Fairway Expansion

Now that the bunker has been removed from the landing area on the seventh hole, the area is now being prepped for a conversion to fairway.

We have begun to remove the existing Bluegrass sod from the area wich the fairway will be expanded into. Great care has been taken to have the new fairway contours flow in and around the mounding found on the left side of the hole.

The fairway expansion will greatly improve the overall playability of the hole, by eliminating the overly penal fairway bunker. We will have added nearly 6000 Sqft of fairway area, which will now give the player more options off the tee greatly improving the golf hole.

Still Rocky

It appears that the last of the rock does not want to go away. I thought we would be in the clear once we got to three tees, but that has not been the case.

We have currently hit a massive ledge that is once again slowing down production and frustrating everyone involved in this process. Nothing really can be done at this point to speed the installation other than continued hard work and perseverance. Tanto has all of the right tools and personnel on the ground fighting through this difficult section of the golf course.

Getting Out Of The Rock

It appears as if we have finally gotten out of the rock that has caused significant delays on the first two holes. The better digging was found in the area in between the second green and three tees.

Now that the digging has become more normal, our hope is that the contractor will be able to make up for some of the lost time. Additional resources i.e. staff and equipment have been brought in to help make this goal possible.

Satellite Controllers

You may have noticed throughout the golf course new satellite controllers have been installed. They are not functional at this point, but will be as soon as the rest of the new components are in.


The satellite’s are the field inter-phase with the central computer that controls the individual sprinkler heads. Each of these units is essentially a standalone computer in itself that is hard wired back to the central which is located at the maintenance facility.

View of Satellite Face Plate


New Controller Next To Old Worn Out Ones

Fairway Expansion

We have begun the process of enlarging the fairway landing area on hole #7. The first part of the expansion involves removing the fairway bunker that is closest to the tee, so that this area can once again become fairway.

This restored fairway area will be re-graded so that there is a similar look to the rest of the contouring found on the fairway. Once the grading has been completed, the area will be re-sodded with Bentgrass so that the grass types match up.

Native Mowing

Every fall when we mow the native grasses it is done for reasons other than just mowing it down. One of the most important reasons we mow is for weed control. The control of unwanted weeds by mowing is most effective when it is done prior to weed seeds being produced. There are times that we mow the native in the spring as well as fall when weed pressures are high.

The most effective means for controlling weed species is through the employment
of integrated weed management. This approach uses a minimum of two or more
control strategies to prevent weeds from adapting to any single control method.


Integrated Weed Control Techniques

Mechanical control
These include tilling, mowing, burning, flooding,
mulching, pulling, hoeing, or grazing.

Chemical control
This includes the use of herbicides or plant growth
regulators to disrupt the growth of noxious weeds.

Biological control
Uses organisms to control noxious weeds. Although there has been some success on some noxious weeds, bio-control agents are not available for all species.

Stair Repairs

The stone stairs that lead up to the upper tees on hole #10 have been repaired. For some time now several of the stones have been loose and in need of constant attention. We have been fortunate that someone has not fallen on these previously hazardous stairs.

The stone treads were removed and a new base of cement and stone was laid, so that a even natural rise and run occurs.

The next area on the course that will have work done to the stairs will be at #18 green. Similar to #10, these stairs will be removed and have the downward pitch leveled out.

What is GPS?

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a constellation of at least 24 satellites that provides world wide accurate position coordinates. GPS uses satellites and computers to compute positions anywhere on earth. The system is owned by the United States Defense Department (DOD). It can be used worldwide by any civilian.

GPS Segments: control, space and user.

Control

The control segment is the “brain” of GPS. A controller monitors the satellites transmission of navigation messages and sends necessary adjustments.

Space
The space segment is the NAVigation Satellite Timing And Ranging (NAVSTAR) constellation of satellites that broadcast GPS signals. When the system is a full operational capacity there are 24 operational satellites. The satellites orbit approximately 22,200 km above the Earth and make one revolution every 12 hours.

User
Many applications use GPS to calculate positions. Civilian users currently outnumber military users worldwide. Applications include; agriculture, aviation, emergency services, recreation, surveying, vehicle tracking, utilities and navigation.

We will be using the technology to accurately map features on the golf course such as greens, tees, fairways, and most importantly new irrigation system components.

