Here are details of early planning for 2014 to improve your golf course. This list is just a start that will lead to a more extensive list that will be put into place before next season. Details to follow!
1. Greens fertility programs will be almost 100% organic for 2014. When soil biology is increased soils will improve. After reading three books recently on the wonders of organic farming, we have seen the light and it's pushing us to organic programs!!
2. Collars will be aerated frequently during the season. The undesirable soil cores will be removed and fertilizers and wetting agents that aid water holding and rooting will be added. We will avoid adding sand topdressing to collars and green edges.
3. Greens topdressing program will be upgraded substantially for smoother greens. We will topdress greens either weekly or bi-weekly.
4. Greens will undergo extensive soil testing from the International Sports Turf Research Center (ISTRC) (http://istrc.com) during the next few weeks. Results will help us plan maintenance procedures based on results from Potowomut soils.
5. Extensive tree removals behind and right of 15 green are planned to provide increased air movement. Also, a drain will be installed in the low area in the right back of the green and collar.
6. Fairways will be limed to address soil deficiency issues that became an issue during 2013.
6. Seasonal and summer staffing levels will to levels from four or five years ago.
Ok, back to leaves!
Patrick Gertner CGCS
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
Golf Course Frost and Improvement Progress
October will be the driest month of the 95 that I have worked at Potowomut Golf Club. Our last significant rainfall event occurred on September 22nd when a half inch fell. We have pumped almost 3 millions of irrigation water since then bringing our 2013 output to over 16 million gallons. Unirrigated rough areas are dry and needing rain. Seed planted in the rough during the last five weeks still waits for moisture that will begin the germination process.
We've had frost delays late this month with an extremely heavy one Saturday morning when the temperature dropped to 30 degrees. When frosted turf is walked upon, death of turfgrass is the result. Running irrigation water does not work to melt frost as we have areas of the golf course untouched by irrigation, and hence prone to death by frosty footprints. Below is a short blurb on frost issues and golf written by USGA Agronomist Mr. Pat Gross:
"Many golfers in the US are hearing the familiar words “The golf course is temporarily closed until the frost melts”. It may sound hard to believe, but grass blades can crack and die when traffic is applied to frozen turf. A more serious concern is damage to the turfgrass crown (the base of the plant that produces new leaves), which kills the entire plant. All species of turf are sensitive to frost damage, including dormant bermudagrass, but the biggest concern is creeping bentgrass and Poa annua putting greens because there is very little leaf surface to protect the turfgrass crowns. The dead turf often persists for several weeks or months until warmer temperatures encourage active growth.
Unfortunately, the only things that will melt frost are sunlight and warmer temperatures, so golfers need to be patient and let Mother Nature do her work. The light application of water once temperatures are above 32°F can accelerate frost removal, but keep in mind that temperatures often dip for a brief period immediately after sunrise. Applying water at sunrise can backfire, causing even more frost that will take longer to melt. Watering shaded areas of the course to help melt the frost should be avoided because temperatures stay cooler for a longer period of time due to the shade. Some superintendents have experimented with darkening agents (charcoal or soot), wetting agents, fans, and a variety of other materials, but these end up causing a mess or more problems and do very little to help get golfers on the course sooner.
Here are a few tips that superintendents and course officials should consider when frost is a recurring issue during the winter. First, play should be delayed for at least 30 minutes after the frost melts to allow maintenance personnel to change holes, mow, and prepare the course for play. During this time, it is helpful to have two-way radios so the superintendent and his staff can communicate with the golf shop and keep everyone informed. Second, have an operational plan for scheduling golf play during periods of frost. In some cases, you may want to start play on the back nine if that section of the course tends to thaw faster, or some courses simply schedule a standard 10:00 a.m. shot-gun start during the winter when frost is a recurring problem. Third, you may wish to analyze areas of the course where frost persists and see if trees that are blocking morning sun can be pruned or removed to help melt the frost faster. Above all, it is important for golfers to be patient during frost delays. Although superintendents are very clever and resourceful professionals, there is little they can do make Mother Nature melt the frost any faster."
If anyone has any questions about frost and the turf damage it can cause, please send me an email at PatrickGertner@Potowomut.com.
The golf course continues to improve during fall. Fairway aeration was completed last week so our focus will shift to sodding poor areas on greens, bunker work and to work on restoring the front right of 16 green to how it was designed. Then of course, there are the leaves.
We are thrilled recent dry weather allowed us to aerate all fairways. Aeration is necessary to both remove thatch and to allow soils to breathe. We aerated using the closest spacing possible with our machine. It takes us a long time to aerate fairways when we perform the operation ourselves, but because of the close spacing we punch many more holes than a contractor. More holes means better quality fairways next summer.
Today, (Monday) we are sodding spots on the edges of 15 green. Later in the week, we will work on 6 green and the back of 16 green. Sod will root down and blend in well before next summer.
Because the three summer damaged greens (13, 15, 16) were not aerated in September, we will poke slim narrow holes using solid tines this week. These greens will be topdressed lightly when done. We expect little or no surface disruption to golfers. (These greens were skipped during September so we didn't pull tender, new bentgrass plants out of the ground.)
In a week or two, we will strip the 6th right greenside bunker's face of sod and re-sod with brand new turfgrass. We are excited to get this project done. Rhode Island's largest sod grower SodCo is providing the sod at no charge to Potowomut to enable us to try a tall fescue based sod to this area. Thanks to SodCo!!!
Tidbits.....Last week, I traveled to Bayport Long Island to pick up a used seeding machine to be used in 2014 and beyond....Because of extremely dry weather, we expect to continue to keep the irrigation system up and running well into November, potential irrigation shut down date is November 15....planning for 2014 has already begun....
Patrick Gertner CGCS
Golf Course Superintendent
We've had frost delays late this month with an extremely heavy one Saturday morning when the temperature dropped to 30 degrees. When frosted turf is walked upon, death of turfgrass is the result. Running irrigation water does not work to melt frost as we have areas of the golf course untouched by irrigation, and hence prone to death by frosty footprints. Below is a short blurb on frost issues and golf written by USGA Agronomist Mr. Pat Gross:
"Many golfers in the US are hearing the familiar words “The golf course is temporarily closed until the frost melts”. It may sound hard to believe, but grass blades can crack and die when traffic is applied to frozen turf. A more serious concern is damage to the turfgrass crown (the base of the plant that produces new leaves), which kills the entire plant. All species of turf are sensitive to frost damage, including dormant bermudagrass, but the biggest concern is creeping bentgrass and Poa annua putting greens because there is very little leaf surface to protect the turfgrass crowns. The dead turf often persists for several weeks or months until warmer temperatures encourage active growth.
Unfortunately, the only things that will melt frost are sunlight and warmer temperatures, so golfers need to be patient and let Mother Nature do her work. The light application of water once temperatures are above 32°F can accelerate frost removal, but keep in mind that temperatures often dip for a brief period immediately after sunrise. Applying water at sunrise can backfire, causing even more frost that will take longer to melt. Watering shaded areas of the course to help melt the frost should be avoided because temperatures stay cooler for a longer period of time due to the shade. Some superintendents have experimented with darkening agents (charcoal or soot), wetting agents, fans, and a variety of other materials, but these end up causing a mess or more problems and do very little to help get golfers on the course sooner.
Here are a few tips that superintendents and course officials should consider when frost is a recurring issue during the winter. First, play should be delayed for at least 30 minutes after the frost melts to allow maintenance personnel to change holes, mow, and prepare the course for play. During this time, it is helpful to have two-way radios so the superintendent and his staff can communicate with the golf shop and keep everyone informed. Second, have an operational plan for scheduling golf play during periods of frost. In some cases, you may want to start play on the back nine if that section of the course tends to thaw faster, or some courses simply schedule a standard 10:00 a.m. shot-gun start during the winter when frost is a recurring problem. Third, you may wish to analyze areas of the course where frost persists and see if trees that are blocking morning sun can be pruned or removed to help melt the frost faster. Above all, it is important for golfers to be patient during frost delays. Although superintendents are very clever and resourceful professionals, there is little they can do make Mother Nature melt the frost any faster."
If anyone has any questions about frost and the turf damage it can cause, please send me an email at PatrickGertner@Potowomut.com.
