New driving range signs

We have made an increased effort to improve some of the “little things” around the course this year. New stone, new mulch, and new flowers were all part of the plan this season. A less significant change that we made last week was upgrading the warning signs that line the bottom of the driving range.

There are three signs near the bottom of the driving range, in the rough to the right of 18 fairway, warning golfers on the course of driving range balls. The signs serve as a reminder that venturing out onto the driving range looking for an errant tee shot of #18 tee is not safe. Certainly not the most important part of the property, they still serve a purpose. Most of the time, many golfers likely don’t even notice the signs, but the old ones had lived their life and needed replacement.

We purchased 3 new signs and new posts as well. The placement of the old signs was still acceptable, so the new signs did not change locations. We slightly adjusted the orientation of the signs to account for people entering the safety zone from different angles.

Trying to see the property through the eyes of the members helps us to spot small changes that we can make. The signs don’t affect the round of golf, but making upgrades even to something that minor can still go a long way to improving the overall experience.

 

 

Weather permitting, we will wrap up the Bermuda grass verticutting this week. Thank you for your patience.

 

Also, starting Monday August 3^rd, the course is closed for aeration. It will remain closed until Thursday, August 6^th. Thank you

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please remember to remove any bunker sand that may be stuck to your spikes before walking on the greens.

 

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

Second heat wave

About 10 days ago, we discussed a heat wave that we were just exiting, and the decisions we made to help the turfgrass survive. Well, we just went through another tough stretch, and we thought another update was pertinent.

The main topic in the post in early July was regarding green speeds and how they have slowed. That is due to our program and helping the turf survive. Because this 2^nd wave of intense heat was so close on the heels of the first, we didn’t push green speeds back up in the interim. We are in the hottest part of the entire year and a few days back to normal (upper 80’s to low 90’s) is not a sensible time to be aggressive. So, for the time being, our goal is smooth, consistent putting greens, that have healthy turf. This means they will be slower, but you can count on grass to putt on every day.

But the putting greens are not the only turf that feels the effects of a heat wave, or waves. The rough, especially around the greens, which is the most intensely managed and highly trafficked, can also start to fade. We have a hodgepodge of grass species in the rough: annual bluegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, creeping bent grass, tall fescue, ryegrass, and Bermuda grass. Aside from the Bermuda grass, none of these other species enjoy the heat. Annual bluegrass in particular hates the heat. Even though it is the predominant species on greens, when it grows to rough height it struggles even more. There are areas where small patches of annual bluegrass died out, with healthy turf surrounding it. Unfortunately, it is difficult to keep only one species of grass because there are many sources of natural seed that intermixes. We will continue to work diligently to protect the turf we have, but some of these areas will also be candidates for replacement with new sod.

The good news is that we have cleared the latest hurdle in good condition. A vast majority of our turf is handling the heat very well. We continue to monitor, adjust, and tweak our programs to make sure we stay ahead of the weather. We also are alw
ays planning for improvements in areas that do not live up to our expectations. It is a never-ending battle, but each year we gain a little more ground to the positive.

Two reminders:

Fairway verticutting is still ongoing. Thank you for your patience.

Also, aeration is the week of August 3^rd. The course is scheduled to be closed 8/3-8/6. Thank you

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please remember to remove any bunker sand that may be stuck to your spikes before walking on the greens.

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

Verticutting fairways

It is now peak growing season for the Bermuda grass. So, we started our fairway verticut program last week.

Verticutting the Bermuda grass slices down into the canopy and removes a tremendous amount of material- thatch, stems, and other organic material that has built up over the last year. By removing this material, it reduces the puffiness of the surface. It also allows air down into the canopy and reinvigorates the remaining turf to fill back in and grow very strongly for the remainder of the year.

The material that is torn out of the fairways is broken up first with a drag, which helps separate the grass and stem material from soil. The soil is allowed to fall back into the canopy. Once the organic material is dry, we then blow it off the fairway into the rough. From there, we use our vacuum to pick it up and haul it away.

