About 16 days ago, golf course operations were coming together and I felt we were getting dialed in on the water management of the greens. There were not a tremendous amount of dry spots and staff was able to effectively manage them with daily hand watering that was not taxing our hours. If that routine could be maintained where the water lost during the day was replaced with the irrigation system each night and hand watering done only where inconsistencies in the system occurred, then I felt the greens would be firmer and smoother and play better if the correct ball speed could be achieved. The first lesson was to think that all contingencies had been considered.
On the night of June 2nd, the pump station faulted during the nightly operation and shut down leaving the greens without irrigation. Not a problem as we increased our hand watering the following day and no harm was done. On the night of the 3rd after changing the program a little, the same fault occurred. Now it's Saturday morning and a big deal especially when one of the staff called in sick leaving us short handed. But the greens were checked and hand watered and appeared to be holding their own. That afternoon turned scorching hot and hand watering could not keep up. The irrigation faulted again that night but this time the programs had been changed wholesale so the greens did water before the fault occurred. The greens were additionally hand watered Sunday morning and were being done so again that afternoon when the station quit working automatically altogether. The pump station technician was consulted and the station was switched to manual control where it has operated since. In retrospect, on Saturday morning I should have cut back on our routine making it possible to not only hand water but also run the irrigation system making up for faulting during the night but I was trying to deliver the expected even in impossible situations. Second lesson was that you have to know when to fold and cut your losses.
In the last two weeks with manual operation of the pump station, the greens have slowly been rehydrated to correct levels. On manual it has to be a basic program and that has slowed the recovery. Another factor is that greens daily and tees once a week are the only areas being irrigated. The program to irrigate around the greens takes to long to run during the day and interferes too much with routine maintenance. But that is exactly the program that would help several greens surrounded by trees such as #4, 10, 13, and 17. We know those have tree roots in the greens and normally we try to run the heads around the greens during dry spells to satisfy the trees and keep them from robbing too much moisture out of the greens. In the absence of that program, hand watering has been increased. The biggest help to greens recovery has been the rainfall albeit a small amount to this point (.30). Because of the high bicarbonates in our irrigation water, the longer it has to be the sole source of water, the less effective it becomes. From the 25th of May until June 17th there was only .1 inches of precipitation. Even the .06 received on the 14th started to invigorate the turf. Third lesson is to remember that Mother Nature has the biggest stick.
The fourth lesson came as I was originally writing this blog on Saturday. I got interrupted by a storm, so I saved it with the intent of coming back and finishing it. Unfortunately I was not savvy enough to get back into the saved document without outside help (my wife) and it is now Wednesday evening. If it can go wrong with technology it probably will especially when you do not want it to.
The last lesson learned from our pump station faulting was that the course is being over watered. The fairways and rough went nearly two weeks from the last time we irrigated them until it rained last weekend. The fairways were showing some stress in three areas and we ran the heads just in those locations but otherwise the turf has become absolutely wonderful. The rough did go off color somewhat and has stopped growing so fast but it has become playable. Both areas have greened up since the weekend rain and you would be hard pressed to know they had gone two weeks without water. Additionally, the bunkers were beautiful during this period without the irrigation system hitting the sand. It whitened up and raked much better.
None of these lessons are new and earth shattering. Sometimes in the heat of battle the goal of winning the war gets lost. On a golf course producing the best playing conditions for maximum golfer satisfaction (winning the war) does not entail lush, dark green turf growing at breakneck speed. It is producing a turf that is only moderately growing with decent color on ground that is firm underfoot. Last winter I talked about reading "Practical Greenkeeping" and the last two weeks have reinforced the message from that book. Let the turf do its own thing, just try to help it when it needs it, but never try to force it to do anything. The pump station is supposed to be fixed tomorrow and I will be working hard to change the irrigation schedules to keep the conditions of the last few weeks. See you on the course.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
Feast or Famine
The pendulum seems to have swung past middle and on to the other extreme, hot and dry that is. Whether or not this trends continues and how long it lasts are only answered by living through what summer brings us over the next couple of months. It certainly is not the type of late spring weather that most people hoped for. A nice even ramp up into summer would have been preferred, but this is what we have so we have to cope with it the best way possible.
