Preparing for Winter

The first step in preparing for spring 2013 is surviving a Chicago winter...

Irrigation Winterization - A large air compressor is connected to the irrigation pump house located behind the 13th green.  Compressed air is forced through all irrigation piping to remove water out which could potentially freeze and damage piping and other irrigation components.

Irrigation Winterization - Compressed air mixed and remaining water is blown through each of our 1200 sprinkler heads and fittings.  The entire blowout process is completed in 2 days.

A final application of plant protectants is applied to greens, tees and fairways to protect against snow mold.  An anti-desicant is also added to protect the plant from winter weather extremes.

A heavy sand topdressing acts as a blanket from winter weather.

Green covers are utilized on select greens to promote further growth, and add another layer of protection in certain microclimates.

Fall Maintenance

Greens healed quickly after the fall core aerification as evidenced by the ever shrinking holes at the top of this photo.  A fresh channel of sand can be seen in the profile sample near the golf ball.  Continued core aerification will result in less organic matter and healthier greens long term.

Core aerification of tees is complete.  Cores were pulled similar to the greens operation to remove built up organic matter and thatch.  A heavy sand topdressing followed to fill the aerification holes and provide channels for air and water.

The overflow for the pond on #1 shows the continuation of drought conditions.  This pond is not connected to the irrigation reservoir system and is therefore only recharged through natural rainfall.  The pond has remained 18"-24" below it's normal level, not surprising considering Lake Michigan is a full 12" below it's normal level.

Fairway aerification continues with solid tines penetrating 6"-8" into the soil profile.  These tines have a shattering effect which opens channels for water and gas exchange.

A crisp fall morning on the golf course.  Long shadows cover the ground with the sun at a low angle and the trees begin to show their color.  Irrigation and maintenance practices are adjusted accordingly to account for areas that remain shaded throughout the day.

Greens Aerification

Aerificaton is often considered a dirty word around the clubhouse, but it is a necessary evil when it comes to maintaining quality putting greens.  Removal of cores is essential in maintaining a healthy root system through the stresses of summer.  Core removal allows for the removal of built up organic matter in the soil caused by the normal life cycle of the grass plants, and provides channels for air and water to infiltrate the root zone while also reducing compaction.  No hard and fast rule applies to the amount and timing of aerification, but the USGA recommends that 15%-20% of the surface area should be affected each season during a normal maintenance program.  This percentage can be achieved by both tine size, and tine spacing.  This fall, I opted for a 5/8" tine on a 2"x 2" spacing, affecting 10% of the surface area.  The photos below show some of the greens aerification process.

Miguel begins core aerifying on #1 green.  Each green takes approximately 1 hour to complete with 1 of our 3 machines.

Miguel completing #1 green with a clean up pass around the collar.  Crew members have started to wind-row the plugs in the center of the green for removal.

Wind-rows of plugs are removed by hand, and clean topdressing sand is worked into each hole using brooms and blowers.

Finally greens are fertilized and rolled in preparation for play.  I expect the healing process to be complete in 10-14 days.

Collar Sodding

Traffic, mechanical wear and the heat of summer stressed many of the collars comprised of Poa annua.  Sodding of the damaged areas is underway.

Thin Poa annua collar

Staff removing this sod around collar

New Bentgrass sod from our turf nursery laid in place of Poa annua

14th Green Micro-Climate

Air movement is essential to allow the grass plant to cool itself during hot summer weather.  The 14th green is situated in low area below the maintenance building which receives very little air flow.

This photo is taken standing on the 14th green.  Notice the stiff wind blowing the American Flag in the background, while the flag on the pin is limp.

Irrigation water at 80F has limited cooling ability

Ice is used to cool the air before we blow it across the green.

Portable fans are set up each day to provide some relief.

The Heat Is On

The weather continues to be the story.  Thirty plus days of 90F + high temperatures along with 20% of normal summer rainfall have certainly taken their toll on Midwest courses including Ridgemoor.  Maintenance practices have been adjusted, including raised mowing heights, in favor turf health throughout this difficult weather pattern.  So far we are fairing well! 

 Irrigation cycles are run closer to daybreak in order to reduce leaf wetness and disease pressure through the warm muggy nights.

 Supplementing irrigation cycles with hand watering throughout the day takes care of localized dry areas.

Bunker Work:  Jose and Alejandro check the sand depth in each bunker and relocate or remove sand from any areas that need adjustments.

Bunker Work:  Areas that remained soft from early season edging are then compacted using a vibratory plate compactor.

