Greens open tomorrow

Greens will be open tomorrow (Thursday) and through the weekend.**** Carts will NOT be available. Greens will not be mowed because mowing would eliminate our snow mold fungicide protection.

Please take great care when playing February greens to carefully repair ballmarks. Limit any and all physical damage to putting surfaces (now and always) because February greens' turfgrass is not growing. Turf that isn't growing cannot heal damage. Please keep golf clubs off greens and collars.

Another potential problem could happen if play becomes too heavy and wear patterns develop. We will cross that bridge when and if we come to it...

For now, welcome back!! The Clubhouse will only be open while Donna is working in the office. If she isn't here, the building will be locked.

****Please know that opening the greens and keeping them open is totally dependent on April-like weather continuing. This offer will be rescinded when cold returns.

Winter weather words

As of Friday morning, the winter of 2011-2012 has been a non event from a winter weather standpoint. I've never lived in the area of Washington DC, or coastal Virginia or North Carolina, but I am guessing our winter this year is similar to a normal winter there. In other words, we're seeing a nice warm winter for Rhode Island residents and for our golf course's turfgrass!

Most years, we enjoy (and promote) a thick blanket of snow during January and February. Snow cover protects turf from extreme cold and winter winds that can dry out and cause springtime havoc for golf playing surfaces. This year it has not been cold enough for desiccating winds to do any damage. Our long range forecast tells us next week will continue with above average temperatures with colder, more typical winter weather returning during early February. Even if we get a three to five week winter beginning on February 2nd or 3rd, its short duration tells us our spring turf conditions should be better than after most New England winters.

Now there is some good news to start 2012 with!

We hope to see everyone very soon!!!

Merry Christmas (Greens are still open) Update

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

So far, we are happy that true winter weather has stayed away. December weather has allowed cold weather golf for our bravest golfers. As of today (Monday Dec 19th) greens remain open and based on the forecast I suspect they will be open for a few days beyond Christmas. Persistent below freezing cold or significant snowfall closes greens for winter. Once closed, they won't open again until warmer March or April weather returns. We will alert everyone again when greens are closed for the season.

Greens and tees were sprayed to prevent winter diseases last week. A high rate of iron was added to the tank. Iron helps plant functions continue into January despite cold temperatures. Additional photosynthesis means deeper roots for next season and better turf. The final greens application for the year will be completed this week and involves applying the dark green waxy colorant that protects turf in case of a dry, open and snow free winter.

We have begun addressing a few tree issues on the golf course. We have removed dead and unsightly trees and a few affected by Hurricane Irene. Clean up will be an opngoing winter project. We will also look to remove some lower hanging limbs on trees this winter to allow better access for both golfers and mowers.

Sincere thanks to everyone for the wonderful support during 2011. Our golf course is ready for its long winter rest while my staff and I prepare for an even better 2012.

Update and Annual Meeting Notes

Friday November 4 BIG Cup Weekend

I have posted below a summary of my comments to the Annual Meeting last week. Thanks to the Board of Governors for allowing me to speak! Feel free to call or email your comments or questions.

Greens were treated with dark green organic fungicide Civitas this week. The fungicide protects plants from snow mold fungi infection and cold November winds. The dye will last a week or so and then fade. The green protective paint that we’ve used to protect greens the last few winters will be applied with final plant protectants later in November or early December.

We will work to improve a few bunker edges next week as we wait for the majority of remaining leaves to fall from trees. We plan on preparing many of these areas beforehand, then plant sod during one or two days late next week or the week after. Thanks for your patience during the process!!

Soil samples were taken this week that will help us better manage essential element nitrogen. Besides telling us how much nitrogen is present in soils, these tests will reveal its pattern of release. Plants need a known amount of nitrogen monthly. Test results will reveal exactly when the nitrogen will become available for plants and will direct us to apply just the proper amount needed. Applying the exact amount will save funds and may prevent excessive nitrogen runoff into ground water and surface waters of Narragansett Bay. Technology rocks!!

Irrigation system will be shut down and pipes prepared for winter during the week of November 14.

A down payment is currently holding our second electric greens roller. A fleet of two practically new rollers to use next year will significantly improve greens conditioning.

