Projects on #3

We will be starting our project work on #3 this week, one facet will be to drain water away and another will be to add it back in. This is a great time of year for projects and we are ready to go. 

First, we will be adding a new drain to the back of #3 green. Similar to drains we have done on #9, #4 and #15, this drain will address a very specific area on #3. In the back of the green there is a bowl shape where puddles form after rain, but which is very slow to dry even after the rain has stopped. Luckily, it is a small area, which can be remedied very easily with a straight-line drain. We will start our trench about 15 feet onto the green and run it directly off the green, through the collar, approach, and empty it about 40 feet further out into the rough. In terms of drain projects, this is about as straight-forward as it gets. Working around golfers and performing other work on the course, it should not take us more than a few half days to complete. 

From there we will move on to adding an additional sprinkler to #3 approach. Having the equipment and labor on #3 from the drain will make the switch to adding the sprinkler very easy and efficient. The approach currently has 3 sprinklers on it, that stretch from the left greenside bunker, directly across towards the cart path. However, the last sprinkler does not cover all the way to the path, nor does it reach a particularly sensitive section of rough near the cart path. It was not totally clear that this would be an issue back during construction, so nothing was changed. However, now that we have worked through several seasons, we have seen that an added sprinkler here would lessen the burden on our hand watering program. The new sprinkler will be a part-circle and be placed right up against the cart path. From there, it will water out, in a 180-degree arc, aimed back towards the green and approach. 

 To accomplish this addition, we will need to cut a trench from the last sprinkler in the existing line, directly to where our new one will be placed. We then cut into the existing pipe, glue on our new sections that will deliver water to the new area, connect our power supply and back-fill. This new sprinkler will be added into our irrigation system program and will turn on as part of the #3 approach group. Again, this should not be more than a few half days of work. 

One project moves water away, the other adds more water. But for several days worth of work, we efficiently tackle two projects in close proximity to one another that will provide a huge benefit for next season and beyond. 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month 

Please do not apply any spray sunscreen or insect repellent while standing on the grass, especially 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 

See you on the course! 

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Armyworms

If it isn’t one thing, it’s another. August was wet. Being August, it was also warm or hot most of the time. This is prime weather for disease. As it turns out, it is also prime weather for an insect pest that we have never had before.

We work diligently to stay on top of disease outbreaks by knowing the conditions each fungus needs for growth. We protect large amounts of turf across the property, including the soccer fields. We also treat the soccer field for insects; however, the pressure this year overtook our preventive application and wiped out 40% of the soccer field turf.

Damage on the soccer field. This photo was taken
the day we re-seeded.

Fall armyworms are a southern insect most of the time. They feed on nearly all kinds of crops, turfgrass included. Occasionally, they can migrate northward and be seen, but not cause any extensive damage. Well, not this year. Not only did they come north, but they wreaked havoc. Here is just a sampling of the information describing this season’s infestation:

                USA Today- https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/09/01/fall-armyworm-outbreak-damages-lawns-across-us/5683595001/

                Business Insider- https://www.businessinsider.com/army-worms-how-to-prevent-armyworms-treatment-lawn-grass-infestation-2021-8

                NBC4 Washington- https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/armyworms-invade-dc-area-lawns-kill-grass/2795853/

For us, recovery was to re-seed the field and start fresh. It necessitated keeping the field closed longer than our originally scheduled maintenance window, but we are making progress.

While we may not see another infestation quite like this for some time, we are adjusting our maintenance program just in case.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not apply any spray sunscreen or insect repellent while standing on the grass, especially 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

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Foot traffic sign

We recently added a new sign near #18 green to help with traffic management.

Something as minor as walking in certain areas may seem inconsequential to the health of the turf, but when 150-200 people walk in the same exact place, every day, that stress can add up. Throw in the stress from our mowers and the grass can struggle and die.

Redirecting some of that traffic can help spread the wear patterns around to different areas, giving each previous area a chance to recover. With enough rotation and good adherence to the directive, we can manage the traffic so that no single area is too badly damaged.

That is the thought behind the new sign at #18 green. There is a very small area to walk up left of the green, in between the green and greenside bunker. Since it is so narrow, everyone must walk in virtually the exact same line, causing the wear. The new sign directs “All foot traffic” to walk farther out to the left, out and around the bunker, into a much less trafficked spot.

This plan can only work if people obey the sign, otherwise it is just decoration. Please be on the lookout for this addition and take the longer way around the bunker.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not apply any spray sunscreen or insect repellent while standing on the grass, especially 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

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Looking forward

The calendar finally flipped to September. It came fast and slow at the same time. September brings a whole set of priorities and plans for the Grounds department.

We will gradually work to getting green speeds back up. This is a slow process that can only be done as weather allows and as the turf can handle. As we discussed last week, we have been very wet over the last month. We cannot race back to turf conditions of the drier period too quickly or we risk suffering damage that will last the rest of the year. However, optimizing the fall playing conditions is our goal.

September also signals the time to start monitoring soil temperatures for our Spring Dead Spot applications. We have been using this most updated technique for several years and the results have been promising. More research continues to come out and we will adjust as necessary.

This month is busy on the golf calendar, but we will begin some projects soon. Bunker renovations, drainage installation and more, will all commence sometime over the next several weeks, and last through the fall.

Lastly, it pains me to remind everyone that it will be leaf season and frost season soon. Although we love the time of year and the daytime weather it brings, we dread these two complications. Be on the lookout for blowers and the frost delay signs and please be patient.

Climatological summer has ended, but more work is still in store. We look forward to the challenge.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not apply any spray sunscreen or insect repellent while standing on the grass, especially 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

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Feast or famine

We discussed last week how we have transitioned rapidly from dry to wet. So far, the trend has continued. It has been feast or famine this season in terms of rainfall, and right now we have too much.

For some perspective:

·         For the month of August, we have now received more rain than for the months of May, June, and July combined.

·         The total thus far for August is also equal to half the rain we have received this entire year! From January to July, we have had just over 12” of rain. In the last 29 days we have received 6.5”.

Needless to say, this presents problems for the Grounds department and managing the property. We have had to shovel the sand back up the edges of bunkers 3 out of the last 4 days. Some rough hasn’t been cut all week, either because it is too wet or because our labor has had to be focused on other areas.

Some areas have only been partially mowed. For example, we mowed 8 passes in the rough around greens to just stay on top of it. Last week, we cut the same portion, but we had to do it with push mowers because even our lightweight riding mowers were too heavy for the saturated ground.

The Bermuda grass is a great challenge as well. Warm, wet weather is ideal for Bermuda grass growth. We were lucky enough to get 2 cuts on fairways last week, though we pushed the envelope on some borderline too-wet areas. We also were able to mow tees and approaches twice. However, with the growth rate of the grass, they could have each used 4 cuts and we will already be behind to start the week.

Greens are the most difficult to manage during a time like this. The grass is at its weakest after a long, busy summer. Roots are short and the recuperative potential is minimal. Mow them when they are too wet, and damage will result. We don’t like to see the greens get long and perform poorly anymore than the golfers do, but we always must be looking forward and protecting the turf for the next day. We could force our mowers out and get the greens mowed, but the damage from the one-time cut could last until October. It is a fine balance deciding when to push forward and when to hold back.

We understand there can be frustration surrounding poor conditions- rough not mowed, bunkers not raked, slow and bumpy greens, another cart path only day. However, the reality is that we are working to keep the course as great as possible, for each day and for the next day too.

 

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

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org