What to expect as the course thaws out...

The current weather reports are forecasting milder temperatures and significant amounts of rainfall which will certainly help to thaw the frozen turf conditions.  This will take some time though as the ground frost is actually quite deep at this time.

 

So what should be expected with regards to playing conditions as the course thaws out?  Nothing is ever guaranteed when it comes to predicting the unpredictability of Mother Nature, but we do know that substantial rainfall on top of frozen conditions is going to result in lots of standing water throughout the course.  The standing water will slowly drain as the frozen ground conditions continue to thaw, but again, this will take some time.

Our regular greens will remain closed until they are free of any standing water and the temporary greens will be in play.

Bunker Blues

It's hard to believe, but I'm feeling the need to write yet another blog post about our current bunker situation here at Quilchena.  Why is this necessary you ask?  First and foremost, I feel it is extremely important to continually communicate with the membership in order for them to better understand our concerns and challenges when it comes to maintaining their course.  We are constantly trying to improve upon how we can best deliver optimum course conditions on a daily basis.  Secondly, I still sense that there is not a clear understanding of exactly what our current bunker situation is.  I spent some time searching back into my email archive and came across the following email that was sent to the Golf Committee back in early October of this year and I feel that it is important to share with you all.  Please take the time to thoroughly read through it...

"Good morning all,

I urge you to please take the time to read this important email about the condition of our bunkers.

After talking to many members this past weekend, it’s clear that the majority are still not aware of exactly what bunker issues we are dealing with.  I’ve put together numerous info sheets documenting the issues and have exhausted all of our communication resources (blog, eNews, Herald, locker rooms, etc.) so I am asking you to please help me spread the word.  Many still believe the solution to our bunker problems is to simply add new sand.  Again, I cannot stress enough how much $$$ would be wasted by going that route.  Bunker sand is extremely expensive (more than double the cost per ton of our greens topdressing sand) and although adding some new sand might improve a few lies here and there, it is not the proper solution.

I once again dug out Larry Gilhuly’s report from his visit back in June of 2008 (before my arrival to Quilchena) and it was clear back then that the contamination issues in our bunkers were already a major concern.  Here is what Mr. Gilhuly had to say back then:

GREEN SURROUNDS

Observations and recommendations. The areas that surround the greens (aprons, collars, bunkers and roughs) comprise the second highest level of importance due to the proximity to the main target

and the need for many shots that require “touch”. While the aprons have obviously improved with the addition of drainage and ongoing sand topdressing (extremely important to continue), the bunkers and collars were discussed with the following recommendations:

      Contaminated bunker sand – a demonstration and change is needed. This visit was conducted following several days of dry weather, thus the bunkers appeared to be well drained and firm. However, while observing several shots from various bunkers (dust) and talking with those in attendance it is apparent that your sand is heavily contaminated with silt and clay resulting in extremely firm conditions and poor drainage. Please note the enclosed reprint that describes the life expectancy of various components of a golf course. Bunker sand generally can be expected to last from 7-10 years, however with good hand maintenance and care golf courses have been viewed that last much longer than this time frame. Bottom line – Quilchena has far surpassed this time frame and is contaminated, thus your sand should be considered for replacement. Once the realization of sand replacement is accepted, the next series of questions includes:

o   “Which sand should be used?”

o   “Who should remove and add the new sand?”

o   “Will it be sand removal, drainage and sand replacement or architectural change?”

      Which sand should be used? There are at least three good choices for sand in your area including two sources from your local area (Baja and Bimini) and one from Washington (Ravensdale) should you decide to stay with an off-white sand. There are an equal amount of very bright white sources, yet the cost is generally much higher and they will show any contamination much faster than the “tan” sands. In nearly every case, the general recommendation is to simply take a practice bunker, split it into three or four parts and test each of the sands in a side-by-side comparison for at least one year. Quilchena does not have this option due to the lack of a good practice bunker, thus it was suggested to test these sands on the golf course in three separate bunkers near the clubhouse, such as No. 18. Each bunker would have the sand described earlier installed with either the Baja bunker or Ravensdale bunker having half of the bunker with a combination of these two sands. This is due to the high cost of the Ravensdale sand and the many golf courses in your area that have added Baja sand into the Ravensdale material with good results. Regardless, make sure to add ample drainage and also consider three different techniques to keep the sand clean. After drainage is installed, line one bunker with Sand Trapper II, another with perennial ryegrass sod and a third using the technique from Marine Drive where Portland cement has been used with success for earthworms. Test all of the sands and liners for at least one year to determine which is best and then consider a sand replacement program after Nos. 1-5 have been improved.

