Brief Look At The Future

2013 Golf Course Outlook

Plans for 2013 are underway and I'd like to update you the ideas we are working on to improve your golf course. We are constantly driven to learn new and utilize technology and ideas from turfgrass researchers and successful Superintendents across the world to improve your golf experience. (Not all ideas are set in stone...but most are!!)

GREENS

Greens are in their best condition since I arrived to Potowomut in 2005, and should be wonderful to begin 2013 barring potential winter issues. (Greens will be sprayed to prevent snow mold diseases during the week of Nov 26) Through persistence and research, we have learned how to control our devastating nematode population moving forward. Partly because of successful nematode control during 2012, greens performed very well during a stressful summer.

For 2013, we plan on introducing a program to provide "hormone therapy" to make greens stronger and healthier. Through natural seaweed based materials, our goal will be to fool the greens to speed or slow growth rates, and to manufacture roots throughout the growing season instead of the traditional spring and fall months. (Plant hormones are usually induced only by seasonal environmental changes but this program tells plants to behave differently than what the weather tells them.) Stronger root systems always correlates to higher quality turfgrass. Hormones will also be used to slow grass growth for increased green speeds.

COLLARS

Collars will be improved during 2013. Here are ideas we are planning:

1. Aluminum rear drive rollers on each greensmower will be sanded perfectly smooth this winter. The thought here is that after years of use rollers have become scratched and scuffed. It is quite possible these slight imperfections injure plants on collars while mowers turn on green collars during daily mowing.
2. Thinking of #1 above, greensmowers will be moved and stored in the shop on thick rubber matting that will prevent future scuffing of the drive roller from sand and soil particles in the shop. Crew members will load and drop off the mowers only from the rubber mat.
3. Many clubs with collars issues institute different turning regimens for greensmowers (the likely culprit of collar damage.) We plan on providing
mower operators pieces of plywood to place on the green collar that they will make their turns on. This way, the mowers will make their turn on top of plywood while turfgrass is never touched. This method has obvious labor costs to constantly move the pieces, but we feel the investment in the health of greens' collars is most important. This change would probably only be utilized during the stressful months of June through August.

FAIRWAYS

Bye bye Gray Leaf Spot (GLS). It wasn't nice knowing you.

Because of two infestations in two years, we have no choice but to apply fungicides to fairways and rough to prevent GLS. We can hope and wish for cold and harsh winter weather to kill disease spores that may be still present, but we will spray next summer regardless of how harsh our winter is.

Thirteen fairway is slower to recover from its GLS, but warm May and June weather will help to complete the task. (13 was seeded again with creeping bentgrass this morning (11/21) and was topdressed with leftover greens topdressing sand to protect new plants from winter weather extremes.)

All fairways were aerated by a contractor on November 12-14. (A few areas were aerated twice) Since fairways have demonstrated weakness the last few years, aeration is the best method to improving their health. This fall aeration process is again planned for 2013.

Soil casts from earthworms were present on fairways during wet spring and fall months. Although there is NO legal method to control earthworms in turfgrass, some Superintendents have observed that certain fungicide applications applied to combat northern turf diseases can reduce earthworm populations. We plan on learning more about these ideas during winter.

Thanks for a wonderful season during 2012! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and come enjoy the golf course this weekend if you can as the current December forecast doesn't look great for golf!

Patrick Gertner CGCS

Fairway Aeration

Apologies to today's (Monday's) golfers who came to the club today and were surprised about fairway aeration that we began today. As many of you know, I was in Florence Italy until Sunday night and dropped the ball about notifying members of this important process. I will repeat, this time in Italian....Così spiacente!

It will take our contractor two days to complete fairways and intermediate rough. They are using three machines to complete the operation far quicker than we ever could. Fairways will be aerated at the closest spacing possible, and thirteen fairway will be aerated twice.

Aeration is an important process that provides many turf benefits:

1. Aeration helps to remove the 1" thatch layer that is made up of old plant
stems and plant parts that resist decomposition.
2. Aeration provides channels for rainfall, irrigation and oxygen into soil.
3. Breaking up the aerated soil cores provides a fine topdressing layer of soil
that helps keep the thatch layer in check.
4. Aeration will help push root systems deeper into soil.
5. Aeration will help fairways survive the heat of summer.
6. Since disease and insects thrive in the thatch layer, aerated fairways are
less prone to damage from these pests...including Gray Leaf Spot.

