April Showers

The old saying, "April showers bring May flowers" has so far been the story of this spring. This April at Ridgeway we received almost 10" of rainfall along with 4" of snow. The course is still wet and needs some time dry out. Some warm temperatures and sun would be much appreciated.

The last blog post talked about some potential winterkill issues with some colder nights in mid-April. The good news is we had no signs of any issues as a result of that cold stretch. The turf overall is in great shape for this time of year and has only minor damage coming out of winter. #9 and #17 greens have a few areas of minor winterkill that should not impact play and with warm weather should be back to full strength. Also some small fairway low areas have some winterkill but already appear to be healing in nicely. Warmer temperatures will be our greatest asset to getting these areas to recover.

Spring is an important time to prepare the golf course for the peak season ahead. We use this time to lay the foundation of what will be a great season. Aeration and topdressing are two processes that we utilize this time of year to prepare the course for the rigors of summertime.  One step in that summertime preparation is deep-needle tining or more commonly referred too as forking . We like to fork greens several times a season. This process is minimally invasive and has almost zero impact on the playability of the golf course. Forking is great for improving soil oxygen, roots, water infiltration and helps relieve compaction. Since we started forking greens 4-6 times a year, our greens health has improved greatly, not to mention our bentgrass populations have skyrocketed. Like I said earlier, the majority of our aeration and topdressing this spring will have very little impact on play but will have a large impact come summer in terms of healthy turf and smooth playing surfaces.

The month of May will be a busy month for the greens and grounds’ considering it was very wet in April. Here are a few items we will working on:

·         Building and installing new landscape beds between 1 tee/ 18 green.

·         Drainage in front of #14 tee.

·         Spray for broadleaf weeds.

·         Spray pre-emergent herbicide on fairways.

·         Repair and seed walks.

·         Topdressing of tees, greens and approaches.

·         Fix and repair the end of cart paths with crushed asphalt.

·         Prune trees with deadwood and overhanging branches.

·         Irrigation repair and maintenance.

·         Keep up with mowing the course which is difficult at this time of year because of how fast grass tends to grow with warm temperatures and soil that is moist.

That's a lot on our plate and is only a portion of what we need to accomplish in such a short time. We hope the weather is friendlier for accomplishing the work that we need to get done. With how well the course came out of winter and some elbow grease in the next month, 2014 looks to be a great year!

Poa: A Golf Courses Greatest Liability.

In the game of golf turf management, mother nature always has the upper hand.  She is the judge, jury and executioner.  So far our turf has looked very good coming out of winter.  Up to this point both bentgrass and Poa seem to be doing well and have broken dormancy. We have mowed all of our fine turf areas and at this point things appear to be going along nicely ... until this past weekend.

Taken 4-14-14

Taken 4-13-14

Winter kill scenarios like crown hydration are problematic at this time of year particularly when you have Poa plants that break dormancy, start growing and start taking in water.  Any situation where you have Poa plants breaking dormancy, wet weather, followed by cold weather you have a recipe for crown hydration. Crown hydration in plants is similar to taking a sledge hammer to a glass window,  cell membranes in Poa plants burst similar to breaking glass and cause death of that plant. The next couple nights are expected to be very cold.  Tonight in particular lows are supposed to reach the upper teens.  After receiving 5"+ of rain the ground is way past field capacity and the Poa plants are full of water.  This could lead to some crown hydration which means death of some Poa plants.

What can we do about protecting Poa plants at this point?

Nothing.  Our only saving grace is if the snow stays and acts as a blanket to protect it from the cold air. Or it does not get as cold as the forecast is predicting.

Low areas and poorly draining areas with Poa are at risk for crown hydration.  And greens with large amounts of Poa are at risk.  For example #14 green is 95+% bentgrass and has virtually no risk of damage while #4 green has ~50% Poa with some poor drainage characteristics is at high risk.

What can we do in the future to protect against this type of injury?

PROMOTE BENTGRASS!! If we have damage occur it will be on weak Poa, not on bentgrass.  We have made great strides in promoting bent over Poa, that being said we still have some greens and some areas with significant amount of Poa.  Also improving drainage especially surface drainage will go a long way in keeping turf drier which will ultimately help curb winter kill and summer stress.

Remember that Poa annua is a golf courses greatest liability in this climate. It is by nature weak and succumbs to winter and summer stress.  99% of winter injury occurs on Poa and a large majority of  summer injury occurs on Poa.  Poa requires more water, fertilizer and pesticides to stay alive.  It becomes bumpy and uneven which can impede smooth consistent ball roll on greens.