The golf course continues to improve during fall. Fairway aeration was completed last week so our focus will shift to sodding poor areas on greens, bunker work and to work on restoring the front right of 16 green to how it was designed. Then of course, there are the leaves.
We are thrilled recent dry weather allowed us to aerate all fairways. Aeration is necessary to both remove thatch and to allow soils to breathe. We aerated using the closest spacing possible with our machine. It takes us a long time to aerate fairways when we perform the operation ourselves, but because of the close spacing we punch many more holes than a contractor. More holes means better quality fairways next summer.
Today, (Monday) we are sodding spots on the edges of 15 green. Later in the week, we will work on 6 green and the back of 16 green. Sod will root down and blend in well before next summer.
Because the three summer damaged greens (13, 15, 16) were not aerated in September, we will poke slim narrow holes using solid tines this week. These greens will be topdressed lightly when done. We expect little or no surface disruption to golfers. (These greens were skipped during September so we didn't pull tender, new bentgrass plants out of the ground.)
In a week or two, we will strip the 6th right greenside bunker's face of sod and re-sod with brand new turfgrass. We are excited to get this project done. Rhode Island's largest sod grower SodCo is providing the sod at no charge to Potowomut to enable us to try a tall fescue based sod to this area. Thanks to SodCo!!!
Tidbits.....Last week, I traveled to Bayport Long Island to pick up a used seeding machine to be used in 2014 and beyond....Because of extremely dry weather, we expect to continue to keep the irrigation system up and running well into November, potential irrigation shut down date is November 15....planning for 2014 has already begun....
Patrick Gertner CGCS
Golf Course Superintendent
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Seeding time
Dear Members,
As we prepare our busy late summer and fall schedules, here is a quick snapshot of plans for the next few weeks. As always, please ask any questions of me at patrickgertner@potowomut.com, and thanks to everyone for your support.
Greens
Thin areas on greens are now hand spiked and seeded and machine seeded. (Look for the extremely small pink colored creeping bentgrass seed)
Larger areas (15 Green) will be sodded and plugged during fall.
13, 15 and 16 greens are on a program of heavy fertilization to get plants to spread laterally. Recent improvement is noticeable. However, it is a slow process.
Greens aeration week is September 10-13, weather permitting.
Bentgrass nursery will be repaired this fall so it is ready for use next year.
Soil samples from ten greens were sent to the University of Florida Nematode Laboratory this week to assess nematode counts.
Collars
Poor areas of collars will be seeded Wednesday and Thursday this week. Areas will be double aerated and seeded with a mixture of seed types. Expect improvement during September. ****After the seeding process, we will place colored flags on repaired collars to remind you to try your best to stay off seeded areas. Seeded collars will remain in play. Thank you!!!****
After collars have been re-established, they will be put on a program of heavy aerification and soil amendments will be added to change sandy soils. These procedures will begin in late October or November. Program will be ongoing into the future.
Different procedures, processes and agronomic products are being explored and discussed; ideas will be implemented that will result in a better golf course.
Fairways
Thin areas of fairways will be overseeded during late August and September.
To speed healing, nitrogen fertilizer will be applied during September.
After analyzing soil tests from June, fairways have been fertilized with two of the three needed materials to correct nutrient deficiencies. This program will continue until soils "report card" improves. Healthy soils will support more reliable fairway turfgrass.
Potowomut crew will aerate fairways during September and October.
Roughs
Areas of failed rough will be seeded during September and October.
Tees
Tees will be aerated during October.
Patrick M Gertner CGCS
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Summer 2013 Reports, one by USGA, one by Patrick
Here is a link to an essay about summer 2013 written by USGA Agronomist Jim Skolurlski who is based in Palmer, MA. I hope it is helpful.
http://www.usga.org/course_care/regional_updates/regional_reports/northeast/Skinned-Knees-And-Bruised-Elbows---August-2013/
The golf course has taken a few punches this summer after soaking June rains followed by an intense heat spell with extremely high humidity and dew points. At this time, it's bruised and battered but will improve quickly with improvement plans, cooler weather and later summer rains. According to northeast Golf Course Superintendents, the combination of weather events from June through late July was the most difficult conditions for turfgrass in many years and I don't disagree.
I apologize in advance for the length and depth of this report. However, I like to keep everyone informed of the many different issues that face us....and know many of you have expressed a desire to know. We do our best to keep our communications simple and readable, sometimes even when the issues aren't!! As always, please ask any questions you would like via my email address at patrickgertner@potowomut.com. No questions go unanswered!
Each winter, we plan to be ready for numerous potential situations that we may face during summer. The process is both art and science. When dealing with mother nature and golf turf, situations beyond our control occur. Remember, we are playing golf on living plants mowed unnaturally low and walked on all day. Greens, tees, fairways don't always behave as we would like them to...not unlike our children or grandchildren. The significant heat stretch showed us our weakest areas, areas where performance needs to improve.
COLLARS
On any golf course, the greens' collars are the most stressed out area of turf because operators and heavy greensmowers turn around on collars daily to make their mowing passes. If greens are double mowed, this happens twice. How would you like a heavy clunky mower turning around on the top of your head...everyday? Then you may get rolled by the roller and then have golfers walk on you for 12 or 14 hours or so...in the heat. I'm betting it would hurt and your head and hair may not be quite as fetching as it is today.
Green collars did not fare well after the heat spell and proved that they are the weakest and most stressed turfgrass areas as described above. Most greens' turf had the tools to survive where only inches away collars suffered. Why did this happen? Unfortunately, the turf won't answer the question when asked. Therefore, we need to do a CSI type investigation using clues in the context of maintenance procedures. Please read our "storyboards" below to know more about problems and plans for solutions. Not one thing "killed" the collars, it was a combination of all factors listed below.
1. Collars need more water than greens because plants are larger. Turf cools itself during the heat of each summer day by pulling water from soil, via roots. This cooling takes an incredible amount of energy from plants, and we see the results because the turf no longer looks healthy. When the water supply drys up, turf wilts and dies. This can happen quickly, in an hour or less.
2. If turf has a healthy and well developed root system, plants survive as long as soil has adequate moisture. However, if root systems are shallow, plants can't cool themselves and are always on that precarious edge of life and death all summer.
2. Most nights, the turf's cooling mechanism turns off as the temperature drops below 68-70 degrees. Now the plant can recover overnight to be ready for the next day. During our recent heat apocalypse, for 20 out of 25 nights the low temperature was 71 degrees or higher, failing to give plants a night off from working to cool themselves for hundreds of hours nonstop. Incredible amounts of plant energy was used these nights, weakening plants with already precarious root systems.
3. Sand does not hold water as heavier soils do. During the greens aeration and topdressing process, 100% sand is added to greens to replace existing greens' soils. The sand is wonderful for greens surfaces because it provides smoother greens, added drainage capability and increased shot holding characteristics. However, for collars, GREATER water holding soils are needed because these larger plants need more water to survive. (See #1 above) During the topdressing process, we actually deposit much more sand to green edges (and collars) because the sand tends to be pushed that way by topdressing brushes. Therefore, I feel myself and 10 or 15 past Poto Superintendents have added to today's situation because green collars have 4-5" of this straight sand material right at the surface......in turf areas that need MORE water to survive as compared to greens.
4. Another contributor to the situation is nematodes, who are constantly feeding on our roots. (As detailed in an earlier blog post, our critically timed control effort failed in 2013 because of excessive rainfall during June.) If there are no roots to pull water, turf will perish, especially when excessive heat is added to the mix. Post mortem of turf samples show plugs with virtually no roots.
Solutions for collars:
Conditions must change for collars. We must provide soils that hold more water for collars, not less. Root systems need to expand. Plants that better withstand traffic and stress need to be established. We will continue to watch and hope for chemical manufacturers to develop an affordable nematode control product that is research proven to work, as none do at this writing.
1. Collars will be aerated monthly and plugs will be removed to eliminate sandy soils. Topsoil and soil amendments will be added to aeration holes that will help collars hold more water. I expect this to be a constant operation for future months and years with the goal of changing soils on collars to ones that hold more water for plants.
