respect the course....it will respect you and your round!  Fall is shaping up to be as usual a busy time for the Greens Staff as we have a lot of fun and exciting projects in store.  Stay tuned to the blog for updates.  Till then, I look forward to seeing you on the course! 

 



Golf Course Update

We are a little over two weeks removed from Aerification and I wanted to take a second to update everyone on the progress of recovery and state of the golf course.  First, let me throw some numbers out there for ya:

• On July 14th, I posted that we received rain on 22 of the past 37 days up to that point.  We then proceeded to have 3 rain events over the following week leading us to July 21.

• Since July 21st, we have had 34 out of 37 days with out rain.  Yep, that's right, just 3 rain events equaling a little over an inch spaced out over almost 5 weeks.

Simply put, we have gone from one extreme to another.  Here is a update on the conditions of each playing surface:




Greens:


All putting surfaces are continuing to slowly recover following Aerification despite the environmental factors that we have been dealt.  This recent cool spell has allowed drastic improvements in the dinged up areas on collars and localized bent spots on a handful of greens.  We have started to spoon feed these surfaces via chemical applications to aid in the filling of holes.  A supplemental granular application will be given this coming Monday to help expedite the process.


We have been mowing daily over the past week and have begun to lower heights, as the heights lower in combination with small doses of food, the holes will begin to fill.  I know we all want the putting conditions that we have grown accustom to, but it is important that everyone realizes the delay in progress is a direct result of  the conditions that we are facing.  I have stated before that Poa is not a big fan of the heat, you throw in a drought and the stresses of aerifying in with that and you have a bad recipe.  City water used with our irrigation isn't going to provide the same beneficial nutrients that Mother Nature can provide, in the meantime we just have to be a little patient and they will be back in a matter of no time.


Tees:


Tees have a night and day difference since my last post.  The fertility used with Aerification in conjunction with the cool week we are experiencing has brought most tees back to a full recovery.  The tees that experienced damage from the process have also showed signs of improvement as the voids have slowly decreased over the past week.  There are a few areas that need to repaired (example being #10 upper tee, #11 and #18 blue/white) and we will start that process on this coming Monday.


Fairways/Approaches:


Both surfaces continue to be our strong point as of date in my opinion (largely because of the aerificaiton process on Greens and Tees).  Just a few drain-lines and localized dry spots continue to plaque a few areas.  Overall appearance and playability is up to my standards and I hope your enjoy the extra roll as well!


Rough:


 Ahh, the problem child.  I touched on the aesthetic and health issues with our rough in the upcoming September newsletter.  The rough has multiple factors leading to its appearance and playability during these stressful periods.  Irrigation is the biggest factor, with the layout of our system, a majority of rough doesn't have coverage during nightly waters and some areas are hit with fairway or approach heads (which we don't want to overwater).  Soil structure and the hodge-podge of species also contribute.  The soil is extremely compacted, rocky, poorly drained and acidic...all factors that contribute to lack of rooting.  The hodge-podge of species requires a variety of inputs for plant health such as water and nutrients.  Both of these factors are being addressed over time with applications, cultural practices and introduction of hardier plant species.  Finally, cart traffic.  A lot of the worn, thin areas of rough are a direct result of cart traffic while entering and exiting cart paths or in areas that receive concentrated flow without cart paths.  The only remedy would be to encourage "Scatter" while using carts.  Try to avoid the discolored thin areas of rough during your next round and keep carts on paths at all times. 


Overall, I think we are pretty fortunate with the state of the course after the past two and half months of environmental challenges.  It goes to show that plant health can prepare you for whatever Mother Nature throws your way, although I would like to have a sit down with her and give her a piece of my mind.  Outside of executing the right practices to exhibit plant health, the staff from top to bottom continues to go the extra mile and the result is showing throughout the property.


I'm excited with this place going into the next month of events and bringing the 2015 season to the close.  A little rain wouldn't hurt my feelings, but it has been great seeing so many out enjoying the golf course!