Rough!

What’s going on with the rough?  Love it or hate it, there are a few simple explanations.   With the new irrigation system we now have the ability to better support these areas through the summer months.  So, starting last Fall and into this Spring we over-seeded thousands of pounds grass seed into the rough and green surrounds.  To take advantage of the warmer spring and to support the new seedlings we fertilized the rough at the end of March and again in May.  Low fertility and low mowing heights increases pressure form weeds like crabgrass, dandelions, plantains, knotweed and many others.

While the fertilizer applications would seem like the most obvious culprit for our frustrations, it’s not entirely to blame.   In the first three weeks of May 85% of days have been cloudy or mostly cloudy with above average rainfall and humidity.  Extended periods of reduced sun light causes elevated levels of gibberellic acids with in the turf.  This elevated level of gibberellins leads to a phenomenon called etiolation.   Etiolation is a mechanism resulting in rapid elongation of cells that increases the probability of a plant reaching light.  The end result is a thinner less ridge leaf that does not support a golf ball as well.  This in combination with extended periods of leaf wetness allows the ball to slide further down into the canopy than normal giving the appearance of a deeper rough.  Our rough mowers heights have stayed the same at 2.5” and are running full time right now.  The lack of dry weather has also resulted in a lot of clumping.  Once the weather breaks, rough grass condition will improve.

Our greens, fairways and tees are regularly treated with a plant growth regulator which is a gibberellic acid inhibitor to help produce a consistent tight plant.

Tee Box Update

The cool wet weather has helped promote rooting of the new sod on the par 3 tee boxes.  This week we should be able to start mowing it so we can train it back down to proper tee height.  Once we start mowing them they are going to look really tempting.  Please still refrain from any activity on the new tee boxes.

The over seeding of tee boxes on 2, 3, 7, 9 and 15 has been very successful, these tee boxes were mowed for the first time Wednesday.  As we increase mowing frequency and lower the height it will promote lateral growth.  These seedling are still very tender, so again we are asking that golfers limit their activity to the immediate teeing area.  As you drive up to these tees it very apparent the traffic in the teeing areas has negative impact on the tender turf.

There are a few tee boxes that are struggling.  The middle tee on 6, parts of 12 and sections of 14 tee show little signs of growth. The seed germinates and then quickly fade away.  This is most likely from residual pre-emergent herbicide applications made last summer.  For this reason we will be stripping these areas and resodding them.  The only other option would have been to treat the areas with activated charcoal to negate the effects of the pre-emergent herbicide.

Technical Information Regarding The Tees

To learn more than you ever wanted to know about turf diseases, follow this link to University of Kentucky's Cooperative Extension Resource.  This may make your head spin.  The fungicides used in the tee spray were: Chlorothalonil, Iprodione and Thiophanate-Methyl.

http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/ppa/ppa1/ppa1.pdf

To learn more about plant growth regulators (PGR's) and how they are used in turfgrass maintenance follow this link.  The PGR's used in the tee spray were Trinexapac-ethyl (Primo) and Ethephon (Proxy).

http://www.gcsanj.org/cms/uploads/Rutgers-Plant_Growth_Regulators-research.pdf


Registered Labels for all the products:

Chlorothalonil (Docket WS) - http://harrells.com/wp-content/harrells-products/label-images/DOCKE2.pdf
Iprodione - http://www.newsomseed.com/Fungicides_files/Iprodione%20Label.pdf
Thiophanate-Methyl - http://strawberry.ifas.ufl.edu/plantpathfiles/Fung%20label/fung%202009/T-Methyl%20E-AG%204.5%20F.pdf
Ethephon - http://www.cdms.net/LDat/ld8P9001.pdf
Trinexapac-ethyl - http://www.phoenixenvcare.com/labels/sl_goldwing.pdf

Understanding Aerification

It's a perfect, sunny morning and you've just reached the first green in regulation. You feel great and you know you're within birdie range. Then, you see them, those little holes in the green. Arrggh! They've just aerified the course, and it's going to ruin your round, right?

