Spring 2012 Aeration

Mother Nature made a big impact on our spring aeration this year.  It started off great with perfect weather on Monday that afforded us the time to get all 21 greens punched, harvested, topdressed, matted and blown.  We even got a jump start on some tees that we typically don't get a chance to begin working on until day 2 of the 4 day aeration process.  Tuesday began with cloudy conditions, but no rain so we continued aerating tees, approaches, high-traffic areas and the practice range tee.  

Our aeration contractor, Farm-Tek, got off to a great start to on Monday and Tuesday working on the fairways and rough so the progress they were making was very promising.....then the weather took a turn for the worse.  It began raining on Tuesday afternoon and hasn't let up since.  It has forced us to reset our game-plan and get really creative to accomplish what still needs to be done.  

The wet weather has made the most significant impact on the fairway coring process.  This process involves first pulling the cores from the fairways, then processing them, then drag-matting them and finally blowing off the remaining thatchy tufts.  Obviously when you add moisture anywhere in this tedious process, it's going to raise the level of difficulty.  That being said, we have made some adjustments and are making progress, even in the rain that continues to pour down on us.

The best way for us to illustrate just how much work is involved in the aeration process is with photos.  So first off, here is the greens aeration step-by-step process:

 

greens cored, shoveled into rows and harvested all at the same time

heavily topdressing greens

 

coco matting the topdressing into the aeration holes

blowing the sand across the open holes to help fill them

#1 green aeration completed, mowed, rolled and ready for play

The tee aeration process is very similar to that on the greens with the only differences being that we use a different style of mat (steel) to work the sand into the open holes and we don't use a blower on them.  The fairway aeration process, on the other hand, is quite different altogether.  The fairways are topdressed first, ahead of any punching and the cores are processed/smashed to reincorporate the desirable sandy soils that makeup our fairways.  We are then left with "thatchy tufts" that we blow off the fairways and into the rough to be mulched up by mowers.  Here are photos of the fairway aeration process:

 fairway being topdressed and then cored

core processor smashing the fairway cores

drag-matting the cores on fairways to remove more sandy soil

resulting "thatchy tufts" to be blown into the rough for mulching

The rain has since forced us to use our Brouwer fairway verti-cutter to smash the wet cores on #9 fairway and the back 9 fairways as they are too wet to be processed.  It's helping them to dry out enough to be able to blow them off into the rough.  We will have all the fairways completed today, but there will be some muddy areas that we will continue to work on cleaning up throughout the weekend and next week.  Here are a couple photos of this slow, but necessary process:

  Brouwer smashing wet cores to knock off the desirable sandy soil

blowing the wet cores off #9 fairway - it's a slow process

Now that the spring aeration is completed, here's what to expect over the next few weeks:

• Greens will be sandy, bumpy and slower as they heal from the aeration.  How quickly they heal is strictly dependent on weather.  They will always heal slower following the spring aeration vs the late-summer aeration as air and soil temperatures are cooler in the spring.  You can expect them to take 14-21 days to return "back to normal".
• Tees will also be sandy for the next 14-21 days while the topdressing works into the turf canopy.  They were also heavily over-seeded so you can expect to see lots of new turf germinating and growing on them soon.  Tees should also be back to normal in 14-21 days.
• Fairways will be quite shaggy over the next 10-14 days 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 also be back to normal in 14-21 days.
• Roughs were deep-tined with solid tines and topdressed.  Some high-traffic areas in the rough, mainly at green and tee complexes, were cored though and the cores still need to be smashed up and worked in.  You can expect sandy rough and some areas with core remains for the next 14-21 days.

Considering what we were up against with wet weather for more than 50% of our scheduled aeration time, I am quite pleased with the results.  The Turf Care crew put in some very long hours and their dedication, perseverance, ability to adjust and experience made it all possible!  A HUGE THANK-YOU IS IN ORDER TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM!!!

