Aeration follow-up

We aerated greens, approaches, tees, and fairways last week. It was a very busy 3 days, but we accomplished everything we needed to, in less than the four days we were scheduled to be closed.

We aerate earlier in the season than most other courses in the area. It works good for us- it is the perfect time for the Bermuda grass, and it is an underappreciated time for the greens as well. Plus, it fits in with our golf schedule extremely well. We can allow time for healing and be ready for a very busy September and October.

Greens

Starting back in 2023, we changed our procedure for greens aeration. No more pulling cores at this time; now we topdress before the aerator, use only solid tines, and use a brush to move the sand into the holes. Research shows this is just as effective for managing thatch and is far less disruptive. We continued this process this year, results were excellent again, and we will continue along this path moving forward.

This is the second year that the course has been closed for aeration. This has been incredibly helpful for our program. Several parts of the process simply require time to elapse before we can move forward. When we were under the gun, knowing the course was reopening the next day, sometimes we had to rush the process and results were less than ideal. Now, we can allow each step the time it needs and the final product is cleaner and better in the end.

Tees

                We aerated tees on Wednesday. First, we apply compost. Then we aerate with solid tines, which help break up the compost and drive it into the soil. Next, we drag the compost into the holes and blow any excess of the surface.

                We do all the tees in one day and this is maybe where the course closure helps the most. We have always aerated the tees on Wednesday, after the greens and fairways are finished Monday and Tuesday. We don’t have enough equipment and staff to do all of it at once. Some of the machines that we use on greens and fairways are needed in a different capacity to work on tees, and we can’t switch back and forth during the day. So, in the past, we were scrambling like mad trying to get the tees finished ahead of golfers because Wednesday was previously a day when the full course was back open for regular play. Any delays or problems meant we were working amongst golfers, trying to get very labor intensive and vital work done, but trying to be respectful of golfers at the same time. It did not always go very smoothly. Now, having Wednesday closed, barring any equipment issues, the tee process is uneventful and easy, and the course is ready for play on Thursday, with no major work being done in play.

Fairways/Approaches

                We treat the fairway and approach aeration as the same surface: both are aerated by a contractor with a tractor. We have a longstanding relationship with this contractor, and they do a very good job. This year we opted for solid tines also- no material was removed. For now, we expect to be on an every third- or fourth-year rotation for coring. But that schedule is subject to change based on testing that we conduct annually to measure the thatch buildup in the fairways, which also takes into account the verticutting  we do to remove thatch also.

                At this time, we also make our second annual compost application to the Bermuda grass. You can read about our compost program from all the way back in 2014. Materials have changed, but the idea behind the compost is still the same. And based on the last two years, we have had minimal, almost inconsequential, Spring Dead Spot, so our overall program is working. Bermuda grass injury has multiple possible causes that can come any season, sometimes despite the proper protection, but throwing everything we have at the problem is still the best defense.

It may seem as though we are tearing the course up during a prime window for playing golf. However, completing this work ensures many more days of good conditions by sacrificing just a few days now.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be conscious not to scuff your feet or drag your putter along the surface of the putting green. This can adversely affect other people’s putts and can damage the turf grass.

 

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Hydraulic spill

Inevitably machines will break, and problems will occur. Sometimes these issues involve the fluids in the machines which are toxic to turfgrass. Last week, unfortunately we had a spill on #4 green.

Unlike a previous instance of hydraulic fluid leaking on greens back in 2015, this was a spill rather than a leak. Before, a hose sprung a hole and was spurting fluid out of that hole as the machine moved across the green, leaving a drip trail of damage. Unfortunately, this recent problem resulted in nearly the entire volume of a hydraulic pump being dumped in one location.

The spill covered with a plastic bag
trying to minimize the movement of oil from the
rain. You can see the stream
of water moving across the green.

The offending machine was our greens roller, one of our most utilized pieces of equipment. The hydraulic output shaft coming out of the pump snapped in two. One piece fell back into the pump and the other piece fell into the engine bay. The seals that lock the hydraulic fluid in the pump fell back into the pump as well, leaving a wide-open hole for fluid to pour out onto the green. The result is a roughly 3 foot by 3-foot patch of dead turf.

