Green surround sod

As we near the end of summer, the course always has a few scars from the stress of the season. Fortunately, this year the playing surfaces have weathered the heat and humidity of summer very well. Nevertheless, we do have some recovery work to do, and last week we started repairing some green surround areas.

The location at #10 green sod was needed

Poa annua, the main turf species on our greens, can be a great turfgrass in some situations (like on our greens) or it can be a terrible turfgrass (like areas in our rough). The greens receive enough attention to prevent major issues with the poa succumbing to summer stress. However, in the rough, while it does receive care, the stresses placed on the green surround turf can overwhelm the poa, which is what happened in the few places that we made repairs.

We placed new sod in green surround spots at the putting green, 10, and #17. In each of these spots there were multiple reasons for the turfgrass decline- high traffic concentration, poor irrigation coverage, poor soil conditions, and more. But each of these locations also had higher than average poa infestations. Because of this, when the poa died through the summer, large bare areas were the result. There are some other bare areas scattered around the course, but most are much smaller and more spread apart, and those will be much easier to reseed in a couple of weeks. Trying to keep very small patches of new sod alive is very hard and we don’t want to remove large areas of healthy grass just to replace a small area of dead grass. So, we focused on the 3 areas mentioned above because they were much larger areas that could be easily corrected with new sod.

#17 green after sod was completed

We typically make these types of repairs to the green surrounds at this time of year. We have had seasons where we are doing multiple locations using several pallets of sod because they year had been so stressful and significant amounts of turf had died. Luckily that was not the case this year, and with the sod laid and starting to grow in, we are ready to head into late summer and fall in good condition.

 

 

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not drive carts into the tall grass native areas. Because the carts are low to the ground, grass gets caught in the front bumper and then falls off back out on the course. Thank you

 

 

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

Accomplishing other tasks

Today we have a local USGA Mid-Am qualifier at Bretton Woods. Many players will take up the entire course for most of the day. The Grounds staff expertly prepares the course for the event, but then it’s too busy to continue regular work, so what do we do? We use events like this as opportunities to accomplish other goals around the property.

Having such a large property- about 200 acres of varying levels of maintained space- some areas don’t always get the attention they may need. On days when the course is extremely busy and trying to work around golfers becomes pointless, we direct our labor to these outlying areas.

Up on the hill, towards the front of the property is a walking trail. Throughout the season, the grass creeps in over the edges of the path. Busy golf course days are a perfect time to edge and clean this walk path. We can use most of our s
taff and tackle a large chunk of the path all at once. Across several golf course outing days, we can trim the entire length of the trail.

There are a tremendous number of trees on the property. Many of them are along the perimeter of the property and we do not spend much time attending those. However, there are still plenty of trees in open areas that need the grass trimmed around their trunk, as well as regular pruning to maintain a healthy tree. When the golf course is occupied, we can head out around the entrance, tennis, pool, and open spaces out front to work on this tree maintenance and care.

We also use events like this qualifier to work on the soccer fields. Starting in mid-August, the upper soccer field closes for 4-5 weeks for annual maintenance. We repair worn out turf, aerate, apply compost, and fertilize the field. All of that takes time and labor, which we often can’t afford during a regular day. But having to stay off the course presents a great opportunity to work on the soccer field and finish most of our goals all at once.

Even though the course is extremely busy, having such an expansive property makes our list of work never-ending. Using our full staff allows us to cross several things off that list quickly.

 

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not drive carts into the tall grass native areas. Because the carts are low to the ground, grass gets caught in the front bumper and then falls off back out on the course. Thank you

 

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

More information on aeration

We are on the other side of course aeration now. The operation was smooth, but the weather didn’t perfectly cooperate. Being closed Monday through Thursday can seem like an inconvenience, but it gives us the time to accomplish our work in the correct sequence with the right amount of delay between each task.

One of the biggest keys for aeration is having 4 days scheduled for closure. When things go exactly right and the weather cooperates, we can finish all the course in 3 days, allowing us to give back the 4^th day. However, when our plans get scrambled, like this year, we can use that 4^th day to finish without having to completely alter a tee sheet that has already been booked. We received rain the night before aeration, Monday during our first day, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoon. This forced us to pause our work on Wednesday and then finish Thursday.

