Roller oil leak

We have discussed the dangers of using equipment on fine turfgrass before, whether it be a hydraulic leak or a gas leak. Last week we had a transmission oil leak on several greens. We expect to make a full recovery, but it is currently unsightly and will be for some time still.

Our greens rolling machine was the culprit this time around. The leak happened on a rainy morning, which was both a blessing and a curse. The rain helped to wash the oil of the leaf tissue, which will help to minimize the damage. However, because it was a rainy, dreary day, the leak was very difficult to spot while it was happening. Often, when a leak occurs on a sunny day, the sun reflects sharply of the shiny, wet oil, and makes it much easier to spot, leading to a quick discovery and stopping the machine. But without the sun, the leak continued unnoticed for too long.

Looking closely, the back and forth
lines of the oil leak can be seen

Once the machine was back in the shop, our Equipment management team noticed the excessive oil on the machine during their routine inspection and were able to locate the issue. Inside of the transmission a bearing had worn out, causing the transmission shaft to wobble. More wear on the bearing caused more wobble of the shaft, until the bearing could no longer hold the shaft in place and the bearing broke, sending shards through the transmission and eventually breaking the oil seal. Once the seal was broken, oil began to leak out of the case and onto the green.

We hate it when these things occur, but unfortunately it is part of the maintenance of a golf course. We will continue to monitor the situation and make any repairs and adjustments necessary.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

When parking your cart at a tee or green, please keep all 4 tires on the path.

 

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

Wet well leak

Ironically, the week after discussing the upcoming new irrigation system, we began the recharge of our current system with a major leak. The metal pipe that drains the cistern at the pump house rusted through the bottom side. Luckily, we made a temporary repair and will get the system up and running this week.

The pump house sits near #17 tee. Water is pulled in from the nearby pond into a well inside the building. From there, pumps send the water to the rest of the property. In the winter, we drain the well as a precaution against freeze damage, which could have been especially possible this winter with the prolonged cold. At the start of the season, we then close the drain valve from the cistern and refill the tank.

The wet well drain pipe and valve

Once we started filling the well this year, the head pressure blew a hole in the bottom of the drainpipe. This pipe is older than the current irrigation system, likely 25+ years. Although we have never encountered this problem, after more inspection we weren’t shocked that it happened. First, the age of the pipe is significant. But more importantly, the interior, bottom side of the pipe virtually always has water in it. Since the pipe does not sit at the very bottom level of the cistern, we can’t drain it 100%, so there is always some water in the drainpipe, either with water up to the valve when the well is full, or a small trickle of water draining out during the winter. Because of this constant water, the metal pipe had been rusting for quite some time, becoming thin and brittle. It finally broke last week.

Water is visible spraying out of the bottom
of the pipe

Unfortunately, a full-scale repair would be very difficult at this time. Lining up contractors on short notice, getting materials, but most crucially, we would be without irrigation until it was fixed. That is not an option at this time of year. After discussion with several of our pump and irrigation maintenance contractors, we decided the best solution would be an epoxy pipe repair wrap. Essentially, a fiber mesh that is coated in resin that is activated by water and hardens to the strength of steel after a short time. We first sealed the hole as best we could with putty, then applied this repair wrap around the pipe being sure to cover several inches past where the hole and cracks appeared to end. We let the epoxy set for the weekend and will recharge the system this week.

Fortunately, we are not desperate for water immediately. Having this problem just as we were getting the system primed for the year was disconcerting. But we are confident in the repair and should be back to normal soon.

 

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

When parking your cart at a tee or green, please keep all 4 tires on the path.

 

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 irrigation system

An irrigation system is the lifeblood of any golf course. Ours has served us well over the years, but it is reaching the end of its expected lifespan and is due for replacement. We have been working with an irrigation consultant for more than 2 years working on a replacement system and the schedule is to begin work in 2027.

Our current system is 24 years old, and it has worked well. It is entirely PVC pipe which has a lifespan of about 25 years, so we are right on schedule. Luckily, we have not had any catastrophic failures that would warrant a shorter timeline to replacement, we also don’t want to push the envelope and stretch it too far. Especially nowadays, it is at least 2 years between when a club decides they want a new system before the new system can be installed. Contractors are booked solid and materials are harder to get or at least take longer to arrive, so waiting until we are desperate for a new irrigation system is impossible.