In some instances of hydraulic leaks, flooding the area with soap and water can help remove some of the oil and slightly lessen the damage. Unfortunately, on a green we would run the risk of washing the oil onto healthy turf and widening the area of damage, especially in this case where such a large volume of oil was present. So, we were left with trying to soak up as much excess oil as possible and minimizing any movement to healthy grass. Making matters worse was the steady rain that was falling at the time of the accident, potentially causing runoff across the spill and not letting the oil dry.

The spill about 30 hours after it occurred.

As far as repair goes, there are not many options other than total replacement of grass and soil. We will strip the grass off the surface, but we also must excavate down and remove any soil that the hydraulic fluid has seeped into, otherwise, when we put new grass back, the contaminated soil will kill the new grass as well. The one saving grace is the fact that this happened 2 days before we aerate. This will allow us time to methodically repair the damaged area as well as allow it some time to heal.

Nothing could have prevented the hydraulic spill, and there is not much to do afterwards other than replace turf. But we have bounced back from these types of issues before and we will again this time.

 

We are also starting aeration of greens, tees, and fairways this week. The course is closed Monday through Thursday. Thank you

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be conscious not to scuff your feet or drag your putter along the surface of the putting green. This can adversely affect other people’s putts and can damage the turf grass.

 

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Remembering how the course used to be

The night prior to typing this blog we received 1.25” of rain. The course handled it well. It is important to remember how much we have invested and improved the infrastructure of the course after weather events like this.

This wasn’t the most rain we’ve received at once by far, but it was still a quick, high-volume storm. Luckily, it did not include the fierce wind like the storm from almost exactly one year ago. But the rain still washed out the bunkers, overwhelmed the drains, and left standing water across the property. However, without the Master Plan renovation work, subsequent small tweaks that we have made, along with regular upkeep, the damage would have been worse and repair slower.

Prior to the renovations, the lower portion of the course- holes 3, 14, 15, 16, and 17 especially- had no drainage. The holes were extremely flat, and water could not move across the surface and could not percolate into the soil fast enough. We were left with large areas of standing water for days on end where no grass could survive.

15 fairway 2 days after rainstorm, prior to 
drainage installation

Once the drainage was installed, water could find a way off the surface and off the course. Now, water backs up at drain inlets for a matter of hours rather than days, and even that is only after the largest storms. We occasionally must deal with clogged drains but even then, water is still moving better and faster prior to the drainage installation.

The old fairway bunkers on #18
prior to renovation

The idea is the same with the bunkers. Prior to the bunkers being rebuilt, the design of the original bunkers was not conducive to withstanding heavy rainfall. The sand was pushed high up the slopes of the bunkers, and nothing was holding it in place when the water came rushing down the edges. Once that sand was washed away, next came the erosion of soil underneath. All this contamination led to water being unable to drain out of the bunkers properly. The silt and soil fill the gaps between sand particles, and it becomes nearly impenetrable. The water would puddle in the bunkers indefinitely, until we manually pumped it out. Across the course, pumping the bunkers could take 2-4 days depending on how much rain had fallen. That time frame does not include shoveling the sand back into place. Full bunker repair from a big storm could take our entire staff a full week to complete.

The old approach bunker on #18
prior to renovation

Fast forward to the storm yesterday and nearly every bunker had some extent of sand erosion along the edges. But not soil erosion because of the new design of the bunkers with grass down the slopes to where the sand is nearly flat at the bottom. The drainage inside the bunkers all functions properly and there is no silt contamination within the sand, so water very rarely puddles. If there is a puddle in a bunker, it is because the water draining out of the bunker must wait its turn to flow into the same drains as everything else. It is only a matter of a few hours or less for the water to clear. We don’t have to pump bunkers anymore, at all. And repairing the sand now takes anywhere from a few hours to possibly a full day depending on the severity of the storm. Yesterday’s storm took four hours to repair.

The old fairway bunker on #10
prior to renovation

Sometimes it is hard to remember how the course used to perform during heavy rainstorms. Now, we must look at old pictures to remember how poorly the course would handle the storms instead of still dealing with the repair work. Making the necessary changes to the course and continuing our regular maintenance of that infrastructure has paid off.

