Driving Range

The driving range has closed for the season and the tees have been aerified, overseeded and topdressed.  Even though the temps are too low for the seed to germinate this year, it will lay dormant through the winter until warmer temps return in the spring.  The final step in preparing the tees for next season is to apply a dormant application of fertilizer to promote root growth and help the plants prepare for winter.  It's called a dormant application because top growth (the leaf tissue) has stopped and the plant is entering the dormancy (hibernation) stage.  However, root growth will continue until the soil freezes and the plants are continually taking up nutrients to maximize their carbohydrate (energy) storage.  The more carbs a plant can store the healthier it is come spring and even into summer.  The other benefit of a dormant application is any fertilizer not taken up by the plant will remain in the soil and be available once active growth resumes.

Topdressing sand applied to the driving range tees

Less Is Sometimes More

Keith Happ, our local USGA Agronomist, recently published an article in the USGA Green Section Record that discusses the decisions Superintendents make with regards to how they manage their facilities during the season, and the effects those decisions have on the golf course.  I can personally relate to the article having been at Diamond Run for almost a year now, and thinking about the challenges I faced while learning how to balance the needs of the course versus the needs of the membership.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

Winterizing The Irrigation System

Every fall all the water has to be removed from the irrigation system to prevent ice formation, which will eventually lead to broken pipes.  As water freezes it expands and ice is much stronger than plastic pipe.  The first step in the process is to shut down the pump station, open all drain valves, and let gravity remove most of the water.  Once the water has drained out a large compressor is connected to the irrigation system and air is forced through the lines at a high volume, but low pressure.  Too much air pressure can damage pipe the same way high water pressure does.   The staff will then go to each control satellite (those gray and green boxes scattered throughout the course) and systematically turn on almost 1,000 irrigation heads to blow out any remainining water.  After all the heads have been blown out one time we will go back to the areas that tend to hold water and run through those heads for a second time.

In addition to the irrigation system on the golf course, the maintenance staff is responsible for winterizing the two restroom facilities on the course, miscellaneous landscape irrigation, and water lines in the driving range building and cart storage building.

Air compressor connected to the irrigation system

Using compressed air to remove water from an irrigation head

Fairway Aerification

Core aerification of fairways has been on hold since late October and will not be completed this year.  The combination of a shallow root system, equipment issues, and the amount of time required to complete the process has forced us to look at alternative methods to relieve compaction while removing excessive organic matter.  A two-step process is being explored that first uses a deep slicing machine to fracture compacted soil, thereby creating channels for improved root growth.  The second step is to verticut, or vertically mow, the fairways using a machine with spinning knives that cuts out the spongy thatch layer (a.k.a. Organic Matter) and collects it all in one pass.  Using these two machines will result in greater turf quality with minimal damage.  Our plan is to start this new process in early Spring unless we experience another mild winter, then it could start sooner.

Course Update

The mild weather this fall has provided for some spectacular days and plenty of "Bonus Golf".  I hope everyone has taken advantage of this time because the forecast looks to be a-changing.  We knew it was only a matter of time and have recently switched gears from maintenance to prepping the course for winter.  Leaf cleanup always consumes the most resources and this year is no different.  It's important to get all the leaves off the turf to prevent suffocation which leads to dead grass and bare spots.  A combination of blowing, mulching and sweeping achieves the best results.  The next big task is blowing out the irrigation system, which is scheduled for after Thanksgiving and will take several days to complete.  Once that is finished the last fungicide spray of the season will be applied to greens, tees and fairways to protect the turf from snow mold.  Immediately following the fungicide applications sand topdressing will be applied to the greens to help insulate the turf during the long, cold winter.

A quick reminder:  The golf course is open to walkers on Thanksgiving day after 11am to allow any frost to burn off.  On Friday, the course will open at 11am and carts will be available, but the Pro Shop is closed. Saturday and Sunday are back to normal operation.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!