In addition to this process, we plan on aerating all fairways with a solid steel tine that brings up no soil before next May. Between these two processes and a chemical program to fight against gray leaf spot, we expect highly improved fairways for 2013 and beyond.

To our Monday golfers we sincerely apologize for beginning the aeration process without notifying you before your arrival. Thanks for your understanding!!

Patrick Gertner CGCS

Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy roared through Potowomut on Monday but damage was minimal. Beside from the billion or so leaves left in her wake, only one significant tree was damaged, a maple located left of 10 green. Unfortunately, half of this tree fell on the ninth tee which sustained minor damage. The tee will be repaired by our crew soon. The "other half" of this silver maple will be removed because the remaining tree's weight now leans precariously to one side.

Our hard working staff has worked to clean away storm debris since Tuesday morning. Where leaves, sticks and branches littered 100% of the golf course then, we are now working quickly to return to pre-Sandy condition. Numerous leaf piles have been created by our crew and these will be picked up as soon as possible. Sticks and branches that are being taken off the golf course are being stored in our parking area and will be chipped up at a later date.

Overall, we are very lucky here at the golf course. We know of many friends, family and neighbors who are truly suffering in Sandy's wake. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them during this difficult time.

We hope to see you on the golf course soon.

Progress Report

Nice fall weather has allowed us to make significant progress these last few days.

GREENS

Greens have healed nicely after our mid September aeration. Height of cut has been lowered twice since their first mowing and are now within .005" (five thousandths of an inch) of the height they were mowed at all summer. They will be lowered one more time. With cooler weather of October, root systems will expand into the soil profile to prepare for next summer's stressful weather.

Sodding and plugging operations are nearly complete on greens. We worked on green collars this week and expect to complete them sometime next week. All sod used comes from our turf nursery by 2 tee. We will continually topdress sodded areas with sand to eliminate uneven surfaces caused by new sod.

Smaller areas not large enough to sod will be seeded to bentgrass.

TEES

Because we have focused on greens' improvement programs, tee aeration still remains but will be completed by October 15. Thin tees will be seeded.

FAIRWAYS

Fairways continue to improve and fill in. We have planted 1200 lbs of bentgrass seed to fairways and new plants are appearing. Plants are extremely small but can be seen in fairway bad spots. The goal is to add many new (GLS resistant) bentgrass plants to fairways through October 15 when the seeding operation will be halted. New plants will mature and fill in next spring giving us fairway turfgrass more resistant to GLS.

To push growth, fairways will be fertilized again tomorrow (Thursday)


Close up photo shows both small bentgrass plants after germinating as well as extremely small bentgrass seed that was broadcast today on 13 fairway. To initiate seed contact with soil, this turf area will be spiked in three directions Thursday to drive seed into soil. Aggressive establishment of GLS resistant turfgrass can only improve fairways over time.


Dr. Nathaniel Mitkowski, Turf Pathologist from the University of Rhode Island visited us last Wednesday to help us with out Grey Leaf Spot (GLS) issue. We will summarize points from his visit.

-He has seen plenty of GLS this year, even though he says its appearance in New England is rare. When GLS spores do arrive in New England, they usually arrive from the south with a specific hurricane. He said 2012's Hurricane Isaac did not bring GLS to New England because of its path to Rhode Island from the midwest. He did remind us of last year's Hurricane Irene with its southern path to Potowomut.

-Because of the warm winter of 2011-2012, he said spores from last year's GLS appearance at Potowomut (from Hurricane Irene) were never killed. He said it was likely that GLS became active at Potowomut during our very first hot weather in June. In other words, without a specific fungicide treatment to prevent GLS way back in late May or early June, our fairways were poised to be attacked by GLS again in 2012. GLS is a rare disease, its surviving through the winter to cause damage the next year even rarer still.

-At least two summer fungicide applications to prevent GLS are recommended (and are planned for 2013 and beyond.) He agreed with our aggressive seeding of bentgrass seed as the best long term course of action combined with chemical prevention. He also suggested a more aggressive fairway aeration program which is being pursued.

ROUGHS

Over 500 lbs of seed has been planted re-establish roughs afflicted by GLS. We will continue on this project until mid October. GLS prone ryegrass will no longer be planted in the rough as we will be using fine leaf fescues, tall fescues and Kentucky bluegrass. Ryegrass is a bad word around these parts from this point forward!