Each piece of the new irrigation system will be logged, creating of a highly detailed and accurate as built plan. These will plans will be invaluable if a problem occurs, so the source of the problem can be quickly identified and located in the field.

Once all of the features have been collected a workable map will be created giving me a visual inter-phase with my new irrigation software. I will now be able to the see golf course features with an irrigation component layer over the top.

Another aspect of GPS mapping is that I will now have detailed measurements of all golf course features. This information will help with the creation of work orders and area calculations for material ordering.

Road Boring

Today we began the first of the eight rode bores that will take place with the irrigation renovation project. The bores are being done at all of the development road crossings that occur between the golf holes.

The bores will replace open cut trenching through the roads, which is far less invasive and more structurally sound as far as pipe encasement. The most difficult bore we will occur at the crossing from #16 green over to #17 tees. The bore itself will be over 300 feet long with a depth of more than 25 feet. Lets hope we do not encounter any rock during this one.

Quick Recovery

You would be hard pressed to find an open aerification hole on the greens only seven days after being aerified. The quick recovery is largely due to the fact that small holes were punched and an ample amount of fertilizer was applied in conjunction with aerification.

From a visual standpoint the greens are back, but from a playability standpoint the speeds are considerably slower than normal. This is due to the amount of fertilizer on the greens as well as a higher height of cut that is currently being used. The height was raised due to the amount of sand applied and the temporary unevenness that is created from the physical aerification process. Once we no longer are picking up sand while mowing, we will begin to come down in height and the green speeds will become normal again.

Breaking Free

After a week and a half of slow going through heavy rock on the first hole, it appears that the digging will be getting better for a little while.

The digging is now taking place up on the mounds to the East of the fairway bunker and based on the land forms near by, little rock should be encountered. The next area of anticipated rock will occur just past the tees on hole #2 to the tees on #3. After that point in time, the rock that might be found will be minimal if non existent. It would be at this time that Tanto will be able to make up for lost time and try to get back on schedule.

Tip Burn

On a several fairways #6,#7 and #8 in particular, have had some tip burn occur on them. The burn was caused by the compost that was applied during aerification. One of the six truck loads of compost that was applied was a little hotter than expected. The burn that is visible now, will mowed off and will become a non issue.

The compost I use has a low C/N ratio (carbon / nitrogen) which means that the compost tends to be a little hotter than normal compost. The reason I prefer compost that is on the hot side is because, I am using it as my primary fertilizer source.

In addition to compost being used as a fertilizer source, some of the other benefits of using composts are:

Humus
• Adds humus and organic matter to the soil
• Inoculates soil with humus building microorganisms
• Improves soil structure to allow better infiltration of air and water
• Humus stores 20 times the weight in water and significantly increases the soils ability to store water

Nutrients
• Mineral based nutrients
• Organic based nutrients
• Slow release
• Does not leach into aquatic environments

Microorganisms
• Supplies a large range of beneficial fungi, bacteria and other useful species
• Suppresses soil pathogens
• Fixes Nitrogen
• Increases soil Carbon
• Releases locked up soil nutrients
• Detoxifies poisons
• Feeds plants and soil life
• Builds soil structure

Washout

After some significant rain Thursday evening, the pipe installation was effected on Friday. The rains caused the soil to become saturated and cleanup behind the pipe installation becomes virtually impossible.

Once the soil becomes wet, the cleanup behind is no longer efficient and neat. The soil now sticks to and smears on the turf leaving a less the acceptable finished product. Additionally with the amount of moisture in the ground the potential for damage to the turf has significantly increased, which will cause further delays.

All in all we have gotten off to a slow start, but the resources are being made available to help get the project back on schedule. I don’t doubt that at the end of the day everything will be fine, but at this point the jury is still out.

As Staked Drawings

The as Staked drawings are what is used by the contractor to install the various components of the irrigations system. These drawings come from the irrigation design that was created from CAD files by LRDG. These files were taken into the field utilizing GPS technology to site the specific items for installation.

This will be the first of several as staked drawings, because each of the components is installed in layers. The first items that are placed are the mainline and all of the isolation valves. The next items that will be sited are the sprinkler heads.

As each of the items are installed, they will be re-shot by GPS creating accurate as built plans of where everything is located. In the future if there are any problems, I will be able to go back out and quickly locate and identify what component is causing the problem.