During aeration this year we poked solid tine holes in the fairways, approaches and greens and removed cores on tees. We have a contractor help us on the fairways because we don’t have the labor or machines necessary to finish in a timely manner. Our staff handles greens and tees in house.

Greens- we mow the greens first; this helps dry the surface so we can apply dry sand. The sand is spread before the aeration begins because research has shown it will actually get into the holes better when applied first. Then the aerator traverses the green with a brush attached on the back that moves most of the sand into the hole automatically. We then drag the remaining sand into the holes, roll the green smooth, and water if necessary. Now that we don’t remove any material, the whole process is smoother and much less labor intensive.

Tees- this is the first time in 12 years that we have pulled a core out of the tee surfaces. That is a very long time to go without removing material, but each year we monitored and solid tines continued to be a good choice. Up until now there was not enough thatch to necessitate removal, and the tees were not healthy enough to withstand the stress. This year we finally reached the point where thatch needed to be controlled, so we pulled a small core out of the tees. We allowed the core to dry on the surface and then dragged it until the soil broke away from the thatch. After the drag, we then blew the thatch off the tee.

Fairways- As mentioned, fairways and approaches were done by a contractor using solid tines. Using our verticutting program to control thatch in the fairways is working really well. So, we will continue to use solid tines on the fairways until it is necessary to pull a core.

Compost- we also use this time to apply compost to all of the Bermuda grass. This is a great way to build healthy soil and help the plants be stronger naturally.

 

Having the time to accomplish all this work is key, because without aeration, the turf would begin to suffer and playability would decrease.

 

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not drive carts into the tall grass native areas. Because the carts are low to the ground, grass gets caught in the front bumper and then falls off back out on the course. Thank you

 

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 explains aeration

We are starting our annual course aeration this week. The course and practice greens will be closed today thru at least Wednesday. We have Thursday scheduled as a closed day as well, but if our work progresses according to plan, we should finish on Wednesday and be able to reopen on Thursday.

Despite the disruption and inconvenience, aeration is crucial to the health of the course. Rather than explaining all the details again, here is a short video from the USGA explaining aeration and the benefits:

https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/course-care/green-section-record/60/16/why-do-golf-courses-aerate-putting-greens-.html

 

We understand that the course is healthy, so it seems contradictory to tear it up right now. However, the course is healthy right now, because we tear it up each year at this time. Without this aeration program, the turf would decline and conditions would suffer. Then, playability would be affected for an entire season, instead of just a few days.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not drive carts into the tall grass native areas. Because the carts are low to the ground, grass gets caught in the front bumper and then falls off back out on the course. Thank you

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

Regrading 9 approach drain

Removing water from the surface of a golf course is one of the keys to healthy turfgrass. Without proper drainage, even the healthiest turf will not survive. Last week, we graded the surface around the drain in #9 approach to help water escape easier.

Removing the sod first

The approach area of #9 is relatively flat. There is an existing drain in the left center of the approach, but after a few recent heavy rains, we noticed that water was not flowing to it like we would like. After a more thorough inspection of the surface topography, it was clear that although the drain was low enough for water to flow to it, there were some significant high spots blocking access. This resulted in some puddles very near the drain, that were unable to get off the surface. Luckily this was occurring in the Bermuda grass, which is much more tolerant of excess water in the summer months. But the Bermuda is not tolerant of water in the winter, so correcting this issue would benefit playability in the summer, and turf health in the winter.

After the soil had been graded
to the new slope

Since the drain was already in place, and functioning properly, we only needed to regrade the slopes surrounding the inlet. First, we started by removing all the grass in the entire area and setting it aside in the order it was removed. Fortunately, there was not a lot of soil to remove to correct the grade. The work was easily done by hand. We also knew that we were not changing the height of the drain, so everything needed to feed down to that and make sure that it stayed at the lowest point. Starting from the edges, we gradually removed more soil as we worked in to the drain. Once the soil base was correct, we replaced the sod. Regardless of how carefully you manage the sod and put it back exactly in order, the surface will still be imperfect. To correct this, we also spread sand across all the replaced turf and used the sand to level out any imperfections.

