AERATING TEES

We aerated tees this week. Aeration serves a few purposes.

One- Aeration relieves compaction. The process of removing soil with aerating tines leaves a void in the groud. This void allows the soil surrounding it to relax and spread out. This is important for healthy roots to grow in the loose soil.

Two- Thatch management. Removing a plug, pulverize it, and depositing it on top of the turf results in less thatch accumulation. This allows for fertilizer, water, and air to filter into the ground easier helping the plant grow.

We are evaluating a plan to top dress tees with sand in 2016. This is a costly commitment, but it will improve the tee surface. Core aeration and sand topdressing will create a firm tee surface due to the incorporation of sand resulting in a sand cap on the tees as the sand builds up over time.

LANDSCAPE BED REMOVAL 1 GREEN

We removed the dead and unsightly plant material right of one green. We graded and seeded the area. We will maintain it as rough once it is established. It will improve the playability and look of the hole.

IRRIGATION REPAIR

We repaired the leak on 14 tees. It was a 2" lateral leak that required a new 90 degree elbow and a thrust block. The are will dry out now. Thanks for your patience as we diagnose irrigation leaks. We try to find them and repair them as quickly as possible.

5" RAIN EVENT

We needed rain. Not 5" of rain all at once, but we will take what we can get. This rain will not do much for the turf as most of it ran off. The good news is we captured a lot of the runoff in our lakes. This will give us irrigation water that should carry us well into the fall.

WET OR DRY AND WHY?

We get a lot of feedback from members about playing conditions. One of the complaints we get is how wet the course is, especially in the mirnings.

We monitor course conditions all hours of the day. We apply water based on plant needs and playing conditions. Our goal each day is to not see drought wilt on our fairways. Drought wilt on Bentgrass is very risky. Once the plant goes into wilt stage it is extremely weak. Cart and play traffic will kill the wilting turf.

We attempt to calculate evapotranspiration rates for each day. Evapotranspiration is a calculation that factors wind, humidity, plant type, and other environmental factors that effect how much moisture is lost each day. We replenish the lost moisture each night with the irrigation system.

One of the challenges we face is often soft conditions in the morning due to the irrigation cycle replenishing the total daily moisture loss in one shot over night.

We are working on a few methods to help minimize the soft morning conditions. One of the solutions is to replenish half of the moisture loss during the night and the other half mid day. This evens out the irrigation so it is replenishing moisture evenly as it is being evaporated throughout the day. The main problem with this method is the potential of getting members wet with the sprinklers running in the afternoon.

We often times walk a very fine line between healthy turf and dirt. Unfortunately firm playing conditions fall right in the middle.

We appreciate your cooperation as we try to fine tune our watering practices to provide a balance between healthy and playable Bentgrass.

HELPING HAND

I am an active board member with the Heart of America Golf Course Superintendents Association. We donate our time to promote and assist fellow industry professionals better themselves and the golf courses they care for.

It is a fulfilling service that a I am fortunate our HAGCSA members entrust me with this responsibility.

One fun thing we do is help other Superintendents in need. Many Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, and other industry professionals donated our time at Lions Gate preparing for the Digital Ally Open. I mowed fairways with some of my friends and colleagues.

EDGING CART PATHS

We attempt to maintain a very high maintenance standard at Staley. We will now be edging cart paths twice per year as part of our initiative to make our Members and Guests that visit Staley Farms Golf Club proud of our golf course.