We Found Rock!

It was anticipated that rock would be a difficult obstacle in the renovation process on the upper holes and it turns out we were right. 285 feet into the new pipe being installed we encountered our first rock problem.

The rock was hit a depth of 60”, unfortunately we needed to go another 4” deeper in order to achieve a depth the four feet of cover over the mainline pipe. At first the excavator tried scraping off the layers of rock, but this did not work out very well.



Next a rock hammer was brought in to chisel away at the stone which it did, but very slowly. Anytime an obstacle like rock is hit the production goes way down until the right equipment is on hand to properly deal with it.

Aerification Day 3

We tried to make up for lost time, but once again the weather did not cooperate. Much of the morning was lost because the dew and moisture on the thatch lingered on. Once we were able to begin dragging the sand on the greens and the thatch on the fairways it was just before 10:00am.

We had a stretch of about three hours where we made good time until the rain started. Luckily the rain was light, but the damage was done to the production we needed to finish by today.

The last fairway will have compost applied and final cleanup will take place on anything that was not done before days end. It is our hope that this is all completed ahead of morning play.

Aerification Update Day 2

After a slow start on Monday because of the weather, yesterday we made up some of the lost time. Greens and tees have been completed; the only area that is still lagging a little behind is the fairways.

The Graden (de-thatching) has been done on all of the fairways, but the cleanup is still taking place on the back nine fairways at this point. In addition to the cleanup the fairways will be overseeded with Bentgrass and need to have compost applied.

The compost acts as a cover for the seed, as well as providing the necessary nutrients for growth of existing turf as well as the new seedlings once they emerge. The compost applications make up more than 80% of my total fertility applied to the fairways in a given growing season.

More than likely there will be some carry over into tomorrow morning with the final cleanup on #16 and #18 fairways. We will do our best to minimize the impact on play as we complete the cleanup process.

Gloomy Start

Yesterday we began the aerification process of the golf course and the weather was less than favorable. Most of the day it was foggy with drizzle, which does not lend itself well for some of the procedures taking place during aerification.

From a production standpoint we were able to get a lot done, but the cleanup that takes place, is lagging behind. The sand on the greens and thatch on the fairways never dried out and was not able to be drug in. Hopefully today we will be able to catch back up with some of the cleanup, so that the course will be ready to open for play on Thursday.

The Tie In

Sod Cutting Area Of Tie In
The Digging Begins

Today we began the tie in process. This involves cross connecting the current reusable portion of mainline to the new HDPE pipe. A tee is cut into the existing mainline so that the new line can become active, while keep the old system operational at the same time. As the installation progresses, the old system will be decommissioned as the new components are installed and come online.

This cross connection process will be the most difficult aspect of the entire installation. For obvious reasons the current system will have to remain active during the installation, so that the rest of the golf course can continue to be watered. There will be four or five key points that cross connections will take place on the course, these are critical so that an adequate hydraulic flow can take place.

Moving Day

Today the first sections of pipe are being moved from the staging area, out onto the golf course. This is one of the most time consuming parts of the installation process. The more pipe that can be staged and fused out ahead of the digging, the faster installation will go.

Fall Aerification

We're set to begin our fall aerification of the golf course beginning this coming Monday thru Wednesday. The Aerification process will be similar to what was done this spring, with a “light” aerification being done. Follow this link to see what will take place
http://cccpgcm.blogspot.com/2008/04/aerification-process.html

The reasoning for a lighter than normal aerification, is largely due to the fact that the irrigation renovation project starts on Monday as well. Typically the fall aerification is very aggressive and disrupts the golf course for several weeks.

The contractor has to do the mainline tie in and there is an unknown as to how long the water will have to be off on the entire golf course. The risk would be too great if problems are encountered while doing the tie in, so I thought would be best to go a little more conservative with aerification.

Signs of Injury

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we have been playing around with some experimental treatments to help eradicate the Perennial Ryegrass in our Bentgrass fairways.

The first visible signs of treatment began to show up after six days following the initial application. Symptoms of the treated areas began to show up as a chlorotic effect on the turfgrass.

Chlorotic Effect Shown of Fairway

Ten days after treatment another indicator that something was going also started to appear. Smaller patches of the Ryegrass are beginning to turn reddish and are giving the appearance of dying. Not all of the Ryegrass is showing the same effect, but several areas are reacting more effectively to the treatment.