It is a very slow process from start to finish- which is why we must spread it out over several weeks. We got an abbreviated start this year because of the Maryland Senior Mid-Amateur event we are hosting, completing only the par 3’s and 17 and 18 fairways. Picking back up just after the event, we will continue over the next couple of weeks to complete the work.

We appreciate your patience during this disruptive but very necessary and beneficial practice. Completing the work now, during our relatively slow time in the golf schedule, provides the best playing surfaces for our busiest time in the fall.

 

 

Also, please note that we will be aerating the course starting Monday August 3^rd through Thursday August 6^th. The course and practice facilities are closed during this time. Thank you

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please remember to remove any bunker sand that may be stuck to your spikes before walking on the greens.

 

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

Heat wave and greens speeds

We are just coming out the other side of the hottest stretch certainly of this year and one of the more intense spells over the last few years too. We must play defense when the weather turns that oppressive. Greens require more water, speeds decrease, and the turf stresses, but luckily, we made it through relatively unscathed and the worst heat did not lock in for an extended period of time.

To prepare for a heat wave like what we just experienced, there are a few things we do to protect the cool season turf, like the greens. We increase out height of cut slightly, only by one thousandth of an inch, but even that small increase in height, increases leaf tissue by 8%. That difference means a great deal to the plant when it is working hard to survive. We also reduce stress to the plant by alternating mowing and rolling instead of doing both most days like we do during other times of the year.

Moisture management is also critical during a stretch of heat. The grass requires more water to continually try and cool itself and maintain other metabolic processes inside the tissue. We do not want the plant to run out of water with such high temperatures because it could take less than an hour for the plant to die. So, we load the soil up with slightly more water than normal to start the day, in preparation for the heat later in the afternoon. This makes the greens softer and decreases green speeds.

Our goal through the entire year, but especially during a stretch like this past week, is to make sure we have grass for tomorrow. We could push the greens harder, stress them more, and have a great day or two of golf conditions, but the price for that would be thin or dead areas and weeks and weeks of recovery time. Therefore, we prioritize health and longevity of the turfgrass over short term benefits.

Despite the above-mentioned tactics, Mother Nature is powerful and we do have a few minor blemishes after the heat. In a few places, weak species of turf could not handle the heat and basically burned. And some places were areas that ran out of water and wilted. There are no areas that suffered major damage and overall, we are pleased how the turf responded.

The summer is not over, and the heat is likely to return. But after this first stretch, we are satisfied with our position and will continue to be ready for more.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please remember to remove any bunker sand that may be stuck to your spikes before walking on the greens.

 

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

Fairway vertical mowing

Vertical mowing of playing surfaces is a very good way to ensure the best conditions possible. We verticut greens in the spring and fall and complete the process on the Bermuda grass in the summer. This week we are starting the fairways.

Last year was the first time in several years that we were able to complete a full fairway vertical mowing program. Weak turf, new turf, or both prevented us from aggressively thinning the Bermuda grass. But the turf was ready last year, and we are in an even better position this year.

Vertical mowing cuts down into the plant and soil as opposed to cutting across the surface. For grasses like Bermuda grass which have stolons and rhizomes- which are horizontal stems that grow on or just below the surface- cutting vertically can encourage new, fresh growth. Also, by cutting and removing some of the stem tissue, it opens the canopy and revitalizes the existing turf.

Verticutting the fairways is a time consuming and aggressive procedure. We have a large acreage of fairways, and the machine is only 5 feet wide, meaning lots of passes up and down to cover all that space. The process also produces lots of debris which must be cleaned off the fairways. After the vertical mowing we will drag the fairways to knock any good soil back down to the surface, and to help break apart the stems that have been cut. Then we will blow as much loose material off the as possible. Then we mow the fairways to cut all the stragglers that are tufted up. Lastly, we will blow again to clean off the clippings from the regular mowing.

Although it will take 7-10 days for the fairways to heal from the verticutting, taking one step back leads to two steps forward. The fairways will be in better condition and better health after this work than they are prior.

 

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

Fairway verticutting

The weather over the last few weeks has been hot and dry. Our cool-season turf- the grass on the greens, collars, and rough- has had a difficult time surviving. However, these are prime conditions for the Bermuda grass. Stretched out over several days, we completed a full verticut of the fairways and approaches that wrapped up last week.