Once the sod was replaced, we leveled
with new sand

Although the drain in #9 approach affects a very small area, and even fewer golfers, it still was a place for improvement. By simply regrading the subsoil we were able to help water off the surface and into the existing drain.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be conscious not to scuff your feet or drag your putter along the surface of the putting green. This can adversely affect other people’s putts and can damage the turf grass.

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

Additional soccer work

Once aeration is finished on the golf course, the work at soccer begins. While the course heals, we take time to get the soccer fields ready for a busy fall also.

We have two regulation size soccer fields over near the tennis facility (for those who haven’t been down that far!). While they are not the main Bretton Woods attraction, they do get plenty of use, and we do spend a lot of time keeping them in good shape. We have an upper field, nearest to the tennis courts, that is predominantly cool season turf- ryegrass, bluegrass, and tall fescue. There is certainly some Bermuda grass mixed in as well, and especially after a summer like this, the Bermuda grass can look dominant, though it never can tip the scales to a majority of the grass species present. We also have a lower field, further away from tennis, that is 100% Bermuda grass, exactly like the golf course fairways. Because the two fields are so different, we must manage them differently also.

Using the auger to create holes

The lower, Bermuda grass field, gets aerated the week after the golf course aeration is completed. We treat it very similarly to the fairways- solid tine, no cores removed, often we apply compost as well, though not always. And that is all the field needs. It is relatively new, only 12 years old, and it gets very concentrated traffic, so there is not a large buildup of thatch. If the thatch does start to become a problem, we will potentially add in the verticut and/or hollow tines also. The lower field is also closed for the winter to help protect the Bermuda grass over the cold months. This also reduces the amount of attention the field needs to keep it in good condition.

Drilling holes and filling with sand

The upper field is completely different. First, it is open year-round, so it only gets a break when it is too wet for play, or during the maintenance closure from the middle of August until the middle of September. We are in the midst of this closure now and have a list of regular tasks to complete, but this year we also added something new. The field has some trouble areas that we have been dealing with annually for many years. These spots don’t drain well at all, they are terribly compacted, and the turf does not perform well. We have aerated and we tested the Shockwave , both to no avail. So, this year we went a step further: we rented an auger with a 1.6” bit and manually drilled 12” holes on one-foot centers. We removed the spoils and filled the holes with clean sand. We did this across nearly 3000 square feet. Now we will remove the old sod, aerate just the bad spots with a traditional machine, add some fresh soil for levelling, and lay new sod. It was a lot of added labor, but we are excited to see if it helps.

This is a photo of half the area completed at soccer.

While mother nature helps to heal the golf course after aeration, the Grounds staff heads over to soccer and continues with summer cultural practices. It will be interesting to see if adding in the extra drilling on the upper field will help us improve the upper field.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

 Please be conscious not to scuff your feet or drag your putter along the surface of the putting green. This can adversely affect other people’s putts and can damage the turf grass.

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

Aeration follow-up

We aerated greens, approaches, tees, and fairways last week. It was a very busy 3 days, but we accomplished everything we needed to, in less than the four days we were scheduled to be closed.

We aerate earlier in the season than most other courses in the area. It works good for us- it is the perfect time for the Bermuda grass, and it is an underappreciated time for the greens as well. Plus, it fits in with our golf schedule extremely well. We can allow time for healing and be ready for a very busy September and October.

Greens

Starting back in 2023, we changed our procedure for greens aeration. No more pulling cores at this time; now we topdress before the aerator, use only solid tines, and use a brush to move the sand into the holes. Research shows this is just as effective for managing thatch and is far less disruptive. We continued this process this year, results were excellent again, and we will continue along this path moving forward.

This is the second year that the course has been closed for aeration. This has been incredibly helpful for our program. Several parts of the process simply require time to elapse before we can move forward. When we were under the gun, knowing the course was reopening the next day, sometimes we had to rush the process and results were less than ideal. Now, we can allow each step the time it needs and the final product is cleaner and better in the end.

Tees

                We aerated tees on Wednesday. First, we apply compost. Then we aerate with solid tines, which help break up the compost and drive it into the soil. Next, we drag the compost into the holes and blow any excess of the surface.

