Verticutting And Topdressing

We were about a week behind our topdressing schedule because of last week's events. Thursday we played catch up by really attacking some of the grooming on the greens. First we used vertical mower blades to help smooth out the surface and remove some organic mater in the turf. We followed this by a light sand topdressing application. After dragging in the sand with a mat we finished with a slow release granular fertilizer 18-9-18 that consists of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Now that we have arrived at summer these nutrients are critical to help handle the stresses of the season.

Neighbors

One neighbor came for a visit yesterday. He was unsuccessful with lunch but he got in a few good chest rubs! It's that time of year to see bears around the property. If you encounter a black bear, have no fear, they are only aggressive when they have something to be concerned about. Usually ignoring them and staying out of their way is the best medicine.

New Tees Update

The covers for the new tees holes 4 & 8 were removed today for the first time. They are looking great so far. A little thin with turf, but that is to be expected. Repetitive fertilization and irrigation applications will help these really get into playing shape. There is a little finish work that is required such as picking small rocks and sand topdressing. Within 10-14 days they will be ready for daily play.

Back on Track

The 7th and 8th holes are back in play as of tomorrow morning. Today the staff removed a lot of silt and debris around both holes. Conditions are still wet in areas but playable.

When conditions dry out enough we will brush these areas again to remove more silt. There is only so much we can get out at a time. Any damage that will occur may take weeks or months to surface. The silt can cover the crown of the plant and begin a slow death. Numerous attempts will be made to remove as much silt as possible. We have been fighting growth and wet soils to remove the material.

We will be keeping an eye on these areas as the season progresses. Aerification may be necessary in areas to penetrate the soil profile for new growth.

Clean Up

Clean up will begin Tuesday as the dry weather returns to the valley. We have a lot of mowing, raking, washing and removing other debris up and down the 7th and 8th holes. With the help of some volunteers and the staff we should be able to move quickly.
Most of the standing water has subsided, yet the surface is still water logged and makes it difficult for play.
I will have more to report on the results from the end of the day's work.

Wet Conditions

With almost two inches of rainfall over the last three days equals damp conditions at the golf course. The weather is looking great and fortunately things will clear up shortly. The next blog will focus on the flood clean up. This blog will discuss the funky stuff you may notice on some of the greens.

After almost 5 years of maintaining these greens and having numerous superintendents, consultants and plant pathologists view them we have come to the conclusion that they can resemble disease stricken after a rainy stretch.

Well, we have determined that it is not a disease at all, they just become anaerobic and the turf begins to wilt. The only practice we have determined that can fix these spots are opening the soil profile with a spike or an aerification hole. Creating a dry environment will allow the plants to breathe properly and bounce back quickly.

This usually happens once a year around this time when we get a stretch of wet weather over a period of a few days.

Today we spiked the greens with a new piece of equipment called the greens slicer. We can penetrate up to 2 inches and achieve good gas exchange in the soil profile. The surface can get a little bumpy, but we will follow this with sand and a roller to smooth out any imperfections.

Re-Opening the Front

Saturday the front nine will re-open with some slight changes. The 7th hole will remain closed and the 8th will play as a par 3. Please follow signs to temporary tee.
We will allow those flooded areas the weekend to dry and clean up will begin on Monday. We have a lot of silt and debris to remove from the surface. Heavy silt build up can be lethal to the turfgrass.
If weather moves into the valley please call the golf shop at 970-479-2260 if conditions change.