Leaf Clean Up

A Leaf Covered #14 Fairway

New Cart path on Hole #11



Late October is, as always, the heart of the war between the green staff and the leaves.  The main thrust of our efforts will certainly be on leaf cleanup during the next month or so.  Our fall fertilizer applications will begin this week and continue until mid-November.  Mid to late autumn is the best time to apply fertilizer, in the proper amounts, to turfgrass as the nutrients are directed to root growth and energy storage for next year.  The same fertilizer applications, if applied from mid spring through the summer, would result in the nutrients being directed to undesirably rapid grass growth at the expense of the roots and energy storage.

Verti-Cutting Fairways

Verti-cutting Process

Clean Up Process

After The First Mowing

This week is the beginning of our fall fairway aerification process.  In an effort to achieve our goals of consistently providing championship playing conditions, we will be doing things a little differently this year.  Instead of our traditional core aerification, we will be deep verti-cutting the fairways now and then solid aerifying at a later date.  This type of verti-cutting will not only reduce thatch up to three times greater than our traditional core aerification, but will also encourage vertical growth.  I am also anticipating a much cleaner and less disruptive final product for golf play.  Once the fairways have healed we will begin to solid tine, relieving compaction allowing for water and air movement through the root zone.  Implementing a more aggressive thatch reduction and soil decompaction program should allow for firmer playing conditions and healthier turf.  Golfers will notice vertical grooves and some discoloration in the fairways for the next few weeks.

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Seed is Up and Growing

 Newly Germinated Seed After Five Days

Driving Range Tee Slit Seeded Two Directions

You may notice some unusual patterns of grass growth in our primary roughs.  This is the successful result of our slit seeding process about two weeks ago.  We were able to slit seed about 3000lbs of Kentucky Bluegrass and Turf Type Tall Fescue seed in weak and thin areas in the rough.  We also had success on the driving range tee with Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass mix. 

Green Edges

Green Expansion

After a nice shot of natural rain the greens have completely healed from our fall aerification.  We also applied a granular fertilizer on September 17th, which aided in the healing process and encouraged root initiation.  Now that the greens have healed we will resume normal scheduled mowing heights, grooming, plant growth regulators and bi-weekly topdressing.  Tees and fairways will be aerified in the upcoming weeks.    

During the next few weeks you may notice some discoloring from scalping around the greens edges.  This is an attempt to restore greens to original size.  You will also notice white dots symbolizing the original green edge.  Over the years the greens collars have encroached into the putting green surface simply from improper mowing.  During the cooler months of the spring and fall we are able to correct the mistake minimizing the potential of turf loss due to heat related stress.  We will systematically lower the mowing heights until the grass has adapted to the normal greens height.  This process will allow us to maintain a consistent collar width and maximize the pin placements on our smaller greens.

Rough Grass

 Slit seeding process

Seed filled slits

Our greatest struggle in recent days has been the keeping up with the mowing of the rough.  This recent wet spell from the remnants of Hurricane Isaac has directly coincided with the peak temperatures in vegetative grass growth, as any homeowner with a lawn can attest to.   It was the perfect storm, coming off a wet holiday weekend followed by our fall greens aerification and a tournament on Monday we have been forced to give our best effort to mow rough and attempt to stay ahead of golf play during the morning hours.  This hasn’t exactly been successful as the wet, sticky grass simply lays over from the weight of our equipment, and whatever grass clippings that are cut end up sticking together in large clumps.  We resorted to having 2 power blowers chasing the rough mower around, doing their best to break up the clumps immediately after mowing.  By the end of the week we should be able to catch up and resume normal rough mowing the following week.  Although the long thick rough has been an inconvenience for golf play and maintenance, we were fortunate enough that most of the rough made it out of dormancy just fine.  Any thin or weak area will be seeded this week and with any luck we will get a little rain to help expedite the germination process.