                We do all the tees in one day and this is maybe where the course closure helps the most. We have always aerated the tees on Wednesday, after the greens and fairways are finished Monday and Tuesday. We don’t have enough equipment and staff to do all of it at once. Some of the machines that we use on greens and fairways are needed in a different capacity to work on tees, and we can’t switch back and forth during the day. So, in the past, we were scrambling like mad trying to get the tees finished ahead of golfers because Wednesday was previously a day when the full course was back open for regular play. Any delays or problems meant we were working amongst golfers, trying to get very labor intensive and vital work done, but trying to be respectful of golfers at the same time. It did not always go very smoothly. Now, having Wednesday closed, barring any equipment issues, the tee process is uneventful and easy, and the course is ready for play on Thursday, with no major work being done in play.

Fairways/Approaches

                We treat the fairway and approach aeration as the same surface: both are aerated by a contractor with a tractor. We have a longstanding relationship with this contractor, and they do a very good job. This year we opted for solid tines also- no material was removed. For now, we expect to be on an every third- or fourth-year rotation for coring. But that schedule is subject to change based on testing that we conduct annually to measure the thatch buildup in the fairways, which also takes into account the verticutting  we do to remove thatch also.

                At this time, we also make our second annual compost application to the Bermuda grass. You can read about our compost program from all the way back in 2014. Materials have changed, but the idea behind the compost is still the same. And based on the last two years, we have had minimal, almost inconsequential, Spring Dead Spot, so our overall program is working. Bermuda grass injury has multiple possible causes that can come any season, sometimes despite the proper protection, but throwing everything we have at the problem is still the best defense.

It may seem as though we are tearing the course up during a prime window for playing golf. However, completing this work ensures many more days of good conditions by sacrificing just a few days now.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be conscious not to scuff your feet or drag your putter along the surface of the putting green. This can adversely affect other people’s putts and can damage the turf grass.

 

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

Hydraulic spill

Inevitably machines will break, and problems will occur. Sometimes these issues involve the fluids in the machines which are toxic to turfgrass. Last week, unfortunately we had a spill on #4 green.

Unlike a previous instance of hydraulic fluid leaking on greens back in 2015, this was a spill rather than a leak. Before, a hose sprung a hole and was spurting fluid out of that hole as the machine moved across the green, leaving a drip trail of damage. Unfortunately, this recent problem resulted in nearly the entire volume of a hydraulic pump being dumped in one location.

The spill covered with a plastic bag
trying to minimize the movement of oil from the
rain. You can see the stream
of water moving across the green.

The offending machine was our greens roller, one of our most utilized pieces of equipment. The hydraulic output shaft coming out of the pump snapped in two. One piece fell back into the pump and the other piece fell into the engine bay. The seals that lock the hydraulic fluid in the pump fell back into the pump as well, leaving a wide-open hole for fluid to pour out onto the green. The result is a roughly 3 foot by 3-foot patch of dead turf.

In some instances of hydraulic leaks, flooding the area with soap and water can help remove some of the oil and slightly lessen the damage. Unfortunately, on a green we would run the risk of washing the oil onto healthy turf and widening the area of damage, especially in this case where such a large volume of oil was present. So, we were left with trying to soak up as much excess oil as possible and minimizing any movement to healthy grass. Making matters worse was the steady rain that was falling at the time of the accident, potentially causing runoff across the spill and not letting the oil dry.

The spill about 30 hours after it occurred.

As far as repair goes, there are not many options other than total replacement of grass and soil. We will strip the grass off the surface, but we also must excavate down and remove any soil that the hydraulic fluid has seeped into, otherwise, when we put new grass back, the contaminated soil will kill the new grass as well. The one saving grace is the fact that this happened 2 days before we aerate. This will allow us time to methodically repair the damaged area as well as allow it some time to heal.

Nothing could have prevented the hydraulic spill, and there is not much to do afterwards other than replace turf. But we have bounced back from these types of issues before and we will again this time.

 

We are also starting aeration of greens, tees, and fairways this week. The course is closed Monday through Thursday. Thank you

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be conscious not to scuff your feet or drag your putter along the surface of the putting green. This can adversely affect other people’s putts and can damage the turf grass.

