Scrub Oak Leafing Out

With the onset of warmer longer days the Scrub oak has begun to leaf out. It is at this point each year that we start to achieve active turf growth. The turf may have begun to green up a month ago, but true active growth is just now beginning.

In Case You're Wondering?

Over the last several weeks there has been a wet spot in the middle of the thirteenth fairway. This is a leak from the old irrigation system that cannot be shut off due non functioning isolation vales.

The leak is coming from the old frost free mainline that has had to stay active until the new installation is completed on the seventh hole. The old mainline feeds the entire back nine along with holes seven through nine. Now that the seventh hole is under construction we can finally shut off the leak with a functioning isolation vale.

The wet area is so saturated it will take several days before it dries out and carts can once again drive on this area.

Final Head Staking

After more than eight months since the irrigation renovation work began, we have marked the final components to be installed. The head locations on the final three holes (6, 7 and 8) have been laid out for our contractor to complete the installation.

We still have a long way to go before considering the project complete, but I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Clean Grass Lines

As the irrigation renovation project moves ahead, we now have an opportunity to improve the ascetics found on the course in several ways.

The old system had a limited number of heads located next to cart paths or a true hard line for irrigation. Because of this there were many areas in which overthrow took place as well as less than adequate coverage. Now we will have true coverage from cart path edge all the way to un-irrigated native grass lines.

Areas in which quality grass was not present next to cart path areas sod has now been installed to give a more finished look. This type of work will take place as the irrigation project moves from hole to hole. Much of this work will take place throughout the season.

On a Roll

Over the last several days the irrigation installation has hit high gear. Over the weekend two more holes, eleven and seventeen were completed. Work has now shifted to the eighteenth hole and this should be completed by no later than Wednesday.

After eighteen is complete there will be only five holes remaining, which are holes six through ten. One of the biggest reasons that we have been able to get this type of production is the fact that two holes can be closed at a time. This has allowed the contractor to safely and productively work without interference from golf.

Native Restoration

Some of the collateral damage from the irrigation installation has been in some of our native rough areas. Most of this disruption was caused when the mainline was installed.

We have begun to go back hole by hole and re-plant the native grass areas. The seed mix contains mainly Hard Fescue and Wheatgrass varieties, so that a true native stand can be re-grown. Establishing native areas is often times a several year process due to the slow growing habits of the grass types. The seed is solely dependent on natural precipitation for germination and establishment.

The process for re-establishing these areas has been to rough up the areas with an aerifier, seed them and then cover with straw for moisture retention. With any luck the spring rains will provide adequete moisture for germination and help us make these areas look like nothing every happened.


Area Prep
Completed Area

Moving Along

Another two holes of irrigation have been completed. The latest ones that are now complete are holes thirteen and twelve.

The contractor is falling into a groove as far as the installation goes and things are beginning to move along more quickly. If the weather holds for the next several days it looks like we might complete one more hole, which will put us back on schedule.

Drain Work

Over the years debris has washed into the drainage systems that are located adjacent to the cart paths and has clogged them. The drains are critical to keep properly operating so that excess water from rain, snow melt and even irrigation does not cause standing water to occur on the paths.

These problematic drains became apparent after our last series of snow events that produced large quantities of water as the melting took place. Each of these drains has had to be physically removed and new ones installed in their place. New pipe, bedding and catch basins have all been installed to properly repair these drains. New materials were used because most of the old components were damaged in some form and rendered inoperable.

Completed drain inlet

Two More Complete

Over the last week even with the snow delaying us a couple of work days, holes fourteen and fifteen are now complete. The project is now kicking into high gear with staffing and equipment levels allowing for an estimated two holes a week of completion from this point forward.

On the course you will see a tremendous amount of people and equipment working, so please use caution when passing through these holes that are under construction. We will do our best to keep these areas safe and passable so that you can proceed to the next hole. At no time will we have more than two holes closed for construction, so be sure to check here or the golf shop for current hole closures.