The good news is that the warm season turf, bermuda and zoysia, love the weather of the past two weeks. The fairways are filling in rapidly and the zoysia has recovered from the nutsedge control and looks great. The fertilizer that was applied has given them a wonderful color and they are ready for a growth regulator application next week. Other good news is that the warm temperatures have slowed the growth of the rough. It is still thick in most areas but at least it is not growing gang busters anymore.
On the other side of the coin is the effect of the early heat on the greens. They were doing just fine and it looked like the program was on the right track when the irrigation pump station decided that it was time to test our mettle. On the night of the 2nd, it malfunctioned just after midnight and the greens did not water. They still had good moisture content and they were hand watered during the day on the third. That night, after thinking that changes to the schedule would help, it did the same thing and the greens again did not water. Again they were hand watered the next morning and looked reasonably good. That afternoon the temperatures soared and the greens dried out too much and too fast to keep up with. Again changes were made and the greens did water that Saturday night. However, on Sunday during hand watering time, the cpu unit on the pump station failed preventing the pump station from turning on. Finally after a couple of telephone calls, the station was switched to manual control in order that the greens could be cooled and irrigated.
The pump station company ordered new parts and they and the technician arrived on Wednesday the 8th. Unfortunately our station is of an age (16 years) that it was built without a memory chip for backup. What has happened is that the cpu has lost the program on how to operate. It is supposed to be stored on this memory chip attached to one of the circuit boards, but it is not there. Today the manufacturer thought they could supply a chip with the program drawn from the original records and have it to us early next week. The technician will then be able to diagnose which board is faulty, replace it and then reprogram the cpu.
In the interim, the station has to be operated manually. This requires first bringing the system up to operating pressure slowly, then turning on the heads desired and matching the outflow with the capacity of the pumps. As the heads quit running, the pressure has to be watched closely and pumps shut off to prevent too much pressure building in the system and blowing pipe apart at the seams. Needless to say it is a little nerve wracking and we have decided to only water greens at this point. Tees were able to be irrigated Thursday morning and might be done again on Tuesday. Greens take anywhere between an hour and four depending on how much water needs to be applied. During the day we are able to open the #12 lake fill valve in the system that allows the small pump to run continuously while we hand water the dry spots on the greens. The lake valve acts as a safety release keeping the pressure in the system from building. Fairways and rough are not receiving any water at this point.
The upside to not watering the fairways is that the poa annua that survived last winter and could not be sprayed out is dieing quickly probably saving a herbicide application. They also should be rolling quite good making your tee shots even longer. Without irrigation the rough has slowed its growth and should be more playable. The greens have suffered some but are being nursed back to health. Some turf has been lost mainly on edges where problems have surfaced before. When the pump station is fully operational again, these areas will be dealt with using plugs. Of course they have been other complications such as 3 heads that quit turning and 2 controllers that also quit. Normal occurances for a 23 year old system but never the less very frustrating on this end. The course really does look terrific right now even with all that has happened in the last week and hopefully you are out enjoying it.
The good news is that the warm season turf, bermuda and zoysia, love the weather of the past two weeks. The fairways are filling in rapidly and the zoysia has recovered from the nutsedge control and looks great. The fertilizer that was applied has given them a wonderful color and they are ready for a growth regulator application next week. Other good news is that the warm temperatures have slowed the growth of the rough. It is still thick in most areas but at least it is not growing gang busters anymore.
