Fall color

It seemed like the leave's on the trees produced some great color this fall, but it peaked very quickly.  I'm sure the lack of rainfall has stressed the trees which caused this.  Here are some pictures from the fall.

Hole #7

Hole #9

Hole #1

Hole #4

RECAP OF 2012

DRY and HOT.  I think that explains the 2012 season.  Year to date, we have received 22" of rain for the year which is 11" below normal.  There is a positive and negative side to this:
POSITIVE SIDE:
     1.  Course conditions are more controllable.  We can manage the water in accordance to plant needs.  Deep and infrequent irrigation along with the use of wetting agents created fast, firm conditions. 
     2.  Lower humidity reduces disease pressure which reduces the number of pesticide applications.
     3.  All member and outside events ran.  This is the first time in my 11 years at CRCC that we had no cancellations due to weather. 
     4.  The top 6" of the soil profile, which is where the majority of the root system is for the turf grass,  seems to have adequate moisture even with the drought.
     5.  Projects are completed with minimal disruption. 
     6.  The locker room and facility smell better due to the lack of wet clothes. 
NEGATIVE SIDE:
     1.  There is an increase in the cost of electricity due to the increase use of the irrigation system.
     2.  Grass seed doesn't germinate.
     3.  Irrigation water doesn't give you a good flushing of the soil profile like a good rain does.
     4.  Drought conditions affect trees more than the turf due to the lack of sub-soil moisture.  Trees that are diseased or weak will be extremely affected. 

Along with the drought came the heat.  I recorded at the golf course 36 days over 90 degrees and 3 days over 100 degrees.  The best thing about the heat was the lack of humidity.  The days were very dry which made it tolerable.  The majority of time this summer was spent hand watering greens and fairways to keep conditions consistent.     

Fall Projects

We started a few projects last week on the driving range.  We enlarged the practice green and removed the bushes that separated the green from the parking lot.  We are in the process of installing drainage on the driving range fairway and building a new forward tee.  The drainage is being installed to catch the water as it crosses the range before it reaches number 1 fairway.  The drainage will help dry out the range and number 1 & 3 fairways.  We are adding another driving range tee for Monday events, some junior golf and area to use when conditions aren't favorable to use the regular tee.  The tee will be sodded with blue grass instead of bent grass for quicker recovery. 

Update for Week of August 13th

The week looks great for turf recovery as temperature's are expected to be in the upper 70's to low 80's for highs and lows in the 50's.  The golf course is in great shape following the hottest month on record.  The area's that received the most damage were on the fairways and approaches with the majority of turf loss being annual bluegrass.  We will go in to these area's and core aerify, verticut, seed and topdress.  It will take a couple of weeks for these area's to fill in with bentgrass.

I planned on mini-tining greens tomorrow, but the rain is going to delay us.  I don't want to put the aerifiers on the greens when they are soft.  We will re-schedule for a different date.  The greens held up great during the summer.  The greens program will change in a couple of weeks to promote the bent over the poa. 

We lost the majority of our summer staff this past week.  They did a great job and I appreciate all of their efforts.  Staffing went from 22 employees to 8.  This is normal for us and we always make it through it.  The majority of the changes include ride mowing greens and tees instead of walk mowing and altering the maintenance to bunkers, course set-up and projects. 

See you on the course.  

 

Golf Course Update

The golf course is in good shape despite the current weather pattern.  Next week looks hot through Thursday with a break in temperatures by Friday.  The primary turf (greens, tees and fairways) is in excellent shape.  We have lost some poa annua on green collars and fairways, but these areas will fill in with bentgrass or be inter-seeded. 

This is the first year that we have relied on the irrigation system since installing it four years ago and it has worked perfectly.  The triple row system has allowed us to manage the watering requirements for the bentgrass in the fairways and the bluegrass in the rough.  The system is much more efficient than the old system.  We have 1200 irrigation heads compared to 550 on the old system and because of the efficiency the system uses 25% less water and has 50% more coverage.  Also, our labor hours are greatly reduced with the new system. 

The course will play softer this week.  Please remember to replace divot's and repair ball mark's.  Once we get through this weather pattern we will get course conditions back to normal.        

Weekly Update July 9th

This week's weather looks much better than last week.  The average high last week at the course was 95 degrees with the low at 75 degrees.  This week we are facing upper 80's and low 90's, but the lows are in the 60's.  Cool season grass responds much better to this week's weather versus last week.  Last weeks soil temperatures at a 3" depth was right at 88 degrees.  That is one of the highest readings that I have seen in Cedar Rapids.  The reasoning is the heat along with the lack of rain.  The rain helps cool the soil.  The dry weather has forced us to do quite a bit of hand watering.  We have a great irrigation system, but I try to balance playability with watering.  I like to keep the course on the dry side which causes some area's to become localized, which means that one area on the fairway has adequate moisture, but another area is dry.  To take care of the dry area we must hand water. 