Branch Cleanup

The heavy wet spring snow which fell over the weekend caused some minor tree damage throughout the golf course. We were very fortunate that more significant damage wasn’t caused by the snowfall. The trees that were most effected were the younger, smaller Ponderosa Pines.

The damage was limited to only random braches being broken rather than entire trees being lost. Over the last several days we have been going through and cutting out the damaged branches. As time passes more damaged branches will make themselves visible as they die off and at that time we will remove those branches as well.

Debris pile

Back At It

On Monday we still had over a foot of snow left on the ground, but today we were able to once again resume installing the new irrigation system.

Yesterday my staff cleared off the snow around the tees on the fourteenth and fifteenth holes. This was done in effort to help keep this project from falling any further behind schedule. The areas were a little on the wet side today, but work was still able to take place. Some additional damage was caused to the tee surrounds due to saturated conditions. Luckily these areas are for the most part out of play and have little visual impact on the rest of the golf course.

Work on #14 tees

The Melt Is On

After more than two feet of snow that fell over the weekend, the big melt is now taking place. Temperatures are going to be in the 70's for the next several days with highs reaching 80 by Thursday.

The melting has actually been taking place ever since the snow started due to the fact that soil temperatures have been warmer than the air temperature. The best part about the melting has been a steady infiltration of water into the soil profile. I would have to guess that the snow cover will take another two days to completely melt off. At that point the soils will be charged with fresh clean water which will do a tremendous amount of flushing to our Sodic soils.

Snow Day

This morning a major spring snow storm has rolled in shutting down all activities on the golf course. Forecasters are calling for snow totals in the range of 1-3 feet over the next 36 hours.

How does snow form?

Snow begins in the atmosphere as water which condenses into tiny droplets. As more and more water vapor condenses onto its surface, the droplet grows. Cold air then freezes this water into an ice crystal. As the ice crystals fall they come into contact with warmer air that makes causes a slight melting. The melting acts like as glue, causing crystals to bond together into larger flakes, forming what many people think of as the "classic" fluffy snowflake. If the crystals melt too much and then refreeze as they get closer to Earth's surface, the precipitation falls as sleet instead of snow.
Each ice crystal has a unique shape that depends on the surrounding air's temperature and water vapor content. If it is below freezing and there is a lot of water vapor in the air, the crystal grows six evenly spaced branches. Snow flakes are found in many different shapes and forms of which no two are alike. Below is a chart of just some of the snow forms that can be created under controlled conditions. In nature these snow flakes have endless possibilities of shape and form.

Next

We have completed the lateral installation on the sixteenth hole and have begun work on fifteen. As more staffing and equipment arrives, the contractor will separate into multiple crews and begin to work in two directions on the holes.

One crew will start at the tees, while the other starts at the green. Over the next several days the two crews will meet in the middle and successfully and efficiently complete the installation. This process will be repeated until the completion of the project.


Installation taking place at the green
Installation taking place at the tees

We're Done

Over the last three days we have completed our spring aerification of the golf course. It appears the timing will be perfect in having completed all of the fertilizer and soil amendment applications during this three day period of time.


A much anticipated spring snow storm is quickly approaching and will provide more than enough precipitation to help activate the fertilizer and soil amending products. As always the course comes out of aerficiation a little on the rough side, but as time passes conditions improve with each day. Without these invasive agronomic procedures the high quality conditions found on the course could not be possible.

Aerification Day Two

Things have continued to progress nicely with aerification. All of the sand and compost has been applied to the areas that were aerifed and seeded.

Since then, we have spent much of our time cleaning up behind these applications of materials. This has come in the form of brushing in the sand and compost on the greens and fairways. After the material was worked in once water was applied to further move the material downward in to the open aerification holes.

