Staff appreciation

As the intense heat of the summer continues, I thought I should take a moment and highlight the staff here in the agronomy department.  They work tirelessly to provide the best conditions possible, with little recognition.  So the next time you are out golfing please take a few moments and let them know you appreciate all their hard work.

Ballmarks

I wanted to take a minute this morning and talk about ballmarks.  Although play has slowed down some due to the extreme heat, I've been noticing an increase in unrepaired ballmarks.  This time of year, when the agronomy staff has to spend more time handwatering the greens, this leads to somewhat softer conditions that we are used to.  This causes the ballmarks to be much deeper, therefore it becomes very important to repair them so that the we can all enjoy the smoothest playing surface possible.  If you have any questions as to the proper technique for repairing ballmarks, please refer to the graphic below.  Thank you.

The right way to fix a ball mark

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Step 1:
Use a pronged ball mark
repair tool, knife,
key or tee.

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Step 2:
Insert the repair tool at the
edges of the mark; not the
middle of the depression.

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Step 3:
Bring the edges together
with a gentle twisting motion,
but don't lift the center. Try not to
tear the grass.

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Step 4:
Smooth the surface with
a club or your foot. Repeat
steps until the surface is one
you would want to putt over.

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Drought update

Over the past few weeks, you've probably noticed the tees, fairways and rough slowly getting more and more dry.  For the second consecutive year, we are in a moderate drought, and haven't seen any significant rainfall in almost two months.  The agronomy staff is monitoring the tees, and fairways and watering as necessary for turf survival.  Although the Bermuda isn't lush and green, the turf isn't in any serious danger.  We are letting the tees and fairways go dormant for the time being to conserve the water we have left in the irrigation lake.  The greens have held up great so far, despite the harsh, dry conditions.  The syringe crews have done a phenomenal job keeping the turf healthy during this extreme weather.      

Syringing Greens

Summer is officially here and the temperatures have climbed fast.  We have been in the triple digits since Saturday, and it seems that it will stay that way for at least a few weeks.  You will notice a lot more hand watering in the afternoon during this time.  Light, frequent applications of water, or “syringing”, is the most effective way to cool down the turf during most stressful time of day.  The agronomy staff asks that our members, and guests, please excuse us during this time.  We will do our best to stay out of the way.  Thank you.

Divot Patterns at Range Tee

I've been noticing more players using the proper divot pattern at the driving range since my last post.  Not sure if it is coincidence or if the blog is having an impact.  Here is a picture of someone using the proper technique at the range.  Notice how little surface area is disrupted.  This will heal much faster than a larger scattered pattern of divots.  As practicing on the tee continues to increase, it becomes important that all players help keep as much of the tee box healthy.  This will keep the practice tee as nice as possible.

Practice Tee Use

Here is a great article from the USGA regarding proper practice tee use.
http://gsr.lib.msu.edu/article/mcclellan-practice-6-8-12.pdf

Deep tining greens

This week the agronomy staff will be deep tining greens.  The purpose of deep tining greens is to improve drainage and increase oxygen levels within the root zone.  A well drained, healthy root zone translates into a healthy, firm, and smooth putting surface.
As the summer gets hotter and we are forced to hand water more, we will be completing this process every 2-3 weeks to keep the greens profile draining and full of oxygen.

Fairway slicing

Over the past two days, the agronomy staff has been slicing fairways.  This process accomplishes several objectives: loosens the soil, allows for more oxygen into the root zone, and better water infiltration.  The machine we use for this process is called a shatter tine machine.  This machine has curved knives that go into the soil and pivots in the ground as they come back out.  This motion "shatters" the soil, which improves the soil structure and allows for better rooting.

Although the fairways will have little brown areas around each hole, this is temporary and within a few days, they will disappear.  The inch of rain we received last night will have a much better chance on penetrating into the hard, dry soil now that we have channels poked into the soil.

Poa suppression on greens

Poa suppressed by growth regulator

On your next visit to the course you may notice the funny colors on the greens, most obvious will be the putting green.  The putting green has a large amount of Poa annua, or Annual Bluegrass.  This Poa in being suppressed with a growth regulator that is causing the yellow, orange and red Poa is a native species and a desirable putting surface in many parts of the world.  However, for golf courses trying to grow Bentgrass greens, it is considered a weed.  Poa grows much faster than Bentgrass so ball roll is negatively affected if left unchecked.  The agronomy staff has a comprehensive program involving both chemical and cultural methods to suppress the Poa and encourage the Bentgrass.  One of the most effective ways to discourage the existing Poa is to use growth regulators.  This product is just starting to take effect and the symptoms are beginning to show.  Poa under the control of this product has a stunted, yellow-orangish appearance.  This will allow the unaffected Bentgrass time to creep into these spots of Poa and fill in.  The effects of this product will last for 4-6 weeks at which time the natural stresses of summer in Oklahoma will continue to stress out the Poa.  We will resume this program in the fall once temperatures begin to decrease.  As always if you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to ask.

