Too Many To Count

On the golf course there still exist many areas that have still not quite recovered from winter and most especially Elk urine kill.  It is a mixed blessing to have the abundance of wildlife on the course that we do, but it also presents numerous maintenance issues.

The Elk are beautiful to look at but the damage they leave behind can be devastating and very labor intensive to repair. Year after year the biggest challenge we face from the Elk is the Urine burn that occurs on all of the playing surfaces.  We typically will start repairing  greens and tees first and then move to fairways and finally the rough.  This year the rough is probably the most damaged area on the course.  The recovery has been slowed by less than favorably growing conditions this spring and a lack of resources to do the work.

Now that we are fully staffed for the season will will be putting a large focus on repairing these damaged areas by re-seeding them.  This will all be done by hand with the use of hand tools to prepare the surface for soil to seed contact.  Without this prep work the re-seeding will not be successful and further delay the recovery process.

Traffic and Erosion Repair

There are many areas found on the golf course that cart traffic (member play, beverage cart and maintenance) all contribute to worn areas adjacent to the paths. Some of the wear and tear is avoidable, by parking all four wheels of the golf cart on the path at green and tee locations. Other worn areas area created at bottlenecks where heavy traffic going in both directions forces either one or both vehicles off the path so that one can pass. These areas are most commonly found in native areas at the tee locations. These native areas are not equipped with irrigation nor can these grasses handle any recurring traffic.

We have begun to repair several of these areas throughout the golf course, but keep in mind that many of these repairs are more than likely temporary. The reason being that once these areas have reestablished themselves and are once again exposed to repeated cart traffic they will fail again. The correct way to deal with these problem areas is to widen the cart paths, so that two carts can pass each other without leaving the path. This has been done over the years with success at several of the green and tee locations that have been problematic.

The repairs of the worn areas begin with loosening the compacted area with a tiller or pick depending on the size. Next amendments such as compost are added to the soil and re-tilled to properly mix the two together. The final step is to re-seed and cover with a fabric or hydraulic much product.
Worn Area With Some Erosion Taking Place
Soil Prep Done With Compost Added
Final Seeding With Hydraulic Mulch

HEX Plugs

You have seen them used on the greens, but what are they and how did they get there? The Hex plugger is a tool that we use to replace damaged areas on the green or any other highly maintained area. The plugs are cut utilizing the same technique as changing a cup, but the difference being that the plugs are taken from our greens nursery.

The plugs are in a hexagonal shape so that several can be placed together when repairing areas larger than a cup cutter, but smaller than areas that would require sod. The hex plugger is a great tool that allows for quick and easy repairs to the putting surfaces.

Close Up Of Hex Plugs On a Green