The next step in the process was to mow greens to help pick up any additional sand that was remaining on the surface. The greens look great after their initial mowing and you would be hard pressed to see any visible signs that anything was done to them.
Close up of green after mowing

A 1/2" screen is used in preparing the compost, which unfortunately lets some larger bark like material pass through. It is for this reason that the fairways are mowed in efforts to help chop up the larger materials found in the compost. It will take several mowings to fully breakdown the larger pieces remaining on the surface of the fairways. After a week or so anything that is still remaining on the surface will be blown off.
Close up of fairway after mowing

Aerification Day One

Yesterday aerification got off to a slow start due to a heavy frost in the morning, but once it lifted things went very well.

We were able to topdress and aerify all of the greens and approaches. The sand was applied to theses areas prior to aerification to physically push some of the material in to the holes being created. Perhaps the biggest reason we apply the sand first is so that the newly created holes are not closed in by running the heavy topdressing equipment over top of them. Once the sand dries out after aerification it is easily moved in to the holes and turf surface.
Topdressing applied prior to aerification
Aerifing through the sand

Close up of holes on green

The fairways were overseeded with Bentgrass and then were covered with compost. The compost acts as a cover for the seed to help with germination and also provides nutrients for the turf. We rely on compost as our main fertilizer source for the year on fairways. The compost is applied twice a year and these applications account for nearly 90% of the total fertility applied in a growing season.
Compost being applied to fairways

Aerification Prep

As aerification approaches, we have spent the last several days completing final preparations. Throughout the golf course both equipment and materials have been staged to help make the aerification process more efficient.

All equipment that will be utilized has been parked in close proximity to the first areas that will be treated. This includes equipment such as aerifiers, topdressers and blowers.

Materials that will be utilized have also been staged at strategic locations on the course. Handing of more than 300 tons of both compost and sand are perhaps the biggest challenges we encounter during the aerification process.

Progress

Installation of laterals on the sixteenth hole continues to slowly move ahead. The green is now active along with several other laterals moving sequentially down the hole.

The pace of installation should pick up as more staffing and equipment arrive on site. These additional work forces will be on site early next week and will give a much needed infusion of new blood to the project.

Mowing Frequencies

As the turf has slowly begun to come out of winter dormancy, the mowing frequencies have been increasing as well. What started off as mowing once a week has now shifted to twice a week on some areas and greens will now be mowed on a daily basis.

Even thought the grass is beginning to green up and start growing, we typically do not achieve active growth until the middle of May. A general rule of thumb for our area is that once the Scrub Oak has fully leafed out, active growth begins.

Some of the mowing patterns this spring will be different than what you have become accustomed to due to the reduction in early season labor. Many of these areas on the course have been previously mowed with smaller light weight equipment that required more operators to complete the task. We have gone back to using some larger pieces of equipment that will accomplish the same task with less people, but will not be as aesthetically appealing and have a slight reduction in quality of cut.

Lateral Installation Resumes

Now that the mainline and other lose end items have been completed the focus is now on lateral installation.

Work began on the sixteenth hole with the installation of the new green loop. Unforunately the weather did not coperate for very long and shut down the lateral installation shortly after it began.

Hopefully the remainder the installation will not have the Weather as a major hurdle in the completion of the project.

Poa Management

As the greens are beginning to come out of dormancy, the injured Poa Annua is showing the effects of chemical treatment from last fall. Back in October the greens were treated with high rates of TGR (a plant growth regulator) to weaken and kill the Poa. These spots are now visible on the greens where the Poa is bleached out or white in color.

Poa Annua is a winter annual that begins to actively grow before the Bentgrass, which gives the Poa a competitive advantage. The chemical treatment has shifted the competitive balance in favor of the Bentgrass which, will now be able to reclaim some of the ground lost to the Poa over time. Fertility will be geared toward encouraging the Bentgrass to grow and fill in the voids created by the Poa Annua.

Lateral Schedule

The lateral schedule will be as follows on the remaining holes on the golf course. These dates will be somewhat weather dependent, but the sequencing should remain true to the list below.

The only exception to this specific schedule, could be if we start to encounter significant problems with the old system on holes that have not yet been converted. At that time we might have to switch the sequence of holes to deal with the problems we might be encountering.