2. Collars will be seeded using a grass with a lower water requirement. We have chosen chewings fescue, a fine bladed grass common on closely mowed turf in the British Isles. We expect to work on overseeding collars during this week and next with fast germination expected due to warmed soil temperatures.
3. Nematode sampling will also be done this week, on greens and green collars. These will be sent to the nematode laboratory at the University of Florida for analysis. Results to follow.
More information on plant parasitic nematodes:
http://extension.umass.edu/turf/management-updates/nematodes-and-wilting-turf
15 GREEN, PLUS THIN SPOTS ON OTHER GREENS
During a summer like this one, no one stresser usually takes out turfgrass, it is a combination of different factors. Again, the turf won't tell us what ultimately caused its demise, all we can do is look at each situation and make logical conclusions. We know nematodes are a HUGE factor on 15 green because historically this green shows the highest populations of stunt nematode. 15 green's root system shows plenty of evidence of their presence because of the absence of almost any turf roots. Other factors are also affecting 15 green health, however.
Internal soil drainage is an issue on 15 green. The back right corner does not drain. Water sits in that pocket, especially in 2013 with all the heavy June rains....and not coincidentally, this area of the collar and green has perished. We will install a small drain in this area during fall, draining this portion of the green into the greenside bunker.
Over the years, we have eliminated trees that caused morning shading problems for many greens. Trees also cause problems by blocking equally important air movement to blow across greens surfaces, especially during hot and humid weather patterns. 15 green has trees on three sides and is almost 100% blocked from prevailing southwest winds. Standing on 17 fairway many days this summer, I have seen the flag dancing on 17 green while the flag on 15 is not moving one bit. This to me is an indication that airflow needs to be improved for 15 green for significant improvement to be seen.
15 green has been spiked and seeded and this process will be repeated again this week....until this green (and others) has recovered. (13 was spiked and seeded today) Thin greens are being pushed with plant food to facilitate fast growth and healing. I expect to further investigate #15 tree issues between now and winter.
FAIRWAYS
Fairways overall are in good shape. Last year, nasty gray leaf spot disease was evident on many fairways on August 7. By that date this year, we had put down three preventative fungicide applications at a cost exceeding $ 30,000, and gray leaf spot is not here.
Fairways have room for improvement as we have been concerned about basketball to desk sized areas that have failed. Two weeks ago, we sent soil samples out to a soils lab in Nebraska. Where previous soil test results always showed well balanced, healthy soils, these results were different. Results from fairways (and greens) samples show soil deficiencies in a few key nutrients, namely calcium, magnesium and potassium. Hydrogen is excessive. We have ordered fertilizer materials for an August application for fairways that will raise levels of both calcium and magnesium while lowering hydrogen. Potassium will be addressed in 2014. The soils' condition is important so we can maintain healthy and well balanced soils and grow reliable turfgrass, especially during times of extreme heat and humidity when weaknesses are exposed.
We have coasted on our laurels of soil health and excellence for a few years but acknowledge we have work to do. More intense testing will be done during this month so we may better assess soils' needs of the entire golf course.
Fairways will be aerated by our crews during August through October. Aeration will help the fairway soils breath and will help to eliminate a significant thatch layer that is present. Tees will also be aerated in August or September.
ROUGH
Intermediate (first cut) of rough is the best it has ever been! Considering the severity of our summer weather, the standard rough is in good condition. Please remember that rough is not 100% irrigated. Most fairways have effective irrigation coverage of 220' wide, or 73 yards across each fairway. Non irrigated areas receives natural rainfall only during summer that isn't enough to maintain a vibrantly green turf stand. In most cases, un-irrigated turf areas go dormant from lack of water and will recover with cooler weather and rains of fall. A few areas that are dead will be overseeded in late August and September.
We have the ability to irrigate some areas of rough but in most cases we keep those sprinkler heads turned off to save water. If rough (and the driving range) was to be irrigated during the driest times of the year, water would have to be purchased from the City of Warwick at significant expense. To date, we have not bought any water from Warwick for 2013 because of wet June weather and also because of the new water holding berm. Last year's water bill was $ 6,500.
Last year, Gray Leaf Spot destroyed many areas of rough. For 2013, we spent significant dollars to twice treat 18 irrigated acres of rough. Gray leaf spot is nowhere to be seen this year, thankfully.
This fall, we have hundreds of small areas to seed. These areas include the spots where trees were eliminated last winter, edges of newly paved cartpaths, the messy areas near the 6th and 7th holes, and a few other areas. Fall is the best time to get this work done and for the seed to germinate and perform well.
I am sure I have forgotten to address some other areas of your concerns. Please email me at patrickgertner@potowomut.com with any questions. In closing, thanks for your patience after a devastating stretch of weather that caused havoc on our golf course...and many others in our area. We have a firm handle on the situation and have plans to soon return Potowomut as she was in the Spring!
Sincerely,
Patrick M Gertner CGCS
P.S. Please follow us on twitter @PotoGreens
http://www.usga.org/course_care/regional_updates/regional_reports/northeast/Skinned-Knees-And-Bruised-Elbows---August-2013/
The golf course has taken a few punches this summer after soaking June rains followed by an intense heat spell with extremely high humidity and dew points. At this time, it's bruised and battered but will improve quickly with improvement plans, cooler weather and later summer rains. According to northeast Golf Course Superintendents, the combination of weather events from June through late July was the most difficult conditions for turfgrass in many years and I don't disagree.
I apologize in advance for the length and depth of this report. However, I like to keep everyone informed of the many different issues that face us....and know many of you have expressed a desire to know. We do our best to keep our communications simple and readable, sometimes even when the issues aren't!! As always, please ask any questions you would like via my email address at patrickgertner@potowomut.com. No questions go unanswered!
Each winter, we plan to be ready for numerous potential situations that we may face during summer. The process is both art and science. When dealing with mother nature and golf turf, situations beyond our control occur. Remember, we are playing golf on living plants mowed unnaturally low and walked on all day. Greens, tees, fairways don't always behave as we would like them to...not unlike our children or grandchildren. The significant heat stretch showed us our weakest areas, areas where performance needs to improve.
COLLARS
On any golf course, the greens' collars are the most stressed out area of turf because operators and heavy greensmowers turn around on collars daily to make their mowing passes. If greens are double mowed, this happens twice. How would you like a heavy clunky mower turning around on the top of your head...everyday? Then you may get rolled by the roller and then have golfers walk on you for 12 or 14 hours or so...in the heat. I'm betting it would hurt and your head and hair may not be quite as fetching as it is today.
Green collars did not fare well after the heat spell and proved that they are the weakest and most stressed turfgrass areas as described above. Most greens' turf had the tools to survive where only inches away collars suffered. Why did this happen? Unfortunately, the turf won't answer the question when asked. Therefore, we need to do a CSI type investigation using clues in the context of maintenance procedures. Please read our "storyboards" below to know more about problems and plans for solutions. Not one thing "killed" the collars, it was a combination of all factors listed below.
1. Collars need more water than greens because plants are larger. Turf cools itself during the heat of each summer day by pulling water from soil, via roots. This cooling takes an incredible amount of energy from plants, and we see the results because the turf no longer looks healthy. When the water supply drys up, turf wilts and dies. This can happen quickly, in an hour or less.
2. If turf has a healthy and well developed root system, plants survive as long as soil has adequate moisture. However, if root systems are shallow, plants can't cool themselves and are always on that precarious edge of life and death all summer.
2. Most nights, the turf's cooling mechanism turns off as the temperature drops below 68-70 degrees. Now the plant can recover overnight to be ready for the next day. During our recent heat apocalypse, for 20 out of 25 nights the low temperature was 71 degrees or higher, failing to give plants a night off from working to cool themselves for hundreds of hours nonstop. Incredible amounts of plant energy was used these nights, weakening plants with already precarious root systems.
3. Sand does not hold water as heavier soils do. During the greens aeration and topdressing process, 100% sand is added to greens to replace existing greens' soils. The sand is wonderful for greens surfaces because it provides smoother greens, added drainage capability and increased shot holding characteristics. However, for collars, GREATER water holding soils are needed because these larger plants need more water to survive. (See #1 above) During the topdressing process, we actually deposit much more sand to green edges (and collars) because the sand tends to be pushed that way by topdressing brushes. Therefore, I feel myself and 10 or 15 past Poto Superintendents have added to today's situation because green collars have 4-5" of this straight sand material right at the surface......in turf areas that need MORE water to survive as compared to greens.
