17 green update

Last week we wrote about how the end of the summer can take a toll on the greens. 17 green was mentioned as one of the greens struggling with the heat, humidity, and excess moisture. A few areas of #17 green have needed some extra attention lately.

Puddles indicate where drainage is suffering. These are the same areas
where the turfgrass is suffering also.

Root mass and health is directly related to the surface height of cut. As grass is mowed lower, roots become shorter; as grass is allowed to grow taller, roots grow longer. The above ground leaf tissue supports the roots and if there is more leaf tissue, the roots grow more. On putting greens, this becomes particularly valuable. Putting greens are mowed at very small fractions of inches, often under 1/8”. This means that we are managing roots on the slimmest of margins because we have as little top growth as possible. Raising the mowing height by as little as 0.03” can increase photosynthesis by 25%.

Thin areas in the back right of green

We raised the mowing height on 17 green immediately upon recognition of stress. In conjunction with the raised mowing height, we also stopped use of our heavier triplex greens mower in favor of our light-weight walking greens mower. While we don’t have the resources to walk mow greens as a regular practice, it becomes a very effective tool in aiding a green or two that are struggling. Simply the decrease in stress from weight can help turfgrass recover. Added to a higher height of cut and we can quickly provide a break to the grass.

Our hand dimpling tool

We also had some areas along the back right edge that were suffering more than other locations on the green. It is no surprise these are the areas that are particularly poor draining, where water can sit for days after a rainstorm if not removed by the Grounds department. In these areas, we spread some bent grass seed, dimpled small holes in which the seed can germinate, and then covered the seed with a light layer of sand to protect it. While the long term solution is a soil drainage issue, in the short term we are introducing more bent grass to the area because bent grass is better equipped to handle the heat, humidity, and excess moisture that Poa annua cannot.

After dimpling and seeding

The fan was out at 17 green for a stint last week, then as the green began to dry slowly we brought the fan back in so as to not dry the green out too much. When we had a few days of lower humidity, blowing air across the green can dry it out too fast, leading to another type of stress: moisture stress. Now, after the rain we just received, the fan is back out and helping to evaporate excess water.

All of these things may seem insignificant individually, but together they have already helped 17 green. While we are not happy with the current condition of the green, we have taken the proper measures to prevent it from deteriorating further. We monitor it several times during the day to make sure no other steps need to be taken.

As a side note: Aeration starts this week. Monday, the putting green and front 9 are closed, and the back 9 is open. Tuesday, the chipping green and back 9 are closed, and the front 9 is open. Wednesday and Thursday will be used as catch-up days for anything that couldn’t be finished Monday or Tuesday. We are aerating greens, tees, and fairways, as well as applying the compost material to the fairways like we have in the past.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please leave bunker rakes IN the bunkers when you are finished

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Dealing with heat, humidity, and excess soil moisture

At this time of year, the heat, humidity, and soil moisture can wreak havoc on the grass, especially the greens. We do a couple of things to help aid the turfgrass in these difficult times.

If you think of the soil as a whole, then roughly 50% is made up of soil particles, 25% water, and 25% air. The percentages of air and water can fluctuate back and forth. When a soil gets very dry, there is a much higher percentage of air. When a soil is saturated, it can nearly eliminate all oxygen from the soil. The roots of the turfgrass need oxygen to survive.

High humidity means that the plant is not able to transpire as much as it needs, because there is not a lot of room for more moisture in the air. So this scenario arises: the sun is hot and the plant is dealing with the heat stress, it can’t cool itself properly because the air won’t take enough moisture, and then its roots are being deprived of oxygen so it is also suffocating. This is a common event in late July, especially when an early afternoon thunderstorm comes through and afterwards the sun cranks right back up.

Our first step is to needle-tine the greens, which you can read more details about here. This is a very minimally disruptive aerification process that allows us to increase the oxygen in the soil by poking small holes in the ground. It is a great tool and does not interfere much with playability at all. If you don’t see us do it, you may never know we did it all. 2/3 of the greens have been completed and the remainder will be done this week.

Also, on one of our weaker greens, #17, we will have the portable fan out periodically to help with air movement. Since the plants are not able to transpire regularly due to the humidity, we use the fan to move the air across the green and increase evaporative cooling. Now, the plant can cool itself better, and the excess moisture can evaporate off the surface.

Summer is at its toughest right now. We will do anything we can to help the greens survive until the weather turns more favorable.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please leave bunker rakes IN the bunkers when you are finished.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Removing Bermuda grass from collars

As promised, we took ryegrass sod previously on #11 approach and moved it to various other collar locations. We are working on removing as much Bermuda grass from the collars as we can and using repurposed grass is a huge benefit.

