Finalizing bunker sand additions

It took us longer than expected, but last week we were finally able to finish up our work on the greenside bunkers. Snow and freezing temperatures through January and much of February slowed our progress, but some spring-like temperatures in March helped us wrap up.

Starting all the way back in November, we began refilling greenside bunkers with fresh sand. Over time, sand is lost in many ways- golfers blast it out, backpack blowers and wind blow it out, and anytime we must clean silt out after a storm, some sand is removed also. With all this removal, sand must be added back in to the bunkers to keep a consistent, playable depth. Last year we completed the fairway bunkers, and this year we tackled the greenside bunkers.

The process of adding the sand is straight forward- carts with larger capacity beds haul load after load of sand to the bunkers, dump it, and go for more. Meanwhile, we have staff in the bunkers spreading the piles with shovels to evenly distribute the new sand. Next, after spreading the new sand out, we circle back through the bunkers and give them a much more detailed leveling. We work to ensure the sand is smooth and the bottoms of the bunkers are flat, as they were designed. Finally, our last step, and one of the most important, is to compact the new sand so that it plays firm. We used 4 walking plate tampers and worked our way through every bunker. A new wrinkle that was required this year versus last year is that we also had to water the sand down before we could compact it. With the low humidity and strong winds that have seemed constant this late winter, the sand would not pack well enough. In fact, the wind was so strong, and sand so dry, the wind was blowing the new sand right out of the bunkers. So, we used hoses and doused the sand heavily just ahead of the tampers.

Now, the bunkers are back in playing shape and ready for the season. Thank you for your patience while we worked to get the sand added, spread and compacted. Because we were behind schedule, we focused on getting all the sand into the bunkers before it was smoothed and compacted. Without the lost time due to weather over the winter, we would have had the bunkers completed prior to the start of the golf handicap reporting season. But we completed the work as quickly as possible, and luckily had it done before the Icebreaker!

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don't start off 10 tee without permission from the Golf Pro Shop.

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

Irrigation start up

Every spring, one of the most important tasks that we accomplish is recharging the irrigation system. Especially after a winter like we just had, any number of issues can arise. But we charged the system last week, and thus far we have had no major problems.

The irrigation system circulates the water to turfgrass across the property. Every December we drain and blow out the system in preparation for the winter. Then, for 4 months the irrigation system is out of our minds. But by the end of February or early March, we are planning the time to pump water back into the pipes. We try to do it early enough to allow for repairs, but not too early that we risk freezing again.

Although it isn’t hard to recharge the system, it does take patience. It is not as simple as cranking the pumps up to full power, forcing water back to all the corners of the course and walking away. Firing the system up to quickly can cause breaks in the pipe and rushing water can blow right through corners or at the end of a line. Keeping the pressure low while the water slowly moves through the system is key.

Once the entire system has reached full pressure we start monitoring for leaks. We will spend an entire afternoon riding around the entire course, inspecting sprinklers, looking for wet areas or possibly visible water, and periodically checking the pressure gauge at the pump house. We will continually check pressures and watch for leaks all season, but this first afternoon after recharging is a very common time for problems to arise so extra time is given just to observing everything.

Our next step is testing all the sprinklers. We systematically work through every sprinkler on the property, making sure they turn on and operate correctly, clearing the last remaining air from the lines, and most importantly, making sure they turn off when the allotted time is done. Just like we monitor for leaks during the whole season, we are constantly keeping an eye on the sprinklers too, but working through each one now catches 90% of the problems. Spotting and correcting that many problems now gives us confidence as we head into the season that we can rely on the system to operate correctly, rather than discovering issues only once we need to depend on the system for watering.

It is the same routine every season to get water back into the pipes. But taking our time to recharge methodically, checking every sprinkler makes the process smooth and mostly trouble-free.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don't start off 10 tee without permission from the Golf Pro Shop.

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 grass observations

We have finally had some spring like weather and golf has started back up after a long winter. Also enduring the long winter was the Bermuda grass. At this time of year, we like to provide a quick update on what we see happening with dormancy break thus far.

This past winter was colder and snowier than any of the most recent years. Right now, we guess that we are approximately 2-3 weeks behind last year’s pace. March of 2024 started warmer than normal and never really quit. This year, we have had two nights in the low 20’s in March, which isn’t uncommon, but still different than the past few years, and these cold temperatures very much dictate how early the Bermuda grass can green up. Because of this temperature regime, it is too early to say how much winter damage may have occurred because so little growth has started in the Bermuda grass. However, most indications are that the Bermuda grass survived the winter well and is poised for a good start.

Here are a few indicators that we use:

·         Soil temperature- very little happens if the soil is too cold. This year, the soil was frozen for a good chunk of time over the winter and that kind of cold takes a long time to warm up.

