Greens aeration

The turf maintenance team has begun pulling a core on the closed greens this morning.  Removing as much of the old profile as possible before next summer is crucial to the success of the greens.  Scheduling this core aeration before winter allows us to improve oxygen and water movement during this crucial time of root development.  The new Bentgrass sod also needs to be aerified as much as possible due to the layering that can develop during establishment.  This new sod has been grown on a very specific soil profile at the sod farm.  Often times the new profile does not exactly match, so water and nutrients can get "trapped" in the sod and not be allowed to flow down into the new soil profile.  By poking holes in the new sod, we are giving the new roots access to the new profile so that the sod can grow long, healthy roots before next summer.  This cultivation of the root zone, coupled with the two planned aerifications this spring, should give us the greatest chance for a successful summer.

Clubhouse landscape renovations

The golf maintenance team just wrapped up a two day project of renovating the clubhouse landscaping.  The large bed to the southeast of the clubhouse and the bed in the circle drive were in desperate need of some attention.  We relocated all existing plants, added some new plants, mulched all beds, added rock features, and solar-powered path lighting.  These much needed improvements are designed to need minimal maintenance, while increasing the overall appearance of the clubhouse.

Frost delays

It's that time of year again.  As the average temperature continues to drop, frost delays will become more common.  Although it is seen as an inconvenience to golfers, delaying golf on frosted greens is a necessity and not something the maintenance staff enjoys having to do.  If we could have our way, we wouldn't have frost and could open early year round.

Frost occurs when the temperature and dew point are both under 40 degrees and there is little to no wind.  This causes the dew to be very thick and then it freezes on the plant.  Under normal conditions the Bentgrass acts like a sponge when walked on, but when the temperatures are below 40 degrees, the leaf blades freeze and become brittle.  When someone walks on grass that is brittle and cannot absorb the weight, the leaf blade will shatter and die.   This is what causes the brown footprints that will appear a day or so after the initial damage.  The maintenance staff will be every morning closely monitoring the status of the frost delay and once  it is clear the course will be opened.

Thank you for your patience during this off-season and stay warm!

Greens renovations

Now that the new greens are established and are beginning to root down into the new profile, the maintenance crew has begun a weekly topdressing program.  This includes adding sand to the green in very light amounts to fill the space around each leaf blade with sand.  Since the grass is being maintained much higher than normal, the green can soft, or "puffy".  Incorporating sand into this space firms up the surface and prevents mowing injury during this crucial grow in process.  During the next 4-6 weeks, we will continue to topdress weekly and slowly bring down the mowing height on the closed greens to make sure that they are as consistent as possible to the open greens.

We have been very encouraged by the progress made on the closed greens over the last month and are excited to get them back into playing condition as soon as possible.  As always, we appreciate everyone's patience during this time.

Cart path edges

The condition of the grass along cart paths near greens and tees has prompted the maintenance team to take more drastic measures to keep carts on the paths in these areas.  We have started constructing wooden curbs on  most of the holes to keep golfers tires on the path when they pull up to greens and tee boxes.  This will keep the compaction down and allow the turf to remain in better condition.  The maintenance staff will be going around to the worst areas (see picture) and doing repairs throughout the winter.

Greens renovations

Now that all the sod has been laid, the maintenance crew is working hard to make sure all the sod is level and will be as smooth as possible before our first mowing on Friday. A thick layer of sand is added to the greens and brushed in so the seams from the sod will grow in faster. Once a mowing schedule is started, regular topdressing will begin and the green will become smoother and more firm as it continues to establish.

Greens renovations

Now that all the sod has been laid, the maintenance crew has started putting the finishing touches on the renovated greens. We need to plate compact the sod one more time and hand topdress all the seams. Once this is done, the sod will be deep watered and rolled several more times until the surface is smooth, firm and ready for it's first mowing.

Greens renovations

3B Bentgrass and JonesPlan coordinated on Friday to install the new Bentgrass sod on #12-#14. The sod was laid down and watered in a soon as possible to make sure that there weren't any pieces that got too dry. Once the sod was down, a roller was used to smooth the surface and create good sod to soil contact. Each green was rolled several times to get a firm surface.