          Who should remove and add the new sand? While it may be tempting to assume that this is a job that can be completed by your maintenance staff, this method of addressing this issue was not recommended. The amount of time required to complete this type of operation would require at least 3-4 additional employees as it will not be a simple sand removal and replacement project. Drainage must be added with the type shown in the upper right photo the type of extensive drainage recommended to assure complete and rapid water removal. Should you decide to complete this in-house, Portland Golf Club faced the exact same situation when they were installing their sand/slit drainage last year. They also had the same sand found at Quilchena and decided to simply extend the sand/slit drainage from the fairways and roughs near the bunkers under the bunkers when the sand was removed. The results have been exceptional thus far, thus this same type of drainage connection could be completed at Quilchena, however it would best be completed by an outside contractor with experience to complete the bunkers in a much faster manner.

·         Will it be sand removal, drainage and sand replacement or architectural change? This answer can only come from your membership as architectural changes will greatly increase the cost of this project. There is no question that the sand needs to be removed and drainage needs to be added. Also, some type of liner is needed to ensure your sand remains clean for as long as possible. The need for architectural change should only be contemplated as part of your master plan with a qualified golf course architect."

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

604-277-1513

jhooper@qgolfclub.ca

What damage can be caused by traffic on frozen greens?

Our regular greens have been closed since Thursday and we have been forced to utilize temporary greens for play.  The sub-zero nighttime temperatures on several consecutive nights that we've been experiencing have resulted in frozen greens.  The problem with playing on the greens right now is that they are not frozen enough.  If they were frozen at a depth of 4" or more and frost-free at the surface, they'd be open for play.  Right now the deepest they've been frozen is no more than 2.5" below the surface.  Even worse, when they are thawing during the daytime, there are large sections of them that are only thawing to a depth of about 1/2".  This is when the greens are prone to severe damage.  I completely understand the frustration that many have with the regular greens be closed on a beautiful sunny day and I am also well aware that there is a feeling amongst some that we are being too overprotective of the putting surfaces, but please take the time to read this excerpt from the USGA Green Section that describes just how damaging it would be to open the greens under these conditions:

"Another dangerous situation exists when the soil is completely frozen to the surface but the grass blades have thawed. Provided there is no frost or ice on the grass under this condition, then limited foot traffic creates little damage, if any.

At these times, heavy traffic or golf carts should be restricted from greens, tees and even fairways. This is the most favorable winter conditions, because when the soil is frozen it does not allow as much penetration of compaction and spikes, thus preventing damage to the grass roots. Since the blades are not frozen, they retain the resiliency needed to withstand light foot traffic.

Traffic damage on frozen turf areas usually occurs during periods of freezing or thawing. The most devastating situation occurs when the grass blades and the upper one-half to one inch of soil has thawed, but the ground beneath their level remains frozen. Traffic will create a shearing action of the roots, rhizomes, and crown tissues at this time. This is comparable to cutting the plant tissue from the underlying root system with a sod cutter. Complete kill of leaves, crowns, and rhizomes can occur if the temperatures soon drop below 20° F. Symptoms from this severe injury include whitish to dark brown leaves that may mat on the surface.

Once temperatures allow thawing to a depth of three to four inches, the probability of turf damage declines since about 75 percent of the root system is in the upper four inches of soil. Frequently soil probing is the only positive way to effectively monitor the freezing level. Traffic should be adjusted accordingly."

Again, we are currently experiencing the conditions that will result in the most severe damage with only the top 1/2" thawing during the daytime.  

Protecting, not over-protecting, your greens is our #1 responsibility and we will continue to ensure any unnecessary damage is avoided so that they remain healthy.

Frost Delays

Being that I have previously written 6 blog posts regarding the need for frost delays and the damage caused by traffic on frosty turf, I'm going to cut and paste some info from my those posts and use the USGA's latest "Frost Issues" video to help reiterate my message.

With regards to frost, there is something very important that many golfers are not aware of.  When we arrive at the course in the morning, it very well may be frost-free.  Quite often frost develops as the sun begins to rise and can continue to develop into a heavier frost even after sunrise as the temperature tends to drop a bit.  We do our best to update you with current course conditions as early and often as we can, but don't be surprised if the frost develops on the course while you are already on your way for your morning tee time.