The new system will be an upgrade over the old system in every way. Not only will it be new pipe, but we will be upgrading the type of plastic used. There will still be some PVC (it has shown to be the best for larger diameter pipe) but the smaller diameter pipe, which runs to the greens, tees, and fairways, will be HDPE. This is a stronger plastic than PVC and is expected to last many years longer, so we should be set for the foreseeable future.

The new system will also give us top-of-the-line sprinklers, with all the latest technology and sophistication. The new sprinklers can self-diagnose several problems, each has fully adjustable arcs, they can be individually controlled, and more. This will be a significant increase in control and flexibility. Once we become familiar with the system it will give us an improved ability to manage the water- using only the necessary amount and in only the necessary locations.

One of the more basic, yet very important aspects of the new system will be that it is designed for the course as it is currently. Because the old system is so old, any course changes over that span were not reflected in irrigation layout changes. These changes include all the Master Plan renovations, which on some holes resulted in significant adjustments. We did add some individual sprinklers in certain areas during construction, but we certainly did not rework the entire irrigation design; meaning on some holes, the fairway may angle in one direction, but the irrigation system does not match. This means that using our “fairway” sprinklers can sometimes result in very little of that water actually hitting the fairway. But the new system will be mapped to the existing course, so all the twists and turns will be perfectly matched by the system. We are also adding sprinklers to locations that previously had none, providing better coverage and healthier turf.

The exact schedule is not set in stone, nor is the exact installation plan. However, contractors have been selected and booked, and some materials have been purchased. We will share more information as it becomes available, but we wanted everyone to be aware of the upcoming work. It will be an exciting improvement to BW!

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

When parking your cart at a tee or green, please keep all 4 tires on the path.

 

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

Mottled look of greens

Though winter still officially has another 10 days, we seem to have turned a corner on the weather. We will still have cold days, maybe even some snow, but in general, air and, importantly, soil temperatures have started to climb. As the turf begins to wake up, differences in species of grass and even differences within the same species of grass can be very apparent. Possibly no more so than on our putting greens.

This past week Jason and I took a short tour around the course with the Greens committee. We discussed several aspects of the course, some of the work accomplished over the winter, and plans and expectations for the upcoming season. While on the tour, a question regarding the look of the greens was asked- why are they mottled looking? Why so many different colors? Is it disease? Is something else wrong?

First, nothing is wrong with the greens. The appearance of many different colors and patches has to do with species of grass, and even more so in our case, biotypes within a species. Our greens are predominantly (>90%) Poa annua, or annual bluegrass, and the rest is made up of creeping bentrgrass. There is a natural color difference between annual bluegrass and creeping bentrgrass, which immediately explains a portion of the uneven color scheme. Not only is there a natural color difference, but especially in the spring when temperatures are still cool, annual bluegrass will start to come alive faster than bentgrass, so it gains a deeper green color sooner.

For our greens in particular though, the patchy look comes more from the differences within the species Poa annua. Poa is an incredibly adaptable plant, having been discovered growing on all 7 continents, that changes very quickly also. So the biggest cause of the mottled patches on the greens is due to hundreds of different biotypes of annual bluegrass all on the same green. Different weather patterns, cultural practices, and soil interactions can all cause mutations within any grass, but especially annual bluegrass. These mutations may cause many different responses within the plant that we never see, including some that turn out to be detrimental, but one difference that is expressed and we see is color. Then, the day after our course tour, a timely article from the USGA arrived in my inbox covering this exact topic.

Although the patchy color can be uneasy on the eyes, it is not a sign of any problem with the greens. And most importantly, it does not affect how the greens perform.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

When parking your cart at a tee or green, please keep all 4 tires on the path.

 

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

Busy March

This winter has been colder and snowier than the past several years. While certainly not unprecedented, it has been a change from what we are used to recently. The cold and snow have hampered winter golf, and it has hampered winter work for us. With the slow progression to warmer temperatures, golf is starting back up, but the Grounds department is also catching back up on work.

The biggest hurdle this winter was not the cold, it was the snow cover. Although the snow was helpful in protecting the turf from some very cold temperatures, it kept us from completing some of our work because we just could not access the course. Now we are in a sprint to catch up on some projects before the full force of the golf season is upon us.