Well, maybe not. Consider the fact that PGA Tour legend Tom Watson shot a sizzling record 58 at his then-home course, Kansas City Country Club, just days after the greens had been aerified.
Consider also that aerification is merely a short-term disruption that has long-term benefits for golf courses. When you see them, remember that without those little holes, the greens would eventually die.

Preventative maintenance is an integral part of successful golf course management. Golfers view aerification as an inconvenience that takes the greens out of play for a day, pulling cores from the greens and leaving holes that can affect putting for many days before healing. To add insult to injury, aerification is best done in many part of the country during mid-summer, at the height of the playing season and when most greens are in prime condition.

But a golfer needs to understand how important aerification is to producing healthy turf.
Aerification (also known as aeration) achieves three important objectives. It relieves soil compaction, it provides a method to improve the soil mixture around the highest part of a green's roots and it reduces or prevents the accumulation of excess thatch.

Like so many things, the quality of a good putting green is more than skin deep. In fact, the condition of a green has a lot to do with what goes on below the surface. In order for grass to grow at 3/16-inch, it must have deep, healthy roots. Good roots demand oxygen. In good soil, they get the oxygen from tiny pockets of air trapped between soil and sand particles.

Over time, the traffic from golfers's feet (as well as mowing equipment) tends to compact the soil under the putting green - particularly when the soil contains a lot of clay. When soil becomes compacted, the air pockets on which the roots depend are crushed, and the roots are essentially left gasping for air. Without oxygen, the grass plants become weaker and will eventually wither and die.
Aerification is a mechanical process that creates more air space in the soil and promotes deeper rooting, thus helping the grass plants stay healthy. In most cases, it's done by removing half-inch cores (those plugs you sometimes see near a green or in fairways) from the compacted soil, allowing for an infusion of air and water that brings a resurgence of growth. The spaces are then filled with sand "topdressing" that helps the soil retain air space and makes it easier for roots to grow downward.

Older greens often are constructed of soils with significant amounts of silt, clay and fine organic particles that are prone to compaction. Filling aerification holes with sand improves drainage and resists compaction. The periodic introduction of sand to a green's top layer can, over time, avoid or postpone expensive rebuilding or renovation of greens.

Finally, growing of turf adds to a layer of organic matter on the surface. This layer, called thatch, is an accumulation of dead stems, leaves and roots. A little organic matter makes for a resilient green, but too much invites diseases and insects. Topdressing with sand can prevent thatch buildup, and aerification is one of the best ways to reduce an existing layer and prevent an excess of thatch from becoming established.

Other aerification techniques use machines with "tines"; or knives that simply poke holes through the soil profile. A new technique even uses ultra high-pressure water that's injected through the soil profile to create small holes that relieve some compaction but heal quickly.
There are many types of aerifying machines with different attachments that address different problems in the various stages of the life of a green. So the next time you're ready to scream when the aerifiers are brought on the course, remember that a little preventative maintenance produces the best greens over the long haul.

The bottom line is that aerification is a necessary practice. But before you curse the superintendent for ruining your day, just think of Tom Watson.

(Article Courtesy of GSAA)

Poa Annua (Annual Bluegrass)

The warm temperatures have pushed Poa into seed production much earlier than normal this year.  We are making applications of Plant Growth Regulators to help reduce the severity of the production.  Due to the extreme turf condition the last two years, the annual type of Poa has had ample opportunity to establish it's self in thin areas.  This annual type of Poa is the heaviest seed producer of the different biotypes that exist.  The production of seed for any plant uses up a tremendous amount stored energy.  For this reason it is beneficial to the health of the plant to suppress seed production if possible.  Poa that does go into seed often becomes discolored appearing a yellow or orangish like color from the stress.  Unfortunately we will not be able prevent all seed head production, only reduce it.

MSU Turf Weeds.net

Objections to annual bluegrass are most often related to seed production (which can happen in any month in moderate climates), surface interference, color and disease susceptibility.

Annual bluegrass is unique among weeds. There is probably no other weed that is so widely adapted to variations in mowing height, site conditions and cultural practices.

Annual bluegrass is the most common and widely distributed grassy weed in the world. It is mentioned as a weed in nearly every plant commodity.