The verticut machine starting on #1 fairway

At this time of year, the Bermuda grass is reaching its maximum growth for the season. We are at the hottest part of the year, the humidity is high, and the overnight temperatures are elevated as well. Those are the conditions in which the Bermuda grass thrives, and this year has been even better than most.

Taking advantage of the excellent growing conditions, we dusted off our fairway verticut machine and started removing excess material from the fairways. It has been several years since we last verticut the fairways. First, much of the Bermuda grass was new sod laid during construction and was too new to aggressively remove material. Then, in the ensuing years, we struggled to get the maturing Bermuda grass to be thick and healthy enough to endure the verticut. We also dealt with turf loss after winter from spring dead spot and winter kill, especially after the winter of 2017-18, when we had to replace many acres of turf. That replacement turf then set us back to square one with working to get new grass to mature enough for verticutting.

By the end of last year, the Bermuda grass was ready for vertical mowing, but only by the end of the summer, which would have been too late. However, seeing the health of the turf, we were primed and ready to verticut this year if the fairways had a strong season. When the Bermuda grass came out of winter as strong as it did, and then so quickly progressed through spring, we planned the verticut.

From the middle of the picture to the left is healing after 1 week.
The right side is after 2 weeks.

Vertical mowing- verticutting- uses vertical blades that slice down into the turf canopy and soil. It is the exact same thing we do to greens in the spring and fall. Cutting down into the turf rips out stems and old, decaying material called thatch. It also cuts the new growth structures of the Bermuda grass- called stolons and rhizomes- and this leads to new growth. Opening the canopy allows air and water to penetrate the turf more easily. Removing some of the stems allows more space for the turf to grow and creates a tighter, denser playing surface. But most importantly, the verticutting removes thatch from the Bermuda grass. We manage thatch for several reasons, but the biggest reason is that too much thatch can increase the likelihood and severity of spring dead spot.

This shows recovery after 3 weeks

Verticutting the fairways is a slow process, with an average sized par-4 hole taking 45 minutes to an hour to complete. Once the machine is finished, we come back through and blow the fairway, moving the material out into the rough. Lastly, we will mow the fairway to trim down all the grass that is standing up. Over the next few days, we will continually mow and blow the fairway until it is back in shape. Healing from the verticut takes about 7-10 days.

Visually, verticutting the fairways can seem too aggressive. Plant material is flying out and the grass is being ripped apart. But the overall benefits far outweigh the downside to the work, and we had the perfect weather to complete the job this July.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not apply any spray sunscreen or insect repellent while standing on the grass, especially the greens. The chemicals kill the turf.

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

Turf loss

The weather impacts the turfgrass more than any other single factor. Unfortunately, the very hot stretch of weather last week was very stressful for all the cool-season grass, and too stressful for some particular spots of turf.

The weather dictates what maintenance we can and cannot do, as well as the health of the turf. Sometimes we can do everything right and Mother Nature can still win. We always strive to keep all the turf alive across the property, but last week we failed. The 3-day stretch all over 100 degrees was simply too hot for some of the grass. Coupled with slightly less water than the turf needed, and the plants died within a few hours. No excuses, we did not do the things we needed to do to keep the grass alive.

So, what is next? Most of the grass will eventually heal or fill back in with healthy turf. The downside is that this will take time. Part of the reason the grass died in the first place is because the environmental conditions have been so difficult for growth. Although the temperatures have dropped some, in general, the weather is still not conducive for good, cool-season turf growth, which means it is an uphill climb to get recovery.

The areas that don’t heal will be reseeded. Again, this will have to wait a few weeks also. We are just over two weeks away from aeration and it would be counter-productive to put new seed in the ground just before we start aerating and potentially damage the new seedlings. Two-plus weeks further into the year will also mean 1-2 degrees lower average temperatures, likely a few cooler nights mixed in, and shorter days, which all will benefit healing turf and new seed.

