Tucking in for a long winters nap

We just finished putting posts and ropes up around the greens to protect them from snowmobiles and quads. Though, neither are allowed on the golf course we usually get some damage from those that don't follow the rules.  Plant protectants have been applied to the greens and tees to gurard against any winter-time turf diseases like pink snow mold and grey snow mold.  We do have just a couple of small drainage projects that Gabe and I hope to finish before the ground freezes and then we will begin working on getting equipment ready for next season.

#8 Green Extension



#8 Green Extension

 The weather is quickly changing so our focus for the next two weeks we will be on preparing the course for winter.

#7 & #11 Looking Great



10-17-2011





10-17-2011



September 30, 2011

September 30, 2011

The colder weather this week has slowed the growth of our new greens and approaches down.  Next weeks forcast is back into the 70's, which will be helpful.  We have mowed the greens once so far and will be mowing the approaches for the first time next week.

Filling In Nicely

September 21, 2011

September 21, 2011

Today we removed the erosion control blanket in preparation for the first mowing.

Grow Baby Grow

 

Before

 



  

After



We have completed all of the seeding and sodding on #7 and #11 greens.  As you can see in the after picture we already have new seedlings up and growing.  The light colored area between the two greens is a biodegradable erosion control blanket used to prevent any washouts on the slope.  The plants will grow through the blanket and in a short period of time the blanket will dissolve. 

New Seedlings

We now have new seedlings on #7 & #11 greens. The greens were seeded last Wednesday (9/7) and the seed germinated over the weekend.  That is just 5 days from seeding until we have plants emerging!  WOW

Almost Complete

This week we are finishing the sod work on the green surrounds and spreading the sand in the bunkers. On Wednesday we seeded the greens with T1 and Alpha creeping bentgrass which is the same bentgrass that was seeded into #4 green last year.  The drainage swail on the left side of # 11 fairway is roughed out and we will add the drainage tile next week.

Bunker Drainage

Drip Irrigation For Bunker Banks

# 11 Green

# 7 Green

Green Construction

Construction on # 7 & # 11 greens is going very well.  The sub grade is complete and the drainage system has been installed. A layer of pea stone on top of the sub grade is also in place and will aid in proper drainage.  The root zone mix is currently being delivered and is immediately moved into place and checked for proper depth of material.  Once we have the root zone mix in place we will begin to compact it before the final grading is completed.  Our staff will begin the installation of the irrigation system Tuesday morning and is expected to be completed on Friday.  Once the irrigation system is finished we will be able to seed the putting green surface and begin the grow in.  The Vintage Golf construction crew will continue working on the green surrounds, bunkering, and drainage.  We have only lost two working days to bad weather so we are still on schedule.

We Have Babies!

The T1 bentgrass seed has germinated and we are now seeing new bentgrass plants emerge from the dead patches of Poa annua.  We will continue to nurse these new plants with water and fertilizer until they have developed a healthy root system.  Our greens should look and play much better in just a few weeks.

# 11 & #7 Green Renovation Has Started



August 8



August 9

August 16



We have demolished the 11th and 7th greens and are currently shaping the new greens.  Once the rough grading is complete we will install drainage lines, irrigation lines, signal wires, and sprinkler heads.  Once that is complete we will add the root zone mix to the greens surface, seed with the new hybrid bentgrass seed, and begin the grow in.  Sand will be added to the traps and the green surrounds will be covered with new sod.  We hope to have everything complete by the end of September. I will continue to post pictures here showing our progression.

Green Recovery

This week we have taken steps to recover the turf we lost on the greens due to disease and Poa annua decline.  First we aerified with a solid 3/8" tine and then topdressed with enough sand to fill the holes.  We then seeded all of the greens with the same hybrid bentgrass that we used for #4 green and will use for #7 & #11 greens. Next we rolled the greens to push the seed down into the holes and below the turf canopy to insure good seed/soil contact. We will be keeping the greens moist so the seed does not dry out. This is essential for germination and seed survival.  At times it may be necessary to turn the sprinklers on for three minute cycles during the day.  We will keep the interruptions to players at a minimum.