One of our main goals for winter is to add new bunker sand to all the bunkers. With the persistent snow cover this year, we were unable to start at all. Over the next few weeks, we will work as quickly as we can to get new sand added and prepped for the season. This will take time, as well as an understanding that during the work, the bunkers will play inconsistent across the course. However, we have done this work in past seasons, and the bunkers are returned to a consistent state for the season.

There were a few breaks in the cold and snow early in the winter that allowed us chances to get out and tidy up the course. However, we still have a lot of spring cleanup to accomplish over the next few weeks also. This includes stick cleanup, general bunker maintenance and flower bed cleaning and mulching.

March is also a critical time for some major agronomic practices as well. We completed aeration of the greens last week- a huge accomplishment. Although aeration was later this year than usual, it will allow for lots of healing before we start our PGR program. At the next available window, we will also be applying our first pre-emergent herbicide to the Bermuda grass. This will set a barrier against weeds growing in the Bermuda grass for the start of the season. It will be followed by a second application in May.

Lastly, not to be forgotten is the soccer field. March is also the time we put in major work in repairing the field from any fall and winter wear and preparing it for the upcoming season. The weather starts to warm enough that the turf begins to grow and heal, but it is still early enough that the soccer season hasn’t quite made it into full swing.

March and April are always busy. Waking the course back up from winter and setting it in the correct direction for the season. This year we will be working on some delayed projects along with all the regular spring tasks.  

 

We will now resume weekly posts through October. Thank  you

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

When parking your cart at a tee or green, please keep all 4 tires on the path

 

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

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

New entrance sign

If you have been out to the club this spring, you may have noticed our new entrance sign. The previous sign was old and deteriorating and an update was necessary.

Before, we had a wooden sign that was built in-house by the Grounds staff many years ago. It was a three-foot square piece of wood that was solid and heavy and lasted for a long time. The lettering was routed in, and the entire sign was hand painted. The old sign was understated and certainly not fancy, but it matched the atmosphere of Bretton Woods very well. The old sign served its purpose, but it was time for an upgrade.

Our new entrance still matches the aesthetic of our club, but with a modern, updated feel. Small stone walls line the edge of the road on each side, ending at two columns just as you pass onto our property. The new sign itself is built onto a nice stone pedestal with matching stonework. Finally, there is lighting accenting all the features.

The weather cooperated nicely earlier this spring and the construction progressed smoothly. Footings were built, followed by cinder blocks and precision stonework. Electrical and lighting were next. Lastly, we graded the area and laid new sod. Once we are past the harshest of cold nights, we will be cutting in a new flower bed and planting many new flowers to enhance the beauty of the whole area. Plants have been selected and once they are in the ground, look for a future post with more details.

Although the old sign hadn’t fallen off the posts yet, it was nearing the end. We spent many hours keeping it in as good of condition as possible, but a new sign was inevitable, and we were able to get the new sign out this spring. It will be here for a long time to come.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not climb up the steep face of the bunkers.

 

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

Traq Matz continued

We slowly continue the addition of more Traq Matz around the property. We have been please so far with our test at 17 tee and have selected a couple more locations.

In our March 4^th post, we noted that we had finished a Traq Matz installation at #2 tee  and were headed to #8 tee. The matting is now finished at #8 tee as well. Compared to the work at #17 tee, #8 tee was much easier. The area we were looking to cover with mats was a simpler shape and required much less trimming. Overall, the process went very smoothly- we finished it all in one day- and with the warmer temperatures we have had since then, the new sod has already started to grow through the openings in the mat very nicely.

#8 tee installation

After we finished our work at 8 we had a few extra rolls of matting leftover. Back when we initially did the work at 17 tee and found that it was working as well as we expected, we started a list of additional areas that could possibly benefit from the Traq Matz, like #2 and #8 tees. Further down the list, #12 tee was also included and we had enough to tackle that spot also. Though it is the smallest area that we have repaired to date, it is perennially one of the worst locations for traffic related decline of the turf, which made it a perfect candidate. With enough extra matting as well as just enough leftover sod, later in the same week, we were able to complete work at #12 tee also.

