Bunker rake placement

A common dilemma facing golfers out on the course: where should you leave the rake after you finish raking a bunker? There is no rule stating where the rake must be placed, and the USGA only has a recommendation. With this being the case, each club is allowed to decide for themselves how and where the rakes should be placed. Input from golfers as well as the Grounds staff helps to determine the location of the rakes. At Bretton Woods, the Grounds Department prefers the rakes to be left inside of the bunker, at the low side.

Several reasons account for the Grounds Department’s preference for the rakes to be in the bunkers. First, maintenance of the bunker face grass is easier without a rake in the way. As mowers cut around the bunker, if they had to stop and move every rake, a good deal of time would be added to the task. Secondly, the possibility of damage to a rake that was mistakenly mowed over or simply driven over by a cart cutting too close to a bunker is diminished if the rakes are in the bunkers.

We also feel that the rake being inside the bunkers is a better placement for the golfers as well. When a ball hits a rake that is outside of a bunker there are two possible results: it may either stay out of the bunker or go into the bunker. No one minds if the ball stays out of the bunker but everyone cares if it goes into the bunker. In contrast, if a ball strikes a rake that is in the bunker it again has two possible results: it can pop out of the bunker or stay in. In this case though, the original shot was already going to end up in the bunker. Therefore, the result in which the ball is knocked out of the bunker is a positive and the ball hitting the rake and remaining in the bunker is really only a neutral result since the ball was going in the bunker regardless. Weighing the possible results of a shot striking the rake helps us to determine where the rakes should be for normal play.

Now that the thinking behind placing the rake inside the bunker has been laid out, what about where, within the bunker, should the rake be placed? We prefer the rake to be left at the low side of the bunker. Most of our bunkers have a steep face or slope on 2 or 3 edges and a much lower, gentler slope on the other side. Again, there is an agronomic and golfer related aspect to this reasoning. Agronomically, when golfers try and climb the steepest slope they invariably struggle to get footing and the sod beneath their feet breaks free and slides back in towards the sand. Not only does this cause the bunker to begin to look and play poorly, it also adds maintenance. We must strip the sloughed off sod and replace it with fresh sod to re-establish the edge. Climbing out of the steep slope is also unsafe. Sod giving way under foot can lead to strained muscles or sprains, or worse, falling all the way back in to the bunker. If golfers spend the small amount of extra time to walk in to their ball from the low side- even if their shot is against the far lip- it is safer and can save some maintenance headaches.

While no placement is 100% fool-proof, there was thought given to the choice of leaving the rake inside the bunker. Although some negative outcomes may still happen from a shot striking a rake in this position, in the end there may be a few positive results as well.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Fall frost

Lucky for everyone involved, we get to deal with frost twice per year: spring and fall. Dealing with the frost and the subsequent delay differs slightly between spring and fall.

Spring frost occurs as everything is coming out of winter. The ground is very cold and the turf has spent months adjusting and hardening off to the cold weather. The turf’s ability to withstand frost damage is as high as it will get. Though it is still vulnerable, the natural defense of the grass has been built up through enduring the cold winter. None of this is true in regards to frosts that occur in the fall.

In the fall, the ground is not cold, which helps to make the first few frosts not as severe. But it also means that the turf is not yet ready to deal with the low temperatures. Because the grass is still adjusting to the cold, it is at its most vulnerable for damage. Luckily, because these initial frosts are not heavy, damage is usually minimal. Also, because the daytime temperatures and soil temperatures are still relatively high, the grass is usually able to grow out of any damage that may occur. Nevertheless, the early fall frosts are still a time to be very cautious and allow the turf to adjust to the cold.

The most crucial fall frost is the first heavy frost. This is the frost that makes everything look white when you look out on the course. We must be very careful with this frost because there is a high risk of damage. The plant’s defenses are just kicking into gear and the growth has slowed so recovery would be minimal.

The Grounds department has some strategies to deal with and help shorten the frost delay. But there is one strategy in particular that is not always available in the spring that is available in the fall. As mentioned, the soil temperature in the fall is still high. The soil is insulated and it takes much longer for the soil temperatures to change compared to air temperature. So although the air temperature may drop below freezing early in the fall, chances are, the soil temperature is nowhere near that cold. This has two implications. First, because the ground is not freezing, it means that we have not shut down the irrigation system yet. The ground has not become cold enough to freeze the water in the pipes so there is no worry of burst pipes. So we have the irrigation system at our disposal. Having irrigation water available means that we can “water the frost off” the turf. Basic chemical properties of water state that above 32 degrees Fahrenheit water is a liquid and not frozen. The frost on the turf grass plant is below 32 degrees. So the irrigation water is warmer than the frost on the plant and irrigating the frost will melt it or at least turn it to a slushy-icy mix. Seeing the slush on the plant versus frost, means that the plant is no longer cold enough to cause water molecules to freeze on the surface and create frost. Now the cells inside the plant are thawed too so the frost damage potential is nearly eliminated.

This does not mean that we simply turn on all the sprinklers on the course and declare the frost delay over. Timing of watering the frost off is still crucial. If the irrigation is used too early, when the air temperature is still too cold, the plant will thaw momentarily only to re-freeze. This is often the case in shaded areas. The coldest part of the morning is just at sunrise. The surface of the earth has been losing heat all night and morning, all the way until the sun starts to rise and begin heating the earth again. Once the sun starts warming the turf, frost can be eliminated quickly with only a quick watering. However, in the shade, where the sun has not had a significant affect yet, turning the irrigation will not provide the same response.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Chipping green

The chipping green is a very important aspect of the golf facilities at Bretton Woods. Because it is widely used and vital to many golfers’ practice routines, the green should play as similar to the course greens as possible. This green also serves as patches on other greens. Recently some sod was used for work on number 17 green. Our maintenance routines regularly include the chipping green and it receives all the inputs that the other greens get, but it needs a little more work. To repair this open wound and also to continue to make this green more closely resemble the other greens, we did an extra aeration to the chipping green on Wednesday 10/1.