Ryegrass Checking Out

Mainline Staking

Today we started the staking for the new mainline installation on the golf course. You will see orange and white flags located on the first five holes of the course signifying where the new components will be installed. These flags are placed using GPS technology, so that the locations are accurately sited and recorded for use in the as built maps of the new system.

Using GPS To Locate a Lateral Isolation Valve

Each point will be re-shot after various components are installed such as; valves, sprinklers, wire splices, satellites and pipe. These data points will be recorded and put into a functional map of the course that will allow me to quickly find anything on the golf course.

Building a Compound

As more and more of the materials for the new irrigation system arrive on site, the size of the compound also grows. We are currently receiving all of the wire, pipe, valves, fittings and equipment to install the system and it has been hard to keep up the never ending convoy of trucks.

The picture below shows the elasticity of the HDPE pipe. If this was done with conventional PVC pipe, the structural integrity would be compromised and would lead to future problems. This is one of the key reasons that we have decided to go with HDPE due to the ability to expand, contract and bend without any damage to the integrity of the pipe.



We are fortunate to have a sizable place on site that these materials can be stored until they are ready to be installed. Over the next several days some of the pipe for the mainline will be laid out on the first several holes. This is being done to help speed the installation process. Each section of pipe is 50 feet and is not easy to get around, so the more staging that can be done the better. After some of the pipe has been staged the fusing process will begin, so that large sections of pipe will be ready to go into the ground as the contractor moves along.

Mobilization

Today marks the first day of mobilization for irrigation contractor on site at CCCP. They will begin setting up their compound on the far eastern end of the driving range. At this location they will be storing all of the materials necessary for the installation of the new irrigations system.

The materials will be coming in over the next several days and at that time some of these items such as pipe will be staged at various areas throughout the course. The staging will be done to help facilitate a more efficient installation, largely due to the handling of the bulky pipe. The 16” mainline pipe comes in 20’ sections and each weighs nearly 1000lbs.

Actual installation of pipe will not begin until next Monday the 8th, but some preliminary work will begin around the course before that time. Some of the items that will take place are satellite controller installation and the mainline tie in. The tie in point is located at the first tee and will hopefully done this coming Friday.

The Fusion Process

The fusion of the HDPE pipe follows specific manufacturer’s procedures based on several factors. Some of the factors are temperature, both air and pipe as well as the thickness of the pipe. The specific criterion developed by the manufacturer ensures that a proper fusion joint will take place. When fusion joints are done properly the joints are actually stronger than the pipe itself. This is not the case when using traditional materials such as PVC, whereas the joints are actually the weakest point. It is for reasons like these that HDPE pipe was chosen for our installation because of the numerous advantages over traditional materials.



On the day of my visit to Cherry Hills the air temperature was in the low 80’s and the temperature of the pipe was 93 degrees largely due to the color of the pipe being black. These are some of the factors that determine how long and what temperature the pipe is heated. For the conditions that day the pipe was heated to 450 degrees for over four minutes to create the conditions for a properly fused joint.


A Properly Fused Joint


A Fused Tee Joint With Mechanical Flange


Below are some videos that show the fusion process.

Preview of Things to Come

I had an opportunity to spend several hours on site yesterday at Cherry Hills and observe the irrigation installation taking place. Needless to say a project like this is a huge undertaking and requires patience and understanding from the membership, staff and the contractor’s crew alike.

The scale of the Cherry Hills project is essentially the same if not larger than ours; the following pictures will demonstrate similar installation techniques that will be done on our renovation.

The mainline is the first part of the installation that will take place on our course beginning September 8th. The process will be to tie in to the existing Ductile mainline and begin the installation of the new HDPE pipe. The most difficult part of the entire process will be keeping the current irrigation system live and functioning while the new system is being installed.

Crew Working in The Trenchline
16" Isolation Valve Being Installed
Placing The Pipe in The Trench

The mainline pipe that will be installed is 16" in diameter and will run from the first tee all the way to the ninth tees. Obviously a pipe of this size requires that a significant amount of material is excavated, so that the pipe can be installed to a depth of five feet. This is where the top contractors shine in being able to excavate,install,re-sod and cleanup so that little evidence is left behind of their presence.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates provide the energy to the soil system, which helps to stimulate natural existing soil microbes. Carbohydrates contain complex starches and simple sugars.

