Irrigation Pump Station Issues

If you've played the course in recent weeks I'm sure you've noticed more turf stress, particularly on the fairways, than you are used to seeing here at Quilchena.  Some of this stress was expected as we haven't had a significant rainfall since mid-June, but some of what you're seeing out there is due to some irrigation issues that we've been experiencing when running our nighttime watering cycles; pressure loss issues to be exact.  We recently became suspicious that we might be experiencing some pressure loss due to the distinct pattern of healthy vs. unhealthy turf on our fairways.  We are used to experiencing turf stress on the fairways during prolonged droughty weather conditions, but not like we've been noticing lately.  Again, this led us to believe this turf stress may be caused by more than just drought.

When we run the irrigation system during the day we can see the sprinkler heads operating and quickly notice any deficiencies.  Daytime irrigation consists of very short watering intervals as the goal is to syringe or simply cool the surface of the turf during the heat of the day and we are running very few sprinklers at a given time so pressure loss is never a concern.  The intent of nighttime watering cycles is very different.  They are much longer cycles with the goal of moving water through the soil profile to the root systems of the plant.  Yes, our poa annua roots are quite shallow during the summer months, but this "deep watering" also helps to "flush" the soils and prevent them from becoming hydrophobic.  These irrigation cycles do not start until after we are certain the golfers have cleared the golf course, for obvious reasons, which is typically between 9pm and 10pm during the summer months.

With the course being closed for aeration this week, we had an opportunity on Wednesday evening to start our nighttime irrigation early to observe the system running and determine if it was operating properly.  It didn't take long for us to realize that we were correct in thinking we might be experiencing pressure loss.  Shortly after the watering cycle began we could literally watch the sprinkler heads losing pressure, right down to where they were watering about 50% of their targeted area.  

Here is a sprinkler head on #7 fairway operating with low pressure during Wednesday evening's cycle:

low pressure causing this sprinkler malfunction

Here is that same sprinkler head operating with proper pressure the following day:

proper pressure allows it to water the entire target area

As you can see, proper pressure is crucial for our irrigation system to function efficiently and effectively.

We have discovered that the pressure loss issues were a result of one of our three 60 hp pumps not "kicking in" to help the other two pumps maintain a system pressure of 120 psi when the demand from irrigation running on the course was requiring it to do so.  We have since adjusted the pump settings in the control system to ensure each pump does indeed turn on as it is required.  These adjustments we made should also allow the system to operate more efficiently which, in turn, should reduce the wear and tear on the pumps and hopefully reduce the electrical costs of running them.

On the bright side, being here late to babysit the pumps on Wednesday allowed me to snap this photo of one of the most amazing rainbows I have ever seen:

"double" rainbow

Oh yeah, we also aerated this week, but I'm going to let Josh let you know how that went in his Herald article.  I will say though that we are very pleased with the results and here is a sneak peek of what the greens look like today, just one day following the aeration process:

we anticipate a speedy recovery from the late-summer aeration

Aeration: A breath of fresh air for turf!

Yes, it's that time of year again.  The time of year that every golfer looks forward to most.....AERATION!!!  Okay, obviously I'm being sarcastic, but once again it's part of my job to help you better understand exactly why it is so important that we aerate.  So since I've written numerous blog articles doing just that, I figured I'd let you hear from another industry professional this time around.  So without further adieu, grab some popcorn and sit back and enjoy!

Here's what to expect with regards to course conditions following the late-summer aeration:

• Greens will be sandy, bumpy and slower as they heal from the aeration.  How quickly they heal is very much dependent on weather, but we do help them along with timely fertilizer applications and by temporarily raising the height-of-cut.  They will always heal quicker following the late-summer aeration vs. the spring aeration as air and soil temperatures are much warmer in this time of year.  You can expect them to take 10-17 days to return "back to normal".  Here's what they looked like just 6 days following the late-summer aeration last year:

nearly fully recovered within 1 week of aeration

• Tees will be sandy for 14-21 days following aeration while the topdressing works into the turf canopy.  They will also be heavily over-seeded so you can expect to see lots of new turf germinating and growing on them soon.  Tees should be back to normal within 14-21 days.