Patience is the key, which is very hard for us. Our goal is to have the course in as good a shape as possible, every day, and dead turf is very difficult to endure. We are not using the weather as an excuse, but there is no doubt it played an outsized role in the turfgrass decline. Nevertheless, we can’t change the weather or what happened, but we will continue to work diligently to preserve the turf that is still viable, and work to improve the subpar areas as quickly as possible and get the course back up to our standards.

 

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not apply any spray sunscreen or insect repellent while standing on the grass, especially the greens. The chemicals kill the turf.

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

USGA Course Consulting visit

We welcomed our regional USGA Agronomist for a course visit in mid-June. The USGA provides this service for guidance and perspective from a professional agronomist to help if we are having problems or to help further reinforce programs that are working. Lucky for us, our visit was just a general overview, not regarding a specific trouble issue.

Our last USGA visit was back in 2022. You can read that report here. Unlike the visit in 2022, we did not have a certain main topic. Instead, we toured the course looking at a few different difficult spots- things that a golfer might notice, but not necessarily understand the root cause. The USGA Agronomist is helpful in these situations because they can provide further detail, can possibly explain better the certain reasons behind an issue, or simply reiterate that they agree with the initial assessment and reinforce that idea.

The USGA Green Section supports Golf Course Superintendents tremendously. We use site visits as a tool for communicating with the membership about some of the things that are happening on the golf course, and it was productive again this year.

Below is the link to this year’s report:

USGA report

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not apply any spray sunscreen or insect repellent while standing on the grass, especially the greens. The chemicals kill the turf.

 

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

Repositioning a drain

We continue to dodge any pop-up thunderstorms and remain very dry. Nevertheless, in our irrigated areas, sometimes wet spots can develop. We addressed one wet area this past week.

On the right side of #5 approach, the drain from the right greenside bunker terminates in the rough. This is a typical setup for the ends of bunker drains- they don’t often tie into other drainage; they just stop a fair distance away from the bunker and empty into the rough. Under normal circumstances, emptying the bunker drain like this does not cause any issues.

It may seem strange to be working on a drain during such a dry stretch. However, controlling and moving water is the most critical aspect of maintaining good turfgrass. And there are two specific times when water can be a problem- very wet seasons, or very dry seasons. The need to move water off the turf in a wet season is obvious. But in a dry season, relying so heavily on irrigation inevitably leads to overly wet areas simply due to inconsistencies in irrigation distribution and heavy usage. This whole season hasn’t been dry, but we are in a very dry, and intensely hot stretch right now and we are maintaining the turf solely on irrigation.

Bunkers also get watered because of their location. The green and green surround sprinklers both get water into the bunkers every time they run. In the case of #5, that is where the excess water is coming from- the volume and frequency of watering the green and surround leads to more water in the bunker and thus more water moving through the drain system.

So back to our project- the extra water coming out of the drain had created a significantly wet spot in a location that was affecting our mowing and playability. Our mowers either had to avoid the spot entirely, or if they mistakenly mowed through it, would create a muddy mess. So, our goal was to take the end of the drain and extend it out towards the cart path. In that location, our mowers could much more easily avoid it, it would be less impactful to golfers, and the excess water could empty onto the cart path rather than into the middle of the rough. We only had to stretch the drain another 15 feet and cover it right back up; we finished in one afternoon.

It was a small project, and one that won’t really get a lot of attention. But making lots of small improvements raises the level of the entire property. That was the goal with repositioning the drain on #5.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not apply any spray sunscreen or insect repellent while standing on the grass, especially the greens. The chemicals kill the turf.

 

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 dry June

The last month has been dry. Last year was dry through this stretch of the season as well. The difference this year though has been how hot it has been also. The two factors combined have led to the very droughty conditions on the course.

Since June 13^th we have had 14 days of 90+ degrees, including a stretch of 7 in a row. On top of that, we also had several upper 80-degree days with low humidity and wind. All these conditions are very conducive to the loss of water. Coupled with no rain and the course gets very dry.

