Good morning,
We forgot to mention that we will be planting trees left of the 16th tee to protect golfers from errant shots played from the 17th tee. We will use Pitch Pines, similar plants to the trees present there already.
This work will be done during April.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Spring '09 Update
Happy Spring!!!
We are happy to see everyone returning for some early season, yet mostly cold, spring golf. Rumor has it that warmer weather will arrive soon, despite its absence to date.
The golf course survived its winter rest in excellent shape. Our programs to improve and maintain the golf course continue to reap the benefits we spoke about since we began in 2005. We do, however need to continue and build on our success. A famous Golf Course Architect once told me "any golf course standing still, resting on its laurels, is in fact going backward." We have plans to go forward, despite less funding for golf course maintenance for 2009.
Because we have fewer funds for golf course maintenance, there will be changes in our operation. The changes will be due mostly due to using fewer labor hours to maintain the golf course. 65% of our operating budget is for labor and related expenses, and the dollars we have been asked to save versus last year's spending budget are significant. Some of the changes include the following: Maintaining the intermediate rough will be eliminated this year. Bunkers will not be raked as often. (Please be more vigilant raking bunkers after a bunker shot this year!!) We will use a triplex (larger) greensmower on some days. Tees will no longer be hand mowed; we will use a larger triplex mower. Greens may be only rolled some days, instead of mowed and rolled as in the past. Divots will not be filled as often. Some trimming tasks may be delayed.
Grass will still grow despite challenging economic times. Therefore, we will mow 95% of the golf course as often as in the past. Also, we are NOT eliminating or changing expensive fertilization or pest control programs on greens, tees, fairways or roughs. We will not compromise the health or quality of playing surfaces. Grubs and crabgrass will be controlled. Diseases and pests will be controlled using the best technology available. We will irrigate as we always have. We will continue to improve roughs, and will again apply lime this spring to repair severe calcium and magnesium soil deficiencies. Later this year, we will have home grown rough type sod available to us from a turfgrass nursery we established in the driving range area last fall. Finally, aeration programs will be altered in May. Greens aeration programs will not be as aggressive, saving funds by eliminating expensive sand topdressing. (I figure we may get some applause for this change...) We have plans to use a solid tine that pokes a smaller hole to the greens, bringing no soil to the surface. A lighter application of topdressing will be applied versus past springs. Decisions about our method of greens aeration for September will be made during August.
You may have noticed the painted lines placed on fairway edges. We are re-shaping fairways a bit, as they have enlarged over the years, according to some members and last year's Grounds Committee. Fairway mower operators tend to enlarge fairway edges over time, so the comments were not surprising to hear. We will not shorten the length of any fairway by reducing them at the tee side. Bringing fairways back to original size will also help us to control costs, because slightly smaller fairways will be cheaper to maintain. The new boundaries are not set in stone, as I expect to make some changes to the changes as the season progresses.
The drain by the clubhouse front door will be repaired during April. Somehow, water is not entering the drainage system as it was designed. Soon after the repair, the area excavated will be repaired with new asphalt.
We have plans to improve the quality of cut on fairway this year. Perennial ryegrasses comprise close to 50% of the turf species present on Potowomut fairways. Ryegrass grows quicker than the other species present, and like your dog, does not like to be trimmed. While being mowed, ryegrass leaves tend to be shredded, instead of being mowed clean, unless the mower's reels are perfect cylinders and adjusted perfectly. When fairway mowers go out for their first mowings in March, the reels are in this condition. Over time, however, after mowing acres of turf and encountering sticks, small stones, soil clods and sand present in divots, the reels become far from perfectly round. When in this negative condition, it takes Mechanic George four working days per mower to properly grind and adjust them. Based on our need to keep each machine operational all season, the result is poor cut quality almost all season. Our USGA representative Jim Skorulski spoke and wrote about this situation during his September 2008 visit.
Newer spin grinders from Great Britain will enable George to take a mower out of service at 7:00am, completely grind the mowers to perfect condition, and put it back in service at 3:00 pm on the same day. New spin grinders costs exceed $ 40,000. We have, however located a used set of grinders at very reasonable cost. After selling our old fairway aerator and two other minor pieces of unused equipment, we expect to have funds necessary to make an even swap.