Quilchena Wildlife

A Turf Care crew member discovered a juvenile Great Horned Owl on #3 today.  It appeared to be injured so O.W.L. (http://www.owlcanada.ca/) was contacted and they arrived shortly after to pick it up and take it back to their centre for rehabilitation.  We will be contacting them regularly for progress updates and if all goes well we hope it will be released back on the golf course.

 

Other wildlife was making noise at Quilchena this week.  That’s right our resident swan was up to her old tricks of ensuring that our new Head Horticulturist, Jacqui, is aware of her gardening preferences.  Our swan made it clear that she was not happy about where Jacqui chose to plant some daffodils around the putting green.  As you can see below, we witnessed her plucking the daffodils and piling them off to the side one at a time right after they were planted.  Jacqui now knows to check with the swan before any final plant material decisions are made.

Adding Sand to Bunkers

Well, it's no secret that many of our bunkers are in need of more sand so I am happy to announce that 40 tonnes of new bunker sand has arrived and we will begin "topping off" the bunkers the first week of May!  We have budgeted for an additional 40 tonnes as well.

stockpile of new bunker sand

Our first priority will be adding sand to the green-side bunkers and then we will move along to the fairway bunkers.  This is something that should be done routinely, but unfortunately, it often becomes one of the items cut from the operating budget.  This year we realized we simply could not afford to cut it again and it became a top priority once again.

Did you know that bunker sand has a "life expectancy"?  That's right, a life expectancy.  Good quality bunker sand, like that which we use, remains good quality bunker sand for about 5-7 years. You're probably asking yourself, "What the heck could affect the lifespan of the bunker sand?"  I'm glad you asked.

Some factors that diminish the quality of the bunker sand are:

• weathering and heavy rainfall that results in "washouts" on the bunker faces
• subsurface contamination (stones and/or migrating up through the bunker base)
• above ground contamination (grass clippings, leaves, twigs, divots and other debris)
• routine maintenance (bunker edging and raking)
• poor drainage
• animal activity (digging)

Our bunkers are well overdue for a complete renovation that would include removing the existing sand, re-contouring, installing new drainage and adding new sand.  Until then, the best we can do is correct drainage issues as they present themselves and add sand as needed.

It'd be foolish of me not to use this opportunity to again remind everyone of a few key bunker etiquette techniques that will also help to maintain the playability of our bunkers.

1. Always enter and exit a bunker from the "low point" and NOT along a steep face where you can slide down and displace the sand.  If you feel like you have to climb in and out of our bunkers, you're certainly not entering them from the right spot.
2. Use the rakes at the bunkers to smooth your footprints, especially where you "dug in" for the shot, and rake where your club blasted the ball from the bunker.  Your golf club is not a suitable option to rake the bunker!
3. If the sand is damp or wet, please knock the sand from your shoes before walking on the green where it may track into another golfer's putting line.

Last but not least, a quick "rant" from me on the topic of bunkers.  Too often I hear golfers complain about the bunkers when in fact, a quick bunker lesson from any of our golf professional staff would greatly improve their shot-making ability.  A bunker shot is completely different from any other golf shot you hit on the golf course so if you never really learned how to hit one properly than don't expect great results.  If you don't feel the need for a bunker lesson, then maybe a lesson on how to avoid hitting the ball into bunkers would be a better option.  If you're playing partners are constantly telling you that "you spend more time at the beach than Hasselhoff", than you could use a lesson.  

Oh, and by the way, a bunker is a hazard so maybe it's time to stop expecting a perfect lie!

 

The Not-so-Perfect Augusta National

I'd like to share with you a great blog post by fellow Superintendent, Chris Tritabaugh, that provides amazing insight on what Augusta National Golf Club looks like when it's NOT hosting The Masters.  Many of you will be quite surprised at what you're about to read.

 

The Augusta Syndrome

 

Nowhere will you find a greater love/hate relationship than the one that exists between Golf Course Superintendents and Augusta National Golf Club. We love watching the tournament as much as the next golf fanatic but the expectation placed on our industry in general by this "Tradition Unlike Any Other" is enough to make many superintendents pull their hair out.