Water is lost from the soil by evaporation and the plant loses water though transpiration, which is its way of cooling itself. We have a fancy metric for this called evapotranspiration, or ET, which helps us calibrate how much water the plant lost and how much we need to replace to keep it alive and healthy. Generally, cool season turf- the grass that is in the rough and on the greens- needs about 60% replacement of ET to stay alive and between 60-80% replacement to be healthy. Several of the days over the last month have had an ET loss of .25” and a handful were .3”. This means that even to replace at 60% we would need to apply about .15” of water, or the equivalent of running every sprinkler for 15-20 minutes each! Every day!

Obviously, we can’t do that: 1. We would run out of water in about a week; 2. Not every single plant needs exactly that much water returned- some plants with stronger roots can last longer than others;   3. Running the sprinklers that much would cause extremely wet areas. So we strategically run certain sprinklers. Or we use hoses to spot water specific areas. Nevertheless, inconsistencies are unavoidable. Areas will get too wet, other areas will get too dry.

None of this considers the Bermuda grass either. Although the water requirements of the Bermuda grass are much lower, it is not invincible, and needs water too. The dry tee surfaces, and localized spots in fairways are an indication of how dry even the Bermuda grass has gotten.

No irrigation system is a replacement for rain. No system can evenly water a course the way rain can cover the property. However, an old system such as ours can show even more inconsistencies across the course and a stretch of weather like we are in right now makes that even more apparent.

 

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not apply any spray sunscreen or insect repellent while standing on the grass, especially the greens. The chemicals kill the turf.

 

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

Storm cleanup

Though we are still drier than normal overall, we did receive some rain in the last few days. Unfortunately, one of the storms also came with some intense wind. Cleanup after a storm is always a process and can’t be finished the next day.

We are not far past the anniversary of the derecho that came through the area in 2012. Some of you may remember that storm and the destruction it caused. Luckily, we are nowhere near that messy following the most recent storm, but we still have lots of cleanup to do. There are 3 main aspects that usually require the most attention following a thunderstorm: bunkers, blowing small debris, and tree/limb/stick removal.

The storms are hard on the bunkers for two reasons. First, the heavy rain washes the sand off the edges of the bunker and down into the center. This sand must be shoveled back into its correct location by hand. Second, after the sand moves out of place, the rain then starts to move the underlying soil out of place also. This soil then settles on top of the sand and can lead to contamination. We must scrape the silt off the top of the sand before repairing the bunker. Of course, small debris also collects in the bunkers which must be blown out before raking as well.

The wind that accompanies the storm will strip some leaves off trees and break some small branches out of the tree and blow them across the course. We must use blowers that we can tow behind our maintenance vehicles to blow all this debris off the tees and fairways. We use backpack blowers to clear off the greens and blow out the bunkers. The smallest sticks blow off play surfaces as well, but larger ones need to be moved by hand.

Luckily this large section of tree
fell at just the right angle to miss the
tee sign, bench, and barely graze the trash can. No damage
to any of those items.

Lastly, if the storm is severe enough, we will likely lose a few trees or at least several large limbs as well. These are branches that are too large to blow or move by hand and must be cut before they can be cleaned up. If the trees we lose are too big, or too numerous, we will get help from our tree contractor. So, we spend several days methodically working around the course cutting the larger pieces and picking up the smaller sticks by hand.

The important part to keep in mind is that through all this cleanup, most of our other maintenance tasks continue. We adjust our schedule, especially if the storm came with heavy rain and we can’t mow, and the cleanup does become the highest priority.

We try to get the course back in to playable condition as soon as possible, but it still takes several days. Fortunately, the storm last week was minor, and we should be back in shape in just a few days.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

After filling your divot with sand, either on a tee or fairway, please smooth the sand pile out so our mowers don’t cut through the sand.

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

Finishing Bermuda grass sod

We will finish up the Bermuda grass sod this week. It took later into the season than we wanted to get started, but the natural healing of the existing turf allowed for less sod overall.

Once the weather turned in favor of Bermuda grass growth, our existing fairway grass started to heal in many of the weaker areas around the course. While it was hard to look at some of the thin areas for so long, waiting longer can be a benefit in the long run. Turf that recovered naturally and healed in will be stronger and more resilient to stresses through the seasons compared to brand new turf that may or may not have experienced some of those same conditions.