Lateral Schedule To Be Completed By

• The week of April 10th #16

• The week of April 17th #15/#14
  

• The week of April 24th #13/#12

• The week of May 1st #11

• The week of May 8th #10/#17

• The week of May 15th #18

• The week of May 22nd #9

• The week of May 29th #8

• The week of June 5th #7/#6

The Mainline is Complete

After more than five months and 35,000 feet of pipe being installed, the mainline is complete. The installation of the mainline has been by far the most challenging aspect of the renovation work to date.

Now that this key phase is complete, the focus will now be on lateral and head installation. Last fall the first five holes were completed and this leaves us the remaining thirteen holes to complete.

Water Quality

Now that more than a foot of fresh snow has fallen on the golf course many of the areas that were struggling, will be renewed with the fresh clean water content found in the snow. The golf course uses Effluent water for irrigation purposes which is environmentally responsible, but from a healthy soil and turf standpoint it leaves a lot to be desired.

We are constantly fighting the additional inputs that come along with the Effluent water such as ; Bicarbonates, Chlorides and Sodium. These three elements have over time destroyed the structure of the soil found on the golf course. Prior to the use of Effluent water the soils were very good and provided little problems in the way of poor drainage and less than ideal grown conditions for high quality turf. After nearly nineteen years of using Effluent water the soils now closely match the analysis found in the water.

Each year we test our soils and water, so that we can make the appropriate adjustments with various soil amendments to offset the negative qualities associated with the water. In any growing season we will add well over 500 lbs of Sodium per acre alone just from watering. As you can see that is a tremendous obstacle to over come every year in order to provide a high quality playing surface.

To show the dramatic differences in water quality, below you will find a chart that shows desirable ranges in water quality suitable for irrigation purposes. I have also taken the liberty to test the content of water found in snow and it clearly shows how clean and pure the natural precipitation can be. It is no wonder why the golf course reacts so positively to any natural precipitation.

Desired Range

Bicarbonates less than 120 ppm(parts per million)
Chlorides less than 140 ppm(parts per million)
Sodium 0- 50 ppm


Effluent Water

Bicarbonates 161.26 ppm(parts per million)
Chlorides 63.15 ppm(parts per million)
Sodium 73.09 ppm(parts per million)


Snow

Bicarbonates 19.68 ppm(parts per million)
Chlorides 1.0 ppm(parts per million)
Sodium 3.1 ppm(parts per million)

Forging Ahead

At this point in the construction schedule time is our enemy and every minute counts towards a successful completion. Today the predicted snowfall arrived mid morning and work on the mainline took place even though conditions were less than favorable. It is this type of effort that will go a long way towards a positive outcome of this irrigation renovation.

The Mad Dash

The weather forecasts are calling for significant snow to come in over the next several days and the timing could not be better for applying gypsum to some of the play areas. The two areas we keyed on were greens and tees. If and when the natural precipitation comes, it will put the pelletized gypsum into solution which will help flush the sodium through our soils. The clean water content in the snow will be much more effective in leaching than the effluent water we utilize for irrigation.

Sunday Morning Fun at The Pines

This morning very well may go into the record books for irrigation breaks in one day. First thing this morning we discovered four breaks that took place some point last evening during an irrigation cycle. As the morning progressed, we had two more breaks which brings us up to a grand total of six in one day. All that before 9:00am, what a way to start the day.

Over the last three day alone we have had a total of nine irrigation breaks. If there is anyone who still questions the need for a new irrigation system, i believe these numbers speak for themselves.

Here are couple pictures that show the size and disruptive nature of the irrigation breaks.

Break on Friday the 20th

Break on Saturday the 21st

Today Sunday the 22nd

Signs of Spring

Winter has officially ended and early signs of spring are beginning to become apparent. The temperatures have been consistently above average for the last three weeks in particular and signs of growth are taking place.

