Few Notes....
While March weather has been cold the last few weeks, the golf course has been enjoyable to play in its firm and fast condition. April brings the promise of warmer weather and hopefully many smiles after well struck golf shots!!
Aeration holes are still present on greens from last October's process. Since that aeration, we've had virtually no warm weather that greens need to heal. Please be patient and join me in hoping for warm temperatures to get the greens growing and healing!
The irrigation system was successfully turned on today with only a few minor electrical problems to rectify. We were concerned about the possibility of pipe breaks because of the cold winter, but none were found.
Congratulations are in order for Assistant Superintendents (and brothers) Dan and Steve Virgulak. They both recently completed the Two Year Turfgrass Management Program at Rutgers University in New Jersey. This program is attended by students from across many states and countries because of its reputation for excellence. When you see Dan or Steve on the golf course, please join me in wishing them congratulations!!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Early Spring Update
Dear Members,
The season is upon us!! February and March weather warmed us and thawed our thick snow layer a little ahead of schedule. Greens were opened despite the extension of winter-like temperatures from mid-March until today.
A thick accumulation of snow cover protected turfgrass from major problems this winter. Greens are in excellent shape as are fairways and tees. There are small snow mold patches present on fairways that will grow out quickly. The rough is matted down in places but will recover nicely with warmer weather. We did lose a few branches from trees and these will be cleaned up within the week. White pines behind the ninth green and along the seventh fairway were damaged significantly and will both be removed. The well we use to fill the irrigation pond was cleaned in early March and is ready to provide the golf course with water.
Improving greenside bunkers that see the most play is a priority for this season. These fifteen to twenty bunkers will have their sand fluffed using a small tiller and sand will be added if needed. If time permits, we will expand the scope of the work to include more bunkers. The landscape bed common to both the Clubhouse and Pro Shop formerly filled with unruly junipers will be improved by planting low growing perennials and annual flowers. A new hand railing for the 10th tee stairs will be installed this spring; thanks to member Bambi Soscia for this generous donation. Also, screening trees will be added this year along the left side of the 16th tee to protect golfers from errant tee shots from 17. Poor areas of the intermediate rough will be seeded during April.
Potowomut hosts the 2011 Rhode Island Amateur during July. My staff is excited to prepare and “show off” our great golf course for the best golfers in Rhode Island this year. More on this as we get closer to July.
Most maintenance plans are unchanged from past years. As always, the health and playability of the golf course remains our number one goal and will not be compromised during 2011. Plans include:
1. Crabgrass will be prevented wall to wall.
2. Grubs will be controlled during August wall to wall.
3. Hyperoides weevil control methods will utilize new technology this spring because of reported cases of beetle resistance in Connecticut and Long Island to insecticides we have used at Potowomut.
4. Disease control plans are unchanged for greens, tees and fairways.
5. Plant growth regulator use will continue to provide excellent playing surfaces.
6. Plant parasitic nematodes will be addressed during 2011 using experimental methods. New products are available in 2011 and they will be utilized.
7. Intermediate rough will be mowed from the middle of May through September.
8. Greens will be topdressed with sand every two to three weeks during 2011, providing smoother greens.
Other programs will be adjusted with virtually no changes evident to golfers. These include:
1. Greens aeration programs will be adjusted. Sand injection and deep tine operations that utilize outside contractors will be dropped in lieu of monthly spiking with deep bayonet tine aerification that will be done using Potowomut employees. These monthly operations are not invasive to the putting surface and will get adequate amounts of air into the soil profile to replace deep tine and sand injection.
2. Fairway fertilizer programs will be adjusted slightly and will still provide excellent playing surfaces.
We will also look to gain efficiencies wherever possible during 2011 to stretch your maintenance dollars.
As always, please help us take care of your golf course by replacing divots in fairways, repair your ballmark plus one other, and use the seed bottles only on divots that cannot be replaced. We are excited about beginning the golf season as like you, we want to forget the winter of 2010-2011 as soon as possible. Hope to see you enjoying your golf course soon.
Sincerely,
Patrick Gertner CGCS
The season is upon us!! February and March weather warmed us and thawed our thick snow layer a little ahead of schedule. Greens were opened despite the extension of winter-like temperatures from mid-March until today.
A thick accumulation of snow cover protected turfgrass from major problems this winter. Greens are in excellent shape as are fairways and tees. There are small snow mold patches present on fairways that will grow out quickly. The rough is matted down in places but will recover nicely with warmer weather. We did lose a few branches from trees and these will be cleaned up within the week. White pines behind the ninth green and along the seventh fairway were damaged significantly and will both be removed. The well we use to fill the irrigation pond was cleaned in early March and is ready to provide the golf course with water.
