Let's try that again...

After a few bouts of electrical storms and almost another half inch of rain that fell this morning, it was a short day for the staff and even Dustin, our "Supe of the day". The conditions were really poor and unsafe, so both the GCM Staff and Landscapes staff called it early today and got some rest and we'll be back at it again tomorrow. Even Dustin, will get another crack at managing the crew.

Superintendent for the Day

Each season I give the opportunity to the turf interns on my staff to be "Superintendent for the Day". Over the years, the interns have really embraced this day, which gives them a little taste of what to expect if they wish to continue down this path.

Throughout the season, each intern is involved with all day-to-day maintenance responsibilities. Everything from mowing greens, fairways, setting the course, bunker raking and edging, to trimming, clean up detail and hand watering. Interns will also learn to calibrate fertilizers and pesticides for various applications. We also incorporate them into other jobs around the course such as drainage projects, tree trimming, pond maintenance and good old shop clean up.

After a couple of months learning the ropes around the course, we give them a week to schedule the staff for daily maintenance. The Thursday of that week, they are solely responsible for the day. Of course if there is something over their head, myself, Justin or Tony will step in to assist.

So this week, Dustin Wester of Hawkeye Community College will take a crack at running the staff today. He has been doing a great job all summer and we feel he is up for the challenge. So if you have any complaints, don't come to me!

Grounding

Wednesday, Tanya Myers of Grand Junction Pipe and Supply, visited the course to test the grounding that has been installed at each valve throughout the course. The testing process is to ensure we are getting the best protection possible for lightning strikes to the golf course. Ground plates are located at each valve and decoder to deter electricity to run down the communication wires. Also pictured here is the OHMS meter connected to the ground wire to determine its resistance.

Final Staking

Thursday, bright and early, Larry Rodgers will be on-site for the final time staking heads for the course. The 10th hole and the driving range are the final areas that remain to be renovated. The project is going smooth right now and we are on schedule. Once all of the holes are complete there remains work to be completed around the course. First we will be testing pipe and heads throughout to ensure everything is working properly. Removal of old heads and satellite boxes. The rest of the holes need to have distance markers installed onto heads. Finally any other items that need to be repaired before they leave the site.

Monday and Tuesday next week, plan on the driving range to be closed. Installation of new heads will be completed on the entire range those days. If you have a tee time, a net will be provided for players to warm up, free of charge.

Swing Joints

In response to the GolfGenie comment made yesterday, I will explain the purpose of the swing joint and provide some answers to the question.

It regarded sunken sprinkler heads on golf courses and how can that be prevented.

Well first let me explain how heads become lower than the original plane. One reason is that they were not installed correctly. As you will notice, when Landscapes installs each irrigation head, they spend a significant amount of time packing the soil to prevent any future settling. They use hand held packers or "jumping-jacks" (pictured here on a mainline install) to provide the most stable soil to house the sprinkler. Over time heads can settle if the soil cannot adequately keep the sprinkler in place.

The other reason, which you may find on courses with older irrigation systems, is due to the chronic sand topdressing applications made to the turf. Little by little each topdressing application raises the level of the playing surface, however the heads stays put. This certainly was common with many of our old heads, especially around the greens. The GolfGenie, probably noticed her sunken heads mostly around the greens since the putting surfaces receive the most amount of topdressing.

The only way to fix this is where the swing joint comes into play. Pictured above is Jesus with a swing joint and you can notice its flexibility. The swing joint is a combination of pivoting elbows of pvc that allows the sprinkler to withstand pressure from above. When sub-surface irrigation was first attempted on golf courses, they began to have problems with heavy equipment and golf carts driving over a sprinkler and damaging them. The swing joint eases the impact of traffic to a pressurized pipe and head from above. So, the swing joint was invented to provide the flexibility in the soil to keep the sprinkler from failing.

So the solution is to dig around and below the irrigation head and expose the swing joint. Depending on how low the head is, you can do one of two things. First, you can adjust the pivot points on the joint to raise it to the appropriate level. The downside of this, is that you may sacrifice some of the flexibility if the joint is maxed out. The second solution, would require a slightly bigger hole and a little more room in the budget. You can purchase a second swing joint to add to the one already in the ground and you will have no problem acquiring the appropriate level of the head. Neatly back fill and pack the soil and re-install the turf so that the entire area is level.

This can be a time consuming project and sometimes will be done over the course of a few seasons.

Pulling #1

Today, half of the first hole was completed. Pictured here is the plow that pulls pipe and wire through the soil for 2 inch lateral lines. The pipe and wire are 18 inches below the surface. This is a great view looking back on the first hole towards the Gore Range. 