On of the renovated bunkers after the storm

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don’t stand in one place for an extended period to practice putting. Your footprints can be worn into the green.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

The good, ok, bad, and ugly

We are over halfway through the summer, and in the middle of the hardest stretch. The course has weathered the season fairly well so far. As is the case, nothing is perfect and we have some good, ok, bad and ugly as well.

First, the good: the Bermuda grass. Our Bermuda grass has been very strong since early spring. Now, coupled with nearly perfect Bermuda grass growing weather- warm, humid, and plenty of moisture- the fairways and tees are nearly flawless. We just completed our annual vertical mowing process and they are set for the home stretch. We still have aeration to come, but healing will be swift, and the Bermuda grass will play great the rest of the season.

The greens are just ok. Our predominant grass on greens is Poa annua, which does not like the heat at all. Luckily the species is very adaptable and has learned to tolerate the heat and stress that we subject it to, but it is still a battle. The greens take constant monitoring, and even with that, we have struggled in a few areas. As the soil temperatures rise, root growth stops, and roots even shrink. Water-logged soil can exacerbate the loss of roots and what we are left with is very weak plants that are susceptible to all stressors. With short roots, we also must deal with small areas that dry out even when we recently received rain. Here is an easy way to think about it: short roots are like a short straw in a cup- there might be plenty of water further down in the cup, but the straw can’t reach it. That can be the case with the roots as well. The soil may have moisture even just an inch or so down in the profile, but short roots cannot access it. Lastly, weak plants necessitate more babying, which leads to slower green speeds. It is a fact at this time of year that greens are slower, but we have kept them smooth and true and most importantly: alive.

On the other hand, spots on collars and green surrounds are bad. The biggest contributing factor to this is the weather. We are not using the weather as an excuse, but it is undeniably the single most important factor in turf management. Very hot, humid weather is good for the Bermuda grass but not for the other turf. However, the weather is not the only cause. We made some mistakes this year with some of our cultural practices also, and we need to make some adjustments, which we will. We are not making excuses, but we will learn from this and improve for next year.

Which brings us to the ugly: we have been without one or both of our large rough mowers since early June. Both machines have had major mechanical and electrical problems and have been at the dealer for repairs. We expect both machines to be back today (Monday 7/21). We have been struggling to mow rough with any other machines that we can, but we haven’t been able to keep up. This has left us with long, inconsistent rough around the fairways and other open areas.

The summer is not over yet, and it has already been long and hard. As always, we are not throwing in the towel, but we are aware of the poor areas, and we will keep working to get things better this year and beyond.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don’t stand in one place for an extended period to practice putting. Your footprints can be worn into the green.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Another drainage issue

After another rainstorm this past week, a puddle formed and lingered at the drains on #16. We found another root ball, in the same pipe, about 15 feet away from the first one.

Two weeks ago we cleared a very large root ball  out of the drain pipe on #16. Water had been very slow to drain, and puddles had formed around the inlets. After some exploration and jetting with a hose, we determined something more solid was blocking the water. We found a very large mass of roots.

This is a phot of the root ball from late June

Last week there was standing water around the same inlets on #16. Again, we tried to jet the pipe with a hose, assuming the chances of another blockage that soon was unlikely. The hose was quickly blocked again though and we didn’t waste any time before starting to dig. And unbelievably, in the same pipe, within 15 feet of the first root ball, we found a second one that was just as big.

 

As similar as the photos appear, this is
a picture of the second root ball from early July

Somehow, clearing the first ball of roots cleared enough space in the pipe to give the appearance that everything was free flowing. As soon as the first one was removed, water raced down the drains. However, the next heavy rainstorm showed that to be short-lived and we were right back to square one.

Here is a picture showing the excavation 
of the second root ball. To the right, outlined in red, 
is the replaced sod from the first repair

We checked the location of the drains early in the morning after the rain and we were shocked to see how much water was still not draining. We were even more shocked to find a second root mass. Nevertheless, we think the drain is clear, for now, but who knows what will happen next!

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don’t stand in one place for an extended period to practice putting. Your footprints can be worn into the green.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org