On the other side of the coin is the effect of the early heat on the greens. They were doing just fine and it looked like the program was on the right track when the irrigation pump station decided that it was time to test our mettle. On the night of the 2nd, it malfunctioned just after midnight and the greens did not water. They still had good moisture content and they were hand watered during the day on the third. That night, after thinking that changes to the schedule would help, it did the same thing and the greens again did not water. Again they were hand watered the next morning and looked reasonably good. That afternoon the temperatures soared and the greens dried out too much and too fast to keep up with. Again changes were made and the greens did water that Saturday night. However, on Sunday during hand watering time, the cpu unit on the pump station failed preventing the pump station from turning on. Finally after a couple of telephone calls, the station was switched to manual control in order that the greens could be cooled and irrigated.
The pump station company ordered new parts and they and the technician arrived on Wednesday the 8th. Unfortunately our station is of an age (16 years) that it was built without a memory chip for backup. What has happened is that the cpu has lost the program on how to operate. It is supposed to be stored on this memory chip attached to one of the circuit boards, but it is not there. Today the manufacturer thought they could supply a chip with the program drawn from the original records and have it to us early next week. The technician will then be able to diagnose which board is faulty, replace it and then reprogram the cpu.
In the interim, the station has to be operated manually. This requires first bringing the system up to operating pressure slowly, then turning on the heads desired and matching the outflow with the capacity of the pumps. As the heads quit running, the pressure has to be watched closely and pumps shut off to prevent too much pressure building in the system and blowing pipe apart at the seams. Needless to say it is a little nerve wracking and we have decided to only water greens at this point. Tees were able to be irrigated Thursday morning and might be done again on Tuesday. Greens take anywhere between an hour and four depending on how much water needs to be applied. During the day we are able to open the #12 lake fill valve in the system that allows the small pump to run continuously while we hand water the dry spots on the greens. The lake valve acts as a safety release keeping the pressure in the system from building. Fairways and rough are not receiving any water at this point.
The upside to not watering the fairways is that the poa annua that survived last winter and could not be sprayed out is dieing quickly probably saving a herbicide application. They also should be rolling quite good making your tee shots even longer. Without irrigation the rough has slowed its growth and should be more playable. The greens have suffered some but are being nursed back to health. Some turf has been lost mainly on edges where problems have surfaced before. When the pump station is fully operational again, these areas will be dealt with using plugs. Of course they have been other complications such as 3 heads that quit turning and 2 controllers that also quit. Normal occurances for a 23 year old system but never the less very frustrating on this end. The course really does look terrific right now even with all that has happened in the last week and hopefully you are out enjoying it.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The Rough
The one area of the golf course that must be causing the most comments is the rough. The comments are fairly typical from the past several springs but I will try to go farther in depth with my explanation of the factors that are the root of the situation.
Even though the past several days have been HOT, the growing conditions for cool season turf, (ryegrass, bluegrass, and fescue) have been almost perfect starting in late March through now. Abundant moisture and normal to above temperatures have allowed those grasses to flourish. At the same time, the rainfall has been one of the key factors in limiting the staff's ability to keep the turf cut. The rough (which normally takes about 4 days with two mowers to completely mow) was cut on April 18th, 19th and 20th. On the 21st because of overnight rain, staff went two mower widths around each hole. That process was repeated on the 29th with no mowing taking place on the 22nd through the 28th because it was too wet. The next time it was dry enough to mow was May 4th when the cutting height was raised 1/2 inch on the 2 main mowers to cope with the extended interval between mowings. On the 5th and 6th, the two backup mowers, set at our normal height, were deployed to mow 6 times around each fairway while the main mowers were finishing mowing at the higher height. On the 9th the main mowers were reset to normal height and we have been there the past three weeks. To say we are still playing catchup is an understatement of how far behind the 8 ball Mother Nature put us.