#8 tee

As we continue to see positive results, we will continue to knock other locations off our list. Slowly, we can improve many underperforming areas across the property.

#8 tee

Final touches at #8 tee

Completion of #12 tee

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not climb up the steep face of the bunkers.

 

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

March work

Although it isn’t technically spring yet, we are in “spring cleaning” mode. Waking the course up from winter is a slow process and is our focus in the month of March.

One of the first projects we start in March is to clean out the flower beds on the property. While the style of our course and grounds is not to have large, extensive flower beds, we do have several areas of evergreen and perennial shrubs scattered around. The shrubs receive any necessary pruning, the bed itself is edged and cleaned and the fresh wood chip mulch is applied. We typically do this work over the course of the entire month, often using frost delays and wet days when we can’t accomplish other jobs on the course, to work on the flower beds.

Another of our main March tasks is to recharge the irrigation system. Although the irrigation system is buried deep enough in the soil to likely survive and hard freezing, we still choose to blow all the water out of the system at the end of the fall. Because irrigation is so important to the maintenance of the golf course, it isn’t worth the risk for us to leave it full of water and potentially have a freezing issue. But, come March, and warmer temperatures and near-zero chance of freezing into the soil, we pump water back into the pipes.

We slowly crank the pumps back up and let water fill all the piping across the property. Once the system has reached full pressure and is stable, we start to methodically check every sprinkler on the property. We use our radio control to start and stop every sprinkler, making sure it is operating correctly, and as importantly, making sure it turns off correctly. The whole process of refiling with water and then testing everything takes 3-4 days.

Often, the change from air to water can cause little issues with the functionality of the sprinkler and we want to get all of those potential issues corrected before we get into the season and need to fully relay on the operability of the system. Of course, issues can and do arise during the season as well, but running through everything now, when there is no actual need for water, at least gets us ready for the season with everything in working order.

Most of the turfgrass on the course is still waking up from the winter and has very little need for attention in March. However, there is many other things on which we can focus at this time, allowing the Grounds staff to be ready for the season.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not climb up the steep face of the bunkers.

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

Upcoming work- Trees and Traq Matz

It is March. I am sure there will be some days that still remind us of January, but we are noticeably closer to spring than winter. The Grounds department had a busy off-season: drainage work, tree work, mini golf work, and lots of inside work to prepare for this upcoming season. But with the weather getting nicer, we also have lots of upcoming work.

For many years in a row now, we have made it a priority to plant new trees on the property. This year will be no different. We have already met with our supplier, and he will be scouting out good specimen trees for us to plant. Our target locations this year are: right of #5 fairway, right of #8 fairway, and left of #17 fairway. We will discuss species and more specific placement in a later post.

Our most pressing project concerns the installation of more Traq Matz. This the same product we tested at #17 tee walk-on last fall. Through the dry, busy fall golf
season the turf held up well. So, we are moving forward with two more locations: the walk-on at #2 alternate tee and the walk-on at #8 tee. The unique aspect of this rubber matting is that it is installed over the top of new sod. At first it looks as if we are covering the sod too much for the grass to survive. However, the turf settles in, and starts to grow up through the mats, creating a nice turf cover and hiding the rubber mat. Both areas struggle mightily with high foot traffic concentration. We believe these are two ideal locations for the Traq Matz. We finished up #2 alternate tee at the end of last week and we will begin work at #8 tee this week. Getting the matting down now should allow ample time for the sod underneath to establish itself and grow before the heat of summer.

Our list of projects and routine maintenance really starts to stretch at this time of year, and through the whole season. Working now to knock out a couple of projects like this allows healing time for the new grass, as well as allowing the Grounds staff to cross another item of the list.

We are no returning to weekly posts. Thank you

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not climb up the steep face of the bunkers.

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

Creek at soccer

We have discussed in this blog before some of the unique aspects of Bretton Woods. Not only the property’s size, but soccer fields and adventure activities are especially uncommon among similar clubs. This past week the lower soccer field needed some attention.