Turfgrass management professionals, including golf course superintendents, sports field managers, sod producers, and lawncare operators, have spent years trying to eradicate annual bluegrass from their turf swards. Annual bluegrass (Poa) is one of the most invasive weeds in turfgrass stands. It is also one of the most difficult to control.

Efforts to find chemical controls for Poa have been thwarted by its diverse genetic make-up. Poa is officially described as a cool-season winter annual. Winter annuals are plants that germinate in late summer to early-fall, overwinter, and produce seed in the spring. Typical winter annuals die soon after seed production as daytime air temperatures increase.

Poa annua, although commonly referred to as annual bluegrass, is actually a diverse group of different biotypes with varying characteristics. Annual bluegrasses in warmer climates like the southern U.S., do indeed perform as a typical winter annuals. These "annual" bluegrasses are classified as Poa annua var. annua L. Timm. In the northern part of the U.S. and much of Canada there are biotypes that produce seed in the spring and then continue to grow as perennials. This somewhat peskier bluegrass is termed Poa annua var. reptans (Hauskn) Timm.

The fun doesn't stop there. Somewhere between true bunch-type annual bluegrass and stoloniferous [perennial] annual bluegrass are hundreds if not thousands of different biotypes.

Clearly, identifying controls that have excellent activity on annua, reptans, and everything in-between has been difficult for good reason. These biotypes are not just segregated by climatic region or area of the country. It is possible, in-fact likely, to have several biotypes of Poa on the same property. The segregation is not only determined by climatic zone, but also by management and cultural conditions such as irrigation, mowing height, and compaction.

Poa populations are so diverse that they can easily adapt to everything from unirrigated roughs to closely maintained putting greens. This diversity makes Poa a bit of a moving target. Predictable Poa control would likely exist if 100 percent of the Poa population was truly annual.

Bunker Drainage Work - 17

 This fairway bunker on the right hand side of 17 used to drain directly into fairway. This would leave the fairway wet for an extendend period of time after a heavy rain.  While many of the bunkers here have drainage issues and hold water after heavy rains, we decided to tackle this one because it was having a negative effect on the fairway turf.

We located the exit drain next to the bunker and then installed 4" solid wall drainge pipe across the fairway.  The trench was then backfilled, tamped and sodded back to the origonal turf.

David Feherty - Golf Industry Show

This past week, I had the opportunity to attend the Golf Industry Show which is held once a year in February. The show starts off by offering hundreds of educational seminars that superintendents can choose from and finishes up with a two day trade show that brings venders and superintendent together from all over the country. This year's keynote speaker, David Feherty a long time favorite of Golf Course Superintendents stole the show.
David Feherty from GCSAA TV on Vimeo.

Goose Report

Maggie - Yellow Labrador Retriever

After a very slow winter, Maggie is reporting increased goose activity over the last month.  Most of the activity has been on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 18th holes around the ponds.  The geese were coming in the evening just before dusk and making themselves comfortable for the night and leaving their usual mess behind.  Maggie was more than happy to add an evening goose run to her schedule.  For now, this seems to be making a significant impact on their activities here.  Maggie will keep you posted as the season progresses.

6th Tee Update

In mid December we finished up the construction and sodding part of the tee on six. To help protect our investment and to improve environmental turf growing condition in this area, the crew worked hard last week to thin out the area just to left of the tee.  

The increased air flow and light, along with the subsurface drainage that was installed on this tee, should make a huge difference in turf health and vigor.  Increased turf health translates into reduced pest and disease problem, which ultimately means fewer insecticide and fungicide inputs.

 

Once we get cleaned up a little better in the wooded area down the left, we will come back and finish sodding the rough around the tee.  For the right handed power slicers out there, we do have plans to trim the those trees down the left side of the fairway next to the marsh.

6th Tee - Divots!

Despite being roped off and having no tee markers on it, the 6th tee proved to be too irresistible to pass up for at least one foursome this past Friday.  Apparently, they were so excited that they forgot to replace or fill their divots.