Despite the economic challenges 2009 presents, we are still planning on a wonderful season. My staff and I will work very hard to present your wonderful golf course to you, and we will hopefully exceed your expectations.
We are happy to see everyone returning for some early season, yet mostly cold, spring golf. Rumor has it that warmer weather will arrive soon, despite its absence to date.
The golf course survived its winter rest in excellent shape. Our programs to improve and maintain the golf course continue to reap the benefits we spoke about since we began in 2005. We do, however need to continue and build on our success. A famous Golf Course Architect once told me "any golf course standing still, resting on its laurels, is in fact going backward." We have plans to go forward, despite less funding for golf course maintenance for 2009.
Because we have fewer funds for golf course maintenance, there will be changes in our operation. The changes will be due mostly due to using fewer labor hours to maintain the golf course. 65% of our operating budget is for labor and related expenses, and the dollars we have been asked to save versus last year's spending budget are significant. Some of the changes include the following: Maintaining the intermediate rough will be eliminated this year. Bunkers will not be raked as often. (Please be more vigilant raking bunkers after a bunker shot this year!!) We will use a triplex (larger) greensmower on some days. Tees will no longer be hand mowed; we will use a larger triplex mower. Greens may be only rolled some days, instead of mowed and rolled as in the past. Divots will not be filled as often. Some trimming tasks may be delayed.
Grass will still grow despite challenging economic times. Therefore, we will mow 95% of the golf course as often as in the past. Also, we are NOT eliminating or changing expensive fertilization or pest control programs on greens, tees, fairways or roughs. We will not compromise the health or quality of playing surfaces. Grubs and crabgrass will be controlled. Diseases and pests will be controlled using the best technology available. We will irrigate as we always have. We will continue to improve roughs, and will again apply lime this spring to repair severe calcium and magnesium soil deficiencies. Later this year, we will have home grown rough type sod available to us from a turfgrass nursery we established in the driving range area last fall. Finally, aeration programs will be altered in May. Greens aeration programs will not be as aggressive, saving funds by eliminating expensive sand topdressing. (I figure we may get some applause for this change...) We have plans to use a solid tine that pokes a smaller hole to the greens, bringing no soil to the surface. A lighter application of topdressing will be applied versus past springs. Decisions about our method of greens aeration for September will be made during August.
You may have noticed the painted lines placed on fairway edges. We are re-shaping fairways a bit, as they have enlarged over the years, according to some members and last year's Grounds Committee. Fairway mower operators tend to enlarge fairway edges over time, so the comments were not surprising to hear. We will not shorten the length of any fairway by reducing them at the tee side. Bringing fairways back to original size will also help us to control costs, because slightly smaller fairways will be cheaper to maintain. The new boundaries are not set in stone, as I expect to make some changes to the changes as the season progresses.
The drain by the clubhouse front door will be repaired during April. Somehow, water is not entering the drainage system as it was designed. Soon after the repair, the area excavated will be repaired with new asphalt.
We have plans to improve the quality of cut on fairway this year. Perennial ryegrasses comprise close to 50% of the turf species present on Potowomut fairways. Ryegrass grows quicker than the other species present, and like your dog, does not like to be trimmed. While being mowed, ryegrass leaves tend to be shredded, instead of being mowed clean, unless the mower's reels are perfect cylinders and adjusted perfectly. When fairway mowers go out for their first mowings in March, the reels are in this condition. Over time, however, after mowing acres of turf and encountering sticks, small stones, soil clods and sand present in divots, the reels become far from perfectly round. When in this negative condition, it takes Mechanic George four working days per mower to properly grind and adjust them. Based on our need to keep each machine operational all season, the result is poor cut quality almost all season. Our USGA representative Jim Skorulski spoke and wrote about this situation during his September 2008 visit.
Newer spin grinders from Great Britain will enable George to take a mower out of service at 7:00am, completely grind the mowers to perfect condition, and put it back in service at 3:00 pm on the same day. New spin grinders costs exceed $ 40,000. We have, however located a used set of grinders at very reasonable cost. After selling our old fairway aerator and two other minor pieces of unused equipment, we expect to have funds necessary to make an even swap.
Despite the economic challenges 2009 presents, we are still planning on a wonderful season. My staff and I will work very hard to present your wonderful golf course to you, and we will hopefully exceed your expectations.
