Frost

It is that time of year again. Days are getting shorter and nights are getting colder. Once those afternoon clouds move out for the night, temperatures in the valley dip down. For almost two weeks now we have seen temperatures in the mid-30's can equates to a nice frost delay.

It is not guaranteed that everyday brings frost. Some mornings with cloud cover will keep the atmosphere warmer and prevent the plant from freezing.

The coldest part of the day is when the sun rises. The sun pushes the cold air down to the earth and that is when we see the most amount of frost on the golf course. In time, the temperature soon rises and the frost melts off the plant.

Some golf courses can run irrigation to "wash-off" the frost, but our water source is so cold, it only makes matters worse and sometimes creates more ice.

Frost damage can be very harmful especially this time of year. Damage occurs when the crown and leaf blades of the plant are frozen and exposed to stress by foot or cart traffic. The water inside the plant freezes and the plant becomes very delicate and shatter upon impact. Damaged areas will turn to purple or even black and then turn brown and die off. As I mentioned, the fall is the worst time of year to experience frost damage because there is little to no growing time left in the year to rebound from this damage.

Moving Out

Landscapes Unlimited has loaded up their equipment and have for the most part left the golf course. Over the next two weeks a small crew of employees will be putting finishing touches on the system. Each sprinkler head and valve has been re-visited to ensure they are working properly and each head is level.

1 Year Later

So I played Pole Creek Golf Club in Fraser on Tuesday and had a great time. Former VGC Superintendent, Ben Krueger and I took to the course with 90 other RMGCSA members. The weather was great and the course was better. I even beat Ben!
Craig Cahalane is the Superintendent and he and his staff do a wonderful job with the course. Last year, Landscapes Unlimited installed a new irrigation system on 18 of the 27 holes. The course is playing great and the greens were in fantastic shape. Every area of the course was consistent from greens to roughs. Now that Craig has better control and can really focus on growing grass instead of fixing pipe, he has been able to provide a better golf course for the guests of Winter Park.
Sure there are a few wet spots here and there, but that is only because he is just learning to use the system. Landscapes finished in September last year and by the time they were complete it was time to shut down the system for the winter. Well they too had a wet spring and early summer, which means Craig has been using his system almost as long as I have in Vail.
So Craig and his staff are beginning to work out the details by changing nozzles, adjusting heads and run times. When soils are not used to absorbing moisture and providing a medium for growth they tend to bind up and become hard. Over time, through adjustments to the land, proper drainage or just providing enough moisture these areas will develop into better growing environments.
After one year at Pole Creek, most golfers would never have known such an extensive project occurred on the property last year. Here in Vail I believe we are headed down that same path.

I'm still here

Don't worry all you blog fans, even though the irrigation project is mostly complete I'm still blogging. I have been out of the office for the past few days.
We've got a lot to look forward to such as the use of the new system, prepping for tournament month(September) and fall/winter preparation. Plus there is lots more maintenance for the season.
I am off to Pole Creek near Winter Park for a Superintendents meeting on Tuesday. I can't wait to play that course again. Landscapes Unlimited installed a new irrigation system there last season.

Finishing Details

18 holes are complete with the irrigation renovation. All that remains are punch list items that will be addressed over the next two weeks. Closures for golf are over and 18 will be available for play as of today. You will notice irrigation being installed at the island area behind the 17th green. This area has a greater potential for more outings and events. Irrigation will provide us to maintain the plants to their fullest and incorporate a better stand of grass.

During the next two weeks, Landscapes Unlimited will be checking all of the heads and valves throughout the course to make sure everything is working properly. They will finish removing old heads and satellite boxes. Once the remaining distance markers for the new heads arrive, they will be placed as well.

The Range

The driving range has been neglected over the years due to the lack of irrigation control. The biggest difference that you will notice with the range and the other areas of the course are the dry soil conditions. It's amazing that anything could grow at all out there. It is so clear in this picture how dry it really is.

I welcome the challenge to increase the aesthetic and agronomic value of the driving range.

Re-Visit the Bubble

For those of you new to the Vail Golf Club you may know nothing about the "bubble". This former winter landmark on the driving range was erected each year to house another sheet of ice during the winter months. The remains of the "bubble" exist underground in the middle of the driving range floor. Pictured here is the concrete foundation and an asphalt apron. Most of these areas are covered with a few inches of soil and very weak turf. In order for Landscapes to properly install the piping to the range floor they must hammer through the concrete to the appropriate depth.

To remove these permanent features will be extremely expensive. So as we move forward, we battle with a "feast or famine scenario". Poor drainage in the spring which results in stagnant, anaerobic conditions, followed by dry conditions in the summer due to the previous lack of irrigation and shallow root systems. With the lack of soil we will continue to fight this battle. In the years ahead we look to incorporate some sort of topdressing to alleviate these stresses.