The past week, yours truly has been applying our grub protection for the season. We apply the insecticide "Merit" (Imidacloprid) to all property within our Rhode Island stone walls and forests. This process minimizes turfgrass damage caused by beetle larvae (grubs) feeding on roots, but also eliminates damage from large rodents that will search and destroy turf looking for a grub dinner later in the fall.
If the turf at your home has suffered from grub damage in past years, now is the proper time to apply any product that uses Merit as its insecticide ingredient. Products that use a different insecticide to control grubs should be applied between August 10th to 20th. Always read and follow label directions, and please remember that most materials need to be activated by rainfall or irrigation.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Friday July 25
Rainbow Derby Greetings,
What a difference a couple of days can make!!! On Wednesday, we were just about to send an email telling you about lack of rainfall, record number of gallons pumped by irrigation the last two weeks, stressed turfgrass in the rough and a request for a Potowomut rain dance or two.
After the last two days, however, the story has changed a bit. The rain dance has worked. The thunderstorm we witnessed here on Wednesday afternoon was extremely severe. We saw heavy winds, constant cloud to ground lightning and an inch of rainfall in quite a short time. Lucky for us, we only lost a few tree branches, and the protections installed to prevent lightning damage to irrigation components were up to the task. (We also received some much needed rain, 2.90" in total.)
We will begin adding sand to a few bunkers during the next few weeks. We will address bunkers commonly hit into that are lacking sand. They include the front greenside bunkers on 3, and 4, 6 and 10 right bunkers, and 16. Other bunkers will be addressed if sand supply remains.
Bunkers with sand added will play a bit differently as sand settles. Expect it to take a year for sand to settle and play as other bunkers on the golf course. We will do our best to hasten the sand settling process by applying water and compacting new sands with heavy equipment.
Today, the project to pave the cartpath that leads from the 3rd tee toward 8 tee will begin. We will do out best to alleviate traffic problems as the contractor completes the project. The bottom binder will be applied today and the top coat of asphalt will be completed next week.
Tidbits....From July 7 to July 21, we pumped a 15 day record 3,421,000 gallons of irrigation water. Old record of 2,600,000 gallons was established last year between August 27 to September 10....We will continue to sever tree roots with machine, filling in with soil and seed.....Please continue to help your golf course by repairing your ballmark plus one other, and please only use divot sand on fairway divots only. Please use divot sand sparingly, as too much sand in some divots is damaging mowers!!
Patrick Gertner CGCS
What a difference a couple of days can make!!! On Wednesday, we were just about to send an email telling you about lack of rainfall, record number of gallons pumped by irrigation the last two weeks, stressed turfgrass in the rough and a request for a Potowomut rain dance or two.
After the last two days, however, the story has changed a bit. The rain dance has worked. The thunderstorm we witnessed here on Wednesday afternoon was extremely severe. We saw heavy winds, constant cloud to ground lightning and an inch of rainfall in quite a short time. Lucky for us, we only lost a few tree branches, and the protections installed to prevent lightning damage to irrigation components were up to the task. (We also received some much needed rain, 2.90" in total.)
We will begin adding sand to a few bunkers during the next few weeks. We will address bunkers commonly hit into that are lacking sand. They include the front greenside bunkers on 3, and 4, 6 and 10 right bunkers, and 16. Other bunkers will be addressed if sand supply remains.
Bunkers with sand added will play a bit differently as sand settles. Expect it to take a year for sand to settle and play as other bunkers on the golf course. We will do our best to hasten the sand settling process by applying water and compacting new sands with heavy equipment.
Today, the project to pave the cartpath that leads from the 3rd tee toward 8 tee will begin. We will do out best to alleviate traffic problems as the contractor completes the project. The bottom binder will be applied today and the top coat of asphalt will be completed next week.
Tidbits....From July 7 to July 21, we pumped a 15 day record 3,421,000 gallons of irrigation water. Old record of 2,600,000 gallons was established last year between August 27 to September 10....We will continue to sever tree roots with machine, filling in with soil and seed.....Please continue to help your golf course by repairing your ballmark plus one other, and please only use divot sand on fairway divots only. Please use divot sand sparingly, as too much sand in some divots is damaging mowers!!
Patrick Gertner CGCS
Friday, July 18, 2008
Fine Tuning Irrigation
Even though we have been using the new irrigation system for three golf seasons, minor upgrades and changes within both sprinkler components and Rainbird software are still being made. Just this week, fairway edges on the 7th fairway began to dry excessively, showing weak coverage despite nightly irrigation. Larger nozzles that throw water farther were installed, increasing irrigation coverage to both fairway and rough.
We have installed larger nozzles (and increased irrigation coverage) to many areas since 2005. Larger nozzles installed last fall to green perimeter heads have improved green surrounds by increasing coverage. Larger nozzles installed at #2 green helped this green improve this year. I estimate that 25% to 35% of all heads have had a nozzle change since the system was completed in 2005.