Carbohydrates are used by the plant and offer some unique benefits.

1. Provide an energy source to stimulate soil microbes.
2. Enhance soil aggregation and water infiltration.
3. Provide bio-stimulant properties and an aid to hormone synthesis.
4. Provide sugars for root elongation and seed germination.
5. Aid with anion retention.
   
   Carbohydrates are broken down during plant respiration to release energy, water and CO2. This is similar to human metabolism where we metabolize oxygen and food in order to live. Like humans, respiration in plants is highest at warm temperatures. Respiration is very high in cool season plants in hot weather, respiration may deplete all of the carbohydrates in the plant.
   

Growth is the irreversible change in size. Plants grow in two ways: cell division and cell elongation. Cell growth takes an enormous amount of energy. Producing cell walls, cell constituents, proteins, genetic material, etc. requires energy derived directly from photosynthesis or indirectly through stored carbohydrates.

Storage is the last of the four major processes but may be the most important. Carbohydrates and sometimes proteins are stored for future use by the plant. Storage products are utilized for respiration during periods of stress to help maintain the plant when photosynthesis is not occurring or occurring at low levels. The level of storage is a good indicator of how well a plant will survive stressful conditions, including heat, drought, cold, disease, etc.

All cultural practice that affects growth, such as fertilization or mowing, uses up carbohydrates that would otherwise be sent to storage. Great care must be taken not to cause a depletion in reserves, which reduces the ability of the plant to withstand stress.

Resistant To Change

We have been converting our fairways from Perennial Ryegrass to Bentgrass for the last Six seasons. Overall the conversion has gone extremely well, with Total Bentgrass populations exceeding 75% in the fairways. The other components in the fairways are Poa Annua and Ryegrass.

The reduction of Poa Annua populations has actually been easier than reducing the Ryegrass, due to chemical options currently available. The Ryegrass has persisted in heavy cart traffic areas in the fairways because it’s better equipped to handle the repeated pounding of cart traffic. It is areas like these that the Bentgrass has been slower to establish itself and we are now beginning to try alternative methods to help with the conversion.

Rygrass in Fairway(Dark Green Patches)

Currently we have begun test application to some of the fairway areas that contain high populations of Ryegrass to evaluate the efficacy of a new product. I have been speaking with a university professor about protocol of this product and I will be reporting my results to him. As with anything new, we are trying this on a limited scale to see how the product will react in our environmental conditions. If we see positive results we will increase the applications until the desired effect takes place. These applications will be timed with Bentgrass overseedings, so that any voids that might be created will have viable seed in the soil waiting to germinate and fill in.

Tornado Touchdown

Yesterday we were fortunate to have witnessed a tornado up close and personal with out any damage or anyone being hurt. It was an awesome sight to see and truly makes you appreciate the power of Mother Nature.

Perhaps the best part about the storm that hit yesterday was that all the rain and hail were south of the golf course. The reports of hail hitting the ground yesterday ranged from marble size all the way up to ping pong ball size. The damage that this type of hail can do is staggering, we were very fortunate to have this storm miss us altogether.

Irrigation White Paper

There has been a lot of work that has taken place leading up to the irrigation renovation becoming a reality. Over this past winter both the Green Committee and Board of Directors asked that a White Paper be created to help explain the issues with the irrigation system. This paper begins with the history of the current system, the operational challenges, committee inputs on new system designs and the bid process.

This paper will serve as an information source for all members to better understand the process of how we got to where we are today. After reading this paper, you will see that a tremendous amount of time and effort went into preparing and justifying this significant capital improvement.

The White Paper can be downloaded by following this link:
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/8/23/2062105/IrrigationWhitepaper072608.doc

Irrigation Renovation Schedule Fall 08

In just over two weeks the irrigation system renovation will begin and there will be times disruption will occur. Below is the schedule of work to take place with a sequence of areas that will be worked on. Keep in mind this is a schedule and a job of this size has many variables, of which some can be foreseen and others not. It is critical that we stay on schedule, so that the new mainline is completely installed and laterals are installed on critical holes. If these deadlines are not met, a significant problem will occur due to the fact that new system will be operating at a lower pressure, which requires that the previously mentioned components are installed.