Friday, February 13, 2009
February Greens Notice
Our golf course re-appears….for a while anyway.
Winter 2009 has provided snow and cold to keep the golf course white for about six weeks. Recent warm weather has removed all snow and ice from your golf course. This warm weather respite was welcome to yours truly, as concerns about turf damage from ice cover began to move toward the top of my “Things to Worry About List” for 2009. However, greens and fairways are in wonderful shape at this writing on windy Thursday.
Will the spring-like weather continue? Meteorologist (and member) Herb Stevens says we should be ready to return to winter conditions within the next week in his weekly report to Golf Course Superintendents….enjoy the thaw while you can!!
Winter has kept your Grounds Staff busy. We have continued tree work, although on a lesser scale as in past winters. We have worked to open up the fifth fairway from shading issues. Work continues in the shop on all equipment and golf course supplies. New steps have also been installed to the 10th men’s tee.
As you may have heard, 2009 will be a challenging year financially. Club membership roles have declined since last year, and fewer funds will be available for maintenance. We plan on limiting spending in many areas, yet still provide excellent playing conditions for members. Since over 60% of our funding is directly related to labor, the majority of savings will be utilized by using fewer labor hours. There will be changes made to how we maintain the golf course. We will write more on this in future writings.
We are anxious to get back to the golf course and hope to see everyone soon!!!
Patrick Gertner CGCS
Winter 2009 has provided snow and cold to keep the golf course white for about six weeks. Recent warm weather has removed all snow and ice from your golf course. This warm weather respite was welcome to yours truly, as concerns about turf damage from ice cover began to move toward the top of my “Things to Worry About List” for 2009. However, greens and fairways are in wonderful shape at this writing on windy Thursday.
Will the spring-like weather continue? Meteorologist (and member) Herb Stevens says we should be ready to return to winter conditions within the next week in his weekly report to Golf Course Superintendents….enjoy the thaw while you can!!
Winter has kept your Grounds Staff busy. We have continued tree work, although on a lesser scale as in past winters. We have worked to open up the fifth fairway from shading issues. Work continues in the shop on all equipment and golf course supplies. New steps have also been installed to the 10th men’s tee.
As you may have heard, 2009 will be a challenging year financially. Club membership roles have declined since last year, and fewer funds will be available for maintenance. We plan on limiting spending in many areas, yet still provide excellent playing conditions for members. Since over 60% of our funding is directly related to labor, the majority of savings will be utilized by using fewer labor hours. There will be changes made to how we maintain the golf course. We will write more on this in future writings.
We are anxious to get back to the golf course and hope to see everyone soon!!!
Patrick Gertner CGCS
Thursday, October 2, 2008
October 3
Greetings Members,
After seeing remnants of two or three tropical storms, the golf course received 9.62" of rainfall during September. We went from the dry summer season with stressed, slow growing and thin rough, to a rough that is playing quite difficult. Apologies to golfers for thick rough, and we acknowledge the appreciation from golf ball manufacturer's accountants.
This wet week has interrupted the fairway aeration process. However, we will get back to this important process next week. Most fairways have taken the aggressive aeration quite well, except for shady #15, where obvious injury was apparent.
We are installing a bluegrass and fescue turfgrass nursery in the driving range, close to 18 fairway. This half acre area will enable us to grow and later install sod to turf areas that are mowed at intermediate rough height and higher.
To prepare the area, we first applied a herbicide to kill all existing turf. (This area will turn to a straw brown color in a week or so) After a few days, we will aerate the area to remove thatch and to expose soil. We will then seed with a seed mixture of Kentucky bluegrass and fine leafed fescues. After maturity, the sod that grows from this mix can be used in all areas mentioned above, including bunker bankings.
After seeing remnants of two or three tropical storms, the golf course received 9.62" of rainfall during September. We went from the dry summer season with stressed, slow growing and thin rough, to a rough that is playing quite difficult. Apologies to golfers for thick rough, and we acknowledge the appreciation from golf ball manufacturer's accountants.
This wet week has interrupted the fairway aeration process. However, we will get back to this important process next week. Most fairways have taken the aggressive aeration quite well, except for shady #15, where obvious injury was apparent.