We have written and use different irrigation programs that assign longer or shorter run times for each golf course area, such as greens, tees, fairways, roughs, practice tees, etc. On days the weather station computes maximum water loss in turfgrass plants, (such as almost all of July this year) longer run times are chosen for each different area.
From the irrigation computer, we can adjust each of the 1100 sprinkler heads. To "fine tune" the system even further, run times of individual heads can be raised or lowered as a percentage of the chosen run time. This adjustment is based on how the turf is performing at the location of each sprinkler head. For example, the sprinkler head located on the top tee of #14 is currently adjusted to irrigate 200% of the chosen run time because of its normally dry condition. Heads located on the left side of the second fairway of #15 have been adjusted to 50% or less because of the large shade causing beech tree located there. Heads throughout the property have different percentages assigned based on how the turf usually performs in that area. These percentages are constantly being monitored and changed.
OK....I had better get back to my hose, still the most important piece of irrigation equipment we own!!
We have installed larger nozzles (and increased irrigation coverage) to many areas since 2005. Larger nozzles installed last fall to green perimeter heads have improved green surrounds by increasing coverage. Larger nozzles installed at #2 green helped this green improve this year. I estimate that 25% to 35% of all heads have had a nozzle change since the system was completed in 2005.
We have written and use different irrigation programs that assign longer or shorter run times for each golf course area, such as greens, tees, fairways, roughs, practice tees, etc. On days the weather station computes maximum water loss in turfgrass plants, (such as almost all of July this year) longer run times are chosen for each different area.
From the irrigation computer, we can adjust each of the 1100 sprinkler heads. To "fine tune" the system even further, run times of individual heads can be raised or lowered as a percentage of the chosen run time. This adjustment is based on how the turf is performing at the location of each sprinkler head. For example, the sprinkler head located on the top tee of #14 is currently adjusted to irrigate 200% of the chosen run time because of its normally dry condition. Heads located on the left side of the second fairway of #15 have been adjusted to 50% or less because of the large shade causing beech tree located there. Heads throughout the property have different percentages assigned based on how the turf usually performs in that area. These percentages are constantly being monitored and changed.
OK....I had better get back to my hose, still the most important piece of irrigation equipment we own!!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The hues of summer....
Greetings!!
Summer dry periods give the golf course different shades of greens and browns, especially in the rough. Rough areas are irrigated, but are not given enough water to provide the lush and green conditions seen during wetter seasons of spring and fall.
Our irrigation system was designed to provide water for greens, tees and fairways. Fairways have three heads placed across their widths, except #7 which has only two, because of this hole's thinner design. Each of the three heads' main responsibility is to provide enough water to keep fairways viable. It doesn't matter if a sprinkler head is placed in the fairway OR the rough, its job is to irrigate fairway turf for golf. (Alternative irrigation designs that provide sufficient water for rough turf were cost prohibitive.)
Providing the additional water through these heads to perfectly maintain rough would cause wet conditions for golf, as well as increases in both turfgrass disease and insect activity.
Because of the above explanation, during the dry months of July and August the golf course rough takes on a few different colors of greens and browns. When turf is stressed as the rough is today, these rough grasses go into a dormant state that protects it from permanent damage. When significant rains of September and October arrive, the plants break their dormancy and again turn to the thicker, lush conditions that lead to greener conditions and more difficult golf shots.
We are fortunate to enjoy the wonderful game of golf during a great summer for golf in Rhode Island! One reason for my love of the game is because every golf course changes each time we play it. Enjoy the changes, the many different hues of summer, along with the less penal rough!!
Summer dry periods give the golf course different shades of greens and browns, especially in the rough. Rough areas are irrigated, but are not given enough water to provide the lush and green conditions seen during wetter seasons of spring and fall.
Our irrigation system was designed to provide water for greens, tees and fairways. Fairways have three heads placed across their widths, except #7 which has only two, because of this hole's thinner design. Each of the three heads' main responsibility is to provide enough water to keep fairways viable. It doesn't matter if a sprinkler head is placed in the fairway OR the rough, its job is to irrigate fairway turf for golf. (Alternative irrigation designs that provide sufficient water for rough turf were cost prohibitive.)
Providing the additional water through these heads to perfectly maintain rough would cause wet conditions for golf, as well as increases in both turfgrass disease and insect activity.
Because of the above explanation, during the dry months of July and August the golf course rough takes on a few different colors of greens and browns. When turf is stressed as the rough is today, these rough grasses go into a dormant state that protects it from permanent damage. When significant rains of September and October arrive, the plants break their dormancy and again turn to the thicker, lush conditions that lead to greener conditions and more difficult golf shots.
We are fortunate to enjoy the wonderful game of golf during a great summer for golf in Rhode Island! One reason for my love of the game is because every golf course changes each time we play it. Enjoy the changes, the many different hues of summer, along with the less penal rough!!
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