Course Update

The staff was very busy this past week and I wanted to share a list of what we accomplished.

• Rolled greens several times
• Mowed greens Friday afternoon (one week after aerification)
• Mowed fairways twice
• Mowed all rough
• Mowed tees and approaches twice
• Fertilized greens
• Sprayed a fungicide and fertilizer on tees
• Worked in landscape beds and spread mulch
• Bathrooms opened
• Continued course cleanup
• Water coolers, garbage cans, divot sand bottles and boxes placed on course

Frozen Turf

The temperature last night dropped down to the mid-20's and has provided our first Spring frost.  Frost delays are very likely this time of year, and the time required to "burn off" can be substantial.  Frost is essentially frozen dew that forms when the temperature is at, or near the freezing point. Ice crystals that form on the outside of the plant will harden and can freeze the cellular structure within. When frozen, the normally resilient plant cells become brittle and are easily crushed. When the cell membranes are damaged, the plant loses its ability to function and can potentially die. Although you will not see any immediate damage if you walk across or drive on frosted turf, the proof will be evident within 48 to 72 hours as the leaves die and turn brownish-black. The maintenance staff monitors specific areas throughout the course on cool mornings to determine whether frost is present, and the decision to allow play is based on when those areas will be frost-free.  An easy way to tell if frost is present is by running your hand across the grass and if the dew wipes away it's safe to walk on the turf.

Click here to watch a USGA educational video on Frost

Greens Aerification...Update

With some help from the Treesdale maintenance staff (Thank you Doug!) we successfully aerified and topdressed all the greens last week.  For those folks wondering why we go to all this trouble and have to disrupt play in the Spring and Fall, here is some insight into the process.

Why Aerify?

Core aeration is one of the most important preventative practices used on putting greens to improve the health of the turf.  It's primary purpose is to remove unwanted organic matter from the upper portion of the rootzone.  Aeration also relieves compaction, promotes gas exchange, and helps with water infiltration.  If neglected, the rootzone will "seal off" and be unable to support healthy root growth, which results in weak turf plants that cannot survive summer stress.

How Much Is Enough?

While every course is different and must develop a program that fits their needs, the USGA recommends that 15-20% of the surface be aerified each year.  Because our greens have slightly higher amounts of organic matter, we chose to remove 11% of the surface this Spring.  Throughout the summer we will continue to monitor organic matter levels and then decide on the percent of surface removal for Fall aerification.  Tine size and spacing is what determines the percentage of surface area impacted.

When Will The Holes Be Closed?

With good weather the healing process normally takes 10-14 days, and extra fertilizer is applied before and after aerification to expedite recovery.

Greens Aerification

We have been closely monitoring the weather, and with the forecast for summer-like temperatures and dry conditions over the next few days it was the perfect opportunity to begin aerifying greens.  We chose to start the process now because of the unpredictable weather here in western PA, but also because it will allow the turf ample time to recover and be in the best possible condition for the official start of the season.  With all of the greens aerified today, our goal for tomorrow is to clean up the cores and begin applying sand topdressing.  Any greens not topdressed tomorrow will be finished Friday, as long as the rain holds off.  Maximum benefits of sand topdressing are achieved only when the sand remains dry and can be easily broomed into the aerification holes.  Additionally, the cups and flagsticks have been removed and will go back in once the entire process is complete.

Drains & Blue Dots

Several staff members spent the day cleaning off and unclogging drains in fairways and along cart paths to help evacuate the excess water deposited by the recent storms.  They also began edging cart paths in a few areas to remove the saturated mass of grass and soil that was preventing the water from finding the drain.  We were shocked to discover that some areas had encroached 18 to 24 inches onto the path!

Hole #6 near the green with a fresh edge

The second part of this post deals with the blue dots that have shown up on greens.  The dots are used to maintain a consistent 30 inch collar width around the green, with one dot marking where the green meets the collar and the other dot marks where the collar meets the rough.  We paint the dots every Spring before the first mowing so the staff can easily identify the edge of the green and collar.  The paint will eventually wear off and you may see us repainting the dots throughout the season.

Hole By Hole Happy Hour Presentation

There were two comments received after last Friday's presentation:

1.  Could you please paint the holes white after you plug them, it makes them easier to see.
We typically paint the holes white for tournaments and some special events, but are unable to paint them everyday because of the extra cost and time required.

2.  How about leveling the fairway on #18 before the water?  It's a tough shot and there's never a flat lie.  That should be addressed first vs. the other side.
A senior designer from Gary Player Design visited the course several weeks ago and looked at the entire 18th hole for possible improvements.  It was determined that addressing the severe contours on the green side of the water would have a greater impact in the short-term.

Deep Tine Aerification

For the past several years the greens have been aerified early in the Spring using a machine that can penetrate up to 10" deep, hence the name deep tine.  The primary reason for deep tining is to create a hole as deep as possible into the rootzone and break up a layer created by traditional core aerification that only gets down about 4".  The other benefits of deep tining are relieving compaction, allowing for proper gas exchange, and creating a pathway for vigorous root growth.  We chose to use 1/2" diameter solid tines on a 2" x 2" spacing that impacted the greatest percentage of surface area, while not damaging the green in any way.   In a few days the holes on the surface will close, but the holes below ground will remain open for several weeks providing long-term benefits to the turfgrass and soil.