Improving greenside bunkers that see the most play is a priority for this season. These fifteen to twenty bunkers will have their sand fluffed using a small tiller and sand will be added if needed. If time permits, we will expand the scope of the work to include more bunkers. The landscape bed common to both the Clubhouse and Pro Shop formerly filled with unruly junipers will be improved by planting low growing perennials and annual flowers. A new hand railing for the 10th tee stairs will be installed this spring; thanks to member Bambi Soscia for this generous donation. Also, screening trees will be added this year along the left side of the 16th tee to protect golfers from errant tee shots from 17. Poor areas of the intermediate rough will be seeded during April.
Potowomut hosts the 2011 Rhode Island Amateur during July. My staff is excited to prepare and “show off” our great golf course for the best golfers in Rhode Island this year. More on this as we get closer to July.
Most maintenance plans are unchanged from past years. As always, the health and playability of the golf course remains our number one goal and will not be compromised during 2011. Plans include:
1. Crabgrass will be prevented wall to wall.
2. Grubs will be controlled during August wall to wall.
3. Hyperoides weevil control methods will utilize new technology this spring because of reported cases of beetle resistance in Connecticut and Long Island to insecticides we have used at Potowomut.
4. Disease control plans are unchanged for greens, tees and fairways.
5. Plant growth regulator use will continue to provide excellent playing surfaces.
6. Plant parasitic nematodes will be addressed during 2011 using experimental methods. New products are available in 2011 and they will be utilized.
7. Intermediate rough will be mowed from the middle of May through September.
8. Greens will be topdressed with sand every two to three weeks during 2011, providing smoother greens.
Other programs will be adjusted with virtually no changes evident to golfers. These include:
1. Greens aeration programs will be adjusted. Sand injection and deep tine operations that utilize outside contractors will be dropped in lieu of monthly spiking with deep bayonet tine aerification that will be done using Potowomut employees. These monthly operations are not invasive to the putting surface and will get adequate amounts of air into the soil profile to replace deep tine and sand injection.
2. Fairway fertilizer programs will be adjusted slightly and will still provide excellent playing surfaces.
We will also look to gain efficiencies wherever possible during 2011 to stretch your maintenance dollars.
As always, please help us take care of your golf course by replacing divots in fairways, repair your ballmark plus one other, and use the seed bottles only on divots that cannot be replaced. We are excited about beginning the golf season as like you, we want to forget the winter of 2010-2011 as soon as possible. Hope to see you enjoying your golf course soon.
Sincerely,
Patrick Gertner CGCS
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Turf Report
March Turf Report
Winter weather from late December through February had us concerned about winter injury to turfgrass. As a few die hard March golfers can attest, the golf course survived winter quite well and it should be in great shape for golf this spring. Greens are in excellent condition. Fairways and some rough areas have minor superficial snow mold damage that will grow out during later March and April.
Few New Englanders felt warm and fuzzy over our severe winter weather, but the heavy snow cover combined with extended cold temperatures helped turfgrass. The deep snow cover acted like a warm insulating blanket for turf, while the constant cold kept the snow from changing into damaging, turf killing ice. May all cold and snowy winters be just as nice as 2010-2011's!!
The golf course is somewhat messy with sticks and small branches scattered because of windy storms, but we are working to clean it. We lost a few trees and branches, and removed the dead pine on #2, and the large (and dead) maple on 18. If the golf course dries out quickly after this weekend's rains, I can forsee greens opening up somewhere between March 17th to March 24th with constant good weather. We will keep you posted.
Thanks for reading and we hope to see you soon!!
Winter weather from late December through February had us concerned about winter injury to turfgrass. As a few die hard March golfers can attest, the golf course survived winter quite well and it should be in great shape for golf this spring. Greens are in excellent condition. Fairways and some rough areas have minor superficial snow mold damage that will grow out during later March and April.
Few New Englanders felt warm and fuzzy over our severe winter weather, but the heavy snow cover combined with extended cold temperatures helped turfgrass. The deep snow cover acted like a warm insulating blanket for turf, while the constant cold kept the snow from changing into damaging, turf killing ice. May all cold and snowy winters be just as nice as 2010-2011's!!
The golf course is somewhat messy with sticks and small branches scattered because of windy storms, but we are working to clean it. We lost a few trees and branches, and removed the dead pine on #2, and the large (and dead) maple on 18. If the golf course dries out quickly after this weekend's rains, I can forsee greens opening up somewhere between March 17th to March 24th with constant good weather. We will keep you posted.
Thanks for reading and we hope to see you soon!!
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