4. Another contributor to the situation is nematodes, who are constantly feeding on our roots. (As detailed in an earlier blog post, our critically timed control effort failed in 2013 because of excessive rainfall during June.) If there are no roots to pull water, turf will perish, especially when excessive heat is added to the mix. Post mortem of turf samples show plugs with virtually no roots.
Solutions for collars:
Conditions must change for collars. We must provide soils that hold more water for collars, not less. Root systems need to expand. Plants that better withstand traffic and stress need to be established. We will continue to watch and hope for chemical manufacturers to develop an affordable nematode control product that is research proven to work, as none do at this writing.
1. Collars will be aerated monthly and plugs will be removed to eliminate sandy soils. Topsoil and soil amendments will be added to aeration holes that will help collars hold more water. I expect this to be a constant operation for future months and years with the goal of changing soils on collars to ones that hold more water for plants.
2. Collars will be seeded using a grass with a lower water requirement. We have chosen chewings fescue, a fine bladed grass common on closely mowed turf in the British Isles. We expect to work on overseeding collars during this week and next with fast germination expected due to warmed soil temperatures.
3. Nematode sampling will also be done this week, on greens and green collars. These will be sent to the nematode laboratory at the University of Florida for analysis. Results to follow.
More information on plant parasitic nematodes:
http://extension.umass.edu/turf/management-updates/nematodes-and-wilting-turf
15 GREEN, PLUS THIN SPOTS ON OTHER GREENS
During a summer like this one, no one stresser usually takes out turfgrass, it is a combination of different factors. Again, the turf won't tell us what ultimately caused its demise, all we can do is look at each situation and make logical conclusions. We know nematodes are a HUGE factor on 15 green because historically this green shows the highest populations of stunt nematode. 15 green's root system shows plenty of evidence of their presence because of the absence of almost any turf roots. Other factors are also affecting 15 green health, however.
Internal soil drainage is an issue on 15 green. The back right corner does not drain. Water sits in that pocket, especially in 2013 with all the heavy June rains....and not coincidentally, this area of the collar and green has perished. We will install a small drain in this area during fall, draining this portion of the green into the greenside bunker.
Over the years, we have eliminated trees that caused morning shading problems for many greens. Trees also cause problems by blocking equally important air movement to blow across greens surfaces, especially during hot and humid weather patterns. 15 green has trees on three sides and is almost 100% blocked from prevailing southwest winds. Standing on 17 fairway many days this summer, I have seen the flag dancing on 17 green while the flag on 15 is not moving one bit. This to me is an indication that airflow needs to be improved for 15 green for significant improvement to be seen.
15 green has been spiked and seeded and this process will be repeated again this week....until this green (and others) has recovered. (13 was spiked and seeded today) Thin greens are being pushed with plant food to facilitate fast growth and healing. I expect to further investigate #15 tree issues between now and winter.
FAIRWAYS
Fairways overall are in good shape. Last year, nasty gray leaf spot disease was evident on many fairways on August 7. By that date this year, we had put down three preventative fungicide applications at a cost exceeding $ 30,000, and gray leaf spot is not here.
Fairways have room for improvement as we have been concerned about basketball to desk sized areas that have failed. Two weeks ago, we sent soil samples out to a soils lab in Nebraska. Where previous soil test results always showed well balanced, healthy soils, these results were different. Results from fairways (and greens) samples show soil deficiencies in a few key nutrients, namely calcium, magnesium and potassium. Hydrogen is excessive. We have ordered fertilizer materials for an August application for fairways that will raise levels of both calcium and magnesium while lowering hydrogen. Potassium will be addressed in 2014. The soils' condition is important so we can maintain healthy and well balanced soils and grow reliable turfgrass, especially during times of extreme heat and humidity when weaknesses are exposed.
We have coasted on our laurels of soil health and excellence for a few years but acknowledge we have work to do. More intense testing will be done during this month so we may better assess soils' needs of the entire golf course.
Fairways will be aerated by our crews during August through October. Aeration will help the fairway soils breath and will help to eliminate a significant thatch layer that is present. Tees will also be aerated in August or September.
ROUGH
Intermediate (first cut) of rough is the best it has ever been! Considering the severity of our summer weather, the standard rough is in good condition. Please remember that rough is not 100% irrigated. Most fairways have effective irrigation coverage of 220' wide, or 73 yards across each fairway. Non irrigated areas receives natural rainfall only during summer that isn't enough to maintain a vibrantly green turf stand. In most cases, un-irrigated turf areas go dormant from lack of water and will recover with cooler weather and rains of fall. A few areas that are dead will be overseeded in late August and September.
We have the ability to irrigate some areas of rough but in most cases we keep those sprinkler heads turned off to save water. If rough (and the driving range) was to be irrigated during the driest times of the year, water would have to be purchased from the City of Warwick at significant expense. To date, we have not bought any water from Warwick for 2013 because of wet June weather and also because of the new water holding berm. Last year's water bill was $ 6,500.
Last year, Gray Leaf Spot destroyed many areas of rough. For 2013, we spent significant dollars to twice treat 18 irrigated acres of rough. Gray leaf spot is nowhere to be seen this year, thankfully.
This fall, we have hundreds of small areas to seed. These areas include the spots where trees were eliminated last winter, edges of newly paved cartpaths, the messy areas near the 6th and 7th holes, and a few other areas. Fall is the best time to get this work done and for the seed to germinate and perform well.
I am sure I have forgotten to address some other areas of your concerns. Please email me at patrickgertner@potowomut.com with any questions. In closing, thanks for your patience after a devastating stretch of weather that caused havoc on our golf course...and many others in our area. We have a firm handle on the situation and have plans to soon return Potowomut as she was in the Spring!
Sincerely,
Patrick M Gertner CGCS
P.S. Please follow us on twitter @PotoGreens
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Oak Tree 1 Tee
Apologies to everyone as we forgot to update you on the oak tree that came down on the first tee.
Last Sunday morning at 7:20 am, a main branch of the oak tree behind the first tee came crashing down without warning. There was not a breath of wind to speak of. A group of four golfers had just left the tee and the next group had not yet assembled on the tee. Needless to say, everyone at the club that heard and saw the results of the failed branch knew that luck was with us last Sunday.
After inspecting the failed branch, it was apparent that there was much rot in the crotches of the tree and that the tree could not be trusted. Therefore, a decision was made to take the tree down immediately.
Northeast Tree from Cranston began the work on Wednesday and finished the project Friday by bringing in a 60 ton crane to help them.
It is always sad when one of our old tree friends fails, but the safety of our members and guests will never be jeopardized.
Patrick M. Gertner CGCS
Last Sunday morning at 7:20 am, a main branch of the oak tree behind the first tee came crashing down without warning. There was not a breath of wind to speak of. A group of four golfers had just left the tee and the next group had not yet assembled on the tee. Needless to say, everyone at the club that heard and saw the results of the failed branch knew that luck was with us last Sunday.
After inspecting the failed branch, it was apparent that there was much rot in the crotches of the tree and that the tree could not be trusted. Therefore, a decision was made to take the tree down immediately.
Northeast Tree from Cranston began the work on Wednesday and finished the project Friday by bringing in a 60 ton crane to help them.
It is always sad when one of our old tree friends fails, but the safety of our members and guests will never be jeopardized.
Patrick M. Gertner CGCS
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Three Cheers for July Rain!!
What a difference a week or two can make!
After a rain soaked June we have seen a hot and drier July. Some turf took a beating during the eight days in a row of ninety degree temperatures. This weekend's cooler weather is giving the golf course a break which has greatly improved turf the last few days! Greens' height of cut will be lowered this week because of the lack of 90 degree in the forecast for the near future.
Hot weather caused a rapid increase in both soil temperatures and stunt nematode population. Greens declined after our June 5 nematode control program failed because of excessive June rainfall. The rains quickly leached the control product from soils so it never had time to work. This is why 15 green was most affected by recent heat.....it is the green that perennially has the highest numbers of the microscopic soil root munchers and the population climbed completely unchecked. (A second biological nematicide was applied to all greens on July 18.) The results of this application will be evaluated in coming weeks.