The chipping green has built up more thatch than the other 18 greens. Thatch is the dead and decomposing plant material that is just below the living tissue and above the soil. Managing this layer is vital to healthy greens. Controlling the amount of thatch is also key to managing the playability of the green. High thatch content can lead to greens staying too wet, which can lead to disease. When mowing a green with too much thatch it is far easier to scalp the turf, causing injury and again leading to problems. Playing on a green with too much thatch is no fun either. The green is very soft and spongy. It is also bumpy which affects putting. So when a green with too much thatch receives a shot it does not take a hard, firm bounce and roll out. Instead it makes more a “plop” sound and stays very near its pitch mark. Due to the higher thatch content in the chipping green, when practicing on this green, shots hit in do not react as they would on the course. It is difficult to truly practice one’s short game when the facility does not play like the course.

To alleviate the thatch problem, we are performing an extra aeration on the chipping green. Aerating removes organic material, or thatch, thus lowering the overall percentage contained in the green. The extra aeration will be minimally invasive and only slightly impact the playability of the green. Taking this step now will make the green better overall in the long run.

Recently, as part of the master plan work, a patch of poorly performing turf on number 17 green was sodded. The sod came from the chipping green. Many of you may have noticed the missing turf visible on the chipping green. One of the easiest and fastest ways to repair an area like this is through the use of cores. We are able to work on two problems at once by aerating the chipping green now. Not only will we be removing organic material from the green, but we can use some of the cores to fill in where the sod was removed. This will replace the sod with turf that matches exactly the current turf of the green. This area will progress similar to area we extended on number 15 green.

Although the chipping green is important, we feel that we can execute this extra cultural practice and only disrupt the golf experience slightly. Plus, the long term benefit for the green’s health and the golfer’s game will be improved.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

More on Orgro

Recently, we added a question and answer aspect to the blog. Feel free to contact us with any comments or questions about the grounds at Bretton Woods. We try to answer questions as quickly and clearly as possible. Certain answers may be used as full blog posts if we can answer the question for many people who may be curious about the same topic.

Question submitted by Wally Fullerton on 10/4/14:

I was curious so looked up the source of Orgro.  It apparently is made from biosolids left from water treatment at a Baltimore City sewage plant.  I have no problem with that - I've used the product once marketed (but, I think, no longer available) by the WSSC treatment plant.  But what are the benefits of using Orgro over other products such as Leafgro - a local composted product without the sewage component?  And are there any benefits of using the rather coarse version that you are using - it is rather strange to see large shards of wood on the fairways.

You imply that Bermuda can benefit, and avoid serious Spring Dead Spot, with potassium additives.  You also imply that Orgro benefits Bermuda.  But I just looked at the Orgro website and found that its analysis includes zero potassium (see below).  How do you reconcile the analysis with Bermuda's need for Potassium.

Analysis:

ORGRO® HIGH ORGANIC COMPOST

Guaranteed Analysis

1-1-0

   Total Nitrogen               

1%

< .25% Water Soluble Nitrogen

> .75% Water Insoluble Nitrogen

   Phosphate (P2O5)        1%

   Potash (K2O)

                0%

First, thank you for the questions. A better understanding of all that we are doing at Bretton Woods is a benefit to everyone so I am happy to clarify any of our practices.

I realize that the compost material that we are using has been a big discussion point lately. It is new and somewhat unorthodox. However, we are continually trying to improve and we are hoping to make major strides in the fight against spring dead spot with Orgro.

Using compost on Bermuda grass fairways to help with spring dead spot has been a practice in North Carolina for a couple of years now. Few, if any, major research projects have been done specifically looking at how the compost material aids in defense of spring dead spot. However, courses that have been using compost have visually seen a significant decrease in disease incidence.

Based on this, we decided to try a compost material here. Anything that we can do to improve the chances of the fairways to resist or recover from the disease is a benefit.

Orgro was not the original product that we looked at to use this fall. The company that shipped the product most often used in North Carolina was not registered to ship into Maryland so we had to find another material. We tried to find a material that closely resembled the product we initially were interested in. Orgro fit the criteria best.

We looked at a sample of the Orgro, but in the large quantities that we ordered it turned out to be slightly coarser than we anticipated. We have already located a possible alternative compost for next year should we deem this year’s trial a success. I agree that the larger pieces are a little odd to see in the fairways. However, we do want to err on the side of a little too coarse versus too fine.

If we use too fine of a material, it may decompose in the fall right after we apply it and be unavailable in the spring. You may have noticed that in the few days after we applied the compost to the fairways they turned a very nice dark green color. This is in response to the finer material that is present in the Orgro breaking down quickly and releasing nutrients to the plant. If the entire material was composed of particles this fine then the initial flush of growth may use up all the nutrients and leave nothing for spring. Leafgro could be a viable option, but with this initial trial we tried to match the material being used in North Carolina. We would also be hesitant of getting a material that is too fine because it may be too fine to spread.

We also are not using the Orgro for its inherent nutrient analysis. The potassium we are relying on to improve the winter hardiness of the Bermuda grass is not derived from the Orgro. We will be applying potassium separately.  Instead, we are expecting that when temperatures rise in the spring, the microbes in the soil will break down the Orgro and release nutrients to the Bermuda grass and aid it in greening up and recovering from any possible winter injury. Although the minor amounts of nutrients present do benefit the Bermuda most nutrients will come more from microbial decomposition of the larger pieces of compost. So, rather than applying the compost as a “fertilizer” we are using it more as food for the soil microbes in the spring.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org