Nevertheless, some sod was necessary. We were able to accomplish all our sodding goals with 10 pallets of sod, or 5,000 square feet. This may seem like a lot of sod but repairing 5,000 square feet out of the 1,960,200 square feet of total Bermuda grass on the property isn’t actually that much. This did not cover every square inch of weak Bermuda grass, nor were we ever going to try to cover everything. Some weak areas will be transitioned to rough next year and some weak areas are healing enough on their own and did not warrant sod. Luckily, the weather is perfect for the new sod. With a little water and a few warm days, new roots are forming in about 3 days. The sod from 1 week ago has already been mowed once and the newest batch will be cut this week.

In no time the new sod will be part of our regular maintenance routine and ready for play.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

After filling your divot with sand, either on a tee or fairway, please smooth the sand pile out so our mowers don’t cut through the sand.

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

Bermuda sod and emergency tree work

It was a busy week last week. We started on Bermuda grass sod and had to do some emergency tree work as well.

First, this blog entry may be posted a little later in the day than usual- we are still working through an internet outage in the Grounds department. The recent storm on Friday afternoon knocked power out to the entire property and seems to have fried a couple of components at the shop.

The damaged tree on 17

Funnily enough, the storm didn’t cause too much damage to the course- lots of debris and a few small limbs fell. However, that same morning, well before the storm, a large section of the big pine tree on the left of #17 fairway broke off and fell. After clearing the cart path to at least allow access, we inspected the remainder of the tree and saw that the wound was very deep into the center of the trunk. We felt it was warranted to have our tree contractor inspect the tree for safety and to recommend whether the entire tree needed to be removed. Our contractor strongly recommended the tree be removed for safety reasons because the missing limb had left a scar that reached well past 50 percent through the trunk and the remaining part of the tree was leaning heavily in the direction of the missing limb. Luckily for us, the tree crew had a small job that was nearly finished that same morning and they were able to make it to our property and remove the tree that same day.

Prepped sod location

We were also able to get started on Bermuda grass sod this past week. For lots of the same reasons that our Bermuda grass struggled this spring- very dry, much cooler than normal, cloudy, etc., the sod company’s Bermuda grass struggled also and it delayed delivery of material. But we received 4 pallets last week and were able to repair spots on 1 fairway and 1 approach, 2 approach, 3 approach, 9 approach, 15 approach, 16 approach, and 18 fairway. We have 4 more pallets coming this week and we should wrap up all the remaining worst areas. We will also continue to plug in small pieces in various locations across the course through the rest of the season. And, in a few very specific locations, we will be transitioning the existing Bermuda grass to rough grass in the fall, so we won’t be repairing those places at all.

New sod being installed

One spot completed

The last 3 weeks have finally been a conducive Bermuda grass environment. We will continue to strive to improve everyday and hopefully we don’t have any more random tree work to tackle.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

After filling your divot with sand, either on a tee or fairway, please smooth the sand pile out so our mowers don’t cut through the sand.

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

Trials and tribulations

The trials and tribulations of maintaining a golf course continue. After writing about a gas spill last week, this week we have a couple new issues to discuss, one regarding another leak and the other having to do with the irrigation system.

Thursday of last week we had several thunderstorms in our vicinity. We could have used some rain, but unfortunately all we got was lightning. Repeated nearby strikes kept our staff in after lunch for so long that we eventually just sent most of the staff home rather than continue to wait. Instead of getting rain, the close lighting did produce a power surge that went through our irrigation system. This is not the first time this has happened. Like the occurrence back in 2019, some minor damage was observed in a satellite box and the lightning arrester located in that satellite box did its job and had to be replaced. Normally that would have been the end of the story. Unfortunately, when we turned the power back on to the field, nothing turned on.

Not having any power to the satellites is one of the worst-case scenarios for the golf course. Without power, we cannot electrically operate any sprinkler. So, the only way to irrigate is to manually turn on EACH INDIVIDUAL SPRINKLER one at a time. With approximately 900 sprinklers on the property, you can see how this is not realistic. Luckily the Bermuda grass does not need much water, so we focused on running sprinklers on the greens only.