Greens on holes 13, 15 and 16 struggled last week but are improving. This week, these three greens were mini spiked numerous times to help get needed air into the soil profile. After the spiking operation, greens were overseeded with ninety million creeping bentgrass seeds. Even if we see one percent germination, we'll have 900,000 new bentgrass plants on those greens in a week or so! All greens were fertilized Thursday to aid growth and recovery and the use of growth regulator chemicals has been suspended to all greens to aid healing.
Other thin areas of greens will be spiked and seeded as described above beginning Saturday night.
We will add sod to the failed area of 16 green during the week of July 29th. This area will be renovated during fall to remove the excessive accumulation (3 to 4 feet) of bunker sand that has splashed onto the green from thousands of bunker shots. We are excited about this project as it will restore the green back to how it was originally built and will ease the height of the steep slope of the greenside bunker.
Tidbits.....Cartpath paving and sod project is complete. Sodded areas will be opened up in early fall. Edges will be repaired through fall.....Grub control continues this week....We still haven't purchased a drop of water from Warwick, thank you new water holding berm!!....We expect to finally aerate and overseed 14 fairway this week; this project was put on hold due to heat....Bunker edging and re-sanding project continues. We have added 60 tons of sand with at least 90 more to be added....Tree Committee begins ambitious program to inventory all golf course trees on Monday....
Thanks for everyone's support the last few weeks! I hope everyone has a great week!
Patrick M Gertner CGCS
After a rain soaked June we have seen a hot and drier July. Some turf took a beating during the eight days in a row of ninety degree temperatures. This weekend's cooler weather is giving the golf course a break which has greatly improved turf the last few days! Greens' height of cut will be lowered this week because of the lack of 90 degree in the forecast for the near future.
Hot weather caused a rapid increase in both soil temperatures and stunt nematode population. Greens declined after our June 5 nematode control program failed because of excessive June rainfall. The rains quickly leached the control product from soils so it never had time to work. This is why 15 green was most affected by recent heat.....it is the green that perennially has the highest numbers of the microscopic soil root munchers and the population climbed completely unchecked. (A second biological nematicide was applied to all greens on July 18.) The results of this application will be evaluated in coming weeks.
Greens on holes 13, 15 and 16 struggled last week but are improving. This week, these three greens were mini spiked numerous times to help get needed air into the soil profile. After the spiking operation, greens were overseeded with ninety million creeping bentgrass seeds. Even if we see one percent germination, we'll have 900,000 new bentgrass plants on those greens in a week or so! All greens were fertilized Thursday to aid growth and recovery and the use of growth regulator chemicals has been suspended to all greens to aid healing.
Other thin areas of greens will be spiked and seeded as described above beginning Saturday night.
We will add sod to the failed area of 16 green during the week of July 29th. This area will be renovated during fall to remove the excessive accumulation (3 to 4 feet) of bunker sand that has splashed onto the green from thousands of bunker shots. We are excited about this project as it will restore the green back to how it was originally built and will ease the height of the steep slope of the greenside bunker.
Tidbits.....Cartpath paving and sod project is complete. Sodded areas will be opened up in early fall. Edges will be repaired through fall.....Grub control continues this week....We still haven't purchased a drop of water from Warwick, thank you new water holding berm!!....We expect to finally aerate and overseed 14 fairway this week; this project was put on hold due to heat....Bunker edging and re-sanding project continues. We have added 60 tons of sand with at least 90 more to be added....Tree Committee begins ambitious program to inventory all golf course trees on Monday....
Thanks for everyone's support the last few weeks! I hope everyone has a great week!
Patrick M Gertner CGCS
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Happy Independence Day Weekend!
We have begun to edge golf course bunkers, from hole eighteen working backwards. So far, the crew has worked on holes 18-16.
Details of the project:
1. Add a distinct edge on each bunker. In some cases, remove areas where sand and vegetation has created an ugly "no man's land" of both sand and grasses.
2. Remove all weeds from bunker interiors.
3. Add sufficient sand to bunkers that need it.
4. Distribute sand within each bunker, especially out to edges that have been altered during edging process.
5. Fertilize bunker banks.
Sixty tons of bunker sand will be delivered Friday (7/5) morning, with another sixty tons expected later in the month. We will begin installing sand to newly edged bunkers next week. In the meantime, we apologize for the transition areas on the low side of bunkers that is deep and not at all golf friendly. Please have patience as we will get to these areas ASAP!
All greens were topdressed yesterday. Applications of sand helps to keep greens smooth and to maintain their speed. You may see remnants of the sand tomorrow and Friday. Greensmowers will be sharpened and re-adjusted because the sand is abrasive to steel blades and bedknives.
All fairways were fertilized today. Fairways have needed no help staying healthy due to significant rainfall they've seen since June 1. This application will help them recover quickly from the stresses of summer and will help divots recover faster. An added benefit of a summer fertilizer application is better resistance against our most common turfgrass disease caused by fungus Schlerotinia homeocarpa....commonly known as dollar spot. Dollar spot is lessened with higher nitrogen levels, the opposite of most disease organisms which thrive with higher nitrogen levels. If fairways begin to grow excessively because of the added fertilizer, higher rates of growth regulators will be used in coming weeks.
The third insecticide of the season will be put down on fairways for hyperodes weevils next week. (Greens and tees have received multiple applications) Also in July we will apply an insecticide to control grub populations (both European Chafers and Japanese Beetles) to the entire property. Remember, the grubs don't do as much damage during fall as the skunks that dig up turf looking for them.
During fall, we plan on addressing the mound on 16 green that fails annually. This sizable mound was formed by bunker sand being thrown onto the green from thousands and thousands of golf shots from the bunker. Therefore, soils underneath the green in this area are comprised of 100% bunker sand. Needless to say, bunker sands cannot support turfgrass growth because of their total lack of nutrient and water holding abilities. This fall, we will dig out all the old bunker sands under the failed area of the green and the collar, and will replace with high quality loam and re-sod. We guarantee this area will improve for 2014!!
Tidbits.....The ugly hydraulic oil spill damage on 2 fairway will be sodded within the next two weeks. We also had another mower spew hydraulic oil onto 4 fairway today and will most likely replace this area with sod as well....Irrigation contractor will help us locate and repair a few broken wires the week of July 15....Thanks to Sal Soscia and John Bianco for their help painting the chain link fence on 17!!!....First fairway and rough fungicide application for disease gray leaf spot (GLS) are down and hopefully working, we sincerely appreciate the added 2013 budget funds for this purpose!!!
Please enjoy the 4th of July!!
Patrick M. Gertner CGCS
Details of the project:
1. Add a distinct edge on each bunker. In some cases, remove areas where sand and vegetation has created an ugly "no man's land" of both sand and grasses.
2. Remove all weeds from bunker interiors.
3. Add sufficient sand to bunkers that need it.
4. Distribute sand within each bunker, especially out to edges that have been altered during edging process.
5. Fertilize bunker banks.
Sixty tons of bunker sand will be delivered Friday (7/5) morning, with another sixty tons expected later in the month. We will begin installing sand to newly edged bunkers next week. In the meantime, we apologize for the transition areas on the low side of bunkers that is deep and not at all golf friendly. Please have patience as we will get to these areas ASAP!
All greens were topdressed yesterday. Applications of sand helps to keep greens smooth and to maintain their speed. You may see remnants of the sand tomorrow and Friday. Greensmowers will be sharpened and re-adjusted because the sand is abrasive to steel blades and bedknives.
All fairways were fertilized today. Fairways have needed no help staying healthy due to significant rainfall they've seen since June 1. This application will help them recover quickly from the stresses of summer and will help divots recover faster. An added benefit of a summer fertilizer application is better resistance against our most common turfgrass disease caused by fungus Schlerotinia homeocarpa....commonly known as dollar spot. Dollar spot is lessened with higher nitrogen levels, the opposite of most disease organisms which thrive with higher nitrogen levels. If fairways begin to grow excessively because of the added fertilizer, higher rates of growth regulators will be used in coming weeks.