 

Here are 3 general rules of thumb when it comes to predicting whether or not we will have frosty conditions:

• Frost typically occurs at temperatures of 4C or lower; it does not have to reach 0C as many believe.
• Clear skies increase the potential for frost; cloudy skies tend to "insulate" better, resulting in warmer air and surface temperatures.
• Wind also influences frost development.  Windy conditions can prevent cold air from settling in, again resulting in warmer air and surface temperatures.  That being said, if the wind temperature is below zero, it can be quite damaging to the turf.

There are other factors that determine whether or not frost will develop, but these 3 are the most accurate when it comes to predicting it.

 

Here is the latest 2 minute video put together by the USGA regarding frost:

What's In Your Water?

We have some good news and bad news with regards to our irrigation water issues. The good news is that with the water level dropped to improve our drainage this time of year, we were able to effectively inspect the rocks on the pond banks for bryozoans and we found no visible evidence of any bryozoan infestation. This is VERY good news! The bad news is that our most recent water sampling tests show that the quality of our irrigation water is not good at all. In fact, if we were to use the water in our irrigation pond to water turf, we would very likely do more harm than good. That being said we are looking into some water filtration and/or treatment options to be able to use the water again. 

Here is a photo of the recent samples taken from both our city water source and our irrigation pond water:

By simply viewing these samples, it is no surprise that the quality of city water source is far superior to our irrigation pond water.

The most alarming concerns about the quality of our irrigation water are the extremely high magnesium, sodium, bicarbonate and chloride levels, but high nitrate and phosphate levels are also cause for concern as they too are listed as “problematic” in the report. We suspect that subsurface contamination from beneath the pond floor via “boils” is the cause of the water quality problem, but we can’t be certain at this time.

Here is how the irrigation pond water compares to our city water source:

	IRRIGATION POND	CITY SOURCE
Magnesium (ppm)	32.85	0.73
Sodium (ppm)	257.9	6.09
Bicarbonate (ppm)	163.48	12.2
Chloride (ppm)	377.7	6.21
Nitrate (ppm)	2.67	1.51
Phosphate (ppm)	2.24	0.01

Magnesium: Excessive levels of magnesium are limiting the uptake of Fe, Ca and K – all essential nutrients for proper plant growth and health.
Sodium: High sodium levels have a severe impact on plant health. High sodium levels affect turf by increasing osmotic pressure of the soil solution, thus making water less available to the plants. Where sodium levels are very high, grass roots wilt and plants may eventually die. Nutritional imbalances and mineral toxicities may also occur at high sodium levels.
Bicarbonate: Excessive bicarbonate levels will contribute to the tie up of essential nutrients such as Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu and Zn – especially during periods of drought.
Chloride: High chloride levels interfere with proper plant function. Desiccation and “sealing off” are to be expected during periods of high heat or drought.
Nitrate: When nitrate levels are excessive, the plant is forced to store excess NO3 in vacuoles causing weak cell walls and unhealthy growth.
Phosphate: High phosphate levels interfere with the uptake of Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn. Problems with maintaining adequate colour may result.

Why is this important when we have the ability to water directly from the city source? The main reason is that our overnight watering window is greatly reduced when relying solely on the volume of the city source. The city source effectively provides us with about 600gpm vs 1800gpm when irrigating via our pump station and irrigation pond. In other words, it takes us three times as long to water overnight when pumping at 600gpm vs 1800gpm. This shorter watering window does not allow our irrigation cycles to effectively “soak in” before the crew arrives to begin the routine maintenance and it also results in “softer” playing conditions during the day for the golfers. In fact, we are often forced to run our nighttime cycles well into the morning and then have to adjust our maintenance accordingly to avoid the sprinklers that are still running.

Addressing some greens drainage concerns...

I just wanted to make you aware of some work we did this afternoon on the front 3rd of #15 green. It’s no secret that the front of the green suffers from very poor drainage. This is largely in part due to the “sand-dam” at the front edge where the green transitions to the approach. We are not adequately staffed at this time to renovate to remove the sand-dam so we spent a little under 2 hours completing a deep-tining and heavy topdressing on it to alleviate some of the drainage concerns. We are confident that the green will heal up quickly and perform much better throughout the winter months. Please understand though that this is a temporary fix and that an extensive renovation to remove the sand-dam and install new drainage is the ultimate solution.

The process completed this afternoon was as follows:

1. Topdress heavily with Greens Grade Profile (crushed ceramic soil amendment) – this is the same soil amendment that was used for the Drill & Fill demo on the lower putting green back in June. As you can see below from this photo taken from that putting green last week, this amendment is permanent and creates ideal channels for water to infiltrate and drain:

2.  Deep-tine aerate behind the topdressing (solid tines approximately 8” deep).

3.  Brush soil amendment into open holes to fill them to the surface.

Here are some photos of this process:

 

We will be completing this same procedure on other “problem areas” on our greens in the coming weeks as time permits.

