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!

Greens Aeration

Day two is a wrap and the first aeration of the spring is officially over!  Today went much smoother.  There were no major mechanical issues and everyone hustled to get the remaining greens finished.  My thanks goes out the entire agronomy team for getting aeration done on schedule.  All 18 holes will be open tomorrow.

Greens Aeration

Punching holes on #3 green

Yesterday was the first day of aeration on greens.  Spring aeration has always been a sign that the spring season is officially here and that from here on out, our days will be filled with mowing, fertilizing, and watering.  The first day was a big success but wasn't without our share of adversity.  Our topdressing machine has some welds break that we had to repair, but the important thing is that we pushed through it and the front nine is open and ready for play as scheduled.  Today should go smoothly with everyone knowing their rolls and being comfortable within the system.
The next few days will be filled with more rolling, blowing and mowing to get the greens back into the best possible condition by the weekend.

The finished product on #9 green

Spring green up

Well, the sun is finally trying to break through the clouds that have been around all week.  The final rain total for the week is around 5 inches.  Besides having to pump the tunnel out every day, the bunker drainage performed wonderfully.  For the first time in many years, we didn't have any standing water in any bunkers.  This is a tribute to the agronomy staff's dedication and hard work during the renovations over the past few years.

The warm weather from last week and the soaking rain from this week have really encouraged the Bermuda to quickly come out of dormancy.  Once we get past greens aeration next week, we will prioritize mowing of all surfaces to get our first wall to wall cut of the season.

Rain

This latest storm has dumped over 3.5" of rain over the last 24 hours.  As you can see from how much water collected in the tunnel, the golf course is closed for play today.  We shouldn't have any issues getting the tunnel pumped out and the course, although soggy, should be ready for play in the morning.

#15 bunker renovation

The impending storm held off just long enough this morning for the crew to get the new sand installed in #15.  Now that the sand is down, the rain cannot contaminate the new drainage we installed on Friday.  Once the area is dry enough, we will finish all the dirt work and install sod in the new basin to the left.

#15 Bunker Renovation

Day two of the bunker renovation has
been very productive.  Since finishing removal of all old sand yesterday, the old drainage material has been removed and additional drainage trenches were dug out.  Our assistant superintendent, Michael Liebe, was in the mini excavator knocking down the old bunker edge on the west half that is to be converted to a sod basin.  Tomorrow we will finish the grading the soil and get the area ready for sod while simultaneously installing the new drain pipe and gravel in the right side of the bunker.  If all goes well, we should be ready for sod and new sand by the end of the week.

#15 Bunker Renovation

We hosted a superintendent's chapter golf outing yesterday, and now that its over, we are jumping right into our last bunker renovation of the off-season.  The bunker on #15 looks okay because the sand in it is fairly new, but the internal drainage is aging and last season it began to hold water.  Today we are working on removing the sand to expose the drainage.  Once that is done, the left side of the bunker will be converted to a sod basin and the right side will be fully renovated with new drainage and sand.

Spring is in the air!

After a mild winter, it seems safe to say that spring is here.  Nights are warming up, Bermuda is waking up from dormancy, and trees are blooming all over the place.  I love this time of year!  We have been taking full advantage of the nice weather and the course is as ready as ever for a busy spring season of great golf.

Wind

The wind has really kicked up today.  We are seeing sustained winds up to 35 miles per hour with gusts over 45.  Come on out today for a true links golf experience. =)

Winter's Back

Well after what has seemed like months of mild weather, we got reminded that it's still winter.  A fresh dusting of a couple of inches is welcome moisture for the golf course.  We thankfully missed the freezing rain that they forecast.  The snow has all melted and we are back open for play today.  Besides some fog and wet conditions, the temperature should be nice later and we hope to see some golfers.  The high for tomorrow is supposed to be almost 60 degrees!  Go figure!

Mower recycling

Before

After having spent the past couple of growing seasons mowing our 50 acres of rough with one mower.  I began to knock around the idea of putting two rough mowers out there to get it done in half the time, but weren't sure how we were going to make it happen.  We decided to pull our old gang reel unit out from behind the shop.  This mower hadn't been used in years so Mitchell, our equipment technician, got busy grinding reels and checking gear boxes.  Once Mitchell finished with all the repairs, the crew gave it a new coat of black paint.  Another benefit to reviving this old mower, besides efficiency, is that we will be able to reduce the operating hours of our other rough mower.  By keeping the hours down, normal wear and tear will decrease and the mower will last longer.

After

Driving range drainage project

The Public Works department is planning to install a drainage swale on the west edge of the driving range to protect the houses along that property line from potential flooding.  Over the past couple of weeks they have been surveying, marking the area with grade stakes, and setting silt fencing.  Once the finish grade is done on the swale, new sod will be laid over the entire area.  I will provide updates to this project as they happen.

Driving range divots

Divots are in line, less removal of turf

Divots are scattered, more turf removed

With all the additional play we've been experiencing due to the mild weather, the driving range tee has become pretty beat up.  We still have two more months until spring and I would like to remind everyone about the proper way to take a divot while practicing.  The least disruptive way to take divots is to put the range ball on the back of the previous divot.  This basically limits the amount of turf removed by almost half during each shot.  We effectively end up with long, thin strips of removed turf instead of a large mass of random divots that take much longer to recover.  To the right are two pictures showing the difference between the two techniques.  The agronomy staff hopes that this information will help you to continue to get the most out of your time practicing, while helping us keep the range tee in the best condition possible.  If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Tunnel pump

The crew spent yesterday working on one of the more unglamorous jobs on the course.  The pump for the tunnel needed to be installed.  It had become clogged with silt and was repaired.  Now we needed to clean out the mud and water so we could install the pump.  This is usually a messy process but the guys got it done without a problem.  Now the tunnel is ready for spring and should work like a charm.

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Snow

We had our first snow of the season last night.  Although the snow accumulation was pretty puny, at only half an inch, it did bring some much needed moisture.  It's been very dry lately so we'll take whatever we can get.  The next few days look to be pretty cold but the forecast is calling for a warm up after this weekend.

Chipping green bunker renovation

The crew wrapped up the chipping green bunker renovation this morning.  We ran through this bunker relatively quickly because we didn't need to redesign anything or move any dirt.  We simply scraped out the old  sand and drainage and replaced it.  Even though the bunker is finished, this green complex will remain closed until the green is ready to be opened.  We are excited to get some good growing weather now, but we still need a few weeks in the spring to finish growing it in.  We appreciate your patience during this time and look forward to having a high quality practice facility this spring.

Fog

We were blessed with some fog this morning and I couldn't wait to get out and shoot some pictures of the course.  Fog is one of my favorite weather events that can happen on the course and always leaves me with some neat visuals.  Here is are a few pictures from this morning.

Wetting agent application

I don't want to jinx us but so far this winter has been very mild and dry.  Looking back on our records, we have only had an inch and a half of precipitation since Thanksgiving.  Winter can often be the driest season of the year, especially if you don't get much snowfall.  Winter dessication, or drying out, is a common issue on bentgrass greens.  In order to keep our greens hydrated, our assistant superintendent, Michael, is applying a wetting agent to the greens today.  Wetting agents work to help the water penetrate the greens surface.  Once through the surface, the product helps the soil retain moisture longer, making it more available for the turf.    

Beautiful weather

The weather we've been experiencing lately couldn't be better for golf!  We hope that everyone is taking advantage and hitting the links!