Venting greens

#5 green

Today the agronomy staff completed the last spring aeration on greens.  I like to refer to this modified version of the aeration process as a venting.  We are still pulling a core, but the holes are very, very small and will have little to no impact on play.  This process allows for the roots to get much needed oxygen.
Normally we would pull a larger core and fill the holes with topdressing sand, but we felt that the abrasive nature of the brushing would be too much stress this close to summer.  By not brushing the sand into the holes, we are able to get the benefit of the aeration (better rooting), without much of the stress on the turf.  For those of you that have never seen the aeration process first hand, below is a video showing how we pull the cores out of the green.  If you would like to know more about the process or have any other questions, please feel free to contact me.

#3 finished

Bunker maintenance

After the edge is cut, the sand is pushed back into place.

This morning a group of the guys are tackling our weekly bunker edging.  We start this on Tuesdays so we can get a big push while the course is closed.  I anticipate finishing all bunkers by the end of the day.

The finished product.

Dusting greens

We are taking the opportunity this morning while we are closed to topdress greens.  I like to refer to this type of an application as a "dusting" because we are adding a very thin layer of sand that can be worked into the canopy with a few minutes of irrigation.  We do this weekly to ensure to accomplish several things: smoother, firmer greens and to dilute the organic matter that is in the root zone.  Frequent, light applications of sand, such as this, improves ball roll and overall firmness of the greens.

Twitter updates

I've decided to expand my social media prowess and include occasional updates via twitter.  There is a gadget on the right side of my blog page that will display these updates so you do not have to go to another page to view them.  If you are already using Twitter, click on the follow me link to get these updates straight to your phone.
These updates will be very short and up to the minute regarding course conditions, project updates and anything else I feel that I want to share about the course.  The blog will still be used for updates that may need further information or pictures to help explain what is going on.

Greens aeration

Verticutting, or dethatching, the turf in two opposite directions is the first step.

Day two was a big success. We finished in great time and even had some time at the end to tackle some miscellaneous items around the course.  It's been a while since I've detailed the entire aeration process so I thought I would show a step by step method of how we get from start to finish.  If you have any further questions about how or why we do this, please let me know.  Thanks!

A lot of thatch is removed during the verticut process that needs to be cleaned off.

After the verticutting, the green is very shaggy and needs to be mowed.

This machine pulls the cores out at a specific depth, spacing and diameter

The cores are then pushed off to the side and removed.

Any additional debris is blown off before sand can be applied.

This machine applies the sand at a specific depth so that all holes can be filled

Once the sand is dry, it is brushed into the holes and watered in.

After the sand is dry, the excess is blown off and the cup is set.

The final step is to roll out any tire marks or footprints to ensure a smooth surface.

Greens aeration

Day one is off to a great start.  We will have the front nine completed today and ready for play by tomorrow morning.  Like always, the back nine will be closed tomorrow and the whole course will be open starting Wednesday. 
The agronomy staff will be at full throttle over the next two days making sure everything is done to get the course back to expectations.  We appreciate your patience during this process.

Jr. High School Tournament

After hosting a 36 hole high school event on Monday, we are back at it again this morning.  This time with the 7th and 8th graders.  Besides the increased wind, playing conditions should be similar to what they were on Monday.

Owasso HS Invitational

The agronomy staff whipped the course into shape for the Owasso High School Invitational this morning.  The weather couldn't be any better for a 36 hole event.  With calm winds, full sun and a high of 72 degrees, today will shape up to be a fantastic day for golf!

Driving range drainage project

Brown Farms Sod finished installing the sod for the drainage project on the west side of the driving range today.  This project turned out great and we are excited to have the drainage issues taken care of for the homeowners on that side of the driving range.  The next few weeks we will work on keeping the sod watered until it gets established.

Drainage project

The drainage project on the west side of the driving range is nearing completion.  The drainage ditch has been cut and all the dirt that was removed has been blended into the existing hills to look more natural.  Brown Farms is on site today to begin installing sod.  They will finish installing all the sod in the morning.  This project will be a big improvement for all the homes on the north end of the range that had flooding issues in the past.

Chipping green

I am happy to report that after growing in the chipping green over the past 8 months, the chipping green is back open for play.  The new collar has been recently installed and the bunker has been renovated.  Although there is an unrelated drainage project nearby, the rest of the chipping complex is functional.  Over the next few weeks, we will be slowly lowering the collar height down to half an inch.
We are very excited to reopen this area and look forward to providing another practice option for our members and guests.  Enjoy!