Thanks to everyone for your wonderful support during 2011. We are already looking forward to 2012!!!



Golf Course Report 10/27/2011
Patrick Gertner CGCS

2011 REPORT
• Fairways had minor ice damage but recovered nicely during April and May.
• Springtime roughs were thick and penal partly because of 6.5” of April rainfall. In the future, we will be quicker to address this problem when it arises.
• RIGA Stroke Play tournament conditions were well received.
• August and September were wettest on record and among top ten in warmth since weather records have been kept. (119 years)
• Member donated roller arrived at Potowomut in September.

FAIRWAYS
• In July, back nine fairways were weakened by a growth regulator application. This chemical will NOT be used again.
• All fairways and some roughs were damaged by Grey Leaf Spot (Blast) disease in September.
• GLS’s pathogen is extremely rare most years; although common to RI golf courses in 2011 that have ryegrass present in fairways.
• Late season disease hits ryegrass only, one of three of the most common Potowomut fairway grass types.
• Commonly seen in hurricane years due to the warm and wet conditions they bring. (9.50” rainfall at Poto from Aug 28 to Oct 4.)
• Best remedy is to plant non-susceptible turfgrass varieties. (creeping bentgrass) Fairway overseeding completed on 10/12/2011, used 500 lbs. seed. (2.5 billion seeds) More seeding may be necessary in spring. Rough seeding projects are ongoing.
We are looking to purchase two different seeding machines this winter to be able to quickly address golf course seeding needs.
• Fairways were fertilized early this year (October 17) to speed recovery and again in spring 2012 if recovery is not progressing at satisfactory pace.
• Fairways will be in excellent condition for spring 2012, barring winter weather turfgrass damage.

2012

2012 Golf Course Maintenance Operation

The golf course will still be a joy to play next year for members and guests. The proposed budget includes equipment purchases. We plan on controlling turfgrass pests just as we have in past years. You will still play on lush fairways and tees and fast greens. Greens will be mowed or rolled daily and the driving range will have its divots seeded regularly with more aggressive and disease resistant creeping bentgrass. Growth regulators will continue to be used on greens, tees, and fairways for excellent playing surfaces. Above all, we will continue to strive to make Potowomut the best it can be, where you will be proud to bring family and friends.

2012 Greens operating budget highlights:

Health and playability of the golf course remains the top goals. 2012 spending budget is being built from the ground up addressing products and services for turfgrass health first.

• Green, tee and fairway disease management will be unchanged.
• Greens will be painted with the waxy green protectant for winter.
• Crabgrass will still be controlled using same chemical program used in 2011. 100% coverage
• All other weed control programs remain unchanged.
• Insecticide program will be maintained for all turf areas, upgraded on fairways where weaknesses showed in 2011.
• Includes 100% coverage for grub control; identical program as 2011.
• Hyperoides weevils (annual bluegrass weevils) control on golf course fairways and roughs to be significantly upgraded.
• Growth regulators, which are used to provide excellent playing surfaces, will be unchanged.
• Maintenance of irrigation system will not be neglected.
• No changes to rough mowing, green and bunker surround frequency. (New mowers will improve quality)
• Use of greens rolling will be expanded for increased playability.
• Use of weekend labor continues at or above 2011 levels.
• Intermediate rough maintenance will be upgraded. On many procedures, intermediate rough will get more intensive fairway maintenance, as opposed to being treated as rough turfgrass as in the past.
• Early ordering of ALL golf course chemicals will save Potowomut thousands. Newly available generic (off patent) products will be used.

2012 ADJUSTMENTS

• Frequency of mowing may be adjusted to twice per week on fairways and tees many weeks. This change may be imperceptible to golfers because stronger growth regulator program will better slow turf growth.
• Greens will be mowed at height of cut they’ve been mowed at from Aug 25 until aeration.
• Triplex greens mower will be used in shoulder seasons of April through early May and again in October and November. Labor saver.
• Greens will be rolled only many days instead of mowed and rolled. Labor saver. (Have located, and are looking to purchase 2nd greens roller.)
• Greens fertilizer program will utilize less expensive materials. Greens may not be as deep green in color as we are used to, but playing surfaces will be excellent.
• New equipment purchases will decrease funds needed for equipment repair.
• Hurricane Irene cleanup work will be saved for after this season which will enable us to apply those 2012 labor charges into insurance claim.
• Thousands of dollars in labor savings have been identified that have the least impact on the golf course. More part time employees.

