A Look At Our Operation

A couple of weeks ago we shot a video that is being done for the club's website that shows my staff in action as well as explaining our current green renovation project.

This video gives great information about our operation in addition to explaining the detailed steps involved in the renovation process of the putting green. These steps are explained and also insight is given as to why we are trying to eliminate Poa Annua from our greens. 

 The company that is doing our video production is called Oswego Creative and they do great work check them out Here

The Seed Is Down

Tuesday Afternoon we were able to get the putting green seeded after a long process of rootzone preparation. Numerous soil amendments and pre-plant fertilizers were incorporated into the rootzone mix prior to any seed going down.

The green was seeded with T-1 Bentgrass  and if all goes according to plan and the weather cooperates we should see germination in five days.

T-1 Being Seeded

First Watering Of New Seed

Breaking The Cycle

Over the years we have had many construction and or renovation projects on the golf course and the one thing we have always been short on was time.  In the past things have always been forced into a small time frame that best meets the needs for the course to be playable at all times. We are an extremely busy private Country Club that does more rounds in a year than some of our surrounding public golf courses. This high demand for golf has pushed us into a corner in some of our past projects that did not turn out as well as they should have.

This cycle is now being broken and the culture of the club needs to follow as well.  With our latest project of re-grassing the putting green we are approaching this with a much different view than before.  We will be doing things on a time schedule that best fits the agronomic health of the turf, not a golf schedule of events to be ready for.

This can be best described by what is taking place with the fumigation process at the putting green. The normal fumigation timeline takes between 7-10 days to complete based on soil temperatures. After closely monitoring the soil temperatures we could have ended the fumigation on the seventh day, but I decided with everything that is at stake with the success of this project the fumigation was allowed to go for another day and a half.  This decision was based on what will allow us to have the most success with this project moving forward. If it means extending the fumigation timeline and delaying the eventual re-seeding of the putting green than so be it. We all want this re-grassing to be a success, so why should we not set ourself up for success rather than failure.

Today wewill begin the re-grading of the green in preparation of the seeding process. We will be using the pea gravel layer below the mix as our guide for the final grade above.  If all goes according to plan we should be able to have the green with a final grade on it by tomorrow and seed will be sown immediately following.

The weather forecast looks good for at least the next week, so germination should be achieved beginning five days from planting. Exciting times are just ahead of us, I hope you enjoy watching the grass grow as much as I will.

A Mulligan

We are now in the final stretch of the fumigation process on the practice putting green. Last week we began the renovation of the putting green as another piece of the puzzle to move down the road of re-grassing all of the greens on the golf course.

The renovation of the green occurs in a multi step process that each has to occur in a specific order in to achieve the desired goal. Right now it appears that with all of the water running on the green that we have already seeded the green and are on our way back. This is not the case, we are actually using the water as a part of the fumigation process. The water helps trap the fumigant in the sand by acting as a seal on the surface thereby allowing the weed seeds to be successfully killed off in the rootzone mix. This process last between 7 to 10 days depending on the soil temperatures. After that has occurred the gas needs to blow off for a couple days before it is safe to re-seed the green. It is in this time that we will be working on the final surface grading and prep before we can seed the new T-1 Bentgrass.

Currently I am anticipating new seed going down on Friday the 17th weather and final grading dependent. Below are a few photos that show the highlights of the renovation process.

Sod Cutting Of The Green

Removal Of Sod

Tilling The Rootzone

Applying The Fumigant

Connect The Dots

Some of you might have noticed the white dots that are located around the putting green and are wondering what they are. These dots are identifying the original edge of the putting green that has shrunk in over time. Beginning next Monday August 6th we will be renovating the putting green and begin a re-grassing protocol. This will be identical to what was done to the north chipping green last summer with exceptional results. The point of this renovation is to eliminate the Poa Annua from the green and establish a pure Bentgrass putting surface that will provide an example of what we can have in the future. The green will be closed for the remainder of the season to allow for a re-establishment from seed using a new "super" Bentgrass called T-1. This new variety has a tremendous density which naturally keeps out Poa in addition to providing a consistently smooth fast putting surface. During the time that the putting green is being renovated the north chipping green will become the temporary practice putting green. This will give you a chance to begin to see and feel how this new grass performs. I will be documenting this renovation process here, so check back in frequently to watch the new green come back to life.