 

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

Repairing the bunkers on 18

Even though the major storm that swept across the property was almost a month ago now, we are still repairing parts of the course. The two most damaged bunkers were both on #18- the right greenside bunker and the first fairway bunker. Last week, we finally were able to get those back into playing shape.

This is a picture of the fairway bunker
on 18 the morning after the storm. You can 
see the bunker sand has been washed
completely out of the bunker.

Storms are never easy to deal with, but a major storm right in the middle of the season is especially difficult. Regular maintenance can only be put on hold for so long, meaning at some point our staff will have to spend less time on cleanup and start regular mowing again. That is the reason that some of the repair work has taken so long, and why some of the cleanup around the perimeter will wait until winter.

An overlooked aspect of the storm was the heavy rain that occurred along with the wind. We received nearly 3” of rain in just under an hour. That much water sheets off the playing surfaces quickly- in fact we could have scattered carts the next day; but that rushing water must go somewhere. Unfortunately, bunkers are often a low feature of the property and can sometimes be in the line of water flow and can take the brunt of the water’s force.

 

This is a closer shot of the same bunker on 18. The water
washed all the way down to the soil base
of the bunker.

Because of the natural slope of the land on #18, the fairway bunker takes an incredible amount of water. We did install a large drain just above it on the uphill side back during construction to catch as much water as possible, but in a storm like that, the drainage can’t keep up. The excess water flows through the bunker and takes the sand with it. In the case of these two particular bunkers on 18, the water took the sand, the gravel surrounding the internal bunker drains, and some of the soil base.

When a bunker is washed out this badly, it takes more than just some shoveling of sand to get it back to normal. The gravel from the internal drainage and the soil contaminates the sand. There is no good way to clean the gravel and soil back out of the sand, so it all is trash and must be removed. In this case, it was several cart loads of sand per bunker that needed to be removed. Once the bunkers are completely cleaned out, we add in new sand. We try to match the amount of sand added to the amount of sand removed, so that the bunkers are consistent with the rest of the course. But for all intents and purposes, these bunkers are nearly brand new, so they will take time to match the others.

Our goal was always to get the course back open as quickly as possible. Leaving the two bunkers on #18 as Ground Under Repair longer than normal was part of the plan as everything else was tidied up. We reached the point where it was time to fix those bunkers, and they are now back open and ready for play.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be conscious to not cut corners with your golf cart. The inside edges of turns are easily worn out after repeated traffic.

 

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 forward tee on #9

Two weeks ago, during our aeration closure , we also built a new forward tee on #9. It is now open and ready for play.

Although #9 is a beautiful golf hole, it can be difficult to carry the water, especially for higher handicappers or shorter hitters. There are very few landing areas other than the green at which to aim. After several discussions at Golf Committee meetings, and hearing feedback from golfers, a plan was set to build a new tee that would shorten #9 considerably.

The same company that does our fairway aeration was contracted to construct the new tee as well. We also timed the work for the same week as aeration. Being closed worked out perfectly, with no interruptions from golfers playing through. The crew was able to complete the entire project start to finish in one day.

Thinking back to Master Plan construction, late summer is an ideal time to sod Bermuda grass. Soil temperatures are high, air temperatures are high during the day and overnight, and there is usually ample moisture from thunderstorms. All of this combines to allow the new sod to knit down to the soil in 3-4 days and that was exactly the case on the new tee. Once the sod was stable, we applied some sand to the top of the tee and smoothed it around to help level any bumps from construction. Within another 5-7 days the tee is ready to open- we opened this new tee 10 days after it was built.

While it was a relatively small scope of work, the overall impact will be great. One of the nicer holes on our course will now also be more reachable for a greater percentage of our membership.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be conscious to not cut corners with your golf cart. The inside edges of turns are easily worn out after repeated traffic.

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

Aeration recap

Our annual summer aeration took place last week. Aside from the many benefits of aeration in general, and some of the reasons that we perform our aeration  at this particular time, this year was the first time we were able to close the course entirely for the process. Thank you to the membership for allowing us this time to get our work done.

In conjunction with the Golf Committee, last August it was decided that we would plan a 4-day closure of the course for our summer aeration. This is the most extensive of our four main aeration programs for the year and in the past, we would have closed only half the course at a time. Having the full course closed allows for flexibility in what we accomplish each day. And all along, it was conveyed that if everything goes according to plan, we would finish our work in only 3 days and the course would be able to open back up for play by the 4^th day.