Greens renovations

JonesPlan is putting the finishing touches on a couple of the greens today. They have filled the greens back in with sand and blended the profile so that the remaining greens mix is uniform. Then they wet the sand and tamp it down to firm up the surface. Once this is finished, the slopes are double checked and then the greens are ready for sod.

#12 greens renovation

JonesPlan started our greens renovation project yesterday. They started on #12 green got it all cleaned out and ready for sand. You can see in the picture that they are scooping out the old sod and some of the soil profile. Over the years, the top four inches had accumulated too much organic matter and was clogging up the soil. This doesn't allow for deep rooting and results in a much weaker plant. JonesPlan is removing this problematic layer and replacing it. Once the sand is back in place it will be blended and regraded.

Once this green is done, they will move onto #13 and #14. They should be done will all three greens by Friday afternoon.

Pump house

A finely tuned pump system can deliver years of trouble free service, however, as pumps and motors get older there comes a time when repairs must be made. This summer, during some of the hottest weather we've seen in years, one of the pumps began showing signs of trouble. We pulled the pump out in late July, once out, we discovered that one of the impellers was broken and the screen had rotted off.

This morning we placed the reconditioned pump and motor back into the pump house. Now with the pump and motor back into place, we should get years and years of reliable service out of our pump system.

#11 fairway

Brown Farms Sod began filling in bare areas on fairways Tuesday. Thirteen pallets were put down and should start to root in a day or so. Once the sod is rooted in, we will begin bringing the height down from 2 inches to three quarters of an inch. Brown Farms will be back this week to finish #11 and #7 fairways.

Native areas

We began mowing native areas yesterday. Mowing the native in early fall allows the grasses time to grow back up before winter, while discouraging the weeds and small trees from coming back. The end result is a much cleaner look without all of the small trees and weeds. We hope to finish this in the next few days.

#11 fairway sod

The maintenance crew resumed sod work on fairways today. Due to the fact that good Bermuda growing weather is rapidly decreasing, we are starting to fully sod bare areas. We are no longer strip sodding because we want to be fully grown in by winter. Bailey Ranch is coordinating with a local sod farm to assist us in getting this project done in a timely manner. We are responsible for all prep work and they will come in and lay the sod. Once #11 and #16 fairway are complete, we will continue going around the golf course removing any area larger than a bathtub. Much of this work will be during the hole closures this fall so we can work without interrupting play.

WallStreet Journal article

Here is a great article from the WallStreet Journal describing the impact the weather is having on greens across the country.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704017904575409411501359450.html?mod=WSJ_article_MoreIn_SportsMain

#5 Bunker renovation

JonesPlan is wrapping up the renovations at #5 bunker today. The last of the bunker sand and sod will be completed by the end of the day. Just like #9, this area will be marked ground under repair until the sod is rooted in and the sand is firm enough for play. Although this new complex has 6 smaller bunkers instead of 1 big bunker, we were still able to reduce our area of sand by almost half. This will reduce our bunker maintenance costs for this hole for years to come, while still allowing plenty of difficulty and shot variety.

#9 bunker renovation

The bunker renovation for #9 has been finished as of Monday. This area will remain ground under repair until the sod has a chance to root into the ground and is stable enough for foot traffic. We will continue to water the sod over the next week or so to allow it to survive the summer heat. The bunker will also get water to firm the sand and get it ready for play.

#5 Bunker renovation

Work has begun on the bunker complex on #5 green. The rough grading has been completed and the drainage is currently being installed. The original bunker is being converted into 6 smaller bunkers. The complex will look the same from the tee box but the amount of sand will be cut down by half. Since there will be multiple bunkers, there will still be a lot of shot variety and plenty of difficulty.

#9 bunker renovation

The bunker renovations on #9 green are almost complete. The guys wrapped up installing sand and have started laying sod. The end result for this bunker complex will be a overall reduction in sand but the difficulty will remain. The long term maintenance will be greatly reduced due to the decrease in the square footage of sand. The bunkers that remain will have new material which will allow for much greater drainage and less wash outs after rains.

#9 bunker renovation

The crew has finished the rough grading and shaping the bunkers. Drain basins have been installed and the new bunker drainage trenches are begin installed today. Sand will go into the back bunker tomorrow and sod will be laid.