The tee has benefited from the mild winter and the sod has rooted down better than expected for this time of year. However, the turf is still very tender and is not ready to sustain regular foot traffic and divoting.  Use of the tee at this time will only postpone opening of the tee this spring.

12 - Work in Progress

(Left side of 12 fairway last month)

(Left side of 12 now)

Ball Mark Repair - It's Every Players Responsibility!

(Range balls representing ball marks that are piling up.)

Ball marks, those indentations caused when a ball lands sharply on a green, softened by rain or high humidity, have been ruining good putts since the days of Old Tom Morris. Unrepaired ball marks take two to three weeks to properly heal during the growing season.  During the winter this healing time is much longer.  These ball marks leave behind unsightly, uneven putting surfaces. On the other hand, a repaired ball mark only takes half that time to heal.


Beginner or pro, it is your responsibility as a golfer to fix your own marks. If you're truly a steward of the game, you'll fix any others you see while your partners are putting. There's really not much to it, but there are a few guidelines you should follow when making these repairs. 

How to repair a ball mark

Bonus Golf: Take Note of the Risk

By Darin S. Bevard, senior agronomist, USGA, Mid-Atlantic Region
January 31, 2012

For the past several weeks there have been many opportunities for golfers to get out and enjoy the weather, and their favorite golf course. With the extreme wet conditions of late summer/early fall, this bonus golf has been great for the golfers, and has helped the bottom lines of many golf courses. The mild weather has also rekindled the debate over winter play and the potential agronomic downside of excess traffic, especially on greens.

In the last couple of years, frequent snowfall and cold temperatures have rendered the winter play conversation a moot point. This winter we have been blessed with plenty of days to play golf, and golfers who want to play. The result - the back and forth debate over whether greens should be open or closed. There is no right or wrong answer to this question because of the different needs of individual golf facilities and the different weather conditions.

Common sense dictates that winter play is bad for grass, especially greens. Extra traffic under often marginal conditions causes wear. The difficulty is quantifying the cost of this damage from the perspective of impacts on in-season playing quality in addition to the cost to repair damage that may (or may not) occur with winter play.

Some golf courses simply close completely or close their greens during the winter. If this is an option for your facility, great. Even if only a few greens that are already difficult to manage in season could be closed, the reduction in winter wear will be beneficial. If your course chooses to play golf during the winter, decisions on playability of the golf course should be made on a daily basis. If it is too wet or the greens are partially frozen, the risk for damage is greater. The worst case scenario is thawed conditions at the immediate surface and frozen conditions one or two inches below the surface. The bottom line is, you must weigh the pros and cons for your individual situation and act accordingly.

With the relatively warm weather, there are agronomic concerns too. On Poa annua greens, isolated areas of active anthracnose have been reported this winter. Monitor these conditions for the remainder of the winter and beyond. The other major concern is whether Poa annua has even hardened-off sufficiently to tolerate low temperatures. Warm temperatures reduce hardening in Poa annua, making the grass more susceptible to winterkill. Without snow cover, the grass has less insulation from sudden drops in temperature, which is the primary cause of crown hydration, especially in grass that is not sufficiently hardened. Time will tell, but this is a cause for concern in the northern tier of the region. Enjoy some bonus golf when the opportunity arises, but realize there are still concerns from winter traffic and Mother Nature.

    _________________________________________________________________________

This article is from the most recent publication of the USGA Green Section Record.  If you would like to subscribe for free to the Green Section Record follow this link. Green Section Record

Since 1921, the USGA Green Section has published information on the proper maintenance and upkeep of golf courses. Published under various titles, the Green Section Record magazine, which many consider the authoritative voice on golf course management, debuted in May 1963. In July 2010, the print publication changed to a weekly digital magazine offering the latest information on golf course management, turfgrass culture, environmental issues, research, and economic sustainability.

Kings Creek - Wetlands

Kings Creek Country Club has three different types of wetlands on or bordering its properties.  The black and white map below shows the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Controls official map, which delineates state regulated wetland areas.  The side note on the bottom right of this map "map change see file" is due to the removal of some regulated areas on this map.  Since the map on record is from 1988, two years before the course opened, I have attached a second photo.  This shows a current picture of our property with the different wetlands areas highlighted.