There is Bermuda grass that has worked its way into the collars and even the greens on several holes. Some of the Bermuda grass is creeping in from the fairways or approaches that are already Bermuda grass. But there is also some Bermuda grass that has found its way into the rough around the greens. From there, it has worked its way into the collar. We are working on removing the Bermuda grass from both instances. Here is some more background information on the problem and some steps we have already taken towards a solution.

As construction was just getting under way, we used some sod from #13 tee to tackle a few small areas of Bermuda grass. You can read more about that here. We wanted to wait until construction work was near 11 approach before we removed the sod we wanted to use. This way it wasn’t a disturbed area all by itself and then the construction crew would be laying new sod on the approach soon. The time quickly came when we needed to take the sod. Not only did we have staff and time to work on the project, but the progress of the construction was getting close enough that if we didn’t take the sod it would be scrapped and lost forever. We also didn’t want to hold up construction progress just for the sod.

Over the last week we have laid new sod on 2, 4, 8, 9, 15, 16, 17, PG, and CG collars. It looks pretty new and patchwork now, but it will heal in soon and be indistinguishable. This finishes all of the major Bermuda grass areas in the collars around greens. Nearly every approach still has Bermuda grass creeping in to the collar from the front. Those are the next areas that we will be targeting. We still have sod left over that will allow us to finish one or two of these areas in the front of the greens.

We have accomplished this work so far in stages and the remainder of the work will be done in stages as well. But being able to time this particular stage of work with construction has saved us time and money.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please leave bunker rakes IN the bunkers when you are finished.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Master plan update

Now that the 4^th of July has come and gone, construction on the golf course is ramping up. Good weather and a larger construction staff have led to quick progress.

The blue/black and white tee boxes on #11 are nearly complete. A little more tee mix sand in the back tee box and sod and they will be all wrapped up. The gold and red tee boxes have already been topdressed and mowed and are progressing nicely. We expect to open those tees within the next two weeks. However, remember all of the new sod will be mowed at a higher height of cut for the remainder of this season. We have learned that is the best way to protect it for the seasons to come.

As you play, you will also see the new fairway bunker on #11. 2 bunkers have been eliminated and a new bunker has been pushed further into play and slightly further from the tee. There is a much greater risk/reward element now. And although the bunker is more visible now, it is smaller than either of the two previous left side fairway bunkers. Continuing down #11, the green side bunkers were demolished and the new bunkers are rough shaped in. Progress will continue here with bunker drainage, sand, and new rough grass sod.

Simultaneously, the main tee boxes on 12 are being built as well. These tees will be separated for different tee marker colors and set all in line. It will continue the formal look that has been a staple of our master plan work.

As always, we appreciate your patience with the construction crews. They are working as quickly as possible so that they can get out of your way sooner. Also, thank you in advance for your understanding of the needs of the new sod. We all would like it to be open immediately, but the short term gain comes at the expense of the long term health of the turf.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please leave bunker rakes IN the bunkers when you are finished.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Irrigation inefficiencies

We are in the midst of a very dry stretch. We received only 1.62 inches of rain for the entire month of June. On average, depending on what source you check, June can be one of the wettest months. Not this year.

Dry area within our irrigation range

We have started pumping water out of the river already this year. This is earlier than we have in the past, but it is indicative of how dry it has been. As you play, you will start to notice dry areas around trees first. But the real indicator is the dry areas that are located within our irrigation range. This has been reminiscent of another dry spell, which you can read about here. However, you will see the date of that post as September 15^th, 2015. That is much later in the year. If we were to stay dry through this summer AND then have a dry fall, we would be in for a fight. And now that the heat has turned up, dry spots continue to be an issue.

Another dry area within our irrigation coverage

These spots are the clear cut sign of soil characteristics, irrigation inefficiencies, and other issues. Perhaps there is a different type of soil there, more sand for example, than other areas, or there may even be a rock just under the surface that we have never found that is causing a spot to dry out faster. We also get a look at our irrigation inefficiencies. Sometimes the solution may be to try a different nozzle in the sprinkler, one that throws water shorter or farther, as explained here. Or we may need to add a sprinkler. Sometimes, through all the work we do to maintain the irrigation system, we turn a sprinkler off for repair. If that sprinkler does not get turned back on, a dry area will start to develop. We cycle through all of these possibilities when dealing with dry weather. In the end, we are trying to manage from one rainstorm to the next. Throw in trying to keep new construction sod alive and it makes for a lot of hose and sprinkler usage.

We will continue to be out running water where necessary. Hopefully Mother Nature will send some rain our way soon. Have a great 4^th of July.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please leave bunker rakes IN the bunkers when you are finished.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org