Why Rain Makes The Course Look So Good

I’ve been planning on writing a blog post for our membership with regards to the difference a good rainfall makes for the course. Last week I came across this blog post from a fellow Superintendent, Chris Tritabaugh from Hazeltine National Golf Club, about this exact topic and he has driven home all the crucial points that I also intended to. Chris is a very successful and greatly respected Superintendent in North America, which is why he was hired recently by Hazeltine as they prepare to host the 2016 Ryder Cup.

Our recent aeration has played a HUGE role in the improved condition of the course lately, but all the rainfall we've experienced recently has certainly made an impact in the noticeable "green-up" of the course, so there's no better time than now to share Chris' blog post.

Please take the time to read the following:

Why Rain Makes The Course Look So Good

Saturday night into Sunday morning the golf course, along with everyone's lawn, received one inch of much needed rain. Sunday morning when you got up and looked at your lawn, it was probably quite clear that the rain was appreciated by your turf. If you irrigate your lawn, you will have noticed it looking tired before the rain and almost immediately refreshed after the rain. We see the same thing on the golf course; after a long period without rain, even when using irrigation, the course begins to look a little tired.

Why is this?

Two reasons: 1. coverage, 2. water quality

Coverage is probably the most obvious reason irrigation cannot match rainfall. Golf course irrigation systems are designed, especially in the northern states, to supplement natural rainfall rather than replace it. The design of our system is very different than those in the Desert Southwest. Irrigation systems in the desert must provide nearly all water to a turf system. The cost to design and install an irrigation system able to almost fully compensate for a lack of rain, would not make sense in Minnesota, where irrigation is only needed for 8-12 weeks of the growing season. Coverage from rainfall is full, and not affected by outside agents, such as wind. Overheard irrigation can never provide perfect coverage.

hard water mineral deposits

Water Quality is the second and most important reason irrigation can never match rain. Almost everyone knows what happens when hard water dries on a surfaces. Its leaves behind mineral deposits, which are hard to remove. You have likely had your windshield spotted by a mis-aimed sprinkler, like the photo on the right. The water dries, and the water spots are almost impossible to remove. You will also notice that once it rains, those hard water spots on your windshield go away. Rain water is soft water; thus it is able to draw the minerals into a solution, leaving your windshield clean. Most people in this area have water-softeners in their home in order to remove the minerals that cause hard water deposits from building up on your dishes, shower and bath surfaces. It is no coincidence that water-softeners might have a corny name like, "Rain-soft, or Pure-as-Rain." Water softeners make hard water more like rain water.

Our irrigation water is quite hard and full of minerals. When we irrigate, the same minerals that cause hard water spots are left in our soil. The presence of these minerals lock up nutrients in the soil and make them unavailable to plants. Removing these hard water deposits is a nightmare on hard surfaces; the job usually requires some type of acid cleaner, not even elbow grease is enough to remove the deposits. Now imagine what it takes to get them out of the soil. When we get an inch of rain, after weeks with little to no rain, the rain, just as on the car windshield, acts as a solvent and pulls the minerals into a solution. With an inch of rain these minerals are pulled deep into the soil, away from the roots of our turf. This is why good drainage is important to good turf. Good drainage allows the rain water to carry these minerals away from the soil in which our turf is growing. In the case of our putting surfaces, the water drains through the sand, "flushes" out the drain tiles and the minerals are washed completely out of the soil system. With the minerals gone, many nutrients suddenly become available to the turf and the plants quickly "perk up", literally overnight.

While attaching a water softener to our irrigation system is not feasible; there are some things, we can do to help lessen the effect of hard water. Above I mentioned acid cleaners are often used for removing hard water spots. In our fertility program we use acid forming fertilizers, which help irrigation water to remove hard water minerals. Some courses are injecting various forms of acid into their irrigation water, in order to help soften the water. While this is not yet something we have done at Hazeltine, it is something we are exploring for next season. Another way in which we work to combat hard irrigation water is to employ deep/infrequent irrigation cycles. During a dry period, we will perform a "flush" on our putting surfaces. By "flushing" the soil system, even with hard irrigation water, we are able to remove some of the minerals left behind by irrigating. "Flushing" with irrigation water doesn't replace a good rainfall, but it gets us through dry periods without too much negative effect on our turf.

As you play the golf course this week, you will notice the turf looks less stressed and much "perkier." After an inch of rain, it is more than a coincidence.
 