You will notice the planks of track mats on the collar of the green to prevent any tire marks from the machine. The pile of dirt is where the sprinkler heads will be located. Not pictured is the roll of sod that was removed before the hole was dug. Once the heads and wires are all connected and level, the hole is filled and packed, the sod is replaced and properly trimmed around the head.

Sprinkler Distance Markers

Here is what you will be seeing throughout the course for distance markers. Any head between 50 and 300 yards from the middle of the green will have the digits of the proper yardage. Some heads along the property lines may not have these yardages on them. 

The Ambassador

I can't believe that I haven't mentioned the Vail Golf Club Ambassadors much through this renovation. I have a wonderful team of volunteers helping to make the golfers experience that much better as they make their way around the renovation. 

Pictured here is Harry Jasper working his normal Friday afternoon shift. Here he is filling divots on the first fairway waiting for play to get to the renovation area. 

The ambassadors are here to educate and guide golfers around the renovation. They escort golfers to the next teeing ground and occasionally help with maintenance around the course (which of course is greatly appreciated). 

Many thanks to all twelve of you, Robert, Ron, Margaret, Gretchen, Malin, Carmen, Barbara, Ken, Harry, Ellyn, Bill and Annie.

Finished with the 18th hole

I have attached a few pictures of recent work done at the 18th hole. The first picture is of Fausto is putting together a valve box near the green. The box contains the valve from the mainline, the main communication wire, field decoder, and wires to sprinkler heads. The next picture is a great one, the fairway heads are being checked and finally getting some water down after stress from the recent work. Each head is flushed of debris and tested to make sure everything is working properly with the head. Then they are tested with field communication so that it can be used accurately from the central command computer. 

The last picture is of the installation around the clubhouse and the new handicap entrance to the building. Small spray heads have been installed here. I found it quite amazing how they could work with their large equipment in tight areas.

watering sod

Here is Alonzo from Landscapes Unlimited. He is dedicated to fine tuning new sprinkler heads once they are installed. Here he is on 18 making sure heads are working properly. Alonzo is also watering the replaced sod from the installation. He places the cone over the sprinkler head, the cone keeps the water in the general area to soak the sod. I am not so crazy about his hat, but he is a great worker and a fun guy to have around the course.

You may notice wet areas around the course, particularly with the re-sodded areas. During high stress periods to the turf, like the warm, dry weather we have had recently, it is critical to have those areas grown in properly from the renovation. Once the roots are re-established we will return the area to normal irrigation.

There are many areas around the course that are seeing consistent irrigation for the first time. It can take up to a couple of seasons to go through these areas and balance them out. Now that the groundwater has receded, many areas are beginning to dry up and now we focus on providing consistent watering. Finally with the new system we can begin to improve playability. My staff and I can now spend our time adjusting heads and run times, instead of digging holes just trying to get water.

38 degrees

This morning we headed out of the shop and the temperature was a cool 38 degrees. The frost season has not really ended. We have not had one week this season with out frost somewhere on the course, it's quite amazing. Hurry up and take advantage of the early tee times soon, because once we get to August the frost really settles in we need to back up tee times to prevent damage to the turfgrass. 

This week the town's fire prevention department, Tom Talbot and his staff will be clearing out some of the dead lodgepole pines throughout the course. They will begin on the 16th hole. In the coming weeks, we'll have to arrange for trees to come out on #2 and #5.

Also, we'll be saying goodbye to the old pump station tomorrow. Arapahoe Pump from Denver has purchased the old pumps and will be coming for them Thursday.

85%

Almost there, holes complete with new irrigation are 2-8, and 11-17. By the end of the week add #18 to that list. Next week we will focus on the practice greens and holes 1 and 9. While working on the practice greens one of them will be open for putting at all times. 

The GCM staff continues to improve the course in various areas. We have been cleaning up native areas, drainage, adjusting new irrigation heads and nozzles, hand-watering sodded areas, filling in sod lines and weak areas with sand and seed.

You will also notice new distance markers on the new irrigation heads. To date they are on holes 3-8, 13 and 14. The distances are to the middle of the green. 

In With The Old

Well the good the weather is here and it is welcomed. Approximately 2/3rds of the course has new irrigation, which leaves areas that we continue to spend additional time watering. Pictured here are a couple of ways we try get supplemental water out to cover areas that just don't get enough at night.

On a positive note, we have noticed many improvements in turf health on holes that are complete with new irrigation. Specifically holes 4,5, and 6. Many areas of the fairways and roughs have always been weak. We are seeing the beginning signs of excellent coverage. Moving forward, we now have the support to strengthen these areas and make them the best playable conditions possible.