A second factor in the equation is the equipment we have to mow rough with. In 2006 our two primary mowers were in need of replacement as was one of our fairway mowers. With only a finite set of money available, we chose to replace both rough units and wait a year for a fairway mower. Again because of funding and the condition of both rough units, two new units were selected. The units were not the best fit for the course but their cost allowed us to get two instead of only purchasing one that year and waiting a year or two for the other one. It was a stop gap measure hoping that the financial picture would brighten in three to five years. Unfortunately, the economy worsened and those two mowers purchased as short term replacements are still the primary mowers entering their sixth season. One of the negatives of these mowers that we knew going in was they were belt driven instead of hydraulic which is not as reliable and causes frequent repairs. They are of the age now that breakdowns are becoming a constant. The two backup units are from 1998 and 99. One is sacrificed to mow the practice area rough and the other we hope to use on slopes that our current mowers do not do well on and as a backup when one of the others is down.
Another comment that has been expressed is the lack of an intermediate height rough adjacent to the fairway. This operation was abandoned last year in a cost saving measure. With no capital expenditures for the last three years, it is obvious that the golf course operation needs to run as lean as possible to hopefully save money that can be used for equipment replacement. When this mowing pattern changed last year, the intermediate rough which was bermuda was converted to fairway thus widening them. Going back to intermediate rough in most cases would narrow the fairways. The goal for this year is to mow the first pass of rough adjacent to the fairway twice per week versus once for the rest of the rough. To date because of one less staff member and equipment breakdowns and the weather, this has yet to happen.
The last factor is the seed used in the fall to strengthen the rough. When this program started in the late 90's, we chose ryegrass because it germinated faster and made a better stand, quicker. About five years ago, the switch was made to fescue seed to see if would perform better. In the spring of 2010, it was obvious that the quality of the rough using fescue had dimenished and last fall we switched back to using ryegrass. The advantages are that it starts quicker, actually helps control winter broadleaf weeds, and makes a thicker stand of turf. The disadvantage is that it makes a thicker stand of turf because more seed makes it to a maturity.
In summary, the height of cut has not changed the last few years. The fertilization program has remained the same or lessened over that time period. The seed used to improve the rough did change last year and Mother Nature has caused the mowing frequency to lag as has the reliability of equipment and the staffing levels which were reduced by one this year. It is not a perfect world but I will be suprised if once summer weather is here for several weeks and staff gets caught up on mowing if the rough continues to a major topic of interest. But then again if it is, that will mean the greens are doing wonderful. See you on the course.
Even though the past several days have been HOT, the growing conditions for cool season turf, (ryegrass, bluegrass, and fescue) have been almost perfect starting in late March through now. Abundant moisture and normal to above temperatures have allowed those grasses to flourish. At the same time, the rainfall has been one of the key factors in limiting the staff's ability to keep the turf cut. The rough (which normally takes about 4 days with two mowers to completely mow) was cut on April 18th, 19th and 20th. On the 21st because of overnight rain, staff went two mower widths around each hole. That process was repeated on the 29th with no mowing taking place on the 22nd through the 28th because it was too wet. The next time it was dry enough to mow was May 4th when the cutting height was raised 1/2 inch on the 2 main mowers to cope with the extended interval between mowings. On the 5th and 6th, the two backup mowers, set at our normal height, were deployed to mow 6 times around each fairway while the main mowers were finishing mowing at the higher height. On the 9th the main mowers were reset to normal height and we have been there the past three weeks. To say we are still playing catchup is an understatement of how far behind the 8 ball Mother Nature put us.
A second factor in the equation is the equipment we have to mow rough with. In 2006 our two primary mowers were in need of replacement as was one of our fairway mowers. With only a finite set of money available, we chose to replace both rough units and wait a year for a fairway mower. Again because of funding and the condition of both rough units, two new units were selected. The units were not the best fit for the course but their cost allowed us to get two instead of only purchasing one that year and waiting a year or two for the other one. It was a stop gap measure hoping that the financial picture would brighten in three to five years. Unfortunately, the economy worsened and those two mowers purchased as short term replacements are still the primary mowers entering their sixth season. One of the negatives of these mowers that we knew going in was they were belt driven instead of hydraulic which is not as reliable and causes frequent repairs. They are of the age now that breakdowns are becoming a constant. The two backup units are from 1998 and 99. One is sacrificed to mow the practice area rough and the other we hope to use on slopes that our current mowers do not do well on and as a backup when one of the others is down.