Due to the sensitive and delicate nature of these areas, we have contacted DnRec in regards to rules and regulations of the wetlands areas.  All of our current work and future planned tree work along the marsh is in compliance with DnRec regulations.  I also spoke with DnRec in regards to the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program which the club has recently initiated.  DnRec said they would be happy to assist us and answer questions we might have in developing our environmental plan and site assessment as required by Audubon International.

Tree Work update - 12th hole

Last week we started cutting trees down on the left side of twelve. These trees are encroaching onto the golf course and around the fairway bunkers.  Out of curiosity, I stopped to count the rings and discovered that the majority of the trees on this side of the fairway are under twenty years old.  This means that they weren't even there when the course originally opened in 1990.  These trees have trunks in the 6-10 inch diameter range and stand 40 - 60 feet high. 

This tree has approximately 17 - 19 rings, or years of growth.

This is one of the larger stumps at 20 rings, or 20 years



I lost official count, but we've cut about 75 trees on the left side of twelve, which all fall under that 20 year age mark.  It would not surprise me if we cut over 150 trees by the time we are finished.

Collar and approach work

Some of the collars here at KCCC have become mounded over the years leaving a lip that traps water on front edge of the green.  This is a contributing factor to the poor turf conditions along the front of some of the greens.  To correct this, we stripped the sod and made the necessary grade changes to allow surface water to flow off the green.  It also smooths the transition from the approach to the collar to the green and increases its playability.

In this picture we have taken the collar off the front half of the 17th green and have come out in to the approach to make a smooth transition into the newly renovated bunkers and green surrounds area.

The lip on 15 was so bad that there was actually a small hole forming in front of the green were water was trapped.  To fix this we cut the approach and collar out.  Then we cut the grade down to give it a smooth transition into the fairway while allowing surface water to easily flow off the green.

Winter tree work

 

Now that Winter has set in we are going to shift our gears and begin focusing on tree work.  There are three areas that we are hoping to focus on this winter.  Down both sides of the fairway on twelve, around the teeing area on six and the property bordering the marsh from two green around to five green.

On twelve, the majority of the work will be on the left side of the fairway from the beginning of the fairway up to the fairway bunkers.  There are fewer trees on the right side, but most of these are larger trees.  Access to left side of the fairway will be the most weather sensitive of all the areas we wish to address.  The work on this side of the fairway may be intermittent as conditions dictate.

 

For the sixth hole, we plan to thin the areas around the tee and also clean up the area next to the marsh on the fairway side.  We are not planning to tackle the area down the marsh side of the fairway this year, but this is another area that would potentially benefit from work as well.

So what's the plan for two thru five?  Opening up and exploiting what is arguably one of the properties best natural resources, the marsh.  Right now we are missing out on some great vistas and backdrops to our property.  Although we will be clearing quite a few trees and a lot of underbrush, we will also be exposing and highlighting some great trees that are currently hidden.  To top it off, this will also improve light and airflow thru the property.

This is a lot of work and there are many variables that come into play, particularly the weather during the winter.  We are optimistic and will be outside every chance we get.

Work Continues on 12

The 12th hole has been slowly recovering from the summer.  The reduced stress from closing the hole this fall will help the turf to develop the vigor it needs to survive our stressfull summers. 

Patch work is currently being done to low lying and thin areas were spring applications of pre-emergent herbicides have limited seedling success this fall.  This also gives us the opportunity to level and smooth low areas that hold water.

Jeff Pruncal and Glen Pulisifer deliver another load of bentgrass sod to 12 fairway on Thursday as the guys continue to patch struggling areas of the 12th fairway.  Over the past couple of months the crew has done a good job of patching and fixing low spots all over the course.  Our hope is by correcting the cause of the problems we will avoid the same problem in the future.

Next week we will dive into tree work on twelve.  We will be tackling trees on both sides of the fairway.  The goal is to open the area up to as much airflow and sunlight as possible.  Any improvement we can make in these areas will result in increased turfgrass health and vigor.