The creek that crosses the road as you drive towards tennis and soccer, continues to parallel both soccer fields all the way off our property. The terrain also becomes very flat down near the soccer fields and the creek does not rush past. Because of this, it can sometimes cause issues by not staying within its banks. We have written about this issue in the past- soccer flooding damage and water on soccer field. This time the issue was not so extensive, but down at the far corner nearest the creek, the water was both slowly overflowing the bank as well as seeping underneath it. The lower soccer field is the same Bermuda grass as the fairways and tees on the golf course, so it is currently dormant. The field is also closed until the Bermuda grass greens up. But this work still needed to be done now rather than waiting until the field opens later in the spring.

After our work was complete the creek 
bed is visible again. You can also see
the debris we removed along the banks.

Long before there was a soccer field in this position, the creek used to lose all form before reaching the river and meander in all directions, rather than flow directly into the Potomac. Sometimes it reverts to this habit rather than staying in the creek bed. Lots of debris has washed down to this end and has partially dammed up the creek, slowing its flow down so much that it was finding alternative routes, including out onto the field.

We aren’t allowed to get machines into this area due to its proximity to the river, wetlands, flood plains, etc. Even if we could it is too wet anyway. So, our only option is to do the work by hand. While the creek can find other places to flow, there is a good enough creek bed that if given the chance it will still follow that path. With shovels, rakes, and any other hand tool that could work, we carefully redirected the flow back into the creek bed and removed obstacles.

It is hard to determine exactly how effective our work is during the spring, sometimes it is so wet regardless of what we do, the creek finds it way onto the field. Nevertheless, the work needed to be done.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be careful not to damage the lip of the cup when retrieving your ball after putting out.

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

Recurring March tasks

Spring is a busy time, not only for the golf course, but also other parts of the property. Like year’s past, the Grounds department uses March for lots of spring cleaning and preparation for the season. Though the weather has been up and down, we have still made progress towards gearing up for the busy months.

We have a few regular tasks that we like to concentrate on in March- pruning shrubs, cleaning and edging flower beds, mulching the flower beds, and working at soccer. There are a few reasons that each of these is well-suited as a March job. First, the weather is usually cooperative enough to consistently get out on the course and not do any damage. But frost delays are still very much a reality so some of our March jobs are easily done without getting on the grass. Another key to the timing of these jobs is that there is relatively little else we must do on the course. The Bermuda grass needs little to no attention, the rough is not growing enough to need to be mowed, and while the greens do require inputs, their relatively small area make them easy to manage. This allows some March jobs that are labor intensive to receive our entire staff or close to it, for extended periods of time, enabling us to finish larger projects in a reasonable time.

The weather is still cool enough that most shrubs on the property have not started growing for the spring. So, we prune off any dead parts, trim it back as needed, and generally clean it up for the season. While we are working on the plants, we also edge and clean the flower beds. If we cut a crisp edge now, it will remain all season. And we also clean out any weeds, sticks, and other debris that has collected over the winter. The flower bed work especially lends itself to cold, frosty mornings because we do not have to traverse in the grass to do the work.

Once the flower beds are fully prepped, we also work on putting fresh wood chip mulch in the beds. Our wood chip mulch comes from on-site. We collect all tree branches, limbs, and other materials in a central location, far to the left of #5. When feasible, we have our tree company come in and use their large tub grinder to chip an entire year’s worth of material for us. We never run out of chips. Similar to pruning and cleaning the beds, mulching is also a great cold morning task.

Knowing that we have lots of work at the pool starting in April, we also use March for lots of work at the soccer field. We aerate, seed, and sod certain sections all at this time. The soccer field is the same mixture of grasses found in the rough on the golf course: cool-season species like annual bluegrass, tall fescue, and ryegrass. These grasses really start to explode with growth in mid-late March and April as the air and soil temperatures warm up. By accomplishing these cultural practices now, the field is ready to for the upcoming soccer season.

Timing certain jobs for March has worked well for us for several years. Finishing these jobs now will allow us to be ready for course maintenance as more of the course wakes up for the year.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be careful not to damage the lip of the cup when retrieving your ball after putting out.

 

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

Emergency tree removal

We finished our scheduled tree work in early February. But, due to some windy days and wet ground, some unexpected tree work has come up recently as well.

The tulip poplar at #12 tee. The lean towards
the bathroom is noticeable.

The rotten base of the tulip poplar.