To push recovery and force growth, roughs will be fertilized in early October, six weeks early. This process will be repeated again in December or in spring 2013 if thin roughs remain.

ROUGH FIRST CUT

The first cut of rough's bad spots will be seeded before October 15 using the same rough seed mixture noted above.

Thanks as always for everyone's patience and kind words.

Patrick Gertner CGCS

Aeration, seed and sod update

Outline for the next few weeks....

GREENS
Greens have been aerated and are healing well. We have begun to sod areas void of turf. We will continue to roll the greens for smoothness and hope to get everyday greensmowers back on the greens Friday. During the next few weeks, greens will be spiked with a 7" long deep tine to increase their ability to grow long roots and will be seeded with two varieties of creeping bentgrass. (Both projects are non invasive for golf) The area left and back of 12 green will be sodded during October or November.

GREEN COLLARS
We have begun to repair green collars. Some areas will be seeded while large areas will have new sod laid.

FAIRWAYS
All damaged fairways have been seeded at least once with creeping bentgrass. We will continue to pound seed into damaged fairways to establish as much bentgrass as possible. Bentgrass seed is small and plants that germinate are as well. We have seen seed germination everywhere! However, don't expect to see voids of turf covered in new bentgrass plants overnight. Bentgrass is slow to establish but once present, will move laterally over the surface to take over large areas next summer and beyond. More bentgrass will mean more reliable fairway turf for fairways.

We are working to learn as much about Gray Leaf Spot disease. We have spoken to plant pathologists and will communicate more information as we learn.

We are planning a more large scale aeration operation for fairways, possibly for early winter or next spring. A large scale fairway aeration operation is not wise at this time because of the presence of delicate bentgrass seedlings which are prone to being ripped out of the ground. More on this project as we move forward.

ROUGH
Rough areas damaged by GLS will be seeded beginning next week. Like fairways, we will continue to pound seedlings into the ground to guarantee success.

TEES
Tees will be aerated before the end of September. All tees will be aerated twice each
as is our custom.

As always, thanks for your patience while we continue to make improvements to the golf course. We will update everyone on the status of each project weekly.

Patrick Gertner CGCS

Dear Potowomut Members,

Fairway turf on many fairways was taken out by turf disease gray leaf spot (GLS) during early and mid-August. The disease only hits perennial ryegrass, the most populous turf on our fairways. At this time, the only remedy is to plant new turfgrass. We are planting three varieties of creeping bentgrass seed with the seeder we purchased this year. Creeping bentgrass cannot get GLS and provides the finest surfaces for fairway turf in our climate.

We apologize in advance for running an important maintenance operation during golf. However, we need to get seed in the ground when soil temperatures are warm to ensure good germination. The warmer the soil temperature, the higher percentage of seed will germinate.

To date, we have invested over $ 4,000 on new bentgrass seed for fairways. To ensure success, grass seed needs to stay wet during the germination process. For this reason, we need to irrigate fairways during the day so it doesn’t dry out. If seed dries after being wet, it dies. In most cases, we turf off fairway irrigation before golfers arrives on a fairway, but mistakes have been made today (Thursday) and for that we apologize.

2012 marks the second year in a row that fairways have been affected by GLS. Looking toward 2013, we need to assume that GLS will arrive on Potowomut fairways in August, and plan two fungicide applications (@ $ 8,000 each) to prevent this outbreak. We no longer believe turfgrass pathologists who say that GLS hits the northeast once every ten years.

As with any disease to a turf area, fungicides are not the only remedy. Fairways have spoken to us these last two years and told us that we have issues with our fairway maintenance programs. Strong turfgrass that can breathe and drain excess water can fight off a disease pathogen. In addition to adding varieties of turfgrass that don’t get GLS, our fairway aeration program needs to be upgraded to help soils and fairways become stronger in summer which will also help to eliminate the threat of disease.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,

Patrick M. Gertner CGCS

August 23

With the bulk of heat and humidity behind us, it is time to re-group and set the path for the next few weeks.

Summer 2012 will be remembered for its persistent heat and humidity similar to 2010 and 2011. Three hot and brutal summers in a row have been tough on turfgrass. Yes, turf people like me count and averages say we are due for a cooler summer or two in the very near future. We will be waiting.

GREEN COLLARS

Greens' collar turf is the toughest area to grow grass on any golf course. Think about it, every day the greensmowers turn around on the collars to reverse their direction. On delicate turf mowed at a low height of cut under summer stress, collars are always stressed. Potowomut collars are no exception as a few went south weeks ago.