Fall Aerificaiton

Eric Bruns filling holes with sand

Sand filled channel

This week will be the beginning of our fall aerification process.  Rain earlier this week has prolonged the sand topdressing process, however greens should be completed this week and back to normal playing conditions in a few days.  We are aerating greens, tees and fairways to remove thatch, add creeping bentgrass seed to weak and thin areas, and amend the root zones with more sand for greater rooting capabilities and internal drainage.  Core aeration is the process of removing cores of thatch and replacing them with sand.  These sand filled channels will break up the undesirable layering of organic matter created over the years and allow for air and water movement through the root zone.  The healing process usually takes approximately ten to fourteen days depending upon the weather.  We will be applying fertilizer and watering to germinate bentgrass seed and expedite surface recovery.  Members will experience softer, slower, bumpier greens containing many sand-filled holes during this time.  Once the bentgrass seedlings have become established and the surfaces have sufficiently healed, we will return to our normal watering practices and the greens will dramatically improve in firmness and drainage.  We understand cultivation temporarily disrupts the ball roll and is an inconvenience for the golfers but keep in mind that the long-term benefits far outweigh the temporary disruptions. 

Golf Course Conditions

While the drought continues, a stretch of several muggy nighttime lows above upper 70’s and steamy afternoon highs well above 90 and even 100 degrees make the fourth of July week our greatest challenge to date as far as turf stress goes. While these weather conditions have been challenging for turfgrasses on the golf course, we have fortunately avoided the lethal combination of saturated soils and hot temperatures. Today looks to be the peak of this heat wave with highs predicted around 104. The accumulating days of heat stress without any nighttime relief is really taking a toll on our turf. On the surface things still look fairly good ( though certainly not firm and fast), but the root systems of our bentgrass greens, tees and fairways have declined considerably and are keeping the plants in a fragile state that demands conservative management. We raised the cutting height of the greens mowers again and we have been avoiding mowing all together on some days. We will be running cooling cycles with irrigation heads and handwatering cooling off the air and leaf blades of the plants to lower the temperature of the turf surface. The majority of our irrigation cycles will be performed during the morning so leaves are dry by nightfall when disease pressure is at its highest. These practices are an effort to minimize wet wilting and diseases. We appreciate the golfer cooperation while we quickly cool greens, tees and fairways during golf play. Our soil temperatures are well into the 70’s and low 80’s during the peak heat of the day. High soil temperatures cause shallow roots and an imbalance between photosynthesis and respiration which causes the plant to use up stored carbohydrates and the plant begins to decline. The most severe turf decline is high cart traffic areas (fairways entrances and exits). During the next few weeks we will ask the membership to limit cart traffic to a 90 degree cart rule and rough only until the weather breaks. Again we appreciate everybody's cooperation.

Next week looks much better....not cooler than average, but simply average for central Illinois July weather…highs in the upper 80s.

Ballmark Repair

Properly Fixing a Ballmark

1.) Insert ballmark tool into the turf at a slight angle just outside of the divot.

2.) Pivot the ball mark tool inward towards the center of the divot.

3.) Repeat the process on all sides of the divot.

4.) Using a putter gently tamp down on the repaired divot to ensure a smooth playing surface.

5.) Do not lift up on the turf.  Lifting up on the turf separates the grass from its roots and will kill the grass leaving a dead spot on the putting surface.

6.) Always tamp down repaired ballmark so there is not a raised bump in the putter surface that could potentially alters golfers putting line. 

7.) A Good rule of thumb is to fix your ballmark and one other ballmark to ensure a smooth playing surface and a healthy golf course green.

  

Golf Course Projects

Another warm and dry week is in store for central Illinois.  Drought stress and isolated dry spots have already developed about a month earlier than normal.  The last few weeks water demands for plant health have kept the green department on handwater duty most of everyday.  Low relative humidity values, high winds and bluebird skies made evaportranspiration (ET) rates scary at times.  Evapotranspiration rates in central Illinois were reportedly as high as 0.4" to 0.45" inches per day.  In two days you would need an inch of irrigation water just to keep up with plant wilt.   Last month we have observed higher than average temperatures, with a record breaking day on Sunday May 6th, a high of 90 degrees.  

The Green Department has stayed busy with regular mowings and the preparation for the U.S. Open Qualifier and the upcoming Member Guest.  In addition to normal golf course preparation we have managed to work on some much needed detail work around trees, flower beds and worn cart path edges as you can see in the pictures below.    

                                                                (Before Picture Behind #18 Green)                 

(After Picture Behind #18 Green)

(Before Picture Behind #14 Green) 

(After Picture Behind #14 Green)

Driving Range Grass Tee

The driving range grass practice tee will be opening for golf play this weekend.  I would like to take a moment of your time to review proper practicing procedures when utilizing the grass tee.  As everyone knows our practice facilities were not designed for modern day golfing practices.  We are limited in the amount of space it takes to facilitate today's standards and the tee top is under sized for the amount of usage it receives.  Below I have attached two new posts, one is an article from our USGA golf course consultant Ty McClellan and the second one is a YouTube video of John Gilchrist and I demonstrating divot management on the grass tee.