Etiolation - def: The process of plants grown in partial or complete absence of light.  It is characterized by long weak stems, sparse leaves and pale color due to lack of chlorophyl.  

Bentgrass in the Chicago area has been exhibiting a strange response to the prolonged heat.  Interestingly you can get this same response by covering your lawn for a few days with something such as a kids pool.  When you remove the pool, the grass may be long and yellow as it has been struggling to grow towards the sunlight.  You may have noticed this uneven growth or "etiolation" especially on collars during the last heatwave.  Academics are still unclear as to the cause on golf courses, but research is ongoing.  For now our best management practice is to reduce stress on the plant by decreasing mowing frequencies and raising the height of cut. Once temperatures dropped below 90F for a few days, these symptoms disappeared completely.

Heat Stress & Mid-Day Wilt - Sometimes no matter how diligently we monitor greens, the weather changes faster than we can react.  On this particular day the wind and temperature rose quickly, while the humidity dropped.  This resulted in tremendous stress, and ultimately some minor wilt.  The good news is these areas are not lost, and will recovery quickly with a little TLC from staff.  Interestingly the photo on the left shows a clear footprint, amazing how just a step was enough to send the grass plants into stress mode.

Syringing Greens

Syringing and handwatering greens are methods we use to maintain plant health through hot weather.  Syringing crews are deployed to monitor each green during the hottest part of the afternoon, and ensure that greens do not become heat stressed.  Trained crew members apply a light mist of water which cools the surface for a short time.  This misting can cool the surface by 10-15 degrees, but is a temporary condition usually lasting 15-20 minutes, and often must be repeated several times during a hot afternoon.  We appreciate your patience when crews are syringing during your round, and ask that you give them the right of way while they quickly syringe and maintain the health of your golf course.

Juan syringing #3 green 

USGA explains hand watering and syringing

Warm Dry Spring

After an abnormally warm and dry spring, the summer golf season is underway.  Staff is now shifting focus from spring projects to maintenance and grooming of the golf course.  The photos below document course happenings over the last few weeks.

Another beautiful spring day at the club.

Ernesto planting annual flowers in the window boxes above the patio.

Miguel tends to the flower boxes in preparation for Memorial Day Weekend.

Specimen Ash Trees treated for Emerald Ash Borer

All trees on the property have been tagged and inventoried by our Certified Arborist.  Tree health and recommendations for trimming will be included in a final report this fall.

Greens were "sliced" and sand top dressed on Tuesday 5/29.  Slicing allows for exchange of soil gases and improved water infiltration with minimal impact to ball roll.

Golf Course Update

Beautiful spring weather is allowing for tremendous progress on golf course projects and overall maintenance.  If the forecast holds, we will be completing edging of the green side bunkers before the weekend.  Fairway bunker work will then begin next week.  Check out the photos below for a glimpse of course happenings during the past few weeks.

Bunker work continues, in this photo staff puts the finishing touches on #9.  More photos of bunker work are available in my previous post.

In coordination with the Golf Staff, we have started using ropes to mark the hitting area on the range tee each day.  By utilizing ropes, we are are better able to control the movement of hitting stations each day.  This will allow increased recovery time of older hitting areas, and an overall better tee surface as the season progresses. 

Fairways were fertilized on Friday, May 11th.  By utilizing an outside contractor, we are able to precisely and efficiently fertilize all 33 acres of fairway before 8am.

The "Mercedes Unimog" in action, the large flotation tires leave little trace of a large truck traversing our fairways.  10,000 lbs. of fertilizer spread in 3 hours with no impact on play.

"Greens Roller Demo Day"

We are currently using several "demo" greens rollers to find the best fit for the greens at RCC.  With the large undulations in the greens, it's important we find the right machine for the job of smoothing our greens.

Fairway topdressing was completed on Monday, May 14th.  Fairways should be back to normal in the next few days.

Bunker Edging & Sand Redistribution

Bunker work began this week and will continue through the next 3-4 weeks to prepare bunkers for the season.  Crisp edges are being cut to return the bunkers to their original size, and provide definition.  Sand is then redistributed, added or removed as needed to provide consistent depths.  Hand raking helps smooth the surface, but a little help from Mother Nature in the form of a good hard rain is needed to compact the sand before a final depth check.  With the amount of sand we are moving, I do expect some inconsistency in playability during the project, but the short term inconvenience will certainly pay off in the improved playability and aesthetics of the bunkers.  The photos below will give you a glimpse into the process.

Bunker Before Edging 

Original Bunker Edges Marked

Edgings Removed by Hand

Sand is Redistributed

Bunkers are Hand Raked