Course Update

Just a reminder that the golf course will be closed Monday and Tuesday, October 14th and 15th for greens aerification.  While the course is closed two different contractors will be on site installing a new power line to the restrooms behind 15 green, and a much-needed guard rail along the cart path from 6 green to 7 tee.  This is the best time to complete these two projects since the course is closed and there won't be any disruption to the membership.

Course Update

Including yesterday's storms, 7.25" of rain has fallen since June 26th.  That's a large amount of water for the course to handle over 15 days, but it could have been a lot worse.  Some areas around us received double that amount.  In my 20+ years of managing golf courses I have come to realize that too much water is far worse than not enough water.  On a positive note, the extended forecast calls for cooler, drier weather over the next several days, then the mercury starts to climb again as we get closer to the Men's Invitational.  The timing couldn't be any better in allowing the course to dry out and firm up for the event.

In addition to cleaning up debris from yesterday's storms, today we were able to mow and roll greens, mow primary and intermediate rough, mow collars, fix washouts and rake all bunkers, spray greens, and trim yardage markers in the fairways and tees.  It's been several days since the last mowing, but tomorrow's plan is to mow fairways, approaches and tees, and we will be spraying fairways.

Tree Stumps...Update

It took a couple weeks, but all 110 tree stumps have been ground and cleaned up.  The final step in the process is to fill the holes with a soil/compost blend and sow seed.  The stumps located in maintained rough areas will be seeded with a Kentucky Bluegrass/Turf-Type Tall Fescue blend, and those in the outer rough will be seeded with a Fine Fescue Links blend.  We will continue to paint the stump areas as ground under repair until the new turf matures and can withstand play.




Grinding stumps at #14 tee

Tree Stumps

Why are there tree stumps with white paint on them?  Over 100 stumps throughout the property need to be removed and have been marked with white paint. The paint makes it easy to see the stumps during tours with contractors who are bidding on the work.  Once stump grinding begins the contractor will move through the property in the most efficient way possible, so please be aware that they will be working in play.  After the stumps are ground the maintenance staff will cleanup the debris, fill the holes with soil, and either seed or sod the area depending on the location.

Aerification Update

It's only been five days since the putting greens were aerified, but I am pleased with the healing thus far.  The two rain events and summer-like temps last week certainly helped, and the mild weather forecasted for next week will make up for this weekend's cold spell.  Speaking of next week, the greens will be mowed once we see enough turf growth to minimize the amount of sand picked up by the mowers.  While the greensmowers are parked, lightweight rollers are being used to smooth the putting surfaces and move sand into the leaf canopy. 

Time To Punch Some Holes

The equipment is ready to go and the weather forecast looks good for greens aerification on Monday. We are using slightly smaller tines than previous aerifications, but are still pulling a core and backfilling with sand.  The reason for using a smaller diameter tine is to reduce the amount of surface disruption which allows the putting surface to heal faster.  I anticipate a full recovery of the greens in two weeks, unless a stretch of really cold weather settles in.  Additionally, the golf course will only be closed on Monday for aerification and will re-open for play Tuesday morning.

Colorful Putting Greens

The putting greens are a mixture of Bentgrass (Agrostis palustris) and Annual Bluegrass (Poa annua).  They typically have a blotchy or patch-like appearance this time of year given normal weather patterns, but the color variation is not an indication of poor turf health.  Bentgrass is the slowest to come out of dormancy, and tends to take on a darker appearance during the cooler months.  Poa on the other hand is first to break dormancy, and is further differentiated based on whether it's a perennial or true annual biotype.  Similar to Bentgrass, the perennial biotypes tend to have a darker appearance, while the annual biotypes appear more lime green.  Some of what you're also seeing is old leaf tissue from last season, which makes the putting surface appear white or tan.  That tissue will be removed with each successive mowing as the plants resume their active growth and produce new tissue.  With a few more warm days and a little rain, the turf will "wake up" and the color variations should be less noticeable.  Thinking back to last season, the variations were not as noticeable because the turf never went completely dormant due to the mild winter and the early, warm spring.

Course Update

Although the calendar says it's Spring, I would argue that Winter had us in a death grip for too long this year.  But that looks to be changing today, as the forecast calls for temps in the 50's and a steady warmup over the next several days.  We'll still have cold mornings and frost delays are very likely this time of year, but the maintenance staff are just as excited as you are to be back outside.