What Augusta National and The Masters is for golf course superintendents is a wonderful example of what can be created with unlimited resources. I cannot fathom a guess at the golf course operations budget Augusta works with each year but it is likely safe to say the golf course operations at Northland could be funded for quite some time with one season's expenditure from Augusta. A few things the average golfer should know about Augusta before thinking their course can be maintain anywhere near the same.

1. Augusta is closed during the heat of the Georgia summer. I do not know the exact date but fairly soon the course will close for the summer and not re-open until the fall. All major maintenance to the golf course is done while closed. Closing during the summer also allows the bentgrass greens to be maintained without the stress of tournament conditions during the most difficult months for growing cool season turf.
2. With the exception of the greens, which are bentgrass, Augusta features perennial ryegrass playing surfaces during the months it is open. During the summer the perennial ryegrass in the tees, rough and fairways withers and dies with the heat while the underlying Bermudagrass dominates. Each fall before opening ryegrass is re-seeded and becomes the beautiful surfaces on which The Masters is played. Other than the greens The Masters is essentially played on a disposable surface.
3. Many of the micro-climates in which the greens are located are "climate controlled"; it is rumored many of the putting surfaces feature sub-surface heating and cooling. On shaded greens, artificial light is used to manage quality turf and during the summer, greens in the full sun are covered with shade tents to lessen heat stress.
4. Putting surfaces at Augusta are also frequently rebuilt meaning turf and rootzones are almost always perfect for maintaining excellent playing conditions.

The photo below shows Augusta National without its "make-up". If you want to view the entire course go to Google Maps and zoom in until the view changes to this summer shot.

Augusta National Golf Club in the heat of the summer

 

The photo above shows Augusta sometime during the summer. The ninth and the 18th green sit next to each other in the middle of the photo. 18 and the putting green above it are covered by shade tents. In the bottom left-hand corner you can see the eight green being reconstructed, while most of the bunkers are covered with black plastic to protect the white sand from contamination. The turf during this time of the year leaves very little to be desired.

An interesting look at how a major celebrity looks when they are sitting at home on the couch during the off-season.

 

Course Update...

We've finally got a bit of a break in the wet weather today so TDS West is on-site to begin installing the new outlet for the ditch between #4 and #5.  They anticipate completing most of the installation today and will likely finish tomorrow morning.  I'm not having much faith in any weather forecasts lately as none of them seem to be even remotely accurate!  As of last night, there was nothing but beautiful weather forecasted from today on, but that is no longer the case.  Looks like the rain returns tomorrow and may continue through the weekend.  Not a lot of rain, but rain nonetheless.  At least the rain provides a great excuse for parking yourself on the couch to watch The Masters (not that an excuse is necessary).

Speaking of The Masters, here is an amazing video of Martin Kaymer skipping the ball off the water for a hole-in-one on #16 during a practice round:

   

The crew has been very busy on the course lately working on some routine spring maintenance tasks such as: debris cleanup, edging bunkers, resurfacing cart paths, needle-tining (venting) greens, fertilizer applications, drainage system maintenance and edging sprinkler heads to name a few.  These tasks can be difficult to complete in a timely manner this year with inconsistent weather conditions, but the sooner we get them started the better.  Here is a photo of a freshly edged bunker on #16:

#16 left greenside bunker

I am extremely pleased to announce that we have been successful in hiring a new Horticulturist!  Jacqui Harvey was selected for the role from some very qualified candidates.  She is very excited about joining our team and we look forward to having her aboard!

Head Horticulturist - Jacqui Harvey

After Jacqui gets settled in she will be maintaining the Quilchena Horticulture Blog and I'm sure she will be sharing some very insightful information with you all.  She will be working some weekend shifts over the next couple weeks before joining us on a full-time basis on April 16th.

Just a reminder that the course will be closed for aeration from April 23rd - April 26th.  We will reopen on Friday, April 27th.  If the weather forces us to postpone aeration, we will simply push it back until conditions are suitable.  It will not be cancelled.

Have a great Easter (and Masters) weekend everyone!