Winter Annuals

Winter annuals have been installed at the clubhouse using a mixture of pansies,violas and kale. Following installation a fungicide and fertilizer were applied. Below are a few pictures of the process.





Removal of summer annuals

  

Bed prep

Flower installation



Overseeding

This past week the driving range tee,short game area and the front of the clubhouse were overseeded with ryegrass. The process typically takes 7-10 days for the seed to germinate. During this time it is extremely important to keep the seed moist. Irrigation cycles are run at 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. for 10 minutes each. As seed begins to grow we will begin to back off on the amount of water applied. I have included several pictures of the process.




Scalping range tee at .350 of an inch to provide seed to soil contact

Spreading seed at 20 lbs per 1000 ft2

Clubhouse lawn preparation

 Assistant superintendent Michael Sanford dropping seed at the clubhouse



Heavy Rains!

Excessive rainfall has made it difficult to prepare the golf course this week,since Tues. we have received 5.25". The maintenance crew has done a fantastic job in cleaning up debris and repairing bunkers on two seperate occasions. Fairway were mowed one time this week and greens three times. Hopefully the weather will be dryer next week and we can get caught up.

Since Mon. we have been involved with an irrigation leak at the driving range. It has taken the week to find and repair the leaking pipe as well as repair several wires that were damaged in the process. We were unable to back fill the hole and move the large equipment due to the heavy rain last night.

Creek Repair #15

A section of the creek on the left side of the hole has severely eroded over the past several years. It has threatened to undermine the path but most importantly it was a dangerous situation for cart traffic. The creek has been moved approx. 20ft.and lined with stone. The old creek channel was filled in, graded then sod was installed. The pictures below are before and after.

Before



Prior to sodding




 



Greens Aerification and Cart Path Update

We have just reached the four week mark since greens were aerified. In the ten days following, we had less than desirable weather for optimum healing. Cooler than average temperatures due to heavy cloud cover slowed the process.  During this time, we experienced five days of thick cloud cover with very little sun. This has a huge impact on the greens ability to grow since Champion Bermudagrass requires 8 hours of sunlight. With that being said, the weather has been ideal since and they are about 95% healed. Topdressing in the form of sand is being applied weekly. Beginning today the height will be lowered from .120 to .110 and they will be double cut each day we are open combined with periodic rolling. It will not take long (5-7 days) for the suface to become very smooth and reach speeds on the stimpmeter of 10.5 - 11 feet that you all are accustomed to. It has consistently taken 4-5 weeks to completely heal. For those that participated in the Greystone Invitational you may remember there were still some open holes on the greens 4+ weeks after aerifying. Without proper cultivation, the speed and firmness we achieve would not be possible. I appreciate everyone's support during the two events each year.

Deep Drill Machine

#11 ( Pic Taken On 8/18)



#15( Pic Taken On 8/18)






While we were closed broken sections of cart path and curbing were replaced. Approx.2500ft2 of path and 330 linear ft of curbing on # 1,2,3,4,5,8,9,10 and the clubhouse received much needed repairs.




Demo Behind Clubhouse



 


Finished Product

 



 


 

Lightning Damage Hole #5

This past Sunday a tree inside of the cart path on #5( first landing area) was destroyed by lightning. It started at the top and traveled to the ground blowing bark across the fairway into the rough. Then the electricity entered our irrigation communication cable causing damage to 5 satellite boxes (this is where we control water from the field) on #'s 3-6. The tree was removed on Wed. as it had no chance to survive. On Thur. I have an outside contractor coming to make electrical repairs to the satellites. Below are a several pictures off the tree.

Cart Path Replacement

A 20'x 8'section of cart path heaved and broke coming out of the tunnel going to #13. Last week this section was replaced. During our closedown period for aerification we will be replacing severely broken sections of path and curb throughout the course. Pictured below is #13 path.

 

Post Aerification Update

It has been 10 days since greens were verticut and aerified.Holes continue to heal over at a rapid pace due to extra fertilizer and the warm temperatures. We will topdress greens next Tuesday,this will help to fill remaining holes. They will be mowed daily and rolled 4-6 times per week to remove tracks left by equipment. I'm hopeful that remaining holes are gone by the weekend of June 11th.Below are pictures taken today (6/3).





Close up #12






Close up #10








#11

#12

Aerification

Removal of 1/2" cores and aggressive verticutting was completed on Wed. the 25th. Greens were given extra fertilizer to speed up recovery.Next week they will be lightly verticut and  topdressed to fill any holes that were left open. If the weather holds I would expect about a 3 week recovery period. Below are several pictures of the process. I will provide an update on Fri.June 3rd.




Verticutting #18



Verticutting #4

Aerifying #10



Plug clean up



Following topdressing



Finished product

    


 






Summer Annuals

Flower installation was completed this week at clubhouse and aquatics center.  Lantana, begonia, coleus, angelonia, scaevola, pentas, petunia and zinnia are a few examples of the plants that were used.  Below are pictures of several areas.

Preparing Beds



Installation

 


Entrance Sign



Island

Pro Shop Area



Monument

   


  

Sod Installation

On Wed. we started installing 10 pallets of sod on #'s1,2,3,9 and 18. Be careful of the loose footing if it is necessary to enter these areas. Below are several pictures of our progress.

Finished area along #1 cart path



Finished area along #9 cart path

 

Crew at work along #2 cart path



Landscape Upgrades

Over the last couple of weeks plant material has added to areas around the cluhouse. In front azaleas and compacta hollies have been added to voids where plants have died. The area below the cart storage had become thin and unsightly. All of the plant material was removed then replaced with approx.75 plants consisting of knockout roses,butterfly bush and indian hawthorne.Below are some pictures of this area.





 

Before

During

After



Greens Venting

This past week greens were vented using a 1/4" solid tines on a 1.60"x 2" at approx. 3.5" deep.Following the aerifier the greens were rolled smooth so that putting is not affected. This process is very important to the health of our greens and will be performed bi-weekly during the growing season. Listed below are the many benefits of venting.

• Allows water and nutrients to enter the profile much easier
• Allows for fresh oxygen to enter for a healthier and expansive root system
• Allows harmful gases that build up in the greens profile to escape





Holes prior to rolling

Holes following rolling

Aerifier with 1/4" tines




 


Light Verticutting

If you played golf earlier this week you may not have noticed the greens were verticut.What is verticutting? It is the thinning of turfgrass by blades that cut perpendiculally to the soil. Along with improved putting conditions, verticutting has many agronomic benefits as well. During the growing season it will be performed weekly to bi-weekly depending on growth rates and enviormental conditions. Topdressing will follow this at times.

               Verticutting benefits

• Thatch removal
• Helps control grain
• Produces more upright growth
• Generates new growth
• Helps maintain firmness
• Increases turf density



Carbide tipped blades on 1/2 inch spacings

 

#10 Green being verticut Monday morning in front of play



Spring Appears To Be Here

Compared to the last couple of years the course is about a month ahead. It is beginning to green up along with trees and shrubs blooming. Here are a few pictures that were taken yesterday.

#6



Cherry Trees and Forsythia at the corner of #2



Front lawn at the clubhouse

  

#'s 18, 10  and the Driving Range