Spray tech Brad Larson hand watering fairways.

This week we look forward to the Swinging Bridge Member/Guest tournament.  We really don't do a lot different for this week other than alter our mowing schedule.  The weather for the event looks perfect so conditions should be great. 

I have included a few improvements in this weeks blog.  Jim Pillard, the horticulturist, has done an outstanding job with the flowers and landscaping here at the club since coming on board two years ago.  My staff, lead by Assistant Tim Salazar,  have also done a great job and are the reason the golf course is in such great shape. 

New planting in front of Club

#1 Tee expansion 

Bluebird nest left of #4

July 2nd Weekly Update

The week looks hot and dry with temperatures in the 90's and lows in the 70's.  This past week we did receive some needed rain, but I would rather control the moisture through the irrigation system while the heat is on. 

This week we plan to apply the grub control to the greens, tees and fairways.  We will start on Monday and finish on Tuesday.  We are also are cleaning along the creek on 15 and 17, detailing the ponds, detailing bunkers and monitoring the course for heat stress. 

The course will play a little softer due to the heat and humidity.  The seven day forcast is hot and humid, so the plan is to make sure that the turf responds in a positive way.  We had a mild winter and a great spring, so the turf is going into the heat of the summer in great shape.  I plan to keep green speeds at 10', but this is close to a foot slower than they have been.  Please remember that the greens have been rolling quicker than they have for quite a few years, so bear with me and as soon as the weather breaks we will be able to quicken things up again.  

Week of June 18th

The summer heat has kicked in with highs expected to reach the mid 90's over the next two days.  The next chance, which is only a slim chance, is on Wednesday evening.  Otherwise, the rest of the week looks like above normal temperatures and below normal rainfall.  The course is holding its own as we run through this dry period.  We are entering the time of year where we are constantly checking the greens, tees and fairways for heat and drought stress.  It is not uncommon to check the turf, especially the greens, four to five times per day.

This week we plan to finish edging cart paths, start cleaning out along the creek by 15 pro tee and continue with general maintenance.  On Monday, June 25th, we will be venting the greens with 1/4" solid tines.  This process allows water and oxygen to move through the soil profile and help release any toxic gas build up.  The venting causes minimal disruption to the putting surface. 

Please continue to repair your ball marks and replace your divots. 












    

Week of June 11th

We have continued to stay dry as the rain that was supposed to hit us today basically turned into a drizzle.  The course is playing firm and fast, but along with that comes the look of drought conditions.  The watering schedule is set up to keep the course playing firm and fast while keeping the grass alive.  It will not provide you with the lush, green look.

This week is another busy one with a double shot-gun today and a twilight on Friday night.  Our basic maintenance is pushed to Tuesday because of the outing.  We will be spraying a fungicide on the course Tuesday and Wednesday.  We will also start to edge cart paths this week. 

Many people have been asking about the speed of the greens.  Speed is measured by a stimp meter, which is a tool that looks like a meter stick and is used to roll the ball down and measure out the feet that the ball rolls.  The greens over the past month have been rolling consistently 10'6"-11'2".  Our goal is 10'-10'6".  The key is that they stay consistent from day to day, which we have been able to accomplish.  The summer heat and humidity will slow the greens more toward our goal speed of 10'-10'6".  

It looks like a great week with temperature's in the upper 70's to lower 80's and dry.  Please continue to fix your ball marks and replace your divot.    

June 4th Update

This week is very busy with golf outings.  Today we have the ESPN V-Foundation golf event which is a double shot-gun.  Wednesday we have a men's stag at 1:00.  Saturday we have the Donald Ross member/member tournament.  The weather looks great for the week with Friday being the only day with a chance of storms.

This week we are going to solid tine some of the tees that are getting localized dry spot. The solid tining will relieve the compaction and allow water to move through the soil profile.  Other plans for the week include sodding the right side of #2 green, cleaning the debris out of the ponds, trimming around the ponds, sodding along edges of cart paths and catching up with the daily maintenance. 

The week looks great so get out and enjoy the course.      

Update for the week of May 28th

The golf course remains very dry as we have missed the majority of the rain this past week.  I typically water heavy twice a week and then just as needed the rest of the week.  The turf responds best to this practise and playing conditions are also improved.   The weather forecast is good until Thursday when a cold front is supposed to move through with a chance of showers. 