Around the clubhouse some of the perennials and bulbs are beginning to push new growth and even some of the Daffodils are showing the first color of spring.

On the golf course as each day passes the color slowly begins to change before our eyes. Typically the golf course does not reach full spring green up until the middle of May, but I think this year we will be well ahead of that traditional date.

The Old System Strikes Again

Today the latest failure on the old mainline was repaired. The break occurred on the steep hillside above #16 green. This mainline runs under the development road and is buried to a depth of at least twenty feet. Due to the depth of the pipe being out of reach of our equipment, we made the decision that the best way to repair it was to completely abandon a 300 ft stretch of pipe. The 6" mainline was cut and capped on each side side of the road effectively eliminating the break.

The only reason we could abandon this stretch of pipe is the fact that the new mainline has been recently installed on the same hole and a cross connection can be utilized. This cross connection will feed into the old mainline and allow us to get water to this portion of the golf course. One of the biggest challenges in this project has been keeping both old and new systems working by a series of cross connections and in this case we would be out of luck if the cross connection did not exist.

Digging on #16 side of the Road

Digging on #17 side of the road


Installing the end cap on the pipe

Urine Burn

Throughout the golf course there are many circular areas of dead or severely injured turf which were caused by Deer and Elk urine.

Deer and Elk urine is generally high in nitrogen content, and tends to have a high ph level. The concentration of nitrogen in one spot is too high, and as a result, the grass dies, while the outer ring seems to flourish from the right amount of fertility. Some of these smaller areas will typically regenerate on there own, while some of the larger areas require additional attention.

The larger areas in which recovery does not occur re-seeding or sodding will take place to properly repair the area in question.

We Have Communication

Last night marked the first successful operation of the new irrigation system on the first five holes from the central computer. Over the last several months I have spent the time entering all of the head data and creating the programs that will operate them. Now that the system is up and running, the real works begins with the fine tuning process of the specific run times for each of the heads.

Orientation

The compass direction of the turf clearly affects the amount of sun it is likely to get as well as its exposure to wind and rain. A soil which faces south generally warms up more quickly which helps the turf green up earlier in the spring. These southern exposure areas become very useful in providing predicable timetables to the surrounding areas of turf that has not yet started the green up process.

Typically when southern exposure areas begin to green up I know that the other areas will follow with in the next two weeks. As the daytime temperatures rise and the days become longer the opportunity for manipulation of this situation becomes possible. We will begin to apply foliar fertilizers to help snap the plant out of dormancy and catch up with the turf that has a head start thanks to Mother Nature.

The two best fertilizer sources for cold weather response are Calcium Nitrate and Potassium Nitrate. We will begin to apply these products regularly until the desired effect takes place within the targeted turf area.

Here are two examples of heavily contoured greens that have drastically different exposures with in a 6000 square foot area. Click on the phots to see the text and color variations.

Course Setup

All of the golf course accessories have been put back out in preparation for the upcoming season. These items include; tee markers, ball washers, trash cans and bunker rakes. The accessories were pulled from the course last fall prior to winter, so that they could be refurbished for the upcoming season.

This coming Sunday the 15th is when the GHIN handicap system becomes active for Colorado and scores can once again be posted. This date has created a deadline for us to put the final touches on the course before posting begins.

The biggest challenge we have ahead of us is getting the bunkers ready for play. Throughout the winter the sand has shifted and become full of Elk droppings and each item needs to be dealt with accordingly. The Elk droppings and Pine needles must be blown out of the bunker before any of the sand can be moved.

The sand itself has shifted due to wind, snow melt and animal foot traffic on the steep face portions of them. Every spring the sand depths are checked so that there is a compacted two inch depth on the faces and four inches in the bottoms. This is done by measuring the existing depth throughout each bunker and making adjustment where necessary. Sometimes this involves just moving the sand internally in the bunker or when additional sand is needed it must be brought in.