• Fairways will be quite shaggy for 10-14 days following aeration since our mowing frequency will be reduced as they recover.  They will also be sandy as the topdressing works into the turf canopy.  They should be back to normal within 14-21 days.

• Roughs will be deep-tined with solid tines and topdressed.  Some high-traffic areas in the rough, mainly at green and tee complexes, will also be deep-tined.  You can expect sandy rough for 14-21 days following aeration.

FINGERS ARE CROSSED FOR GOOD WEATHER!!!

Recent Tree Removals Along #11 Property Line

There has been much discussion about the trees removed along the property line on #11.  The concern seems to be whether or not we've now opened up that section of the property for balls to exit the golf course and potentially hit someone or something off the property.  I strongly feel that the trees that were there provided very little protection for these homes, especially with the large maples right in front of them.  These poplars were identified as weakened, hazardous and undesirable (for drainage concerns) trees and were slated for removal as per our tree plan.  In fact, that is why we planted the nearby evergreens two years ago in anticipation of the poplars being removed.

It was just a few short months ago that two other poplars along that property line were uprooted and fell over during a windstorm as seen here:

poorly rooted poplar downed by high winds

poplars are very susceptible to damage from high winds

Fortunately, we escaped that incident with no major damage to the nearby neighbours' properties, although we were required to repair a damaged fence.

We were lucky enough that the homeowners that are building the new home were also quite concerned about the integrity of these trees.  They approached us and asked if we would be willing to remove them at their cost.  This was a great opportunity for us to have these trees removed without costing us a dime.  The total savings to the Club was quite significant.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have regarding these removals or with any other questions or comments.

Tournament Conditions vs Everyday Conditions

This is a topic blogged about by many turf professionals throughout the world, but I feel the need to reiterate the message that is so very important to get through to golfers for them to fully understand the difference between tournament conditions and everyday conditions.  I could write a novel about this topic to also include the cost involved in providing tournament conditions, but I chose to focus on the agronomic impact alone.  I'm also including this information in my report to our golf committee to be presented and discussed when we meet this evening.  So here's my crack at it...

We are always asked following both the Member-Guest tournament and the Club Championship if “the course can remain in this condition all the time?”  Unfortunately, the answer is NO.  There is a big difference between tournament conditions and everyday conditions.  This is even true with all the professional tournaments you watch on TV.  Once the PGA trucks roll out of a tournament venue, things quickly return to “normal."  Did you know that Augusta National closes shortly after The Masters tournament and doesn't reopen until usually sometime in October?  Here is a photo of Augusta National during the summer months:

The "not-so-perfect" Augusta National in the summer

When a golf course is prepped for a competitive tournament it is essentially kept on “life support”.  The turf is being aggressively groomed as heights of cut are lowered, mowing frequencies are increased and other measures are taken to provide the pristinely manicured fast and firm turf conditions.  All of this extra maintenance while the turf is receiving just barely enough water to keep it alive.   

It’s a fine line though and to even attempt to maintain these tournament conditions on a daily basis is a recipe for disaster.  Overly stressed turf is very susceptible to disease and other pests, even with preventative measures.  Rest assured that if we tried to provide Member-Guest or Club C conditions on a daily basis, there would be an astronomical amount of turf loss throughout the property by mid-summer.  

Here is a link great video put together by the USGA that reiterates what I’ve said: http://www.usga.org/turf/articles/video/tvgolf.html

UPDATE: Rescued Great Horned Owl Released!

You may recall that an injured Great Horned Owl was rescued on the golf course about 3 1/2 months ago (http://qgolfclub.blogspot.ca/2012/04/quilchena-wildlife.html).  Well, I'm pleased to announce the rescued owl has been completely rehabilitated and was released back onto the golf course on Tuesday evening.  The fine folks at O.W.L. (http://www.owlcanada.ca/) provided great care for "Tres", who received her name after being rescued on hole #3.  She has a birth defect in the lenses of her eyes that makes it difficult for her to see clearly.  She has been tagged and we will attempt to track her whereabouts and progress, that is if she chooses to continue to call Quilchena her home.

Here are a few photos of Tres' release:

WELCOME BACK TRES!!!