We could not restore power at all on Thursday, our irrigation specialist contractor was busy all-day Friday tending to another lightning related irrigation emergency, so we did not have power on Friday either. So, for two nights we manually turned on every sprinkler around every green- a process that alone takes 2 hours. We didn’t make it through the hot weather unscathed, but for no irrigation system, we did ok. Finally, on Saturday, after nearly 4 hours of troubleshooting, we were able to restore power. The culprit: a small jumper wire in a closet at the shop had also been damaged during the surge, the existence of which was previously unbeknownst to anyone in the Grounds department.

While we struggled with putting water out onto the course on Thursday and Friday, we also unfortunately had a hydraulic leak in several locations on the course on Friday. A hydraulic pump seal went bad and caused oil to leak across several approaches and tees. We train our staff to watch for leaks such as this, but it can be difficult to see. Every course that has hydraulic powered equipment will deal with this at one point or another, but it doesn’t make it any easier to look at. We have fixed the bad seal and will continue to work on mitigating the damage.

All in all, it was an eventful few days. We don’t like having problems, but it is inevitable, especially when dealing with Mother Nature. We will keep moving forward and working to make sure everything is as good as we can make it.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

After filling your divot with sand, either on a tee or fairway, please smooth the sand pile out so our mowers don’t cut through the sand.

 

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

Gas spill

Last week there was gas spilled in #12 fairway. We don’t know exactly what happened, but it doesn’t matter at this point anyway.

In a previous post, we explained that gas and diesel kill grass. Anything from a small drop to large spills will kill whatever grass it touches within 36-48 hours. And that was exactly the case in #12 fairway, including some footprints made by whomever was at the sight when the spill occurred.

The spill 24 hours after it occurred

Repair of fuel leaks can vary greatly depending on the substance spilled, the amount spilled, the location of the spill and other factors. For example, hydraulic oil leaks can sometimes be mitigated with dish soap, copious amounts of water and a little fertilizer in the next few days after the spill. Gas and diesel are not managed with soap and water, but factors such as amount of fuel and location still play a role.  In the linked post, the gas spill was directly in front of the green in the approach. Not only is that an area that sees a lot of play, but also a lot of traffic. We immediately sodded out the worst section in that instance.

48 hours after it occurred

The situation in #12 fairway is a little different. Although the volume spilled was very large, its location makes it less of a candidate for sod. Very few shots will end up directly in the dead area, and if one did, it wouldn’t play any different than the healthy turf. And, though highly visible, it is not a section of the fairway that everyone will traverse. Lastly, the turf around the dead area is some of the healthiest and most vigorous Bermuda grass on the entire property. With some cooperative weather and some fertilizer, new grass will repair the area quickly.

We work every day to make sure the turf on the course is as close to perfect as possible. An accident like this, even though it was out of our control, is still discouraging. But we will keep working to correct any issues that arise.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

After filling your divot with sand, either on a tee or fairway, please smooth the sand pile out so our mowers don’t cut through the sand.

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

Stretch of heat

This past weekend was a tough stretch. It was good Bermuda grass weather, but it was not good cool season turf weather. Overall, our preparation for the summer has still been successful, and the stress is not over, but the recent heat did take a toll. Mother Nature won this round, and we suffered some small areas of turf decline.

The turfgrass on the greens is capable of surviving the heat of the summer, but not thriving. It prefers 45-55 degree nights and 65-75 degree days. This past weekend was most definitely not in those ranges. Even the bent grass, which can tolerate much higher temperatures compared to the Poa annua on the greens, still had a tough time.

While none of the damage is permanent, some spots will take longer than others to heal. We are scheduled to aerate in one week, which will help. We will also make a few other small tweaks to make sure that the weakest areas recover as quickly as possible.

We are in the hottest week of the year. We continue to strive for the best conditions possible and we often must work against, or at least around what the weather is doing. We took the last few days of heat head-on and did not come out unscathed, but we will make sure that the turf bounces back.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

When parking your cart at a tee or green, please keep all 4 tires on the path.

This is the same etiquette reminder we posted in April, but after seeing carts all over the grass around tees and greens it felt like time for a reminder.

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

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org