The request by the Grounds department to have the course closed was prompted by last year’s aeration being interrupted by rain. We finished our work normally and on schedule Monday, but Tuesday was a washout after a thunderstorm dropped almost 1.5” of rain. The course was too wet to aerate so we had to pause until Wednesday. Unfortunately, Wednesday already had tee times booked. So, we had to coordinate with the Proshop and shuffle tee times around, block off other spots, communicate to golfers what happened, and keep half of the course closed for our work. The next day we still had work to do and again we interrupted tee times and play. It worked out, but it was not ideal for us or the golfers.

Heading into this season’s summer aeration, the weather was a major factor again. Thunderstorms were again forecast, along with heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Debby. The initial forecast looked as though we might be ok Monday and Tuesday, but Wednesday did not look great. Because we had the 4-day closure in our pocket this year, we were under less pressure to accomplish everything in 2 days. But by the same token, we were able to accomplish more on Monday than we normally would have, which meant that we finished all the greens and fairways on Tuesday easily. Tees were left for Wednesday, and had the weather been bad, we could have postponed them for a Monday of another week when we are closed until 11am. However, the rain held off until Wednesday night, so our work during the day on Wednesday went as planned. We finished everything we planned, in the 3 days that we thought it would take, and the course was reopened on Thursday.

Even though the rain ultimately held off until we finished, having the course to ourselves on Monday and Tuesday allowed us to get the highest priority turf aerated regardless of the weather. This would not have been possible without the full course closure. We appreciate that everyone loves to come out and golf as much as possible, but giving the Grounds department some time to work is better for everyone in the long run.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be conscious to not cut corners with your golf cart. The inside edges of turns are easily worn out after repeated traffic.

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 damage

A tremendous storm hit Bretton Woods on the evening of Monday 7/29. Torrential rain and high winds led to large scale damage across the property. It was a long week of cleanup, but everything is rounding back into shape.

Around 5pm that evening, a cell developed nearly exactly on top of our property. We received 2.81” of rain in under an hour. Strong, gusty winds ripped through everything. Power was knocked out, the transformers down at Grounds were blown and power lines dropped to the ground. The property closed soon after the storm, and the decision was made to close the next day at a minimum.

Looking out onto 18 fairway the morning
after the storm

The same view of 18 fairway after cleanup was complete

By now, most have seen the pictures. The Clubhouse and Proshop did an excellent job of communicating what occurred and the damage that was inflicted. Debris was scattered everywhere; bunkers were washed out and contaminated- some even washed down to the drains underneath; 25 trees were leveled along with numerous large branches and sticks.

The view towards 18 tee the morning
after the storm

The same view again towards 18 tee after cleanup

Cleanup began immediately. PEPCO was on site very early Tuesday morning to begin restoration of power at Grounds. Our tree contractor dropped previously scheduled work to be onsite. And the Grounds staff began the arduous task of picking up as many sticks as possible. We prioritized removal of trees that needed to be cleared to reopen. We also focused on the debris cleanup before the bunkers for the same reason: the bunkers can be treated as ground under repair and played around, but a course that is littered with debris is not playable. Everyone worked extra hours, and by the end of Tuesday, cleanup had progressed through #8. But it was clear that the course would be closed on Wednesday as well.

Following another long day of hand-picking sticks, the course opened Thursday. We spent the day repairing bunkers. When the rain comes that fast, the sand washes down towards the low point of the bunker. But silt and clay from the edge also washes down. The dirt must be cleaned  off the surface of the sand before the sand can be replaced and raked. We meticulously cleaned the bunkers and repositioned the sand.

After a thorough blowing of small debris and final touches, the course was nearly back to normal on Friday. We mowed many acres of grass that had not been cut all week and did a regular raking of bunkers.

The weather plays the most important role in determining the maintenance of the course. This storm put our normal routine on hold, but the team worked hard to get to this point. Although there is still significant cleanup to finish, the course is back in shape enough for golfers.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be conscious to not cut corners with your golf cart. The inside edges of turns are easily worn out after repeated traffic.