Course supplies are back out

Bunker cleanup taking place

Relief

After nearly two weeks of battling the weather some minor relief has come in the form of snow. Early this morning we received just over an inch of snow which will help keep the flames at bay.

My staff and I have felt like we have been fighting fires over the last two weeks in which the weather has been unseasonable warm. Temperatures have consistently been in the sixties coupled high winds and humidity in the teens. Add all of these factors together and that creates the perfect storm for turf loss.

Each day during this time period my staff has been actively watering the course to keep everything alive. We have been running the overhead sprinklers as well as keying in on the problematic areas with site specific hand watering.

We will enjoy this short reprieve, but this snow fall still leaves us significantly below normal precipitation levels for this time of year.

Failure!

Today, I received the phone call that I was hoping would stop coming when the new irrigation system would be installed. We had an irrigation break on the eleventh hole and I immediately thought it was the old system when it was described to me over the phone. It became quickly apparent upon inspection of the break that it was part of the new system and not the old one.
This marks the second failed fusion joint on our project and that is two failures too many.


Close Up Of The Failed Saddle Tee
Old Faithful

Greens Mowers

Our new mowers have arrived. This year, we have cut back the amount of money being spent on replacing equipment to our maintenance fleet. The two main factors behind the reduction would be the economy and the current irrigation renovation project.

This year our Capital equipment budget was reduced by nearly two thirds of our typical spending. Some of the pieces of equipment that were eliminated were a triplex mower, fairway aerifier and reel grinding equipment.

We have had great success in managing the equipment fleet by replacing most of the heavy use equipment in three to five year cycles. The severe terrain found on the golf course really takes its toll on the wear items of the equipment and ultimately reduces the overall life expectancy.

The equipment purchases that have been eliminated for this year are not permanent and will need to be made up at some point in the future. When better economic times return, hopefully then we will be able to once again replace the next items in the cycle. By doing so, will ensure that we have the best tools available to maintain the golf course to the level that is known and expected.

Why Not ?

Its March 4th, 70 degrees, why shouldn’t I be aerifying fairways? In the last week as the temperatures have continued to climb and the grass is beginning to green up, now seems like the perfect time to start the aerification process.

We normally aerify the golf course twice a year in the spring and fall with the second week of April being our target time for spring aerification. With everything that is going on with the irrigation installation, I thought that bumping up the timing of aerification would help with the overall recovery to the grass areas.

Last fall we noticed that some of the areas in which lateral pulls were done, the recovery was slower due to additional tearing of turf due not being completely healed from fall aerification. In many cases these areas were found in the fairways where a Graden was run deeply to remove thatch. As the laterals were pulled across the fairways numerous turf chicklets were dislodged and made for a slower recovery to the pull lines.

I thought we would have better luck this spring by aerifying rather than running the Graden over the fairways in efforts of keeping the turf together during this highly disruptive process. Laterals are not scheduled to begin until the beginning of April and by that time the fairways will be fully recovered from aerification and not cause any additional delays in recovery from pulling.

Aerifying The Fairway
Breaking Up The Plugs
Blowing Off The Thatch

Away We Go

The shallow or summer irrigation system has been pressured back up throughout the entire golf course. We are a good two weeks earlier than last year, which is three to four weeks ahead of the normal irrigation window.

This season we have had snow falls that have been few and far between in addition to unseasonably warm temperatures. For the last four weeks we have been chasing the dry spots and newly laid sod with hoses utilizing the frost free components of the irrigation system. It has gotten to the point where we are no longer able to keep up with the rapid drying and are forced to turn on the entire system.

One of the biggest problems we will encounter by doing this so early would be that all of the heads will not function due to some lingering frost in the ground. These areas are primarily in northern exposures where the soil temperatures are still below freezing. These ground temperatures do not allow the pilot valve assembly in the heads to properly function, therefore rendering the head non operational.

Even though we are extremely early in the season to be turning on the entire system, by not doing so will guarantee wide spread loss of turf. I would rather take the risk of irrigation component failure versus large scale re-sodding operations.