September 8: Hole #1 Mainline
September 15: Hole #2 Mainline, road bore to #3, ½ of 3, road bores 4 to 5 and 7 to 8
September 22: Balance Hole #3 & #4 Mainline, Complete back 9 Road Bores
September 29: Hole #5 & ½ of #6 Mainline
September 6: Balance #6 & #7 Mainline
October 13: Hole #8 & ½ of #9 Mainline start laterals #1
October 20: Balance #9 and #10 Mainline finish laterals #1
October 27: Hole #18 Mainline complete laterals #2
November 3: Holes #17 and #11 Mainline start laterals #3
November 10: Holes #12 and #13 Mainline finish laterals #4
November 17: Holes #14 and #15 Mainline start laterals #5
November 24: Hole #16 Mainline & clean-up finish laterals #5
December 2008: Install mainline on range, new booster pump & turbine conversion

Water and Plant Growth

Water is the most abundant material in a growing plant. The weight of water contained in a plant is usually four or five times the total weight of dry matter. Water is one of the components of
many of the complex substances found in plants, but water alone is never found in a pure state in the environment of living organisms.

Water serves many functions within the plant:

• It helps to create a solution of mineral nutrients and the complex substances manufactured within the plant.
• It is a raw material for the process of photosynthesis-the basic process underlying all life.
• It acts as a temperature regulator in that water vapor given off by leaves produces a cooling effect.
• It even acts as a structural agent. When plant cells contain an abundance of water they are turgid and the plant stands erect; when there is a moisture deficiency, the cells are flaccid and the plant droops and wilts.
• Water dissolves the soil minerals which are essential to plant growth and the major part of plant nutrients are believed to be taken into the plant while they are in solution.
• Water moving through the soil performs a function in the flushing of pore spaces aiding in gas exchange.
• Water is the key to the plant regulating it temperature. Water is given off by the leaves through the process of transpiration, and the evaporation of this water creates a cooling effect.
  

Photography

Over the last several weeks I have had the opportunity to get some nice pictures of the golf course. Each morning there are many chances to get some great shots, but for many reasons such as bad light, dew patterns and not enough time ahead of play the shot is not always there. These are some favorites from my last photo sessions.

Moving Sand

After the last weekends heavy rains several of the bunkers washed out even with the liners in place. This has resulted in us having to go back into every bunker and not only move sand back up on the faces, but also check the sand depths in the rest of the bunker.

The depth is checked with a probe so that the sand will be a uniform depth of 4” inches on the bottom of the bunkers and 2” on the faces. Most of the sand remained in the bunkers, but it has shifted in the bunker itself. Some of the sand had to be removed due to silt contamination; new sand will be added to these areas to maintain proper amounts of sand. After the sand is redistributed they will be plate compacted to ensure that sand is once again firm and resistant to a ball plugging. It is very labor intensive to perform this task, but it must be done so that the bunkers will drain and play properly.

The Morning After

Yesterday was our final outside Monday event for the year and it by far caused the most damage to the course of all the events hosted. The golf course was still extremely wet due to the 2.5” of rain received over the weekend and this largely contributed to the excessive wear and tear.

The majority of the wear and tear took place in the fairways, from a lack of divot replacement and sand/seed mix being used. The lack of divot mix being used is easy to explain since carts were on the paths, but the lack of divot replacement remains a mystery.

Record Keeping

Record keeping is one of the most important things you do, whether it’s for tax purposes, accounting, inventory, weather and even what takes place on the golf course.

From the golf course side of things accurate record keeping is a key for predicting outcomes of product efficacies based on historical data. In addition, the State of Colorado requires that all pesticide application be recorded and kept for three years. The records are to include; product applied, area of application, EPA registration number, rate of product applied, date of application and even weather conditions.

The Benefits of Record Keeping

• Records help you evaluate how well a chemical worked, particularly if you are using reduced rates or alterative application methods.
  
• Records help to prevent carry-over injury and improve chemical rotation decisions.
  
• Records are the key to a successful IPM (integrated pest management) program.
  
• Disease prevention and prediction based on historical weather data.
  
• More accurate budgeting of product ordering based on historical data.

A Good Flushing

We have been going through a summer that has been one of the driest on record and now we are finally getting some relief.