Plans for the week include:
1.  Fungicide application to greens and fairways.
2.  Herbicide application for broad leaf control in the rough.
3.  Seeding stump holes.
4.  Seeding and topdressing top driving range tee.
5.  Clean up along path #6 tee.
6.  Detail course.

Please remember to fix your ball marks and replace your divots on the course.  The sand and seed is to be used only if the divot is destroyed. 
  

May 21st Weekly Update

It looks as if we have another dry week ahead of us.  Temperatures will be in the mid 70's early in the week rising to the upper 80's by the weekend.  We only have a slight chance of rain towards the end of the week.  Maintenance to be performed this week:

1.  Topdress greens on Monday
2.  Spray clover on fairways, intermediate rough and Driving Range on Tuesday.
3.  Finish cutting down the bank in front of 8 tee. 
4.  Fix washout in the middle of 2 fairway.
5.  Plant annual beds at pool.
6.  Clean up area behind 2 green.
7.  Detail golf course

We are now fully staffed so we will be paying closer attention to detail.  Get out and enjoy the weather and the course.
   

May 14th Update

This week we will be mini-tining or "venting" the greens.  We are using a 1/4" tine that will punch through the surface of the green to a depth of 5".  The venting allows oxygen and water to move through the profile which is very important to the health of the greens.  It will cause minimal disruption to the surface and the greens will be back in great shape by the middle of the week.

We are applying our second application of wetting agent to the fairways on Monday.  The wetting agent will help move the water through the profile and off the surface.  We will be watering it in immediately following the application.  We are also due to apply a fungicide, growth regulator and ferrous sulfate to the greens.  The plan is to spray the greens on Wednesday. 

All the flowers have been planted around the clubhouse, so now it is time to move to the course.  We have about two weeks of planting.  We plant about 13000 annuals around the clubhouse and on the course.

The weather looks great this week so get out and enjoy the course.       

Update for the week of May 7th

We missed the majority of the rain and storms this past week.  It looks like some lingering showers through Tuesday with seasonal temperatures expected.  Hopefully, we can get the course to dry out.

We plan to work on bunkers this week.  The process includes detailing the bunker surrounds, checking the depth of the sand in the bunker and moving or adding sand where necessary, cutting a crisp edge and raking them.  A couple of things to think about when you are in the bunkers.  First, the rakes are to be put outside of the bunkers.  Secondly, try not to climb out of the bunkers on the steep face.  This causes the sod on the bunker face to erode and leave the face of the bunker unplayable.  Please try to enter and exit the bunkers from the flat side.

Other things on the agenda for the week include getting the flowers planted around the clubhouse, moving the driving range set-up to the bottom tee, slit seeding and topdressing the top tee so it is ready for fall and keeping up with the daily maintenance to the course.

Hope to see you on the course,

Tom       

The week of April 30th Update

It looks like we are finally going to get some favorable temperatures to get some grass growing.  The weather this week looks a little unstable, but temperatures are moving into the 70's.  The warmer temperatures and added precipitation will allow the grass to fill in and thicken up.  This week we will be starting our ferrous sulfate program to the greens.  Ferrous sulfate is basically iron and it allows the plant to green up.  A bigger advantage to applications of ferrous sulfate is that the sulfur will help lower the pH in the soil and promote the bent over the poa.  We also apply ammonium sulfate during the year which also contains sulfur and will benefit the bentgrass. 

On Wednesday we have our first men's stag.  Sunday brings the Spring fling.  These are both fun events and I hope you can get a group and enjoy them.  We will be marking the course on Tuesday.  The new seeded areas will not be marked but should be played as ground under repair.  We will also start planting the flower beds on the course this week.  The club's horticulturist, Jim Pillard, does a great job with the landscaping and flowers on the course and around the clubhouse.  He will be very busy planting over the next three weeks. 

Please remember to repair your ballmarks and replace your divots.  Get out and enjoy the course this week. 

Week of April 23rd Update

It looks like we will have a slight warm up as we start the week with a chance of showers in the middle of the week.  We will be applying our first fungicide application to fairways and tees on Monday as a disease called dollar spot is starting to show up.  Dollar spot becomes active as the soil starts to warm up and moisture increases.  We received about .8" of rain on Friday and Saturday which jump started the fungus.  Monday we also will be verticutting and topdressing the greens.  Tuesday we will be topdressing the lower driving range tees.  We hope to stay on the top driving range tee until the first week of May.  It will then be closed and seeded.  We will be applying our second application of herbicide for weed control, basically going after the dandelions and clover.  Thursday is opening Ladies day.  Friday is scheduled for applying a fungicide and growth regulator to the greens.  Get out and enjoy the course!!    