Driving Range Practice

Practice Like A Pro

By Ty McClellan, agronomist, Mid-Continent Region
July 13, 2011

Randomly scattered divots (on the left) remove up to 50% more turf than practicing in a linear pattern (on the right) where each new shot is placed directly behind the previous divot.

Late July is usually the time when there is a lack of turf coverage on practice range tees established with cool-season turfgrasses, such as creeping bentgrass or Kentucky bluegrass.  Heavy play removes divots faster than the turf can recover, and hot, dry summer conditions leave little opportunity for seedling establishment or regenerative growth of surrounding turf.  Poor turf coverage that comes in mid-summer generally indicates that the practice tee is simply undersized for the amount of play received, i.e. there is not enough time for turf to recover before tee stalls are returned to previous locations.  It also indicates that tee stall rotations need to be reviewed for efficiency and that synthetic turf options should be considered at the rear of the tee to provide the additional time needed for turf recovery.

With the exception of an efficient tee stall rotation, enlarging the tee(s) and adding synthetic turf are improvements typically left for the off-season when time and funds become available.  So, until then, what can be done?  The solution resides with golfers.  Since randomly scattering divots can quickly destroy a practice range tee, the better approach is to shrink one’s divots by removing them in a pattern just like the professionals.  More specifically, this includes placing each shot directly behind the previous divot.  This can easily be repeated for up to 10 shots resulting in much less turf being removed.

Let’s take a look at a practical example that was provided by Golf Course Superintendent Chris Pekarek at The Village Links of Glen Ellyn in Illinois.  Mr. Pekarek estimates more than 2 million shots are taken annually from the 1.25-acre Kentucky bluegrass practice tee and that 1.5 million of the shots result in turf removal.  Although divots come in all sizes, the average iron shot is believed to remove a divot 3 inches wide by 6.5 inches long for a total of 19.5 square inches.  After just 30 shots, or a small bucket of balls, 4.1 square feet of turf are removed, given a typical practice routine (30 shots x 19.5 in² = 585 in² / 144 in² = 4.1 ft²).  Therefore, after an entire season, 205,000 square feet of divots are removed from the tee. That's more than 4.6 acres of turf from their 1.25-acre surface.

If instead each shot is played directly behind the previous divot, subsequent divots are reduced to an average size of 3 inches wide by 3 inches long, or 9 square inches.  After 30 shots, this pattern removes only 2.1 square feet of turf. (As the first divot removes 19.5 square inches and the subsequent 9 divots remove 9 square inches each for a total of 81 square inches, a total of 100.5 square inches is removed for every 10 shots, which is typical for this linear pattern.  For 30 shots or a small bucket of balls, 3 x 100.5 = 301.5 in² / 144 in² = 2.1ft² are removed.)  If everyone adopted this method, the annual number of divots removed would be reduced from 205,000 square feet to just 105,000 square feet.  That’s nearly a 50% reduction in the amount of turf removed.

Implementing this simple divot pattern into your practice regime has significant season-long implications at your facility.  So, rather than voice a complaint about the turf during oppressive conditions in July and August, do the turf a favor and practice like a pro!

NOTE: Special thanks to Mr. Pekarek and The Village Links of Glen Ellyn for graciously supplying the information and photos used in this article.  It was Mr. Pekarek’s blog that inspired this month’s topic.

Aerification Completed

 Josh Kilman aerifying #7 green

 Core pickup process

Sand back filled aerification holes

Unusually warm weather resulted in the warmest March on record for central Illinois, with monthly average temperatures as much as 16 degrees above normal.  Over the weekend we observed our first frost delays since early March.  The ten day weather forecast looks somewhat normal for this time of year and it looks like we might get some much needed rain this weekend.

The greens and tees were core aerfified with 3/8 inch tines and 1.25" by 1.50" spacing on Monday and Tuesday of last week.  While temperatures in the low 90's weren't exactly desirable, the intense sun that accompanied the heat proved very efficient in rapidly drying the outside edges of the aerification holes, thus maximizing our ability to completely fill up the holes with topdressing sand.  We ended up incorporating 50 tons of topdressing sand into all of our greens, including the chipping greens at the driving range.   This ended up being our most productive core aerification of the greens in years from the standpoint of sand incorporation.