The third insecticide of the season will be put down on fairways for hyperodes weevils next week. (Greens and tees have received multiple applications) Also in July we will apply an insecticide to control grub populations (both European Chafers and Japanese Beetles) to the entire property. Remember, the grubs don't do as much damage during fall as the skunks that dig up turf looking for them.
During fall, we plan on addressing the mound on 16 green that fails annually. This sizable mound was formed by bunker sand being thrown onto the green from thousands and thousands of golf shots from the bunker. Therefore, soils underneath the green in this area are comprised of 100% bunker sand. Needless to say, bunker sands cannot support turfgrass growth because of their total lack of nutrient and water holding abilities. This fall, we will dig out all the old bunker sands under the failed area of the green and the collar, and will replace with high quality loam and re-sod. We guarantee this area will improve for 2014!!
Tidbits.....The ugly hydraulic oil spill damage on 2 fairway will be sodded within the next two weeks. We also had another mower spew hydraulic oil onto 4 fairway today and will most likely replace this area with sod as well....Irrigation contractor will help us locate and repair a few broken wires the week of July 15....Thanks to Sal Soscia and John Bianco for their help painting the chain link fence on 17!!!....First fairway and rough fungicide application for disease gray leaf spot (GLS) are down and hopefully working, we sincerely appreciate the added 2013 budget funds for this purpose!!!
Please enjoy the 4th of July!!
Patrick M. Gertner CGCS
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Lesson in....Being Careful For What You Wish For
Summers of 2010, 2011 and 2012 were difficult for golf course turf with warm temperatures and periods of each summer with no rain. The golf course was beat up each year with some cumulative damage evident in the form of thin and barren turf to non-irrigated areas. As a student of history and observer of weather patterns, this past winter I began wishing for nature to give us some of her balance this summer in the form of a cooler and/or wetter summer. I wished for a summer where we wouldn't need to purchase expensive water from the city of Warwick, one where we could concentrate on projects instead of working to keep turfgrass alive 24/7.
As June 2013 comes to a close with its excessive 12+ inches of rainfall, we have different problems as compared to past years. The irrigation pond is 6" over capacity this morning thanks to excessive rains, and because of the Pond Berm Containment project completed last fall combined with the golf course's lack of irrigation needs. Usually by June 30th, we are daily using more irrigation water than our supply well can provide us. As a matter of fact, last June 30th, pond level was extremely low as we spent over $ 700.00 for 160,000 gallons water to irrigate with. Did we wish too much??
Wet conditions have also caused a strange disease situation on 14 fairway. Samples of 14 fairway turf were delivered to the University of Rhode Island Plant pathology lab last Monday, June 24. On Wednesday Dr. Nathaniel Mitkowski, Associate Professor of Plant Pathology communicated the results to me in a telephone conversation that started with these words....."In my sampling and diagnosis history since 1994....I have NEVER seen this disease on bentgrass before...." Oh Joy!
14 fairway is our only large fairway that is comprised of 95% creeping bentgrass turf. Bentgrass is the proper turf for our region....the species of grass we desire on our fairways and is seeded by golfers daily with sand and seed divot bottles. You could say 14 is the favorite child, the fairway we'd like all others to emulate. Bentgrass turf is (usually) strong, fights off disease and insects and recovers quickly. Once again....be careful for what you wish for, Patrick. 14 fairway suffers today from anthracnose, a turf disease not usually seen on bentgrass. (See link below from Penn State) This was caused by plants being excessively wet for a long time, combined with a significant thatch layer on this fairway. We do see and treat for anthracnose in turf, but only on greens and only on Poa annua, an entirely different species of turf.
http://plantscience.psu.edu/research/centers/turf/extension/factsheets/managing-diseases/anthracnose
14 is the only affected fairway. Two fungicide and fertilizer applications have been applied to 14 fairway. Some areas of the fairway will recover during the next few weeks. However, there will be a few spots that will need seed or sod this fall.
Our extremely high nematode (small microscopic root munchers) population was treated for on June 4. Excessive rainfall must have washed the natural sugar cane based material quickly from soils this year as post treatment sampling shows a population of 5300 stunt nematodes still present on 15 green. (Acceptable level is 800 or less) We will most likely follow up with another nematode application using a new natural based biological material from aspirin maker Bayer.
Tidbits.....Wet weather pattern is with us for at least two or three more weeks into mid July, according to Potowomut member and Meteorologist Herb Stevens...pumped 3,951,000 gallons to date....3.7 million gallons less than 2012 to date....14 fairway disease tells us that fairway aeration must be a priority to remove the thatch layer...Greens will be topdressed Monday July 1 for speed and smoothness....Golf course remains too wet to bring back cartpath contractor.....Fairways have received a fungicide application for last year's disease nemesis, Gray Leaf Spot, while roughs will get a treatment soon...Ballmarks are more prevalent during periods of wet weather; please please repair yours plus one other and thanks!!....
Patrick M. Gertner CGCS
As June 2013 comes to a close with its excessive 12+ inches of rainfall, we have different problems as compared to past years. The irrigation pond is 6" over capacity this morning thanks to excessive rains, and because of the Pond Berm Containment project completed last fall combined with the golf course's lack of irrigation needs. Usually by June 30th, we are daily using more irrigation water than our supply well can provide us. As a matter of fact, last June 30th, pond level was extremely low as we spent over $ 700.00 for 160,000 gallons water to irrigate with. Did we wish too much??
Wet conditions have also caused a strange disease situation on 14 fairway. Samples of 14 fairway turf were delivered to the University of Rhode Island Plant pathology lab last Monday, June 24. On Wednesday Dr. Nathaniel Mitkowski, Associate Professor of Plant Pathology communicated the results to me in a telephone conversation that started with these words....."In my sampling and diagnosis history since 1994....I have NEVER seen this disease on bentgrass before...." Oh Joy!
14 fairway is our only large fairway that is comprised of 95% creeping bentgrass turf. Bentgrass is the proper turf for our region....the species of grass we desire on our fairways and is seeded by golfers daily with sand and seed divot bottles. You could say 14 is the favorite child, the fairway we'd like all others to emulate. Bentgrass turf is (usually) strong, fights off disease and insects and recovers quickly. Once again....be careful for what you wish for, Patrick. 14 fairway suffers today from anthracnose, a turf disease not usually seen on bentgrass. (See link below from Penn State) This was caused by plants being excessively wet for a long time, combined with a significant thatch layer on this fairway. We do see and treat for anthracnose in turf, but only on greens and only on Poa annua, an entirely different species of turf.
http://plantscience.psu.edu/research/centers/turf/extension/factsheets/managing-diseases/anthracnose
14 is the only affected fairway. Two fungicide and fertilizer applications have been applied to 14 fairway. Some areas of the fairway will recover during the next few weeks. However, there will be a few spots that will need seed or sod this fall.
Our extremely high nematode (small microscopic root munchers) population was treated for on June 4. Excessive rainfall must have washed the natural sugar cane based material quickly from soils this year as post treatment sampling shows a population of 5300 stunt nematodes still present on 15 green. (Acceptable level is 800 or less) We will most likely follow up with another nematode application using a new natural based biological material from aspirin maker Bayer.
Tidbits.....Wet weather pattern is with us for at least two or three more weeks into mid July, according to Potowomut member and Meteorologist Herb Stevens...pumped 3,951,000 gallons to date....3.7 million gallons less than 2012 to date....14 fairway disease tells us that fairway aeration must be a priority to remove the thatch layer...Greens will be topdressed Monday July 1 for speed and smoothness....Golf course remains too wet to bring back cartpath contractor.....Fairways have received a fungicide application for last year's disease nemesis, Gray Leaf Spot, while roughs will get a treatment soon...Ballmarks are more prevalent during periods of wet weather; please please repair yours plus one other and thanks!!....
Patrick M. Gertner CGCS
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Rain rain go away, here and in Philadelphia!!!
As of this morning, (Wednesday) the golf course has seen (and handled quite well) over eight inches of rainfall during the first eleven days of June. Many areas are wet, rough is thick and in the be careful for what you (I) wish for department, the newly expanded pond has exceeded its banks by hundreds of thousands of gallons. Thanks for everyone's cooperation and understanding this week as conditions forced us to keep golf carts off the course for two days.