We are already excited about 2012 plans. Problems that arose in 2011 have given us awareness to address golf course issues that need to be strengthened. 2012 budget provides for these changes. New equipment pieces will give improved golf course conditioning and will allow us to become more financially efficient.

2012 CAPITAL PLANNED PURCHASES
Highlights of new equipment include:

New fountain for pond
(2) New rough mowers
Topdresser
Fairway bunker rake
(2) Seeders for greens and roughs
2nd greens roller

Questions, answers, facts and a request.

Questions, answers, a few facts and a request......

1. Question: Fairway and rough ryegrass is diseased with grey leaf spot (GLS). Why aren't greens affected? What about tees?
Answer: Greens have no ryegrass, so they cannot get GLS. Tees have ryegrass and can get GLS. Tees were sprayed on 8/23 and again on 9/26 with fungicides that prevented disease. We spray tees with higher quality fungicides that prevent a wider spectrum of diseases compared to less expensive materials used on fairways. Fairway fungicides used after August 15 target only a single disease, dollar spot, and no applications applied this year would have prevented GLS because of the high cost ($ 20,000+) to prevent it. Rough is never sprayed for any disease.

2. Question: What else are we doing to get rid of GLS unsightliness?
Answer: Besides the overseeding projects mentioned in an email last week, fairways and intermediate roughs will be fertilized heavily to get them to fill in quickly. Growth regulator use has been suspended until sometime next spring after fairways have fully healed. At this point, we need to aggressively grow grass and not impede healing in any way!!

3. Question: Will GLS come back?
Answer: For this year, it cannot because GLS needs consistent warm temperatures to remain active, especially at night. Yes, it could come back next year or in a future year, but it is a very rare turf disease. During 2011, we had the "perfect storm" for its development late August and September with a warm hurricane and almost every day rain occurrences in the weeks after. Total rainfall over a 38 day period was 9.5"

4. Question: How many types of grasses do Potowomut fairways contain?
Answer: Many. The predominant two species are ryegrass and Poa annua (annual bluegrass.) These two species are also the two grasses most prone to disease outbreaks in our climate. Fairways also contain Colonial Bentgrass, Creeping bentgrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, and miscellaneous Fine Fescues....a true hodgepodge!

4. Fact: Ryegrass has not been added to fairways at least since we began at Potowomut in 2005. Seed bottles** hold colonial bentgrass and fine turf fescue. We go out of our way NOT to add ryegrass to fairways because of GLS and other potential disease problems. Ryegrass's best quality is fast germination; seed comes up in 2 to 3 days and can quickly "rescue" poor turf areas and turf managers. However as tempting it is to use ryegrass to reseed poor areas with fast ryegrass, we won't do it. Ryegrass is a quick fix grass that just kicks the can down the road a bit. Creeping bentgrasses, once established, provide the best playing surfaces and reliability over the long term and will be the only seed added to fairways in the future.

5. Question: Why do we add so much sand to greens after aeration?
Answer: For a couple of reasons. First, after the aeration machines pull soil cores, they are removed by the crew with shovels. We add sand because we are changing the soil we grow the greens in. Out with the old, in with the new!! Instead of original soils, we add a USGA tested sand that resists compaction, helps drain water from greens, aids golfers by accepting a properly struck golf shot, and to keep putting surfaces smooth and fast.

6. Important Request: Creeping bentgrass is a wonderful turf for fairways, but it makes for terrible rough. Please help us by only using seed bottles ON FAIRWAYS ONLY!!

**Seed bottle bentgrass will be changed from Colonial Bents to Creeping Bents before next year, to take advantage of the creeping bent's ability to laterally grow over time, combined with wonderful member participation to aid the cause. Fescue seed will be removed. Today's fairway conditions demonstrate the need for more bentgrass on fairways and far less ryegrass.