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

Soccer work and green surround sod

Last week was our big push for maintenance on the upper soccer field. Aeration, seed, sod, compost, and fertilizer are all accomplished. We also had left over sod from that work, so last week we also sodded a few spots out in the green surrounds.

We usually lay some green surround sod every year at this time, usually with left over sod from soccer. What is significant this year is how little we had to do. With only half a pallet (about 25 pieces), we were able to get to all the worst areas around the golf course. Small sections at 2, 3, 4, 7, 13, 14, and 17 were all completed. While that is a long list, we only needed to do 3-4 pieces of sod at each hole.

We believe that a few factors have led to the improved health of the turf around the greens. First, while it has been dry, it has not been an overly hot summer. We have sprinkled in a few hot days, but not a prolonged heat wave of many days in a row. Anytime the weather is cool, the rough will be better. Second, we have managed the dry conditions by diligently sticking with our hand watering program. Lastly, the significant effort we have made to over-seed the rough around the greens is paying off. We have slowly started to shift the dominant species of turf around the greens to one that is more tolerant of heat, traffic, and drought. We will continue to work on everything that we can control and are optimistic that improvements can continue.

Did we sod out every single little bare area? No, because at a certain point, the bad areas are too small to sod because the sod won’t survive, or the area is a better candidate for another recovery strategy. We will still work to improve the places that didn’t receive sod- first, with seed a little later into the fall, and second, we will have more sod to potentially use when we do bunker renovations or other work later in the year.

We must share resources between the golf course and other areas of the property, including soccer. Most times, it is the golf course sharing with soccer. But in August, soccer gives sod back to the golf course for late summer repairs.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

When parking your cart at a tee or green, please keep all 4 tires on the path. See pictures below for a visual aid:

 

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

Aeration review

Last week we previewed our upcoming aeration. This week we will recap how the process unfolded.

One of the biggest changes this year from year’s past was our plan for greens. We used bigger tines, but fewer of them, and we applied the sand prior to the aerator doing its work. We tested the plan on the chipping green on July 31^st to get a sense of what the process would look like.

Last week we headed onto the course to try and mimic what we did on the chipping green. The results were terrific. First, as we expected the process was much less labor intensive. We were able to use staff to get mowing done ahead of aerators, drag sand and compost, among other things. This was a huge bonus for having the course ready for play as soon as possible. Aside from using less labor, the result on the putting surface was far better than before. We were able to get much more sand into the holes (which is the idea) all with less disruption to the actual putting green. We didn’t have any extra foot traffic from shoveling, we didn’t have to drag as many times, there was less sand left on the surface which resulted in less abrasion to the grass plant. All of this adds up to a much cleaner, healthier final product. And now, one week later, the healing is incredible. We will be back to regular putting surfaces in less than 10 days.

Aeration of the fairways and tees, and our compost application also went off just as planned. Though we didn’t change this process, it still takes a lot of coordination and execution to go smoothly. Mowers go out first, followed by flagging of sprinklers quickly right behind before the aerators start. The compost spreader comes in just after the aerators. Finally, dragging the compost into the holes and turf canopy.

Our only hiccup for the week- 1.35” rain came Monday night. Although this was ideal for washing the sand into the holes on the front 9 greens, it made everything too wet to aerate the back 9 on Tuesday. We had to suspend our operation, but luckily only for one day. We were able to complete the fairways and greens on Wednesday and tees on Thursday.

Everyone did a great job, and the aeration process went just as we hoped. The changes we made look very promising, and we look forward to fine-tuning for next year.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

When parking your cart at a tee or green, please keep all 4 tires on the path. See pictures below for a visual aid:

 

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

Aeration preview

Aeration starts today. It is very common to hear the comment “just when the course was getting good, it is time to aerate and ruin it.” Well, we aren’t running the course by aerating, in fact, a large part of why the course looks good is because we aerate.

We are trying a new process this year, though, during aeration of the greens. In the past we have pulled cores- material- out of the greens during this summer aeration using a combination of solid and hollow tines. We would follow that up with a layer of sand and then drag the sand into the holes.

You can see the new brush attachment down low
behind the machine.