Before Sand, Seed, & Rolling

 

Aerification



After Sand, Seed, & Rolling

Recovery

The temperatures have finally dropped low enough to take the stress off the golf course, mainly greens.  After the deluge of 6+” of rainfall followed by temperatures in the 90 – 100 degree range for many days, we are ready for a break.  During the Men’s Invitational we were also adding more stress to the plant by mowing and double rolling the greens. As you can now see the conditions were just too much for the old bentgrasses and the annual bluegrass to handle.  Some dye-off has occurred as a result and we are beginning the recovery process by raising the height of cut, venting the greens by aerifying with needle tines (pencil size), topdressing, and inter-seeding with the newer hybrid types of bentgrass.  If you compare the old greens to the new #4 green it is obvious how much better the new hybrids can handle the environmental extremes with the added tournament conditions.  These two pictures were taken after the men’s and ladies invitationals.

Turf Diseases

Our recent weather pattern has set up the perfect conditions for turf diseases to develop. The most damaging turf disease is Pythium Blight Pythium graminicola .  Pythium blight typically occurs on flooded or saturated turf areas in midsummer after 1 or 2 days of intense rain, plus daytime temperatures above 95 F and evening temperatures not dropping below 70 F.  Over the last few days we have observed many areas that have been infected with Pythium. We immediately treated the greens and tees to stop the advancement of the disease, fairways were spot treated in areas where the disease is most likely to appear.

Men's Invitational Preparations

We have been working hard preparing for the 114th Men's Invitational, but Mother Nature is not making it an easy task.  Rain storms have continued almost daily, flooding fairways, washing the sand out of the bunkers and washing out the cart paths. We have had to use portable pumps to remove the water from some of the bunkers and then push the sand back into place.  We have had to move the cart path material back where it belongs and grade it smooth again.  It has made mowing very difficult and machine operators have to be on their A-game so as to not damage any of the delicate turf.  We have continued mowing and rolling the greens to maintain an acceptable green speed, but the rain has made the greens soft and are not as fast as we had planned. We will continue doing all we can to make the golf course the best it can be under these conditions.  The pictures below were taken on Wednesday morning, the day before the Invitational qualifying day.

Be Careful What You Wish For

Just the other day I was wishing to myself that we would get some rain to bring the roughs out of dormancy and provide some relief to the trees.  Well, in the last 48 hours we have received almost 4" of rain.  I am glad we got the rain but it will be a few days before the golf course can soak it all in and get back to normal.  We have a lot of work ahead of us to get the washed out bunkers drained and the sand pushed back into place. With the 114th Men's Invitational starting on Thursday it will be a very busy week.

Willis enjoying the new lake on #13

The Heat Is On

Summer has finally arrived and is about to go into blast furnace mode.  The forecast for the next week or more is high heat and humidity.  We have already begun to build up the soil moisture reserves in anticipation of the upcoming heat wave.  If you have been at the course you have seen our staff hand watering the bunker banks, grass mounds, and localized dry spots.  We have also applied plant protectants to greens, tees, and fairways to prevent any disease outbreaks. High heat, humidity, and moisture is a lethal combination for turf grass.  Hand watering is necessary to keep localized dry spots cool, but it is just as important to not over water.  Too much moisture can be just as devastating as drought.  We will have staff out doing necessary hand watering for the next week or so to keep our course in the best condition possible. 

Fireworks

 Saturday's fireworks display was fabulous and went off without a hitch.  Approximately 900 members and guests attended this special annual event.  Our maintenance staff started at the crack of dawn to start the clean-up so the golf course would be ready when the first members arrived the next morning.  With the exception of a few burn marks in the 14th fairway the prior evenings festivities were undetectable.

Driving Range Divots

While hitting practice balls at the range there is a proper way to move the ball around to create a desirable divot pattern.  When a little turf is left in-between divots the damaged area will heal faster than an area where all the turf has been removed.

Good Divot Pattern

Bad Divot Pattern

HydroJecting Greens

This machine utilizes a 5,000 psi blast of water to break up soil particles, relieving compaction and aerifying the soil. It also improves the gas exchange needed for healthy greens.

#9 & #13 Greens Are Open For Play

We have been topdressing, rolling, and providing lots of tender loving care to prepare the new greens for their unveiling.  The new greens are now being cut at the same height as the rest of the greens and are putting quite nicely.  They are not perfect yet but they continue to improve daily.  The new greens have a wide variety of very challenging to easy pin placement locations providing great fun for all skill levels.

Greens Aerification

We aerified the greens with 10" x 1/2" tines on Monday then topdressed with sand and brushed the sand into the holes. We hand watered all the greens and topdressed and brushed them again Wednesday. On Thursday it was difficult to find the holes made by the tines.

New Oaks

We have planted 6 beautiful new oak trees this week to replace some of the weak softwood trees that were removed over the winter.  The new trees average 5" DBH (Diameter at Breast Height) which is an ideal size for successful transplanting.