Record Breaking Temperatures

Record breaking temperatures from Wednesday, March 14th through Wednesday, March 21st for central Illinois.  Six out of seven days we exceeded the record for high temperatures.  Highs in the upper 70s to middle 80s were common, along with lows in the upper 50s to middle 60s.  Normal highs for mid-March are in the lower 50s with normal lows in the lower 30s.  Observed temperatures were more typical of early June than mid-March.

The fairways and rough are lush and healthy at this point, as they should be with the weather we are having.  Our greatest struggle in recent weeks has been keeping up with the mowing of the grass.  This recent warm weather has directly coincided with the annual spring peak in vegetative grass growth.  Mowing fairways and rough hasn't exactly been successful as the combination of healthy thick grass and heavy dew mornings has made it extremely challenging.  We resorted to having 2 power blowers chasing the rough and fairway mower around, doing our best to break up the clumps immediately after mowing.

The spring aerification process is scheduled to begin Monday, April 2nd, weather permitting.  We are aerating greens and tees to remove thatch, add creeping bentgrass seed to weak and thin areas, and amend the root zones with more sand for greater rooting capabilities and internal drainage.  Core aeration is the process of removing cores of thatch and replacing them with sand.  These sand filled channels will break up the undesirable layering of organic matter created over the years and allow for air and water movement through the root zone.  The healing process usually takes approximately ten to fourteen days depending upon the weather.  We will be applying fertilizer and watering to germinate bentgrass seed and expedite surface recovery.  Members will experience softer, slower and bumpier greens containing many sand-filled holes during this time.  Once the bentgrass seedlings have become established and the surfaces have sufficiently healed, we will return to our normal watering practices and the greens will dramatically improve in firmness and drainage.  We understand cultivation temporarily disrupts the ball roll and is an inconvenience for the golfers but keep in mind that the long-term benefits far outweigh the temporary disruptions.

Late Winter Spring Cleaning

Abnormally warm weather will continue in Springfield Illinois into early next week.  High temperatures each day are likely to be 25 to 30 degrees or more above normal for mid March, and many record highs are likely to be approached or broken during this period.  Even the low temperatures will be warmer than the normal highs, and will likely set daily "warm low" records.  We are about two weeks ahead on our growing degree days, which means earlier than normal mowing, fertilizing, preventative fungicide and pre-emergent application.  If you are a homeowner and want a weed free lawn this year plan on applying your pre-emergent for crabgrass soon.


No later than I got back from the Golf Course Superintendent's Industry Show, spring was here and the Green Department was in full swing preparing the golf course for an anticipated great week of golf play.  The focus of our operation this week has been on smoothing putting surfaces, implementing our first mowing procedures on greens, tees and fairways, detail bunker work and removing debris in the rough.  The first few mows will be considerably higher than our normal in season mowing heights.  The objective is to slowly cut off the old winterized leaf tissue at the tops of the plants.  This will prevent the grass from going into shock and possibly re-winterizing.   

Jason Herbert Rolling Greens

Jordan Snyder concentrating on straight lines

Golf Course Conditions

The next few days look promising to allow for walking golf play.  After the ground completely thawed out last week, we have had several days of sunshine and wind making conditions conducive for walking golf play.  In the extended forecast, temperatures take a nose dive below freezing resuming the freeze/thaw pattern and a possible golf course closing.  We will continue to monitor the weather and keep you updated on the latest golf course conditions.   

This week the Green Department will concentrate its efforts on cleaning up around the tree lines on the golf course.  As you can see in the pictures below this is no easy task.  The 20 yard landscape waste container is completely full of just Sweetgum Tree debris and I would estimate that is about half of the Sweetgum tree debris on the golf course. We will continue our golf course clean up efforts through the next few weeks.  We will also have an opportunity to finish #1 walking bridge this week, which will complete our walking bridge restoration project.  In addition to replacing the planks on the walking bridges, we will also be adding cobble stones around supports of the bridge to elevate erosion.

Next week I will be out of the office attending the 2012 Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Education Conference and Golf Industry Show.  I am looking forward to attending several interesting classes and will be walking the trade show to absorb all of the new and upcoming product lines. 