A casualty of the wet weather is our progress on the cartpath paving and sod replacement program. Areas of the golf course would be ruined if we allowed heavy equipment to continue working the past two weeks. We will begin again when the golf course firms up. We still have five more areas to prepare and pave. After paving, topsoil and sod replacement to abandoned cartpath areas will complete this project for 2013.
When the paving crew completes a cartpath, areas adjacent that aren't sodded will be seeded continually during the year by our crew. These are difficult areas to establish turf because of their close proximity to new cart paths, heavy golfer and equipment traffic, and because these areas are prone to washouts after even a gentle rain. Thanks for your patience!
As warmer weather approaches it becomes very important for all players to repair ball marks on greens. Tools are available in the Pro Shop. Please take the time to make the damage disappear, by moving good turf into the area of damage. Fix another one if possible.
Also, please help maintain great fairways for everyone by replacing turf divots on fairways. If however, the turfgrass divot explodes or is non-existent, then it is ok to use the sand and seed mixture, but ONLY ON FAIRWAYS. Please DO NOT add sand and seed mixture to any rough areas as the seed in bottles is incorrect for these areas!
I am writing this update while on an Amtrak train heading south toward Merion Golf Club and the US Open. Merion is a very special golden age golf course that will identify a deserving champion on Sunday or Monday. Because I previously lived outside Philadelphia, I have spent many hours touring and playing the world renowned top ten property. I am excited to observe and learn, and hopefully bring back a few ideas that we can use to improve Potowomut.
Tidbits.....Wet year: to date, we have only pumped 2.5 million gallons of irrigation water during 2013; last year's year end total was 19.5 million....record low was 8.9 million gallons in 2009....fairway mower had an oil spill due to a catastrophic failure of a hydraulic oil hose on #2. Area will be aerated and seeded next week....Bunkers need plenty of work and will get it during summer months....Fairways will be fertilized next week with a new material that many Superintendents have been raving about....Treatments for hyperodes weevils and nematodes are done, successes to be determined at later dates....grubs will be treated for during July....wet years generally provide opportunities for disease organisms to thrive, so far so good for us as fungicide treatments are working well. Heat will exacerbate these issues when (if) it arrives.
A casualty of the wet weather is our progress on the cartpath paving and sod replacement program. Areas of the golf course would be ruined if we allowed heavy equipment to continue working the past two weeks. We will begin again when the golf course firms up. We still have five more areas to prepare and pave. After paving, topsoil and sod replacement to abandoned cartpath areas will complete this project for 2013.
When the paving crew completes a cartpath, areas adjacent that aren't sodded will be seeded continually during the year by our crew. These are difficult areas to establish turf because of their close proximity to new cart paths, heavy golfer and equipment traffic, and because these areas are prone to washouts after even a gentle rain. Thanks for your patience!
As warmer weather approaches it becomes very important for all players to repair ball marks on greens. Tools are available in the Pro Shop. Please take the time to make the damage disappear, by moving good turf into the area of damage. Fix another one if possible.
Also, please help maintain great fairways for everyone by replacing turf divots on fairways. If however, the turfgrass divot explodes or is non-existent, then it is ok to use the sand and seed mixture, but ONLY ON FAIRWAYS. Please DO NOT add sand and seed mixture to any rough areas as the seed in bottles is incorrect for these areas!
I am writing this update while on an Amtrak train heading south toward Merion Golf Club and the US Open. Merion is a very special golden age golf course that will identify a deserving champion on Sunday or Monday. Because I previously lived outside Philadelphia, I have spent many hours touring and playing the world renowned top ten property. I am excited to observe and learn, and hopefully bring back a few ideas that we can use to improve Potowomut.
Tidbits.....Wet year: to date, we have only pumped 2.5 million gallons of irrigation water during 2013; last year's year end total was 19.5 million....record low was 8.9 million gallons in 2009....fairway mower had an oil spill due to a catastrophic failure of a hydraulic oil hose on #2. Area will be aerated and seeded next week....Bunkers need plenty of work and will get it during summer months....Fairways will be fertilized next week with a new material that many Superintendents have been raving about....Treatments for hyperodes weevils and nematodes are done, successes to be determined at later dates....grubs will be treated for during July....wet years generally provide opportunities for disease organisms to thrive, so far so good for us as fungicide treatments are working well. Heat will exacerbate these issues when (if) it arrives.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Q: What is the most damaging insect turfgrass pest?? A: Hyperodes Weevils
With apologies to Debbie Downer of 1990's Saturday Night Live fame for this week's negative newsletter....
I have been extremely fortunate that I have been involved in golf course maintenance for a long time. To illustrate, the first golf course I worked at hosted a major tournament (The PGA) that was won by Jack Nicklaus...way back in 1980!! Since then, I received world class education from Penn State University and have worked at three other clubs including Potowomut. During this time, I have seen golf course conditioning levels rise dramatically. Also rising are the number and ferocity of turf damaging turfgrass diseases and insects.
Way back in 1980 hyperodes weevils were not a concern of turf managers in the Northeast. Zero threat to turf, and zero dollars spent for annual control. Regionally they became problematic near New York City during the 1990's and have since spread quickly throughout the East. At Potowomut in 2013, they pose the largest threat of any insect pest to greens, tees and fairway turf. Hyperodes damage comes from the larval (small grub) stage from June through September. The extremely small grubs (1 to 4 mm) feast on irrigated golf turf. They can devour turfgrass roots quickly and turn a perfect fairway, green or tee to an unplayable one in days. Also to complicate matters, they hatch up to four generations during a golf season which means multiple control strategies are needed to limit damage throughout the season.
Last week we applied an insecticide that controls egg laying adults (insects) while they walk from their winter hideouts in forested areas to yummy turfgrass. Within the next ten days, we will treat the larval stage (grubs) soon after eggs hatch. Depending on control success, we may have to repeat the entire expensive control process in later June and July for later generations.
Pests to both plants and human health are always adapting to survive the environments (and control methods) presented to them, especially ones created by man. Because of these pressures, human and plant pathologists and entomologists are always searching to create new ways to keep them off balance. Based on the dollars we spend to battle a relatively new golf course pest, I am not convinced man is winning the war.
We also have news of another insect pest will soon invade our small corner of the world. Crane flies have moved east from Cleveland to Buffalo and Rochester and within two or three years we will be devising control strategies for those nasty buggers. Oh Joy!!
Tidbits.....Aerating greens with solid tines this week. All greens will be done three times to open soils up so they may breathe. A light topdressing will follow....All sprinkler heads are being edged this week....Broadleaf weed control continues....Poa annua seedhead control program has worked perfectly this year on greens....Similar chemical was applied experimentally to fairways 8,9 and 14 to suppress growth causing discoloration that will grow out soon....Have pumped 1.87 million gallons to date, 1 million less than 2012 to date....
Once again, apologies for today's negative report. However, as many of you know I like to share with you different facets of the golf course maintenance industry that still perplex and teach me even after all these years.
Patrick M. Gertner CGCS
I have been extremely fortunate that I have been involved in golf course maintenance for a long time. To illustrate, the first golf course I worked at hosted a major tournament (The PGA) that was won by Jack Nicklaus...way back in 1980!! Since then, I received world class education from Penn State University and have worked at three other clubs including Potowomut. During this time, I have seen golf course conditioning levels rise dramatically. Also rising are the number and ferocity of turf damaging turfgrass diseases and insects.
Way back in 1980 hyperodes weevils were not a concern of turf managers in the Northeast. Zero threat to turf, and zero dollars spent for annual control. Regionally they became problematic near New York City during the 1990's and have since spread quickly throughout the East. At Potowomut in 2013, they pose the largest threat of any insect pest to greens, tees and fairway turf. Hyperodes damage comes from the larval (small grub) stage from June through September. The extremely small grubs (1 to 4 mm) feast on irrigated golf turf. They can devour turfgrass roots quickly and turn a perfect fairway, green or tee to an unplayable one in days. Also to complicate matters, they hatch up to four generations during a golf season which means multiple control strategies are needed to limit damage throughout the season.
Last week we applied an insecticide that controls egg laying adults (insects) while they walk from their winter hideouts in forested areas to yummy turfgrass. Within the next ten days, we will treat the larval stage (grubs) soon after eggs hatch. Depending on control success, we may have to repeat the entire expensive control process in later June and July for later generations.
