Irrigation System Update
Toro has identified a problem with the electrical component
of our sprinkler heads and electric valves.
The decoder and solenoid assembly has design flaws which cause them to
eventually fail resulting in a variety of different symptoms. The week of October 22 -26, Tanto Irrigation
Company along with Toro and there local distributor, Turf Equipment and Supply
Company will be changing out this part on every sprinkler head and electric
valve. As we get closer to the date we
will communicate more specifics on the change out.
Eagle irrigation, the original installer of irrigation system
will also be here this fall to lower some fairway irrigation laterals and
address a few other small installation issues.
We are trying to coordinate this for the same week if possible.
Rough Grass
I’ve been getting a lot question about the decline of our
rough grass. Before I get into specifics
of why we’ve lost turf in some areas, consider this. Throughout this golf course the rough is
composed of varying population levels of two warm season grasses, bermudagrass
and zoysia, along with seven cool season grasses Kentucky bluegrass, Poa
trivialis, Poa annua, perennial ryegrass, creeping bentgrass,
turf-type tall fescue and fine fescue. In case you lost count, that’s nine different
grasses. Now why isn’t the rough
consistent? Why does it vary so much
from season to season?
The majority of the turf loss during the latter part of the summer
can be attributed to a few reasons; disease, cart traffic and environmental
stress such as shade, compaction and tree competition are the main ones. Rye grass, poa annua, poa trivialis and
Kentucky blue grass are all prone to decline from summer stresses and turf
disease. Turf disease can be controlled
with plant protectants but the cost is significant. The faded area around the tee boxes was
perennial ryegrass, it was devastated by gray leaf spot in early August. Perennial ryegrass was planted around the tee
boxes this spring because of the extremely short establishment window it
offers. Letting these varieties
naturally fade out and over-seeding with turf type tall fescue will slowly
promote a more uniform and economically sustainable rough. The newer turf type tall fescue varieties are
currently the best cool season grass for our area. They have a dark green color and are capable
of producing deep extensive root zones that produce heat and drought
tolerance. They are also the most
disease resistant of all the cool season varieties currently available. The cost of over-seeding the rough is less
than the cost of applying the protectants that would be necessary to support
our current rough through the summer. Ultimately
the goal is to slowly promote turf type tall fescue by allowing the undesirable
types to naturally fade out.
Bermuda grass and creeping bentgrass also represent a significant
portion of our roughs in certain areas of the course. These grasses both tend to do very well but
are more suited to lower mowing heights.
At rough mowing heights they can be downright nasty. Converting areas like this is a major project
that we certainly want to do at some point, but is not a priority right now.
Please remember that carts are a major player in the decline of
rough in high traffic areas. An over
whelming majority of the rounds played here are with a cart. I’m not suggesting we get rid of carts, but
it’s important that we recognize their potential impacts. Keeping carts on the path around tees and
returning directly back to the cart path at the black balls in the fairways
will dramatically help these areas.
Remember, this your course.
Please take pride, and respect your fellow members.
Bunkers
What about the bunkers? We
have 95 bunkers making up 3.75 acres which is more total acreage than our
greens. Typical high end courses
normally average around 50 to 75 well placed bunkers, Augusta National has 44. I
bring this up because as we plan for the future it is important to understand
the cost associated with each aspect of the course. Most of the time quality is better than
quantity. Too often future cost of
maintaining course features and improvements are overlooked. An important factor with every aspect of the
course should be sustainability. What
can we sustain at a high level?
The green side bunker renovation
project that started last year on the back nine is still a priority for the
club but has been postponed for a few years.
We have identified other more pressing areas of improvement that will
help insure the success of future bunker renovations projects. Many of the green complexes have sunlight,
airflow and drainage issues that need to be addressed prior to future
renovation. However, we
still have to have playable bunkers that can be maintained in the short term
and while we want to keep inputs into our existing bunkers at a reasonable
level, they cannot be ignored completely.
This winter we will be evaluating and prioritizing bunker drainage
issues.
Fall / Winter Projects
As we move
into the fall and start thinking about possible course improvements it becomes
very apparent there are more opportunities than time or resources. Listed below is a list of projects that we
have identified as projects for this off season. As always, the weather is major factor in
winter months. Last winters weather was
exceptional for golf and projects. We
can only hope to be as fortunate this year.
·
Continue
the first cut from the fairways around the greens.
·
Move
and rebuilt two ladies tee.
·
Reseed
and restore the driving range fairway.
·
Review
and audit clubhouse area; irrigation, turf, landscape plantings, etc
·
Evaluate
and prioritize bunker drainage issues and develop plan of attack.
·
Continue
with stump removal and clean up from last winter’s tree removal
·
Tree
work on 11 and 8, removals and pruning.
·
Removal
of isolated trees around the course that are having a negative impact of
premium playing surface that offer little architectural value.
·
Continue
tree work along the marsh, starting at 3 tee working toward 6 tee.
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