Thanks to Owen Zimmer, grandson of Richard (Paco) Zimmer and our many members who are helping us to seed divots in fairways! Please remember to replace an intact divot first, and use the seed bottle as a last resort!! Also thanks to member Larry Bonoff for helping to coordinate the Greens Staff and Bag Room Staff about the divot program.

Another wet soggy post...

We are writing today to again report about our poor attitude about weather, especially the wet and cloudy kind. Over the last 38 days, 9.5" of rain has fallen on Potowomut, when probably 4.0 to 4.5 inches would be considered normal. Turf has not been able to dry for any length of time, it has been constantly wet. Wet turf is prone to diseases, no matter how strong the preventative fungicide program. Constant wet weather has also caused earthworms to come to the surface often, causing thousands of unsightly worm casts on fairways.

Everyone has seen poor performing fairways and roughs, especially on the front nine. Fairway and rough ryegrass turf was diagnosed with Grey Leaf Spot which is also referred to as blast disease because of the quick and devastating nature of the pathogen. (When blast disease shows up in the Northeast, it often occurs after the rains and warmth of a hurricane.) Chemical controls to prevent Grey Leaf Spot are too expensive for most golf clubs in our climate as a single fairway treatment exceeds $ 10,000 in cost, which is almost 25% of our yearly outlay for fungicides. Preventing the disease during the season would require two treatments.

We communicated this week with friend Dr. Lane Tredway, turf pathologist at North Carolina State University. He advises clubs not to try and prevent the disease but instead install resistant varieties of turfgrass to fairways. Resistant turfgrasses such as bentgrass and fescues do not get Grey Leaf Spot, and planting seed is less expensive than fungicide treatments that may or may not work.

Therefore, within the next week we will be hiring a contractor to re-seed ten to twelve acres of damaged fairways with creeping bentgrasses. Poor performing rough areas will also be re-seeded using a borrowed seeder from Quidnessett CC. Forecated warm October weather will help seed germinate quickly and fill in turfgrass voids on the golf course.

Earthworm casts present huge challenges for Superintendents. Again, chemicals are available that control earthworms, but they are very pricey and last for only two weeks making repeat applications necessary. Many clubs in the Northeast topdress fairways with a half inch of sand per season which also discourages populations.

Today we began aerating greens and completed six of them. Aeration is the process where we poke holes in soil to relieve compaction, improve soils by adding lost pore space and add sand. Excellent soil is comprised of 50% soil particles and 50% pore spaces. Over the course of the season pore spaces are squeezed away from soils from foot traffic, and from the weight of rainfall and maintenance equipment. Pore space is needed in the soil as space for roots and for water movement. Aeration helps soils breathe and allows us to maintain healthy, well draining greens during the season.

After greens are aerated and cleaned, we apply a fine layer of USGA tested sand to fill holes. Sand is a better growing medium as compared to existing soils that are removed and also smooths surface imperfections. Greens built with sands drain better and accept well struck golf shots.

We expect to complete the operation on Friday. Greens aerated in October can be slow to heal because of cold nighttime temperatures. However, warm weather over this weekend may speed the process a bit. Greens will be fertilized to speed growth, and thus, recovery. Also this year, greens will be overseeded to one of the improved Penn State bred varieties of low growing bentgrasses.

Please join me in welcoming the next five or six days of dry weather!!

Post Tropical Storm Update

Apologies for taking such a long time to get to the blog....Also, please follow me on Twitter at PotoGreens for more frequent 140 character golf course updates!!

We have been through quite a bit during the last few weeks. Irene caused havoc and mayhem on the golf course and we continue to literally pick up the pieces and move forward. Remnants of Lee also came through RI and dropped four inches of rainfall last week...but that was a needed soaking!! I'll briefly recap a few highlights from Irene and again get back to writing about more everyday type issues we face in September and October.

As the storm moved through Sunday September 4, we reserved a rental on a brush chipper from the Cape area. Twenty equipment rental agencies were called before we had success. We had employees at the Club on Sunday to deal with situations that needed immediate attention, and this proved very worthwhile. Both storm drains at the Clubhouse building became clogged with tree debris early and were cleared during the day. If this wasn't done, the clubhouse building certainly would have been flooded through the front door and in the 19th hole.