I know that I talk a lot about Poa on this blog and that is because of all of the liability issues it presents as a turf manager. But keep this in mind during the summer months, when the golf course is a little firm or you see some brown areas from lack of water, or you see some trees that have been removed, remember this blog post about how Poa as a golf courses greatest liability.  Remember that a soft, overly green golf course is an unhealthy golf course full of liability.  With all of the winter kill issues, summer stress issues, playability issues,  and large cost involved in maintaining Poa, would you invest in it long term? 

Here are some great articles about winterkill and crown hydration:

http://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/mitgc/article/1995259.pdf


http://www.turf.msu.edu/winterkill-of-turfgrass


http://www.usga.org/RegionalUpdateArticle.aspx?id=21474861746

What's New for 2014

Course Update

Currently we little snow left on the course but still need some much needed warm weather to remove the several feet of frost from the property.  With rain then snow in our forecast, its going to be awhile before we open unless the weather makes a drastic change.  Keep in mind the average opening date at Ridgeway is around April 7th-12th taking into account 40+ years of history.

What's New for 2014

With the season nearing I thought I would take this time to announce what's new for the 2014 season.  During the offseason, the greens and grounds committee takes a look at what items or practices it wants improve for the next year. This season is no different as we have some great and exciting things we want to unveil. 

• The last couple of seasons we have looked at ways to incorporate some new landscape/perennial flower areas to the golf course.  We removed a majority of the numerous small beds in preparation of adding larger less numerous beds, located in high impact areas of the course.  Starting this spring we will be adding several landscape additions to the property that will be located in these parts of the course:
• Landscape beds near the clubhouse between #1 tee and #18 green.
• Below the deck by the clubhouse.
• Between the wildflower and natural area on #13 across from #13 tee. Now that the natural area on #13 is reaching maturity we are adding this bed with the hopes of making this area the most beautiful on the course.
• We have received a lot of feedback regarding greens firmness vs. approach/fairway firmness.  This season our goal is make fairways and approaches firmer than that of our greens.  This will allow balls to roll up onto the putting surface.  Another aspect of this maintenance change is to closely monitor greens firmness so that well executed shots hold the green better than in past couple of seasons.  Several factors will play into our watering decisions in 2014: playability, aesthetics, firmness, and plant health will play a role in how we water.
•  This season we will be leasing a large PTO driven detacher that will help keep our fairways in great condition.  Thatch is a problem for turf because it impedes water movement, shallows roots, and makes a great home for pests like insects/fungi. We anticipate dethatching fairways this spring.
• In 2014 we are also going to be rolling fairways and approaches so that we improve ball roll without sacrificing aesthetics.  This goes back to earlier in this post about firmer fairways and approaches. The side benefit to rolling our fairways and approaches is improved turf health and less disease pressure.
• Collars and perimeters around greens are some of the toughest areas to maintain on a golf course.  This season we have a multi-faceted approach to dealing with these areas so they are healthy and vibrant as the rest of the course. 

We are excited for the 2014 golf season to start.  The new changes are nice additions to our ever evolving maintenance regimen.

The greens and grounds crew hopes to see you out golfing very soon!

Please check this blog and our twitter feed @RidgewayCCTurf for continuing updates as the season nears...

Winter of 2014: The good, the bad and the ugly!

The past few months the local news has been focusing on the harsh winter of 2014.  To date, 2014 is already the coldest winter on record (for the Green Bay area) and with snow totals that keep piling up it may end up as the snowiest.  This has many members wondering what this weather means for Ridgeway and the spring just ahead.  While the outlook is uncertain at this point I will try to help you understand the possible scenarios that lay ahead.

#11 on 3/17/14

The Good

One good sign this winter is the deep frost which so far has kept the turf dormant.  The turfgrass plants had ample time to harden off before the heavy snows came in mid-December which means they became "conditioned" for the winter ahead. 

Another good sign was the relative lack of ice on the property.   In past seasons ice has been present for extended periods of time throughout winter.  Ice can cause damage to turf if it is present for extended periods but ice damage does not appear to be a problem this winter.

Finally our bentgrass populations have greatly increased in the past 3 seasons which ultimately means less winterkill.  Poa annua is a very weak plant that struggles to survive harsh winter conditions. Bentgrass on the other hand is very tolerant of cold weather, ice and large fluctuations in temperature.  For instance, our winter kill last season would have been catastrophic if we had the Poa populations prior to 2011.  Poa is a huge liability and is the reason we are trying to reduce its population at Ridgeway.  If damage does occur, it will pale in comparison to past seasons.