14 green

The fourteenth green is complete which is nice to have behind us. This was one of the worst areas on the course for pressure and accurate irrigation applications. The elevation gain and not enough pressure to provide consistent throw in the area made it troublesome to have healthy turf throughout the green complex. 

As the course matures with the new system we will be able to explore different mowing lines around the property. I think this area may be a candidate and one that we could really have fun with.

Almost Done with Mainline

Mainline is 97% complete with all holes done except for #17. The mainline will not be completed there until laterals on holes 11-16 are complete. Lateral work continues on #14 today with plans of finishing the entire hole today. 

I have been asked a few times about the rhyme and reason of where Landscapes Unlimited is working on the golf course. Our two main goals are water and power to all 18 holes. Especially when we are getting much drier weather, this is critical. We need to keep power sources intact to our old satellite boxes so the course can water at night. There are four different sources of power to the old system. Only two of these sources remain in use. One source controls holes 1, 9, 10, 17, driving range and 18. The other sources controls holes 11-16. 

It is easier to manage flow of water in our old pipes to work from the ends of the course towards the pump house (located in the center of the property). Which is the main reason we finished with 2 and 8 and moved to east to 13 and 14. By taking care of all water and power on the east end of the course, the middle will still function properly. We plan to arrive at the middle of the course for renovations in August.

Topdressing Greens

This week we spiked greens and topdressed them with a fine grade sand. Following all of the wet weather recently, the putting surfaces were in desperate need of oxygen to the root systems. The past couple of days we spent opening up these holes and took advantage of the opportunity to also incorporate sand into the root zone. We schedule light topdressing to each green every two weeks throughout the season. Due to the late start and wet conditions this was our third application of the season. By this time last year we had five applications done.
There are many benefits to topdressing greens on a consistent basis. The most important is dilution of the thatch layer in the soil profile. With our cold temperatures our microbial activity does not break down the thatch fast enough.
Sand helps with smoothing out any blemishes and ballmarks, firms up the surface, allows water and nutrients to penetrate through the root zone more freely for maximum plant uptake. A sand profile also has the least amount of compaction which can be detrimental to any root system. These pictures show you how we spread the sand accurately to the surface and follow that by dragging with an old carpet. Following that we sometimes roll the greens and complete them with a heavy watering cycle that night to help wash the sand into the turf.

June or July?

July is beginning to look a lot like June. Here is a picture of what Friday afternoon looked like after a half an inch of rain fell in about 20 minutes. 3.15 inches fell throughout the month of June. So far after 5 days in July we have reached .79 inches. The rains are keeping the course green but there are wet spots. We are trying to keep up with them daily, however with the lack of elevation change throughout the course it makes it difficult in areas. The temperature was 37 degrees this morning, it provided some frosty leaf blades throughout the course. C'mon sun.

Great Local Press

Press on Golf Course Superintendents is rare to find. Most press is very good. I came across this article in the Denver Magazine that I wish to share with you about water usage and environmental stewardship. Vail Golf Club is part of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program and with the irrigation renovation going on this summer, what we do and plan to do in the future relates to this very article. Click here to learn what other Superintendents in the state are doing to be supportive of the environment instead of "Augusta effect".

Planning

On Wednesday this week Bob Weaver from AMEC an environmental consulting group in Boulder visited the golf course to discuss wetland and creek related issues around the course. Here, Bob talks to Mike Ortiz (VRD Executive Director) and Kevin Atkinson (golf course architect) about some of the options to enhance certain environmental aspects of the course. Areas of the course that were discussed were the 7th tee box, wetlands, streambank restoration, drainage and pond health.

Seeding

It is that time of year to get as much seed out as possible throughout the course. Soil temperatures are getting into the 60 degree range for germination. The moisture has been great and we have been seeing some more sun. The top picture shows Tony going through areas of the course with solid tines aerifying, to open holes for a seed bed. Seed needs plenty of soil contact as well to begin growth. Below is Jacob (Iowa St. intern) spreading a high altitude mixture of Kentucky Bluegrasses. Bluegrass takes a little longer to germinate so I like to make sure we are in the clear with frost and into summer to get the most out of each application. Bluegrass has excellent winter and ice tolerance and also provides a great playing surface. We also use Perennial Ryegrass throughout areas for quick germination, predominately on tees and the driving range. It is not as winter hardy as bluegrass, but it can germinate in about 7-10 days and has a nice deep green color.

The Future of Vail Golf Club

Another great sight around Vail. Over the past few years the kids program here in Vail has really grown. Thanks to Alice Plain and her staff, it is really nice to see more excitement with youths in golf. It is extremely important at that age to get them into the game. Attention spans can be short as we all know, however the staff here in Vail does a great job keeping them entertained and most of all educated about this great game.