Over the last thirty six hours we have received more than two inches of precipitation, which is equal to the combined precipitation totals for June and July. The rain that has been coming down has been very steady which is even more important than the totals alone. The soaking rains are helping to flush the soils of sodium, which have accumulated all season long.

The sodium has been accumulating in the soils due to the fact that we use effluent water to irrigate the golf course. Without a little help from Mother Nature providing timely rains, the sodium levels build up in the soil creating less than desirable growing conditions for the turf.

Throughout the season we regularly apply soil modification products such as Gypsum, Hi Cal Lime and other soil acidifiers to help correct soil issues created from the use of effluent water. The products are helpful in reducing the negative day to day effects of the sodium, but they are most effective after deep cleansing rains take place helping move the product through the soil profile.

Thinning Out

In efforts to keep improving the overall playability of the golf course, some additional Scrub Oak trimming has been done. The clusters of Oak on the left side of hole #18 have been thinned out, so that a poorly placed tee shot can be found. In addition to the Oak being thinned out, the underbrush was also removed. This area will now closer resemble the clusters of oak found on the third hole.



Previously if a ball was hit into the dense clumps of Scrub oak you could barely find the ball, which has led to pace of play issues. Now you will be able to quickly identify if your ball is in play or not and decide what your next shot option will be. This minor change will help significantly with both pace of play issues as well as an overall improvement of playability of the finishing hole.

They’re Back

Tracks Across A Fairway

In the last several weeks we have once again begun to see activity from both deer and elk on the golf course. Although it is quite a site to see these animals up close and personal, they do cause significant damage to the course.

Hoof Prints and Droppings Across a Green

Tracks Through The Newly Seeded Nursery

The deer have been around most of the summer and other than eating flowers and the occasional hoof prints they really do not do much damage. The elk on the other hand cause significant damage with their droppings, urine burn and major hoof marks. It is a little unusual for the elk to be around this early in the season, but the extreme weather patterns we are experiencing must influencing their patterns as well.

First Cut

It has been two and a half weeks since germination occurred on our fairway nursery and it is now being regularly mowed. The first mowing occurred only 14 days after germination and is now being mowed three days a week at this point.

As a part of the grow in process the new seedlings are being fertilized every 7 days to encourage growth and tillering, that will help the new stand fill in laterally. We are currently mowing the nursery at .500” which is .100” higher than our normal fairway height of cut. The height will dropped down to regular fairway height over the next several weeks as the nursery matures.

Making a Comeback

Early in the spring I made a post about the treatment of our Ponderosa Pines with a new soil amendment to help mitigate excessive salts from the drip lines.

We have been treating these struggling trees throughout the season and we are now beginning to see a positive turnaround in most of the trees. What started out as new candling, has progressed into positive new growth on the trees.

Many of these trees appeared to have a date with a chain saw, but this positive turnaround shows that patience is often times warranted. Philosophically, I believe we should do everything possible to save the trees first before cutting them down. There are several opinions around the Village that think if the tree looks bad it should come down without even trying any last ditch efforts to save them. I firmly believe what you are seeing now is proof positive that all options must be exhausted before finally removing any of these struggling trees.

Burn Lines

Recently distinct brown lines in the rough areas have appeared, have you noticed? If you look closely, the lines appear to be going in patterns back and forth throughout the rough.

The lines have been caused by fertilizer burn from a rough fertilizer application made this past Monday. There was as small leak from one of the tractor mounted spreaders that sieved material through a hole and fell onto the turf. This leak was not visible to the operator applying the fertilizer due to the location being behind the spreader out of sight.
Unfortunately the fertilizer fell to the ground at a heavier than desired rate, which caused a burn to the turf. After the initial damage is done, the grass will recover and fill back in laterally and all signs of burning will be gone.

Magazine Articles

Last month is was interviewed by an Australian trade publication called Golf & Sports Turf for a feature article in this month’s edition found here http://www.golfandsportsturf.com.au/article.asp?ArticleID=1478

. I was first contacted by them after they found my blog and wanted to feature me, based on some of the cutting edge water treatment technologies we are using.

When I received my hard copy of the magazine, I was surprised to see they pulled some of my other writings from the blog on renovation work and I featured it in the publication as well. Unfortunately there is no link to this article, it is found only in the hard copy version.