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.

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.


mass of tree roots #16 green