A Little Rough In The Rough

After a long winter with an extended snow cover many of the northern exposure rough areas took it in the shorts as far as damage goes. These areas were effected by both Snow Mold and Vole damage. The good news is that it is not a lost cause and nothing that cannot be repaired. Most of the damage appears to be superficial and with a little work on our part these areas will come back good as new.

The main thing we will be doing is to rake out the matted areas and re-introduce sunlight and oxygen. These areas will either be hand raked out or drug with a steel mat to accomplish this task. This alone will initiate the plant to produce new leaves and stems to repair the damage.

                                                                       Vole Damage

                                                                       Dragging Rough

                                                                       Snow Mold Damage

Pick Your Poison

Coming out of winter this year is the polar opposite of last year, but I'm not sure which is better. Each and every year our biggest challenge is the how golf course will emerge from the winter. Rarely does the course make it unscathed and this year is no exception.

The prolonged snow cover (90 plus days)has been good and bad. The turf has been protected and insulated from extreme temperatures and high winds, while on the other hand conditions for damage from Voles and Snow Mold have been ideal. The extent of the damage is yet to be fully seen, but initial observations are showing the potential for some significant repairs and recovery time in the rough areas.

When comparing a tale of two winters the damage from last season primarily came in the form of wildlife (Elk and Deer)along with some minor dessication issues. This damage occurred in the main play areas such as greens,tees and fairways of which took significant time and resources to repair. These are the primary play surfaces of the golf course and anytime they are not perfect it shows from a playability and a aesthetic standpoint. Whereas this year the damage appears to be centered in the rough primarily the northern exposure locations on each and every hole. The good news is that the rough does not effect the playability as much as the key play areas so the recovery should be less painful to all involved.

Which is type of damage is better? The obvious answer is neither but for us it isn't a question of choice but a reality of where our beautify golf course is located. The setting is one of the main reasons that the golf course is so spectacular as it affords views, wildlife,serenity and a world class golf course design and conditioning.

WHICH IS WORSE?

The Melt

Over the last two days with temperatures in the upper 60's and high winds a big portion of the snow on the course has melted away. Unfortunately new snow is predicted over the next two days, so we will see what happens.

So far greens, tees and fairways look to be in good shape while the rough might be a different story with damage coming in the form of snow mold and Voles. Time will tell how the other areas that are still deep under snow cover will be.

 On a positive note the drainage system is working nicely removing the excess flow of water from the golf course. This rapid removal of water will help prevent any standing water from forming and reduce the possibility of ice formation.

Free Flowing Water

The Melt is Underway!

Temperatures today reached the mid 60's and the snow is beginning to rapidly melt away. With that being said we still have a long way to go before the golf course would be open for play.

The majority of the melting that is taking place is found in the southern exposures, meanwhile the northern exposure areas are still holding a lot of snow. As the week progresses we will be removing the lingering snow in these shaded areas. This will help us get the course back in play as well as prepare the main turf areas for the preventative fungicide snow mold application.

Snow Disappearing Fast
A Long Way To Go On #11

Snow Mold Prevention

We have begun to prepare the golf course for the upcoming struggles that are encountered during the winter. One of the most significant problems we encounter during the winter months is disease pressure in the form of snow mold.

We preventatively treat the main play areas (greens, tees and fairways) for snow mold with different forms of chemical treatments. Treating these critical play areas is a costly expense, but it is well worth the money spent because the cost to repair untreated areas far exceeds the cost of the fungicides applied. It is for this reason we are very careful about our fungicide choices to these play areas.

Fungicides are selected for the areas based on level of importance, estimated duration of snow cover and cost of the product to be applied. After all these factors are taken into consideration, a choice is made for the specific product to be applied for each area.

Snow Mold

As the snow is beginning to melt back from the northern exposure areas on the golf course some Snow Mold damage is become visible. Most of these areas have not seen the light of day since early December, which has created the ideal environment for snow mold development. The areas that are primarily infected are found in the rough only. It is not cost effective for us to preventively treat with fungicides the rough areas due to the number acres. The damage that is caused is mostly superficial and rarely kills the plant. The best way to offset the damage is to rake up the diseased areas so that air and sunlight can get in and dry it out. After that these areas will typically repair themselves in a matter of weeks once active turf growth begins.

Raking up the Turf