Golf course updates

Starting in the next couple of weeks I will be giving weekly updates of the golf course.  The update will include current course conditions, weather forecast, projects planned for the week and any disruptions that may affect play.  I will post on these updates on Sunday night or Monday morning. 

Water Management

This year we purchased a soil moisture meter to improve our irrigation practises on the greens.  We have always checked the water content in the profile of the greens prior to running an irrigation cycle with a hand probe.  The hand probe would pull out a small core and we would squeeze it to determine the amount of moisture in the green.  The problem with this is it was hard to distinguish the difference from one area to another.  The new soil moisture meter will improve this process.  The meter will determine the volumetric water content of the soil.  The definition of volumetric water content is the ratio of the volume of water in a given volume of soil to the total soil volume.  Basically, we will be taking 24 readings off each green in the morning and late afternoon.  Parameters will be set as to how much water to give the greens given the percentage of the volumetric water content by the moisture meter.  The morning readings will tell us how much hand watering needs to be done and the late afternoon readings will tell us if greens need to be watered that evening.  There are some goals that we have associated with this new water management program:
1.  Improved playability.  The greens will play firmer and more consistent.
2.  Improved agronomics.  We will be watering when the plant really requires it.
3.  Improved training.  I will be able to train the staff proper watering balancing plant health and playability. 

Our intern James checks #7 green.

Greens Maintenance



Tim topdressing

We began our regular maintenance to greens today.  We started by verticutting the greens, then blew them off, topdressed, dragged and watered them for 6 minutes.  The final stage is to mow them. We have dropped the height down from .156 to .135 with the final height of the season to be .125.  We will be at this height by May 1st.  You should notice a big difference in how the greens are playing as we plan on topdressing every two weeks during the golfing season.  The verticutting and topdressing improve ball roll and smoothness by standing the turf up and reducing the friction of the grass and the golf ball.   

Kyle verticutting

James brushing

Tommy blowing off grass and thatch

We will apply one more application of growth regulation, Primo/Proxy, to reduce the poa seed head.  This application will be applied next week.  We are about 2-3 weeks ahead of schedule from previous years for our general greens maintenance. 

What a difference a year makes!!

Number 1 green  March of 2012

Number 2 green.  March 2011

What a great start to the 2012 golfing season.  It is hard to believe that it is only March when we are gettng June temperatures.  We are about three weeks ahead of schedule and the turf reveals that.  I have some comparisons from March of 2011 and March of 2012.  It shows what a great fall followed by a mild winter can do for turfgrass. 

Number 1 green.  March 2011

Number 2 green.  March 2012





Bentgrass vs Poa

Number 1 green.  Bent is darker and longer than poa.

Our goal for the 2012 season is to develop and incorporate a program to encourage the bentgrass on the greens to out compete the annual bluegrass or poa.  This is not an easy task as Cedar Rapids is a perfect environment for poa.  Poa thrives in a wet cool spring, mild summer and wet or snowy winter.  Our management program includes a modification in cultural programs and fertility programs.  The fertility program will include less nitrogen, which promotes top growth of both bent and poa, and adding a product called ferrous sulfate(iron) to help push the bent over the poa.  The ferrous sulfate will also help in lowering the pH of the soil so the bent will thrive instead of the poa.  The effects of this program will take a time to see results, but in the end we hope to move in the right direction.  The greens will show minimal effects from the application and will be in great shape for the season.  The cultural program will include more solid tining than core aerification so we don 't disrupt the seed bank of the poa.

Spring is in the air!!

It seems that spring temperatures have arrived early.  Yesterday, March 6th, it hit 69 degrees!  We went from a golf course covered in snow to a sloppy, brown covered, field of turf.  While the weather pattern looks promising, we do need to remember that it is still early March and the turf is not capable of recovering to daily play yet.  We need to dry out and get some actively growing turfgrass so the ballmarks will heal and the divots will fill in.  I look for an earlier opening than normal if the weather cooperates.  We will try to get you on the range earlier so you can get out and smooth that swing.  The greens came through winter in great shape.  We plan on pulling a few covers at the end of this week on the south facing greens and pull the rest of the covers early next week.  They will take some time to dry out before we can mow them and set them up for daily play.  Before you know it, we will be looking at this.     

What goes on in the winter?