After greens are aerated in September, failed green collars will be sodded with nursery grown bentgrass sod. Next year, we have plans to lessen turf stress to these areas.

A few fairways and roughs have been diagnosed with gray leaf spot disease (GLS). Yes, this is the same exact disease that was present on Potowomut fairways and roughs after Hurricane Irene last September. We cannot begin to convey our frustration with GLS and if we did, my blog wouldn't be appropriate for family reading. GLS is a fungal disease of turf that occurs late in the growing season after extended periods of hot and humid weather. Remembering last year, I will say that GLS was on our lists of things to worry about, but what shocked us most was its early August appearance. We were told by Dr. Nathaniel Mitkowski, the University of Rhode Island plant pathologist who diagnosed our turf samples that ours was the first documented case north of the Mason-Dixon line in 2012. Oh joy!

FAIRWAYS

GLS is usually a rare disease (seen once every ten years or so) that affects ryegrass only. It has occurred here two years in a row, causing this grass grower to throw that description right out the window. Our fairways are comprised of five different grass types, each shown here in their order of composition: perennial ryegrass, annual bluegrass, creeping bentgrass, fescues and common bluegrass. Ryegrass comprises the largest percentage of our fairway turf even though we prefer it not be.

Among plant pathologists and superintendents, GLS is also referred to as "blast" disease. The "blast" name has been earned by its habit of taking our turfgrass in spectacularly fast fashion....as in an explosion or blast! At this point, I can say the nickname is well earned. Afflicted fairways were in excellent shape during the weekend of August 4-5. We noticed slight discoloration on Monday August 6 and by Thursday August 9th, the disease had thoroughly devastated areas on seven or eight fairways. On the flip side, many fairways are totally void of GLS.

What are we doing about our GLS? For the short term, President Mark Marcantonio has authorized us to purchase fungicides ($ 8,500) to prevent any more 2012 damage from GLS. As of Thursday evening, these have been applied to damaged fairways and have stopped disease progress. **(GLS is not a disease we can observe one day and simply treat the next day to stop its progress, like many turf diseases we deal with. Fungi populations build slowly in plants all summer long and explode in a few hours....and kill turf. GLS fungi must be chemically prevented a week or more BEFORE any turf damage is evident.)

Why wasn't GLS prevented chemically in 2012? The main reason is the huge expense. Spending $ 9,000 for one fungicide application to prevent a disease that supposedly shows itself once every ten years wasn't an option during our advance planning for 2012. Believe me when I write that it was seriously considered.

Going forward from here, I believe we must find a way to fund at least one early to mid August fungicide application in 2013 and beyond. History is always our best teacher, and the teacher has already demonstrated way too many lessons about GLS.

To repair damage, fairways were fertilized last week to speed healing. This application was done three weeks earlier than planned. To establish new turf, we have been seeding afflicted fairways with the seeder we purchased this spring. We are planting creeping bentgrass plants....the grass that provides the best playing surface in our climate...and one that cannot get GLS. We expect to seed fairway areas twice, and plan on using 600-800 lbs of creeping bentgrass seed. (Almost 5 billion potential new bentgrass plants!) I expect fairways to improve with both cooler weather and because of the procedures we have quickly put into place.

On a positive note, Potowomut greens have performed extremely well all season!!

Quick notes:
-Greens aeration dates are September 10-14. This date is earlier this year for faster healing and better greens' health!
-We have pumped 15.3 million gallons of irrigation water to date. The season record is 18.1 million in 2007 and will be broken in late September or October this year.
-We were very fortunate with crabgrass control for 2012. Yes, there is a small amount in roughs and near bunkers, but we have heard some crabgrass horror stories from other NE clubs.
-Lots of low branch tree trimming work scheduled for winter 2012-2013.
-Many irrigation heads have settled since our 2005 installation and will be raised in winter. Settled heads=poor coverage. Also, all 1150 heads will have their stone and debris screens cleaned.
-Potowomut 1 Nematodes 0 I've been in this business for a long time and never had this level of success against this turf destructive enemy.
-Now is the time for those turf seeding projects at home!! Keep the seed wet 24/7, not soaked, and make sure it is surrounded by soil for great germination!

Thanks everyone for your patience and kind words all summer long. Please thank our hard working crew!!!

Patrick M. Gertner CGCS
Golf Course Superintendent