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

Greens aeration

We are aerating greens this week. It may seem early- and it is very early compared to most courses- but there are a couple of very specific reasons that this timing works for us.

Though the timing is early, this is nothing new for us. We have been aerating greens in this window for several years now and it works for our situation.  But, comparing aeration timing between two courses is not a useful metric because of grass differences, tournament schedules, agronomic programs, and more. So, this schedule is good for our greens and calendar, but it wouldn’t necessarily work at other courses.

Sometimes the mid-winter thaw that we target as our aeration window is also the first nice weather in a few weeks that golfers also aim to get back out and play. It may seem as though we are disrupting everything just at the time when some nice winter golf can be played. However, part of our reasoning behind the early season aeration is so that the greens are healed and ready for spring play when the weather turns nice consistently and golfers want to be out regularly. It also allows the course to be ready for our early season tournaments and outings. By aerating now, we impact the first nice winter weather, not the first nice spring weather.

Our biggest reason for aerating in February has to do with our type of grass, Poa annua, and its life cycle. Each spring the Poa plant produces seeds. We work very hard to minimize the number of seeds produced because they can negatively impact ball roll, as well as deplete the energy of the plant. To stop, or at least slow, seed head production, we must slow and nearly stop all plant growth. But, to get our aeration to heal, we need aggressive growth. Recovery and seed head suppression do not work well together, so we aerate early. This allows 3-5 weeks of healing for the greens before we start our aggressive seed head suppression program.  

Sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate, and our aeration gets delayed until we are much closer to our first chemical application for seed heads, but we have been lucky that last several years to aerate in February. We are in the midst of this year’s thaw and are hitting the window right on.

 

We will return to weekly posts starting in March. Thank you

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not try and remove a flagstick that is frozen into the cup. Turf damage may occur.

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

Drainage work on hole 18

Typically, in the off-season, one of our main goals is to install more drainage on the course, and this year was no different. Although we have handled most of the immediate drainage concerns, there are always more areas in need of attention. This year we focused on hole #18.

Managing surface water is one of, if not the most important strategy for improving turf health and playability. A myriad of issues arise from water being left on top of the grass and poor conditions follow quickly. Similarly, playability declines rapidly in soggy conditions. The winter months are the perfect time to do this work as we have staff available and no regular maintenance of the turf to perform.

First, we added a drain along the immediate edge of the cart path near 18 green. This was a trouble area for some time, and we were finally able to tackle the issue. Between rain washing down the hill, or irrigation water trickling onto the cart path, a certain area right along the edge is where all this excess water accumulated. Slowly, a muddy section of turf developed. Even though another drain exists just into the fairway from the cart path, we still wanted to catch most, if not all the water before it made it onto the turf. So, we installed a linear drain- like what you might see on a pool deck- right along the edge of the cart oath. Now, water coming down the hill will have an entry into the drainage system before making it onto the grass. In heavy flow situations, the drain in the fairway will still provide backup and catch water also.

From that spot, we moved back down 18 fairway near the 200-yard mark. Here we mapped out 350 linear feet of new subsurface drainage to install. During heavy rainstorms, or just after the rain has stopped, we often drive the course to see where water remains and where it is very slow to drain. These are areas that we then earmark for new drainage, which is exactly what we did on #18. This portion of the fairway is also plagued by very poor soil, with many more rocks than most any other place on the course. Poor drainage (prior to our new installation) and poor soil are two of the greatest contributing factors to the poor turf health in this section of the fairway. This year’s drainage will start to help in this situation.

Although most of our highest priority drains have been installed, every year we still have more areas to capture water. We only focused on hole #18, but we were able to finish two separate trouble areas this winter.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Winter cart path rules are now in effect to protect the dormant Bermuda grass- we will scatter much less and be more restrictive with blue flags.

Here is a link to a recent article regarding bunker maintenance for golfers.

https://golf.com/lifestyle/bunker-care-mistakes-golfers-make/

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

Final greens application

Believe it or not, as winter approaches, we still have one last chemical application to make on greens. Sometime between now and the end of the year is the window for which we are aiming to spray.

We have several components to this last application, covering several different needs for the greens. We often combine chemistries that accomplish different goals. Even during the season, when we spray, the tank will contain multiple products that help protect the plants, aid water movement through the soil, or any number of other things.

In this last spray we have three main goals:

1.       Protect the turf against possible disease over the winter.

2.       Discourage the Poa annua on the greens from producing seedheads.

3.       Aid in water movement during the winter.

Snow mold is a disease that affects turf over the winter. There are two types, one which requires snow over and one that does not. In our case, we are protecting against both, but particularly the type that occurs under snow. Although lately, extended snow cover has been uncommon, we still play it on the safe side because real damage can occur if left unprotected. This product will last until at least very late winter and possibly early spring.

In the last five years, new research has shown that applying a growth regulator to Poa annua, or annual bluegrass, can greatly reduce the amount of seedhead pressure that occurs in the spring. Since our greens are predominantly annual bluegrass, this is a crucial component for us. Timing can vary, sometime between Thanksgiving and the end of the year, is the best for this last plant growth regulator application. Again, applying the product now will last until March.

Finally, we will include a wetting agent in the upcoming spray. Again, following new research, putting a wetting agent in applications more frequently is better. We add the wetting agent into every single spray that we apply to greens, and this final one for the year is no different. During the winter, the wetting agent is important especially when the greens get waterlogged from heavy rain or snow melt, and the sun is not strong enough to evaporate the moisture. The wetting agent helps the water move down through the soil profile. In conjunction with the deep tine aeration completed last month, the wetting agent helps keep the surface firmer and less spongy.

Although normal turf growth has slowed to a crawl, we still need this last application on the greens. This application is critical to making sure the greens work through winter and start next spring on the right foot.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not scrape snow or ice off the green to clear your line for putting. Turf damage may occur.

 

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

Deep tine aeration preview

It is now the middle of fall- the leaves are coming down in droves- and the weather has been more consistently cold. Despite the temperatures, we are still preparing the greens for winter. Starting today we will be deep tine aerating the greens as part of this preparation.

The growth of the turf has slowed tremendously. However, the soil is still warm enough and daytime highs are warm enough that the plants are still working on getting ready for the cold. Storing carbohydrates and growing and strengthening roots is all occurring currently. We are still consistently feeding the turf so that there is sufficient energy available to complete the steps necessary ahead of winter.

Another important step we take is to deep tine aerate the greens. Just as the name implies, this aeration goes deep down into the greens- about 7-8”- and provides several key benefits. First, because this aeration is so much deeper than our typical 2” depth, we are breaking into new soil and working through any layering that may have occurred. Second, by opening these channels so much deeper, we provide avenues for new roots to reach further down into the soil to find water, oxygen, and nutrients. Deeper roots equal healthier plants all season long and forcing the roots to reach deeper into the soil is a huge benefit. Lastly, any water that is not used by the plant now has an outlet to exit the soil over the winter through these new deep holes. Instead of being stuck in the upper layers of soil all winter, the water can percolate down through the profile, especially through these new holes, reducing soft mushy surfaces and potential damage that may occur as a result.

Even though this season is nearly over, performing one last cultural practice to the greens is beneficial. Setting the turf and soil up for success heading into winter ensures that when spring rolls back around, the system is ready for the next season.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please stay off all grass surfaces during a frost delay.

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