The most pressing issue was a tulip poplar tree to the right of #12 tee. The tree was growing just into the bank of the tee box near the bathrooms. We noticed last week that it seemed to be leaning slightly more than normal. After inspection we saw that the roots had just barely started to separate from the soil and that had caused the tree to lean more than in the past, and it was leaning towards the bathroom. With more windy days forecast, we called our tree company and they stopped by to inspect and get a gameplan for removal in the coming days. However, while we were looking at the poplar we had a few more gusts of wind and we could see the root ball raising and lowering with each gust. It was determined that the tree needed to come down immediately. Luckily, the tree company was able to return that evening and drop the tree to prevent it from falling on the bathroom.

It is hard to see in the picture, but inside the red circles
are gaps where the root ball is pulling away from the tee bank.

The second tree in question has not been taken down yet because it was not quite as precarious as the tulip poplar. There is a pine tree on the right side of #3 fairway, near the cart path, that has been leaning for quite some time. However, over the course of the winter it has seemingly started to lean more. Then, over the last couple of weeks the lean has definitely become more pronounced, and we decided we need to remove the tree before it falls and damages the cart path, fairway, or anything else.

The leaning pine tree on #3

The pine tree removal is scheduled for early this week as weather allows. We will also finish the clean up of the tulip poplar at that time as well. Luckily our tree company was able to help us on short notice and prevent the trees from falling on their own and casing damage.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be careful not to damage the lip of the cup when retrieving your ball after putting out.

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 weed control

Winter weed control in dormant Bermuda grass is one of the key tasks we must complete over the winter. We have been working on killing the weeds over the last week and will finish this week.

When the Bermuda grass is dormant it is not competing to keep weeds out like it does when it is actively growing. Opportunistic weeds like Poa annua, clover, and many others, take advantage of this weak time for the Bermuda grass and invade. We work all season to keep the number of weeds that encroach on the Bermuda grass to a minimum.

Our first defense is growing healthy Bermuda grass. If the Bermuda grass is dense, and growing vigorously during the season then there are fewer thin or bare areas for weeds to establish. Our goal for the season is to grow the best Bermuda grass turf we can- this is what we, and the golfers expect. But the second aspect of this goal is that it helps prevent weeds and provides the best dormant turf for the off-season.

Next, we also apply a pre-emergent herbicide to the Bermuda grass in late summer/early fall. This material is applied before the Bermuda grass is dormant, but right when the most weed seeds are ready to start germinating. By applying this product, we are aiming to prevent weeds from even establishing themselves. The chemical creates a barrier along the soil surface and wither prevents the weeds from emerging from the soil or prevents them from sending roots down. This tactic provides a great level of control and without it, the weed pressure would be much higher.

Lastly, we spray any breakthrough weeds during the winter using a non-selective herbicide. Since the Bermuda grass is dormant, it is unaffected by the herbicide, and we can spray right over top. If all of our previous steps were completed correctly and the timing was right, there are not a lot of weeds to spray in the winter. Usually, we can make just spot applications rather than a broadcast application across all the Bermuda grass.

While the calendar is nearing the turn to spring, we are still working on our winter maintenance. But judging by the way the weather has stayed cold throughout spring the last several years, we still have time to get our work done.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be careful not to damage the lip of the cup when retrieving your ball after putting out.

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

Refurbishing alternate tee bridge

Hole #2 is the only one on the course with two separate sets of tees. The alternate tee is set at a completely different angle and requires crossing a small creek to access. A bridge was built at the same time as the tee, and it needed a facelift. One of the tasks we tackled in the late winter was to refurbish this bridge.

Overall, the bridge is in good shape. It does not see constant traffic since we rotate back and forth between the two tee complexes. For this work, we inspected all the boards and structure of the bridge. One tread was replaced. Several pickets were tightened. And one end of the hand railing was loose, so it was reinforced with more screws.

Power washing

Next, we power washed the entire bridge, cleaning years of grime and dirt off. This alone gave the wood a very new face. Once it was dry, we stained it to a natural tone. We also replaced the anti-slip tread on the walking surface with brand new material.

Once we get into more consistent warm weather and the Bermuda grass starts to grow, we will resume the use of the alternate tee. The bridge will be ready for the traffic.

Left half is power washed, the right
half is not

After first coat of stain; the left side
is stained, the right is not

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please remember to keep your cart on the cart path when we are “Cart Path Only.”

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