Another comment that has been expressed is the lack of an intermediate height rough adjacent to the fairway. This operation was abandoned last year in a cost saving measure. With no capital expenditures for the last three years, it is obvious that the golf course operation needs to run as lean as possible to hopefully save money that can be used for equipment replacement. When this mowing pattern changed last year, the intermediate rough which was bermuda was converted to fairway thus widening them. Going back to intermediate rough in most cases would narrow the fairways. The goal for this year is to mow the first pass of rough adjacent to the fairway twice per week versus once for the rest of the rough. To date because of one less staff member and equipment breakdowns and the weather, this has yet to happen.
The last factor is the seed used in the fall to strengthen the rough. When this program started in the late 90's, we chose ryegrass because it germinated faster and made a better stand, quicker. About five years ago, the switch was made to fescue seed to see if would perform better. In the spring of 2010, it was obvious that the quality of the rough using fescue had dimenished and last fall we switched back to using ryegrass. The advantages are that it starts quicker, actually helps control winter broadleaf weeds, and makes a thicker stand of turf. The disadvantage is that it makes a thicker stand of turf because more seed makes it to a maturity.
In summary, the height of cut has not changed the last few years. The fertilization program has remained the same or lessened over that time period. The seed used to improve the rough did change last year and Mother Nature has caused the mowing frequency to lag as has the reliability of equipment and the staffing levels which were reduced by one this year. It is not a perfect world but I will be suprised if once summer weather is here for several weeks and staff gets caught up on mowing if the rough continues to a major topic of interest. But then again if it is, that will mean the greens are doing wonderful. See you on the course.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Greens
The greens here have always been a challenge to care for and generally behave unlike most other greens not only in the area but the midwest. Many programs have been tried searching for that "silver bullet" that would ease their care yet produce fast, firm putting surfaces. There are many products that are marketed as "cure alls", and many have been tried through the years. Hardly a year has gone by where our greens management program has not been changed from the previous year no matter how successful that year was. I guess you would say that perfection is being chased.
This past winter after attending two seminars and visiting numerous vendors at the Golf Industry Show, the decision to add one product and change the rate on another was made. The product added is OARS or organic acid removal system. Organic acid tends to coat individual sand particles in the greens mix making them repel water which is not a good thing and is the cause of most of our dry spots on the greens. Application of OARS on a monthly basis is said to help prevent the sand medium from drying in spots. The first application was made a couple of weeks ago and I would say that it is helping as I believe the greens are drying more on the surface (what is desired) while still holding moisture deeper in the sand where you want the roots to be. It is a new experience letting the surface dry (which allows for better putting). In the past this would have caused numerous localized dry spots that would need hand watering. It has not eliminated hand watering but it has reduced the need so far.
One green that has given us trouble in the past was the back right of #16. Today I had Adam Hunerkoch put some plugs in a bare area there from the nursery green. When cutting the bad area out, Adam noted that it felt like he was cutting through roots. When he was finished he examined the soil taken from #16 green and found it contained a whole bunch of tree roots that I figure are from the sycamore behind the back bunker. (See photo below) Those roots are the cause of the turf loss but because of the proximity to the bunker and the green, root pruning might not be available. That would mean removal would be the only remedy to the situation.