·         Air temperatures- of course, the Bermuda grass needs warmer weather. But what it really needs is warmer nights. If the nighttime temperatures are consistently dropping down into the low 30’s, the Bermuda grass will be very slow to wake up.

·         Visual inspection- we visually inspect the Bermuda grass in multiple ways.

o   First, we look at the dormant color of the grass: areas that are straw colored generally indicate healthier tissue underneath. Areas that are dark brown or black and thin or have a water-soaked appearance are much more concerning. These areas are locations where water may have puddled and then froze and caused direct damage to the tissue. Right now, we only have one very small area that looks unhealthy, and most of the troubled areas from past winters look average to above average for this time of year.

o   As we start to have a few warmer days, we will also look for new green tissue. Early on, you must kneel and open the dormant canopy to find green stems and young leaves, which have been present for a couple of weeks. After this last round of warmth, we are now starting to see green leaves just emerging at the surface. We no longer must dig to find the live tissue, which is very positive. One of the first spots that new leaves emerge is #12 fairway, and this year is no different. But we have been able to locate new tissue in many other fairways also.

Again, these are very early observations. We have a long way to go, and we will undoubtedly have some Bermuda grass repair work to handle. Located where we are and dealing with the climate that we have, Bermuda grass is stretched to the edge of its tolerances. But we prepared the turf as best we could for the winter, and we are checking daily to be sure we are on track.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don't start off 10 tee without permission from the Golf Pro Shop.

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

New Assistant Superintendent

Warmer temperatures are on the way and the turf will be waking soon. As we head into spring, we would like to welcome a new face on staff- our new Assistant Superintendent Wesley Monaghan.

Below is a short introduction from Wesley:

 

Hi, nice to meet you! My name is Wesley Monaghan, I’m the new Assistant Superintendent here at Bretton Woods Recreation Center.

A little about me: I started working in landscaping about 10 years ago. I worked for Garden Time Designs, a small landscaping company, working my way up to supervisor. I then went on to Eagles Nest Country Club, out in Phoenix, MD. I’ve also had the opportunity to work at courses in different states including Texas and Iowa, eventually returning back to my roots here in Maryland. I’m currently enrolled in Ohio State University’s Golf Course Management program and continuing my efforts in pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Turf Management. I’m passionate about what I do. Every day spent on the course brings new and enriching opportunities to grow.

With that being said, I’m excited to bring my experience to Bretton Woods, to learn as much as possible, and to help maintain the beauty and playability of the course. I look forward to seeing every one of you out on the course and can’t wait for the 2025 season to begin!

 

 

We are working to get Wesley up to speed and comfortable here at Bretton Woods. He has just finished his first week and has fit in well on the staff from the start. Be on the lookout for him this season, and beyond, and stop and say hi when you can.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don't start off 10 tee without permission from the Golf Pro Shop.

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

Greens aeration with Ninja Tines

For a brief few days winter backed off and the temperatures warmed up. For the Grounds department, it gave us a chance to execute our greens aeration plan.

For many seasons now, we have aimed to aerate as early in the year as possible. Completing the work early usually helps avoid big conflicts with golfers because the golf season is not in full swing. The work is completed ahead of the handicap posting season, and healing begins quickly, allowing for the best putting surfaces possible once the posting season starts. But most importantly, aerating this early allows time to elapse between aerating and our plant growth regulator (PGR) applications for seed head  control. The link provides more detail, but the short story is: suppressing growth with PGR’s to prevent seed heads also stunts the healing process from aeration. If we aerate early enough in the season, some or most, of the healing can take place before we spray PGR’s. While we were forced to wait a little later than we have in the last couple of years because of snow and completely frozen ground, we still were able to accomplish the work in our desired window.

We also had a new strategy for spring aeration this year. To minimize the healing time required, we used even smaller tines than we have in the past. These new tines are called Ninja Tines and are not quite .2” wide (and we ordered the XL version!) This is nearly 50% smaller than the tines we have used in the past.

The beauty of the Ninja Tines is that they are specifically designed to create very minimal disruption. They don’t remove very much soil like typical hollow tines, and they are very skinny. One of the main reasons for aerating any surface is to remove thatch, which is the organic material from the plants- dead leaves, stems, roots, etc.- that accumulates in the soil, and the Ninja Tines are designed just for that. The Ninja Tines do not penetrate deeply, which limits the soil removed, but they do grab the thatch. And because they are so small, we can poke lots of holes, removing lots of thatch, with the least amount of surface disturbance. By using the Ninja Tines, we have decreased the size of the hole created, which will speed up recovery, and we have still attacked the thatch buildup. Because this was the first season trying this new process, we can’t be definitive on the results yet. But watching the process and judging how it turned out, we are very optimistic.

We expect this adjustment to our spring aeration program will be an improvement, and something we continue each year moving forward.

 

We are now back to posting once per week. Thank you

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don't start off 10 tee without permission from the Golf Pro Shop.

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