Sweetgum Tree debris clean up

20 yard landscape waste container

Snow Fall is Hard to Come by This Year

This is an unusual sight, the golf course covered in snow.  I can count on one hand the number of days we have had snow cover on the golf course this year.  Monday was only our second measurable snow fall for the winter, which makes our snow fall total about 10" less than normal.  Believe it or not, the right amounts of snow cover can actually be beneficial to the golf course by protecting the grass from the harsh winter elements, which can lead to "winterkill".  Winterkill can be caused by a combination of factors including crown hydration, desiccation, low temperatures, wind exposure, ice sheets and snow mold. This year the unusual lack of snow cover on the golf course has exposed the grass almost the entire winter causing the grass to turn off color more than normal.  The "off color" appearance is actually the exposed older leaf blades and leaf blade tips, however with a closer look into the canopy lies green crowns and stems.  So far I have not seen any signs or symptoms of winterkill on the golf course, however I will continue to scout greens, tees and fairways on a regular basis.

Green #14 February 14th

Green Department's early morning snow removal 

(#3 bentgrass tee) green stems and crowns

Winter Golf Play

It is that time of year, cabin fever is starting to set in and spring is right around the corner.  Members have been asking when will the golf course be ready to play again?  Opening the golf course in the winter is one of the toughest decision for a Golf Course Superintendent to make.  Conditions have to be perfect to allow golf play and especially to allow golf carts out on the golf course.  The ground has to be COMPLETELY thawed throughout the soil profile and water can not be present near the surface of the ground.  Allowing golf play on a half frozen or a saturated golf course can quickly lead to many problems.  The colder air and soil temperature make it impossible for grass plants to metabolize and repair damaged tissue causing:

• Thinning turf
• Soil compaction
• Shearing action across the roots, rhizomes, and growing points of the plant, which is comparable to cutting the roots by using a sod cutter.

Turfgrass can become extremely susceptible to damage throughout the winter, so this must be closely monitored on a daily basis before allowing golf play.

February's Employee of The Month

Cody Duzan (Turf Equipment Technician) is Illini Country Club's employee of the month.  Cody is the newest edition to the Green Department's team.  Cody grew up in Oakland, Illinois where he began his career has a mechanic.  Cody has an extensive background in turf equipment and small engine repairs, including 6 years as the Golf and Turf Service Technician and the Construction Equipment Service Technician at Berkey's, a Jacobsen supplier for central Illinois area.  Since his arrival in June, Cody has made a instant impact to the entire turf equipment operation utilizing his enthusiasm, mechanical and organization skills.  It doesn't stop there, Cody has also played an integral part in the golf course aerfication processes and golf course projects such as the walking bridge restorations.  We are extremely fortunate to have Cody Duzan as our Turf Equipment Technician.   

 

Employee of The Month Cody Duzan

Bridge Restoration

Unseasonably warm weather that occurred through much of December and January has dominated into the first week of February.  Incredibly we were able to open the golf course for a few days for golf play last week, however the forecast for this week and weekend does not look as promising with high temperatures around 30 degrees.

The lack of snow cover and frequently unfrozen ground has provided the green department with many opportunities for golf course improvement projects at a time when disruption to golf play is at a minimum.  Last week we were able to begin improving the walking bridges on the golf course.  Most of the wooden planks on the bridges are starting to deteriorate from old age.  Our plan is to completely remove all old wooden planks and inspect the i-beam supports system for any signs of weaknesses.  Once the support system is inspected and repairs have been made we will plank the i-beams with new treated 2x6's.  This walking bridge restoration program will continue through the winter and all other bridges on the golf course will be scheduled to be improved or replaced in the upcoming years. 

Before

During

After

Shop Work

During the months of December and January our main focus has been the reconditioning of all turf equipment.  The reconditioning process is a two step program.  The first step consists of power washing and brushing debris and grime off of each working component.  Once the machine is clear of debris and grime, Cody Duzan (Turf Equipment Technician) performs a thorough inspection.  All equipment was disassembled and inspected for signs of wear or damage on bushing, seals and drive pulleys.  Repairs were performed as needed.  Reels and bedknifes have been sharpened and mowing heights have been properly set.  This inspection will insure us that we are getting the maximum productivity, performance and safety out of each piece of equipment before the season begins.

January has also been a month to improve the overall shop storage and organization.  We have added additional shelving and built specialized racks to store our handheld power equipment.  We will also be organizing and rearranging the shop to minimize lost time looking for equipment and tools.

Cody Duzan (Turf Equipment Technician)