The other product that we tweaked in our program was the growth regulator Primo. In the past the industry feeling was that the use of this product would help the bentgrass but also increase the poa annua (lighter green colored turf with seedheads). New research out of Wisconsin shows that the benefits of Primo can be obtained without the negatives if the application timing is reduced to 200 GDD (growing degree days). This was the course of action decided upon and it does seem to be working. The poa annua is still seeding but the plant is diminished in size in relationship to the bentgrass. One of the benefits of Primo is reduced need for water by the plant which may be helping to keep the surface drier. The bentgrass is definitely finer textured with Primo which was one of the drawbacks with other growth regulators we have tried. Unfortunately, applying by GDD has added more sprays to our routine. Reviewing past weather records leads us to think that in the summer the Primo sprays will be once per week. Every other week then it will be combined with our regular fungicide application easing the burden slightly.
The only disappointing feature of the greens since aeration has been the speed. Now that mowing and rolling schedules are stabilizing, the speed has been consistently between the high 8's and middle 9's. The target is between 9 and 10.5 so they are on the low end of spectrum. One possible factor is one of the fungicides we regularly use. It is an organic compound that seems to leave the leaf feeling sticky. I think I can feel it on a golf ball for a couple of days after application. Removal of this product from the application schedule may be tried in June to see if it really is having an effect on ball roll. Overall, the texture and smoothness of the putting surfaces are good and continuing to improve each week. If the surfaces can remain drier throughout the summer without massive hand watering and the speed can be tweaked slightly, then the goals for the year will be met.
This past winter after attending two seminars and visiting numerous vendors at the Golf Industry Show, the decision to add one product and change the rate on another was made. The product added is OARS or organic acid removal system. Organic acid tends to coat individual sand particles in the greens mix making them repel water which is not a good thing and is the cause of most of our dry spots on the greens. Application of OARS on a monthly basis is said to help prevent the sand medium from drying in spots. The first application was made a couple of weeks ago and I would say that it is helping as I believe the greens are drying more on the surface (what is desired) while still holding moisture deeper in the sand where you want the roots to be. It is a new experience letting the surface dry (which allows for better putting). In the past this would have caused numerous localized dry spots that would need hand watering. It has not eliminated hand watering but it has reduced the need so far.
One green that has given us trouble in the past was the back right of #16. Today I had Adam Hunerkoch put some plugs in a bare area there from the nursery green. When cutting the bad area out, Adam noted that it felt like he was cutting through roots. When he was finished he examined the soil taken from #16 green and found it contained a whole bunch of tree roots that I figure are from the sycamore behind the back bunker. (See photo below) Those roots are the cause of the turf loss but because of the proximity to the bunker and the green, root pruning might not be available. That would mean removal would be the only remedy to the situation.
The other product that we tweaked in our program was the growth regulator Primo. In the past the industry feeling was that the use of this product would help the bentgrass but also increase the poa annua (lighter green colored turf with seedheads). New research out of Wisconsin shows that the benefits of Primo can be obtained without the negatives if the application timing is reduced to 200 GDD (growing degree days). This was the course of action decided upon and it does seem to be working. The poa annua is still seeding but the plant is diminished in size in relationship to the bentgrass. One of the benefits of Primo is reduced need for water by the plant which may be helping to keep the surface drier. The bentgrass is definitely finer textured with Primo which was one of the drawbacks with other growth regulators we have tried. Unfortunately, applying by GDD has added more sprays to our routine. Reviewing past weather records leads us to think that in the summer the Primo sprays will be once per week. Every other week then it will be combined with our regular fungicide application easing the burden slightly.
The only disappointing feature of the greens since aeration has been the speed. Now that mowing and rolling schedules are stabilizing, the speed has been consistently between the high 8's and middle 9's. The target is between 9 and 10.5 so they are on the low end of spectrum. One possible factor is one of the fungicides we regularly use. It is an organic compound that seems to leave the leaf feeling sticky. I think I can feel it on a golf ball for a couple of days after application. Removal of this product from the application schedule may be tried in June to see if it really is having an effect on ball roll. Overall, the texture and smoothness of the putting surfaces are good and continuing to improve each week. If the surfaces can remain drier throughout the summer without massive hand watering and the speed can be tweaked slightly, then the goals for the year will be met.
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| mass of tree roots #16 green |
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