What's Up(date) 12/16/2010




Iced #3 fairway

 

 Wow, we've had some cold, dry weather the past two weeks!  That cold, dry air can really take a toll on young ryegrass seedlings and I see some damage on a few fairways driving around the golf course.  Thankfully, it's 65 degrees outside today and we are expecting some rain this weekend.  The extremely low temperatures have really hindered our ability to get water on the golf course as we can not run water when the air temperature is below 32 degrees.  Given the fragile nature of our irrigation system, the attached photo is a good example of what happens.  Essentially the head stuck on and then ran all night creating a sheet of ice on the fairway that we had to route traffic around to prevent damage to the turf below.

In an effort to combat the freezing conditions some facilities use tarps to cover greens during excessively cold spells.  Knowing there are a few greens on the golf course that freeze when the temperatures get low we purchased a large tarp to trap some heat and keep the green a little warmer.  We are testing this out on the back side of #6 green this year.  This is the section of the green that gave us so much trouble this past winter/spring due to excessive tree shading and the frozen surface. 

I am hoping that by tarping the back of the green during multiple cold days, we will keep the plant warmer and keep it from going into a dormant state so that it will come out of winter stronger than last year.  Should you be playing on a day that we have deemed it necessary to leave the tarp on the green, please consider it ground under repair if your ball comes to rest on the tarp.  Generally we expect to completely remove the tarp during warmer spells, but we will leave the tarp rolled off the back of the green on days where the night time lows will be excessively low for consecutive nights.  There was a very distinct line of where the tarp was when we removed it this past week.

As the trees behind the green continue to grow taller, this green will continue to have shade issues and frozen conditions unless we can remove or thin the the trees behind the green.

I am sometimes asked during these days when the temperatures are excessively cold,  "What are you guys doing today?"  I wanted to take a few minutes to elaborate on cold weather maintenance and what we do when it is just too cold for grass to grow and the golf course is not busy.  As some of you may have noticed, we have begun adding pine straw to the beds at tee boxes and cleaning up some of the larger landscaping beds.  This is work that unfortunately gets pushed to the winter time because we simply do not have the staff to keep up with these periphery projects during the growing season. 

However, we also have an entire fleet of turf equipment that gets annual maintenance inspections, oil changes and lubes, cutting units sharpened, and equipment parts replaced. 

In our fleet there are:

• 2 heavy duty utility carts
• 8 general use utility carts
• 2 greens mowers
• 1 tee mower
• 12 cutting reels to be sharpened
• 2 fairway mowers each with 5 cutting units
• 1 slopes/surrounds mower
• 1 30 hp tractor
• 1 45 hp tractor
• 1 60 hp tractor
• 1 pull behind rough mower
• 2 pine straw sweeping machines
• 1 3-wheeled bunker machine
• 2 dedicated sprayers
• 1 dedicated greens roller
• 1 topdresser
• small attachment items that we use occasionally throughout the year. 

The winter time is the best time to do fluid changes and larger preventive maintenance on these pieces of equipment as the frequency of use is much less than during the growing season and we can really take our time to keep the equipment in top shape.  Most of the equipment that we use on the golf course is between 4 and 6 years old.  To put a number on this, our greens mowers have about 2000 hours on them.  A good equation to car miles is 100 miles per hour of use.  That would be the equivalent of having over 200,000 miles on a car!

Wrapping up, have a safe holiday during these upcoming weeks.  We look forward to seeing you out enjoying this warm weather!

Update for December 6

Lighting up lasers on 15 fairway!

I had to start with a fun picture because I move on to the not fun topic of frost and cold.

WOW, IT'S COLD!

We're expecting some very cold temperatures overnight this week and I wanted to take the time to insert an excerpt on frost and why it's so important to stay off frost covered turf.  Yes, it's frustrating to show up early and hear the infamous "frost delay" radio communication, but it's equally frustrating for us on the turf management side because we want to be out of the way and let you enjoy your round without being asked for the ump-teenth time, "When do you think we can go?"  All joking aside, I want you to understand that we do everything that we can to help you get on the golf course as early as possible.  On the positive side, it will definitely be warmer when you do get out there than it was during the frost delay!

• How can a footprint be a killer?
  
  When it's a footprint made on a grass surface that's covered with frost. It's hard to believe that simply walking across a golf green covered with frost can cause so much damage, but the proof will be there in a few days as the turfgrass dies and leaves a trail of brown footprints. That's why most courses will delay starting times until the frost has melted.
• Why does frost cause problems?
  
  Greens are fragile. The putting surface, or green, is an extremely fragile environment that must be managed carefully and professionally. Remember that every green is a collection of millions of individual grass plants, each of which is a delicate living thing. Obviously, Mother Nature never meant for these plants to be maintained at 3/16 or even 1/8 of an inch for prolonged periods. This stress makes greens constantly vulnerable to attacks from insects, disease, heat, drought, cold -- and frost.
  
  
  Frost is essentially frozen dew. It can form when the temperature (or wind chill) is near or below the freezing point. The ice crystals that form on the outside of the plant can also harden or even freeze the cell structure of the plant. When frosted, the normally resilient plant cells become brittle and are easily crushed. When the cell membranes are damaged, the plant loses its ability to function normally. It's not much different than cracking an egg. Once the shell is broken, you can't put it back together.
  
  
  
• The proof is in the prints
  
  
  Although you won't see any immediate damage if you walk on frosted turf, the proof will emerge within 48 to 72 hours as the leaves die and turn brown. And, since just one foursome can leave several hundred footprints on each green, the damage can be very extensive.
  
  The damage isn't just unsightly -- putting quality will also be reduced until repairs are made. Those repairs are expensive and, in some cases, the green may have to be kept out of play for days or weeks until the new turfgrass is established. A short delay while the frost melts can preserve the quality of the greens, prevent needless repairs and may even save you a few strokes the next time you play.



#5 Fairway

Outside of the impressive frost delays, the golf course is looking great!  The overseed is really striping up beautifully and the greens are rolling well.  We have been working on getting the new pine straw into the beds throughout the golf course as well as sweeping up more straw as it falls to the ground.



We have a few herbicide sprays to finish up in the next week as the winds die back down to catch some Poa annua that has shown up and winter weeds in the roughs and greens surrounds.

I'm hoping that we will be able to do a micro solid tine aeration to the greens this winter a few times.  I have seen a little algae in some of the lower spots and have adjusted the water accordingly, but the roots still need to breathe.  The micro tines will allow the gas exchange to occur without disrupting ball roll in the least bit.