For the past twenty years family members, golfing members and the general public have been interested in what we do in the off season.  Many people think that when the grass isn't growing that we are on some tropical island drinking pina colada's.  Currently, that is not the case.  Each winter we have a laundry list of things that need to be accomplished, and if the weather is cooperative we take advantage of it and get some outside projects completed. 

Inside Projects:
1.  Preventative maintenance to the equipment:  We have about $850,000 worth of equipment that goes through a maintenance program each winter. 
2.  Cleaning up supplies:  Each winter we clean the ball washers and replace brushes, paint the trash cans, refinish benches, soil & seed holders and tee blocks. (overall favorite of the staff)
3.  Preventative maintenance to golf cars:  We change filters, oil, clean and wax all the cars. 
4.  Cleaning up range supplies:  We refinish the bag stands and dividers for the range. 
5.  Maintenance facility: We clean, paint and make improvements to areas of facility each year.
6.  Education:  The full-time staff attends seminars and conference's to keep up with current trends. 

Outside Projects:

1.  Tree work:  Tree management program was put into place four years ago.  It includes pruning and removing undesirable trees.  It also includes improving air flow and sunlight to primary turf areas. 
2.  Capital projects:  Depending on the winter, we try to attack capital projects during the off season. 
We have built new tees, installed new decking and rails on bridges, cart path work, landscaping and basically anything else that can be accomplished during a mild winter.
3.  Snow Removal:  We are on call for snow removal each winter. 

I hope this gives a little light on what the golf course maintenance department gets accomplished in the winter time.  We are all for heading to a Tropical island, we just have a little work to do first.

The Year in Review

WINTER

The year started off tough with rain around New Years which turned to ice on the greens.  After the ice accumulation we received about 16" of snow in Jan. and Feb.  The ice caused some damage to the greens with the loss of poa annua.  The weather in January and February allowed us to get quite a bit of tree work accomplished.

 

SPRING

In March we pulled the tarps off the greens to find some winter kill on about 6 of our greens.  Number 1,2,4 9,16 and 18 all had quite a bit of poa loss.  We left the covers on these greens for two more weeks with the hope that the turf would fill in.  April brought about 5" rain.  The golf course opened for the season April 5th.  The main goal in April was to get the damaged greens into shape and the course cleaned up.  In May we started a garden for the clubhouse planting tomato's, cucumber's, peppers and berries. We received 4.75" rain in May.

SUMMER 

Seasonal staff has all arrived and we are in full golf course maintenance mode.  June and July were wet and humid with the heat kicking in July.  The course received 13" of rain over the two months.  Fortunately, we did not have to cancel any outside events.  August was a drier month bringing only 2.9" of rain.  We worked on number 12 pro tee building a retaining wall and installing sod.  We also started the chipping green project.  The summer staff has also left school.

FALL

We had a great fall with temperatures being seasonal and limited rainfall.  We only had 3.25" of rain from September through November.  The golfing conditions were great.  We held off on all aerification until late in the season so the golfers could enjoy the weather.  Late fall and early winter was perfect for tree trimming and removal.  

The year 2011 will go down as a rough

start but great ending.  The turf went into winter in great shape which should make for a great spring in 2012.     



WHAT IS UP WITH THE WEATHER?

I know the calendar says it is January 4th, but you would never know it by walking outside.  This has been the warmest start to winter that I can remember.  I hope it continues for another week or two, then it can get cold.  The turf went into winter in great shape and it continues to look good.  It would be nice to see the temperatures get back to normal so the turf can harden off.  The hardening off process is basically a shut down process.  The grass plant doesn't want to grow anymore.  The key to healthy turf during a mild winter is timely rains.  Without the precipitation,  dessication occurs and causes a slow start for the turf in the spring.  So, if you wish for the mild winter to continue, then hope for precipitation along with it.

Mr. Kinsey enjoying  some golf on the back nine temporary course January 10th.

TREE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

The tree management program has been shifted to the top of the priority list in the golf course operations program.  The goals of the program are as follows:

1.  Improve sunlight and air flow to primary turf areas.

2.  Improve the health of existing specimen trees by removing the volunteer trees that are crowding them out.

3.  Remove damaged trees that are a safety hazard.

4.  Remove leaning trees that will become a safety hazard.

5.  Clean out the dead wood in the trees.

Tree maintenance is a never ending process.  First, we have to get the existing trees under control.  Secondly, we need to address new plantings.  We have over 2500 trees on our property with a quarter of them being in poor shape.  It is time to address the situation so the good trees will benefit, the turf will benefit and it will enhance the golfing experience.