In Praise of Longer Grass

Yesterday I read what I believe to be a great article written by the editor of Golf Digest, Jerry Tarde.  I often think that our fairway HOC (height-of-cut) is too short resulting in very tight lies and making it even more difficult for the mid to high handicappers to hit from.  We mow them at .45".  The HOC of our "first-cut" of rough is .75" and seems to be the preferred landing area of many golfers.  We cut our rough lower this year than ever before, 1.5" throughout the season to be exact and the feedback from golfers has been very positive.

I think it's time to revisit our HOCs this winter and make some adjustments for next year as the majority of our golfers are not in lower handicap range.  That's just one example of how we can make our course a bit "easier" and certainly more enjoyable for the majority instead of continually conditioning it for the minority.  I think we can all agree that this game is hard enough as it is with the things that we cannot control so why not offer playing conditions that are more suitable for scoring.  Improved scoring = more enjoyment and yes, improved pace of play!

Okay, so here is the article that I was referring to.  Give it a quick read with an open mind and I assure you it will make a lot of sense...

In Praise Of Longer Grass

illustration by Ben Wiseman

The hardest shot in golf isn't the long bunker shot anymore.

The hardest shot in golf is any hybrid, iron or even wedge played from the middle of the fairway with a slightly downhill lie to an elevated green. It's so darn hard because the fairway is probably cut to linoleum height. Golfers struggle these days not so much with hitting it long or straight but with getting it airborne.

Today's tight lies conspire against that enjoyment. Closely mowed grass is easier for tour pros to play from but harder for average hackers like us. That's why I'm happy when my ball lands in the first cut of rough so I have a little cushion under my shot. Tight lies also diminish short-game shotmaking. We see more golfers putting from long distances off the green instead of playing artful wedges and run-ups.

I was making this case to Mike Davis, executive director of the United States Golf Association, just before the pros played Merion in June. Steve Smyers, an architect, had told me the fairway height at Merion for the 1971 Open was one inch. When I repeated that to Davis, he paused and said the planned fairway height for this year's Open was .26 inches. A couple of weeks later, Davis surprisingly reversed himself and announced Merion's fairway height at .45 inches.

"We had been trying to message about green speeds that they had just gotten too fast," Davis said, "and they cause agronomic and architectural problems. I actually think they cause nerve problems. It's why some people have gone to anchoring. And fairway height, again, it causes agronomic problems. The average golfer simply can't get the ball up, and they have trouble pitching it, too. So the reason we went to almost half an inch this year was me saying, 'Listen, I think it's the right statement for golf.' And we're going to do it again next year in the Open at Pinehurst."

The Stimpmeter was invented by Edward Stimpson in the 1930s as a device for measuring green speeds, but it was not adopted by the USGA until 1977, whereupon the USGA field staff was commissioned to measure 581 courses nationwide to benchmark the speed of American greens. Here is a sampling of what was found:
Cypress Point: 7 feet, 8 inches
Pebble Beach: 7-2
San Francisco Golf Club: 6-5
Augusta National: 7-11
Medinah: 7-8
Congressional: 6-4
Oakland Hills: 8-5
Pinehurst No. 2: 6-10
Pine Valley: 7-4
Winged Foot: 7-5
Shinnecock Hills: 7-2
Merion: 6-4
Harbour Town: 5-1
Oakmont: 9-8

These were America's finest courses, so one can surmise that the speed at average courses and munys in 1977 were more typically in the range of four to six feet. Managing director of the USGA Green Section Kimberly Erusha "ballpark estimates" today's greens at 9½ to 10 feet. I played Oakmont on a mid-summer day this year when speeds were a typical 13 to 14.

This recalls a long-ago conversation with Sir Michael Bonallack, who was then secretary of the R&A. I asked him if he was going to use the Stimpmeter at the British Open. And he said, "Why would I want to do that?" I said, to measure the greens' speed. And he said, "Why would I want to do that?" I said, well, I guess to ensure consistency from one green to the next. And he said, "Why would I want to do that? Isn't part of the challenge to golf to know how one hole plays differently from another?"

The bottom line is, every inch faster our greens have gotten requires more water, more money, more labor, more chemicals. And the real killer is, every inch slows down the pace of play. Fairway heights pose similar issues.

I applauded Kerry Haigh at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill this year when he refused to make public the green speeds. "To be honest, we don't think that's necessarily good for the overall country clubs out there," said the PGA's chief setup man.

Getting the USGA and the PGA of America speaking in unison against over-conditioning is the first step. Water shortages and tougher economics may do the rest. Change for the better is coming.