This year we are switching up the order, and not removing any material at all. First, we will mow the green ahead of any aeration work. Next will come the sand- prior to making any holes. Over the winter at our national turf conference, we came across a new tool that attaches to our aerating machine and brushes the sand into the holes for you as the operator aerates the green and we bought it to try at Bretton Woods. So, after the sand is applied, the aerator works the green making holes and brushing the sand into them immediately. Finally, we roll the green and cut a new cup and the process is done.

In the foreground is following the aeration and brushing
and the background is prior to the machine. One of our issues
is the sand being a little too wet to fully brush into the holes. 

So why the change? First, this is far less stressful on the turf. Solid tines do not pull on the grass and cause any upheaval, and the process is faster, so we are done before the afternoon heat sets in. Second, it is much less labor intensive. Instead of 6-8 guys working behind the aerator shoveling material into a cart, we can now work on some other aspects of our aeration program.

We tested the process on the chipping green last week and saw positive results. We have a few things still to figure out and a couple of factors that make it difficult for us, but overall, it went smoothly. Healing after summer aeration is always quite fast, and the chipping green is on, or ahead of the normal healing pace. We expect the course greens to be on par with what we have seen from the practice green.

We are also aerating fairways and tees this week. Both of those surfaces will also get solid tines only, and both will get compost as well.

Many courses have been topdressing with sand before aerating for several years, so we are not inventing the process, but after seeing the positive results that those facilities are having, we decided to give it a try. Changing the process after many successful years is hard, but we expect that this could lead to even better results.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

When parking your cart at a tee or green, please keep all 4 tires on the path. See pictures below for a visual aid:

 

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

Soccer and sod

Just because the week of aeration is over, doesn’t mean the work stops. Once past that busy week, we turn our attention to soccer and a few small side projects on the golf course.

From the middle of August thru the middle of September, the upper soccer field is closed for maintenance. We aerate, seed, and sod out a few of the worst areas. It gives the field a nice break and refreshes it for the fall season. Once the seed matures and the sod knits down, we put the mowers back on it at a higher height of cut and gradually work it back into playing shape. Despite last year’s fall armyworm outbreak, the timing remains good for us and the soccer players.

A step back showing the area we sodded
behind 8 green

Usually, we have some left over sod once the soccer field is finished. Sometimes we order a little more to add to the leftovers and tackle a few green surround areas that are struggling towards the end of the summer. This was the case again this year and we were able to knock out some of the worst areas. But it didn’t go totally to plan. We encountered three different issues all at once:

1. It was still hot. The sod suffered some damage just from cooking itself while rolled up on the pallet. We laid the new sod as soon as we could, but even just the few hours that it was rolled from when the grower harvested it, to when we laid it, was enough to overheat some of the grass. Most of it will likely recover, and we will be inter-seeding into it in a few weeks to repair what doesn’t recover.
2. Our sod cutter had a small gear oil leak that went unnoticed for most of the time we were using it. We use our sod cutter to remove the trash sod and prepare the area for the new sod. The oil leak wasn’t too big of a deal on the grass we were taking out but maneuvering the machine in the area and driving it across adjacent turf that was not being removed, resulted in some grass inadvertently being killed by the oil. These are the dead or thin areas very near the new sod. It was not that we neglected to repair those areas- they were fine until the oil from the sod cutter killed the grass.
3. We had a malfunctioning sprinkler. The sprinklers have internal gears that makes them rotate. As they wear, the gears can stop working, and the sprinkler stops turning. A sprinkler that won’t turn on at all is much easier to spot than one that is not spinning, so we are not sure how long it was working incorrectly. However, judging by the fact that we had to replace sod right near this particular sprinkler, it likely wasn’t working for quite some time which led to the decline in turf. But now it has also led to poor sod health as well, before we replaced the sprinkler with a new one.

The dead grass to the right of the white line was killed
from the sod cutter gear oil. The dead
grass in the sod pieces is a result of being too hot
while it was rolled and sitting on the pallet.

Not all three of these issues happened at each location, or even happened at all in all locations that we worked. Nevertheless, the improvements we were making did not turn out as good as we had planned. But we will keep pushing and working to get things as good as possible.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don’t apply bug spray or sunscreen while standing on greens, tees, or fairways.

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