The Bad

Winter is not over and winterkill scenarios are more likely in the remaining weeks.  With all of the snow and deep frost, water will soon engulf the property.  Melting snow will cause water to pool up in areas which can be bad if we get large fluctuations in temperature.  Crown hydration can occur when warm weather and melting snow/water cause Poa to break dormancy.  If Poa breaks dormancy any extreme drop in temperatures can cause death to occur.

With long harsh winters most of the turfgrass plants carbohydrate reserves are depleted and Poa plants are very weak.  University studies have shown that Poa's cold hardiness can be 20 degrees F at the end of winter.  So any extended drop in temperature to exposed Poa can cause damage.

We will monitor the melt but there is little we can do other than make sure drainage grates on the property are clear so water can move effectively.

The Ugly

The ugly truth is no superintendent can predict how a golf course will survive coming out of winters like 2014's. So far we have some good signs but unfortunately winter is not over and how the course melts may ultimately determine its fate.  We cannot predict the weather or change it, so in the end all we can do is deal with its consequences. 

One thing I can say is the progress we have made promoting bentgrass is something that will help minimize the amount of damage that "may" occur.  Poa is our greatest liability at Ridgeway and keeping it to a minimum is important so that winterkill scenarios are kept to a minimum.  If our greens, tees and fairways were 100% bentgrass there would be no reason for concern of winterkill at this point.  That being said we still have some Poa and because of that we have a liability that hinges solely on the weather at this point.

Lets hope for nice steady melt and a speedy start to the 2014 golf season!

Taken 2/21/14 from #12 green

Winter Maintenance

Inevitably I am asked every winter, “What is there to do at the golf course during the winter months?”  Simply put, a lot!

Painting

During the winter we bring all of our ball washers, benches, garbage receptacles, cups, flagsticks, and range tee dividers inside so they can painted.  All of the tee and green supplies get broken down, prepped, primed, painted and reassembled. Items like our range tee dividers get sanded, cleaned and receive several coats of stain/sealer. 

Equipment Repair and Maintenance

Ridgeway has close to a million dollars worth of equipment in the maintenance department and it is our job to preserve your investment.  One of the steps we take in preserving Ridgeway’s investment is preventative maintenance.  Throughout the offseason all of our preventative maintenance gets done on our equipment which includes:  oil changes, new filters, new bearings, hydraulic hoses, etc. are a few of the items that get replaced during the offseason.

A majority of our cutting units consist of reels and bedknives, both get taken apart and ground so that they are sharp once the season begins.  Each reel and bedknife is examined for age to see if any replacements are necessary.  Its takes months not days to look at every single piece of equipment and do the work necessary to have it working correctly when we need it perform at its best.  

Irrigation

We look into our central control computer which runs our irrigation to see if we can improve how our system runs. Every sprinkler can be tweaked to meet the demands of its particular environment. We can make adjustments if need be or reconfigure the system so we get the most out our watering.

House Cleaning

A majority of the work done this offseason is completed inside, because of that; we shuffle equipment around to make our work easier.  Once we get our painting and equipment maintenance done we clean/ organize our shop the way we would like it for the golf season.   

During this cleaning process we take inventory of irrigation parts, chemicals, fertilizer, tools, and supplies so that we know what we need once the hectic golf season starts. 

Tree Management

This season the greens and grounds committee has selected a few trees that had issues with the following:

1.       Dead or dying. A few of these trees on the property where completely dead.  Many of these where elms or ash which had succumb to disease.  The committee had concerns with safety because of falling limbs.

2.       Loss of form.  Many ash trees on the property where planted so closely together that they started to lose branches, or die off slowly.  Because these trees are weak, wind storms have made many of these trees hazards to the golfer and from an aesthetic point of view, ugly!

3.       Overcrowding. In few instances trees that are crowding other larger specimen trees were removed to allow for the longevity and vitality of our most prized trees.

This season’s tree removal is very small but a nice improvement.  It’s nice to see healthy trees that are allowed to now reach their full potential.

Along with a few tree removals we have also concentrated on removing overhanging limbs on the property. This will allow for greater playability and make mowing rough less dangerous for our employees. 

As you can see there is plenty of work that needs to be completed in the cold Wisconsin winters.  So much so that we have to make sure we stay on schedule so that it gets completed before our season begins.  So far we are ahead of schedule and we can’t wait for the 2014 golf season to begin!!