Until now our focus with the full-time staff has been on refurbishing equipment, snow removal, and tree work.  This week a few of the seasonal staff returned and began the annual ritual of course cleanup.  It will take several days to get through the entire course and clean all the playing surfaces prior to the first mowing.  In addition to the cleanup, new hole locations have been cut, and tee markers and bunker rakes have been set out.  Speaking of bunkers, the plan is to begin prepping them next week.  It may take up to a week to clean out the debris, fix washouts and move sand that settled in the low areas from the long Winter.  The other thing I'm sure everyone will start asking about is greens aerification.  As of now, our plan is to begin aerifying on Monday 4/15.  We may need to remain closed on Tuesday 4/16 to complete the process, but that decision will be made next week.



Check out these pictures of the machine used during tree removal to the left of 9 green.

Tree Removal Update

The staff has been making great progress on the tree removal list.  After completing the removals at 14 tee we moved on to 9 green.  We are awaiting a piece of rental equipment that will make the process of removing the last few trees out of the ravine more efficient, and safer.  Right now the only way to remove the wood is by walking up a steep bank that is very slippery.  The rental machine is perfect for this type of work because it will pick up the wood and place it higher on the bank where we can then handle it.  I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures to share with you.  While #9 was on hold we've been able to remove the trees along the back right of 4 green, along the cart path at 17 tee, at the parking area for 8 green, and we are currently working to the left of 14 green.  Most of the removals are Ash trees that were killed by the Emerald Ash Borer, and the remainder are either native Cherry trees that have reached the end of their life span, or Oaks and Maples that are compromising turf health.  I've included some pictures below to illustrate our progress.

Creating more light and airflow left of 9 green

Cutting up trees in ravine at 9 green

4 green - before

4 green - after.  Trees removed back right of green

17 tee - before

17 tee - after

8 green.  Cutting up dead Ash tree

14 green.  Removing dead Ash trees and exposing original rock wall

In Case You Missed It

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Yes, on the right side of this page under the Club's logo is an empty box where you can enter your e-mail address.  After entering an address hit the submit button and every time a new post is added you will automatically receive an e-mail containing the post, including any pictures along with a link back to the blog.  This is also an easy way to share information by forwarding the e-mail you receive to others not familiar with the blog.

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Thanks for your continued interest!

Tree Removal

Here at Diamond Run, trees are removed for safety reasons and/or to improve the health of the turf.  Safety is always our top priority, and dead or declining trees pose a hazard to everyone who uses the golf course.  As for turf health, removing trees is sometimes the only option in providing acceptable playing conditions.  The foliage from trees growing too close to greens and tees will prevent sufficient sunlight exposure and air circulation for optimal turf growth.  As I became familiar with the golf course last season, numerous trees were identified that fit the criteria above.  The first area we addressed was the grove of trees to the right of #14 tees.  All of the trees there were either dead, or in a state of decline that posed a major safety hazard, and had to be removed.  The area we began working on most recently is to the left of #9 green.  The location of the green and the density of trees causes significant turf thinning every year and will continue unless more sunlight and air circulation is provided.

#14 tee - notice the deadwood (hazards) in all the tree tops

#9 green on July 25th at 9am - dense tree canopy on the
left provides undesirable morning shade

Deep Freeze

The frigid temperatures we experienced this morning were some of the coldest that I can remember in several years.  And even though we don't always like it, the cold weather benefits the golf course.  Freeze/thaw cycles, along with frost heaving, is nature's way of aerifying and occurs when soil moisture freezes.  The resulting ice fractures the soil and literally pushes it apart, creating new channels for air and water.  As the temperature warms in the Spring the heaved soil will return to normal as it thaws, but some of the fractures that formed during the winter will remain.  These fractures allow for improved air, water, and nutrient movement, which ultimately leads to new root growth.  The other benefit of cold weather is the suppression of insect, fungal pathogen, and weed populations.  Mild winters the last couple of years have allowed the populations of these pests to grow, and our primary means of control has been through chemical use (insecticides, fungicides & herbicides).  If we continue to experience freezing temperatures over the next couple of months the populations could be reduced to a level that allows us to use less pesticides during the season.

Course Update 1/11/2013

Even though the forecast calls for milder temps, the golf course will be closed to all play this weekend.  There was still a considerable amount of snow in some areas this morning, which when combined with the rainfall during the day and already saturated ground, leads to an extremely wet golf course.  Compaction occurs very easily under these conditions, and walking on saturated turf can have lingering effects.  A good practice after snow melt/rain events during the winter is to check all the surface drains and make sure they are not blocked and working properly.  Standing water around a backed up drain will turn into ice which can kill turf if it persists for too long.