We are installing a bluegrass and fescue turfgrass nursery in the driving range, close to 18 fairway. This half acre area will enable us to grow and later install sod to turf areas that are mowed at intermediate rough height and higher.
To prepare the area, we first applied a herbicide to kill all existing turf. (This area will turn to a straw brown color in a week or so) After a few days, we will aerate the area to remove thatch and to expose soil. We will then seed with a seed mixture of Kentucky bluegrass and fine leafed fescues. After maturity, the sod that grows from this mix can be used in all areas mentioned above, including bunker bankings.
Friday, September 12, 2008
USGA Agronomist Visit Next Thursday @ 9AM
USGA Agronomist Mr. Jim Skolurlski will visit Potowomut next Thursday, September 18th at 9:00AM. We will tour the golf course until 11:00AM or so. The purpose of his visit is to monitor our progress and suggest more ways to improve our golf course and our operation. Jim sees close to 200 golf courses per year, and always provides a wealth of information for both me and my staff, and members.
This meeting usually provides casual conversations with plenty of opportunity to ask a question or learn a bit about golf course maintenance.
Consider yourself invited!!
This meeting usually provides casual conversations with plenty of opportunity to ask a question or learn a bit about golf course maintenance.
Consider yourself invited!!
Aerification
And the good news is......Greens have all been aerated and topdressed and are healing. With good weather, we expect the aeration do heal within a week or so.
Greens were aerated using two different methods. (Conventional aeration and sand injection) The third scheduled process, the deep tine operation, was canceled due to high moisture levels in the soil due to rainfall (3.92") generated by Hanna last weekend. We had fear this equipment could cause greens surface damage for an extended period this fall.
Next, we will begin to aerate tees and fairways. We expect to begin early next week and will work into October to complete fairways.
Our apologies for the inconvenience of aeration, but these processes begins to prepare the turf for success next summer.
Greens were aerated using two different methods. (Conventional aeration and sand injection) The third scheduled process, the deep tine operation, was canceled due to high moisture levels in the soil due to rainfall (3.92") generated by Hanna last weekend. We had fear this equipment could cause greens surface damage for an extended period this fall.
Next, we will begin to aerate tees and fairways. We expect to begin early next week and will work into October to complete fairways.
Our apologies for the inconvenience of aeration, but these processes begins to prepare the turf for success next summer.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Fertilizer Costs
We have all heard and read stories of prices rising this year due to the surge in oil costs. Higher prices are hurting us all personally, and will continue to in the future.
The cost of fertilizers on world markets is rising faster than anything I have read about to date. Fertilizer prices in the US have mostly doubled, and in some cases risen 500% during the last fifteen months due to many factors. Nope, the 500% is NOT a typo. Reasons for the cost explosion include:
-Surging worldwide oil costs.
-The United States' developing ethanol (corn) fuel dependence, causing higher
demand for fertilizer, and higher prices.
-Developing third world countries' demand for a modern diet, a diet that
includes protein based foods supported by higher yield plants and
animals grown with the fertilizers of modern agriculture.
-Mines and fertilizer refining plants operating at capacity, a problem
resembling oil refining capacity in the US.
-Hoarding by some national governments, driving prices even higher.
Obviously, costs to fertilize turfgrass have risen dramatically already this year for Potowomut. Fertilizer decisions, never taken lightly, have more ramifications today compared with last season.
Next time, I promise we will write about something positive!!
The cost of fertilizers on world markets is rising faster than anything I have read about to date. Fertilizer prices in the US have mostly doubled, and in some cases risen 500% during the last fifteen months due to many factors. Nope, the 500% is NOT a typo. Reasons for the cost explosion include:
-Surging worldwide oil costs.
-The United States' developing ethanol (corn) fuel dependence, causing higher
demand for fertilizer, and higher prices.
-Developing third world countries' demand for a modern diet, a diet that
includes protein based foods supported by higher yield plants and
animals grown with the fertilizers of modern agriculture.
-Mines and fertilizer refining plants operating at capacity, a problem
resembling oil refining capacity in the US.
-Hoarding by some national governments, driving prices even higher.
Obviously, costs to fertilize turfgrass have risen dramatically already this year for Potowomut. Fertilizer decisions, never taken lightly, have more ramifications today compared with last season.
Next time, I promise we will write about something positive!!
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