Transitional Period

The end of the golfing year brings a transitional period where the focus moves from surface preparation to gearing up for the winter ahead.  In many cases shoot growth of grass plants has stopped and mowing is not necessary.   Focus now lies in preparing for the upcoming winter months.  Here are many of the items that must or have been completed going into the offseason:

·         Mow native areas.  These areas must be mowed once a season preferably in the fall to help reduce weed populations.  It is also nice to thin out the native areas so that they do not become too thick. Burning also works but can negatively affect the fescue grasses which are the desired turf species in these native areas.  The choice to mow over burning is a better option to preserve the turf species that we desire. 

·        Irrigation winterization.  The entire irrigation system must be winterized and the water blown out of the lines so that it does not damage the piping system.  This task will take place November 11^th and 12^th.

·         Fall fertilization.  Shortly after plants stop growing is a great way to enhance root growth and strengthen the plants for the upcoming winter.  Because the shoots of the plants have stopped all of the nutrients are stored and used up in the roots which enhance overall plant health.

·         Snow mold.  A fungicide application to fairways, tees, approaches and greens for snow mold takes place shortly before the first deep freeze or snowfall.  All of these areas are sprayed to prevent snow mold.  This takes a coordinated effort because of the amount of leaves, shortness of the day, and air temperatures affect how and when the application will take place.

·         Sand topdressing.  As in previous years we will again be sand topdressing our tees, approaches and greens before winter to protect the crown of the plant from the harsh winter ahead.  This is also a great way to incorporate sand into our profile without affecting play since the course will be closed for several months.

·         Deep-tine aeration.  In conjunction with sand topdressing we also deep-tine our putting surfaces right after we close the golf course for the season. We have done this the past 3 seasons and our outstanding root profile is testament to how well this process works.  The side benefit is these deep 9-10” channels give water a place to hide during winter thaw cycles.  Water in these channels is better than pooling up on our putting surfaces, which can cause all kinds of winter kill issues like crown hydration and ice damage.

·         Leaf removal.  Most of the trees at Ridgeway lose their leaves late in the fall which means a majority of the leaf blowing and mulching will be done in November. 

The end of the season also means colder morning temperatures and frost delays. Please be reminded that frost delays are necessary to protect turf from injury.  On days when frost occurs, you can expect play to be delayed at least until 10 AM.   This past week the earliest anyone was able to tee off after frost was 9:30.  Just a reminder when scheduling tee times this late in the season.

Busy Times

It always seems fall is one of the busiest times for the greens and grounds department. The fall of 2013 is no exception as we have been very busy attending to small projects and areas of the course that need tender loving care.

Range Closure

The south half of the driving range tee is closed for the remainder of the 2013 golf season. The north portion of the range tee will stay open in the mean time.   The reason for the closure of one half is so that we can grow-in the south half of the range tee before winter.  Once the course opens in the Spring of 2014 we will flip and hit off the south portion and close the north portion. 

One of the problems with the range tee in the past is that it fills in nicely but the ground underneath is unstable making the ground explode after a shot.  In order to curtail this problem we are going to be using a more organic divot mixture (60% sand 20% topsoil and 10% peat) which will give us a few more advantages: i.) increase germination ii.) give us better water holding capacity which is more desirable in this instance iii.) provide more stability in the soil structure so that it holds together better.

Today we are heavily over seeding, fertilizing and topdressing with the new “organic” divot mixture.



Heavy topdressing with seed
mixture.

New divot mix!



 

Approach Aeration

Starting Sunday night we started core aerating our collars and approaches.  We core aerated from the last fairway sprinkler head up to the putting surface and around the collar.  It is a multi-step process which has went very smoothly so far.  Later this week we will be topdressing the approaches again to make sure all of the holes are filled.  You can expect collars/approaches to be heavily sanded for the next week until the area heals in and sand works its way into the turf canopy.

One of the goals going forward is to make our approaches play like our putting surfaces.  We want to achieve the same firmness from approach to green.  This will ensure a shot landing on the approach can reach the green.  So far in the past couple of seasons we have been able to add about 1” of topdressing sand to the surface of our approaches.  We will continue to strive to provide more consistency from approach through the green. 
 


Tony aerating #11 app.

Finished product.

Sod Nursery



As I have mentioned before the surface of the nursery is seeded.  After 8 days, we started to see seedlings emerge from the sandy surface.  By the start of next week we will be looking at giving the nursery its first mow.  The bluegrass and fairway portion are almost ready to be seeded and will be completed by the end of the week.  






8 days after seeding