Pests to both plants and human health are always adapting to survive the environments (and control methods) presented to them, especially ones created by man. Because of these pressures, human and plant pathologists and entomologists are always searching to create new ways to keep them off balance. Based on the dollars we spend to battle a relatively new golf course pest, I am not convinced man is winning the war.
We also have news of another insect pest will soon invade our small corner of the world. Crane flies have moved east from Cleveland to Buffalo and Rochester and within two or three years we will be devising control strategies for those nasty buggers. Oh Joy!!
Tidbits.....Aerating greens with solid tines this week. All greens will be done three times to open soils up so they may breathe. A light topdressing will follow....All sprinkler heads are being edged this week....Broadleaf weed control continues....Poa annua seedhead control program has worked perfectly this year on greens....Similar chemical was applied experimentally to fairways 8,9 and 14 to suppress growth causing discoloration that will grow out soon....Have pumped 1.87 million gallons to date, 1 million less than 2012 to date....
Once again, apologies for today's negative report. However, as many of you know I like to share with you different facets of the golf course maintenance industry that still perplex and teach me even after all these years.
Patrick M. Gertner CGCS
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Is winter over??
The extended winter of 2012-2013 seems to be abating this week. Good riddance...and let's be thankful we aren't located in Minnesota where Superintendents don't anticipate opening some golf courses for three more weeks!! Talk about a short season!!
We have had a busy spring. To date we have completed wall to wall application of pre-emergent crabgrass herbicide, spot fertilized thin areas of rough, repaired and sodded the bunker on 16, fine graded and seeded the berm project and the 6 bunker removal areas, started up irrigation, and ground up and filled many tree stump holes! We have also been cleaning a very messy golf course from winter's winds and snows...with thanks for many members' efforts on March 23rd.
The golf course is making slow progress as of today. We are beginning to transition from clean up tasks to everyday maintenance tasks for golf. We also plan on working on a few projects during the next few weeks. These include bunker edging and improving, sprinkler head edging, broadleaf weed control, hyperoides weevil control and seeding thin areas of rough.
BERM PROJECT SUCCESS
The berm project completed last December has helped to solve the poor drainage and unsightly area right of the 17th fairway. This area had been ugly for years and once grass germinates later in spring the improvement will look much better! However the picture isn't complete unless we look at increased water holding in irrigation ponds. The project was designed to help us become less reliant on water purchases from the city of Warwick by allowing us to store more water. Our ponds are holding an extra 700,000 gallons (12-14" increased water level) painting an even better picture of Berm Project success!!
CLUBHOUSE LANDSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS
Since January, a subcommittee of the Greens Committee has met weekly to plan improvements to our clubhouse and golf course plantings. (Mary Bagley, Mark Marcantonio, Rosemary Pariseault and Patrick Gertner) We have surveyed all beds on the golf course, evaluated each bed's needs, defined functions of each area, defined priorities and irrigation capabilities bed by bed, and weighed member expectations to help us plan facility wide improvements. We are working with a prominent Rhode Island landscaper (Dave Renzi of Out In Front Horticulture) who has broad plant knowledge to help us create planting themes that will be present throughout the property. We expect plans will take a few years to complete but believe plantings this spring will make immediate impact.
Plans for spring 2013 include improving the front of the clubhouse, the bed behind the 16th green and 17th tee beds. We will begin by preparing beds for planting a few weeks later. Our aim is to proceed slowly adding plants so beds aren't simply stuffed with plant material. Small plants will be added and will be spaced to allow for their maturity. Each bed will be a work in progress as the Committee will re-evaluate each bed....we reserve the right to make changes after the changes!! Stay tuned as we will report our progress and plans in future emails.
Tidbits....Greens height of cut will be lowered again Friday morning....Intermediate rough was being double mowed yesterday when a hydraulic lift arm failed. If the part arrives Friday, we will complete intermediate rough mowing by Saturday am....The small greens sprayer is also waiting for parts; thankfully we have two sprayers....13 fairway is growing at twice the rate of others because of the many fertilizers applied last fall to hasten growth....Paving contractor has been delayed for a week or two more....Tree Improvement Committee has asked us to grow up rough on the left side of #2 to better challenge par for drives long and left.....Greens aeration is scheduled for the week of May 6. This will not be a full blown aeration process; we will only punch holes with solid tines and is much less disruptive to greens and golfers than the September process....Please thank our wonderful crew for all their spring efforts; best crew ever!!
Patrick M Gertner CGCS
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
April 3, 2013
Thanks again to members who helped us clean the golf course on March 23rd. Thanks to you, our clean up efforts are progressing quickly despite the heavy workload caused by windy winter storms. Much remains, however and we will continue until complete!
Irrigation system has been turned on and is ready for the season! As of April 3rd last year, we had already pumped over a million gallons of irrigation water. As of today in 2013, only 10,000.
Thanks for everyone's patience as we ready and improve your golf course for the season. We have all hands on deck cleaning the golf course as quickly as we can!
Tidbits.....Greens were opened March 14....Cartpath construction begins this month...O/B and hazard stakes, and bunker rakes will go out by Friday....We will get bunkers cleaned and raked next week....A tree trimming crew will be here next week to remove damaged maple at 9 Tee/10 Green, and a few other storm damaged trees....Stump grinding and filling will continue through April...Laser reflectors that are missing have been ordered...Pre-emergent crabgrass control begins next week in roughs....
Turf came out of winter in great shape. We are still waiting (like you) for warmer temperatures for growth and initial green up during a very cold and windy spring. By Saturday April 6th we plan on applying both a wetting agent to greens (to aid soil water retention) as well as early spring growth regulator that will speed greens up and prevent the emergence of Poa annua seedheads during May and June. We will need a non windy day however....
We have begun to fill our irrigation pond at 18 using our well located in the driving range. We are already storing more water than we've been capable during past years because of the pond extension/berm project. We will repair winter erosion on the edges and reestablish turf as quickly as possible.
Irrigation system has been turned on and is ready for the season! As of April 3rd last year, we had already pumped over a million gallons of irrigation water. As of today in 2013, only 10,000.
Thanks for everyone's patience as we ready and improve your golf course for the season. We have all hands on deck cleaning the golf course as quickly as we can!
Tidbits.....Greens were opened March 14....Cartpath construction begins this month...O/B and hazard stakes, and bunker rakes will go out by Friday....We will get bunkers cleaned and raked next week....A tree trimming crew will be here next week to remove damaged maple at 9 Tee/10 Green, and a few other storm damaged trees....Stump grinding and filling will continue through April...Laser reflectors that are missing have been ordered...Pre-emergent crabgrass control begins next week in roughs....
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
WINTER UPDATE
It's early March!! We are nearing the end of a New England winter complete with cold, storms to remember (or forget) and almost hurricane force winds! Unfortunately, winter isn't done as more cold and snow are forecast for later this week and beyond. However, I'd like to report on your golf course as of today.
Winter 2013 has been a very nice winter for turf. Ice formation that prevents soils from breathing is always our primary concern regarding turfgrass health and and as of today we have none. Additionally, there isn't enough winter left for new ice to form and cause damage. We are also clean of snow mold diseases today and we are confident turf will remain free of disease when golf begins later this month.
Storms have damaged a few trees on the golf course but overall damage is not severe. Cedar trees and pines have taken the largest hit from heavy snow immediately followed by severe winds. Most injured trees have been pruned from ground level and clean up and chipping will happen into later March. (Since we don't own a tree chipper, we save all that work for the week we borrow one.) The most important tree that damaged is the large cedar on the left side of #2, along the slight dogleg curve of the hole. The tree is still standing but she isn't pretty.
The unused scoreboard located at the practice green was also a storm casualty as numerous cedar trees fell onto it. It has been removed.
During winter we have removed dead pines along #3, #10 and at the 16th tee. Other trees have been removed to improve the health of turfgrass, especially along #13 to add much needed sunlight penetration and air movement for the fairway. A few trees have been removed on #5 in anticipation of the cartpath paving project that will be done this year.
We are planning a member golf course clean up day for Saturday, March 23rd. More information as plans develop.
See everyone very soon for much needed outdoor recreation!
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