We hired Warwick Tree Service before the storm left Rhode Island to perform necessary tree work to put us back in business. I am not sure what we would have done without them because golf course damage was extensive. Besides the obvious uprooted and downed trees, we had many dangerous situations with precariously hanging limbs that needed to be pruned. Warwick Tree was here for three of the first four days of cleanup despite their long list of affected customers.

Our Potowomut crew arrived on Monday to a golf course littered with tree debris everywhere. Photos were taken to document damage for insurance purposes. Our employees went hole by hole raking, blowing and picking up sticks, branches and small trees. The chipper arrived Wednesday morning. We started cleaning on hole ten because damage was less on the back side, and knew we could open those holes the soonest. Thanks to Shawn Campbell, Seth Force and bag room and restaurant employees for their help on Monday!! They were invaluable!! As of this writing, major debris has been picked up, piles of leaves still need to be picked up, and many areas need to be re-visited and cleaned again.

Also, much tree work remains for outside tree professionals to complete. All snapped and hanging branches will be pruned. Root balls from uprooted trees will be removed and stumps will be ground and established with turf. Turf damaged from tree work will be renovated and re-seeded. There are entire trees that still need to be removed because of storm damage, (see photo below of a huge new crack on a Maple left of #1) including some sizable ones. Yes, we are open and safe for golf, but please know that much work still remains.




Back to storm details. Power was lost to irrigation pumps Sunday during the storm. A National Grid Engineer arrived Tuesday and told us power probably wouldn't return until the following Sunday or Monday. The golf course can't survive long without rainfall or irrigation water, neither of which were possibilities on Tuesday. Before the Engineer was off the property, we called our pump supplier, DAF in Connecticut and reserved their only diesel powered pump that would enable us to pump water into our pipes at a third of the capacity we are used to. (Later in the day, the service people told me before Tuesday ended numerous Westchester County and suburban Connecticut clubs, including many with name recognition all over the United States wished they had called first.) The pump was installed on Wednesday and irrigation was initiated to drying greens and fairways. We arrived to work on Thursday morning surprised to find power in the pumphouse; the pump quickly was moved by DAF to another powerless golf course in New Canaan CT.

Power to the irrigation system controls comes from the maintenance facility. (Our generator was powered up to run irrigation satellites, but it proved to be too small.) Even though we could pump water, we could not tell which irrigation heads to run and for how long. For this reason, Assistant Superintendent Dan Virgulak and I had to visit each sprinkler head (we have 1100) to turn them on and off individually. Because of the diminished capacity of the pump, we could only run eleven heads at a time, compared to the thirty five to forty that run when fully operational. This is why irrigation was running while you played golf...it took a long time to irrigate 35 acres of turf under these conditions!

Power was restored to our shop on Sunday September 3, and we were completely back in the irrigation business! As of today, all irrigation is again operational.

TURFGRASS
Rain last week helped the golf course to recover from a few summer issues. All fairways had a bad reaction to a different growth regulator product applied in July and August. You may remember the off color appearance from a few weeks ago. Safe to say, this product will not be used again on fairways; we will return to the more expensive yet safer alternative. To aid additional healing of fairways, we won't apply more growth regulators this year. To thicken them up, we will encourage growth that we are usually trying to suppress.

Edges of greens that are thin or non-existent will be seeded with help of an aerator attachment purchased for this purpose. We will seed the areas to a newly developed creeping bentgrasses designed for extremely low heights of cut.

Tees will be aerated later this week or next. After tees are completed, we will begin fairway aeration. Greens will be aerated beginning on Wednesday, October 5th.

The areas where sod was taken from the turfgrass nursery (chipping green by the practice tee) will be renovated and seeded within the next few weeks. We used quite a bit of our home grown sod the last few years and it has been slowly shrinking!!

Sincere thanks to my wonderful and hard working crew for Irene clean up efforts. As usual, they went way above expectations to get the golf course back in play for members. Also thanks for many enthusiastic positive comments from members during the last few weeks.