Putting Green Drill and Fill

As many of you have seen, Grant and I were doing a project on the upper putting green in the month of May.  We created a template out of a sheet of plywood and drilled holes in a portion of the green with a 12" long x 1" wide auger bit.  You could call it "a very aggressive aerification".  We were mimicking a process called Drill and Fill, but spending a mere percentage of the cost.  The area of the green we worked on was the driest part of the entire golf course due to the high clay and pea gravel content of that green's root-zone.  We removed as much material as we could with the auger bit, and then funneled in a new, clean material to help retain moisture and nutrients.  The product we used is a porous, ceramic granule that is commonly used in greens construction and aerifications.  We have already seen a positive change in the moisture levels of that area and I have added a video that shows just how much water those channels take now compared to the surrounding area.  Now if we could just tear off the second story of the clubhouse to alleviate the shade issue ha ha ha.

This is the process we are mimicking:

The Natives

In the month of June I finally found some time to begin spraying the native areas on the course.  So far I have completed the front nine and most of 18.  I am using 2 different types of broadleaf herbicides as well as a pre-emergant, and spray enhancer.  Goodness gracious that Milkweed is one tough cookie!  I know that my timing is late as far as controlling all the broadleaf weeds, but I am making an impact I believe.  Snowfall, ground moisture, and my start date all played a role in that, and going forward it is my plan to get the entire course pre-emerged much earlier in the year.  I also plan to attack the natives come fall and winter.  Every tree out there needs to be limbed up and freed of suckers.  I know this will make a big impact on the overall aesthetics of the course for the years to come.  We plan to mow all native areas once Stampede is completed, and then once again in the fall.   

 So there is this month's peek into my head.  Please continue to stop me and ask questions as you see me on the course.  I am really enjoying my time here at Staley Farms and lets try to keep Mother Nature on our side.