A New Season Begins - Greens Open

In just a few days meteorologic spring, or the Vernal Equinox, will occur and a new season will be upon us. As is suppose to happen, the sun is rising higher on the horizon (actually the earth tilts on it's axis), daytime temperatures are becoming mild, and nighttime temperatures are remaining above freezing. Overall, it's a beautiful thing! And as such, with ground conditions reasonably dry, and covers removed yesterday (warm temps can accelerate too much growth under covers), I see no reason to not take advantage of the nice weather opportunity and roll, set hole locations, put flagsticks in, and open greens for play!

 Covers being removed for first time in 2011

This may be a record for green opening but at least this one is a desirable record. We had a year of extreme records (or near records) last year, and a winter with near record snowfall, so we might as well keep the record streak going! Hopefully we don't have any severe weather records this summer! 

If you do get a chance to play during this mild weather break, keep in mind that with this very early opening, you will still see evidence of the aeration from late last fall. In addition, the greens will not be mowed just yet, as it's likely temperatures will drop again (after all we are in Chicagoland!) and I want to keep the little extra turf cover that we now have (from the covers protecting and warming), until night time temps are consistently above freezing.

     First rolling. This settles natural soil heaving that occurs in winter and smooths surface. 

Photo shows enhanced green-up from covers on practice green and number nine green in the distance. 

Another thing to remember in the days to come is that we are in our "Cover Shuffle" period and so greens may be recovered for a few days (all depending on temperature lows) then re-opened, and then this sequence may repeat until mild temperatures prevail. In doing this we retain the advantages of the covers (early spring green-up, root and shoot growth acceleration, aeration healing, and more) and yet control growth so as too not allow excessive shoot growth.

I have much more to comment on concerning current course conditions and varied maintenance activities in progress so look for more information to follow soon but for now...Happy Spring!

A Whirlwind of Activities Completed

It's been a week (or I should say less than a half week) of frenetic pace as we completed several "winterization" tasks. The forecast is showing temperatures to fall into the teens overnight Thanksgiving into Friday, and remain below freezing thereafter, for at least a couple days. These extended low temperatures will likely begin to freeze the soil surface and so in essence, it was time to "put the course to bed".
In the last three days we've accomplished:

• Deep, Solid Tine Aeration of Greens
• Rolling to Smooth (Greens)
• Sand Topdressing & Brushing (Greens)
• Plant Protectant Applications for Snow Mold Diseases (Greens, Tees, Fairways, & Bunker Faces)
• Late-Season Nutrient Applications (Greens, Tees, Approaches & Fairways)
• Covering of Greens and several Tees
• Winterizing Irrigation System
• Renovation of Tee Surrounds at No. 10. (near completion)

 Jacob (on #2 Grn) and Rafa (on #13 Grn) performing Deep Aeration (1/2" dia. x 10" deep)

Having second tractor/aerator unit (our much older unit was down for repairs several times during process) was compliments of  Lake Shore Country Club and Supt., Jeff Frentz. This was a HUGE help and we couldn't have completed all we needed to this week without, "getting by with a little help from  our friends" !

 Channels created will aide moisture movement off surface and provide oxygen and gas exchange during winter months, and help allow deeper root growth in spring.

Rolling followed Deep Aeration and then Sand Topdressing (shown above) followed. Applying sand now helps protect the crowns of the turf (the point where shoot growth originates) throughout winter.

 

 Brushing, (to smooth and incorporate sand) followed Topdressing.

 

 Plant Protectant Applications followed to guard against Snow Mold Diseases. All Greens, Tees, Approaches, Fairways, and Bunker Faces were treated.

 

 Ryan applies Nutrients (mostly slow release for early spring availability) after Plant Protectant App. had dried. Similar nutrient applications were also applied to Tees, Approaches, Fairways, Green and Tee Surrounds, and high traffic areas in the Rough.

 Final Greens task was placing and securing Greencovers.

Staples are used to secure them and they cannot be installed once the ground is frozen. Hence the urgency this week, as temps will soon be falling sharply!

 Winterizing Irrigation System - Compressed air is used to "blow out" all lines, sprinkler heads, pump station equipment, and pond fill lines.

It was a little cold outside the last couple days! 

Ice formation from a nearby sprinkler being activated to blow out water.

 Sneaking in an improvement project before the ground freezes (and sod becomes unavailable)

Replacing contaminated sod on slope surrounding No. 10 tees. 

 

Old tie steps and dated landscape was removed to provide a look more similar to all of our other tees. A small set of rough timber steps will be installed if deemed necessary in future.

Greens "Put to Bed" and ready for a long winter's nap!

With it being Thanksgiving today I can't help thinking about the many things I'm thankful for, but one for sure is my terrific Grounds Operation Staff. Time and time again during this challenging year, they have answered the call. Whatever the situation; from ice in the winter; to floods in the spring (and again in summer); to heat in the summer; to tournament preparations and recovery tasks; to completing myriad special projects; and now to multiple winterization tasks in a few short days, over and over again they have answered the call of duty!

I couldn't be more thankful! 

Happy Thanksgiving to All! 

Covers Off - Greens look, well,...Green!

With the snow gone, ice finally melted, and forecast temperatures mild during the day and above freezing at night, the green covers have now been removed! We now enter a period I call the "cover shuffle" which means we'll leave the covers near the greens and if the nighttime temperatures are forecast to drop below freezing, we'll put them back on. When the nighttime temperatures again reach above freezing, we'll take them back off again. This on and off covering/recovering process will continue until temperatures ultimately moderate.  It's a tedious task, and we always look forward to a long stretch of days/nights where we can keep them off and let them acclimate, but I believe if we don't replace them during these temperature drops, we'll likely have a reduction of some of the benefits the covers provide.

 A Green Cover being removed

Benefits of Green Covers:

• Protection against desiccation (drying) in an open winter. (Not a concern this year with extended snow cover!)
• Protection from animal activity such as deer and geese.  Both tend to dislike covers. 
• Prevents debris and animal waste (deer, geese, coyote) accumulation over winter.
• Allows us to perform aeration later into the fall and extend the playing quality of putting surfaces.
• Provides enhanced green-up and root growth as covers accelerate soil warming. 
• Helps us achieve smoother, truer, ball roll in an earlier time frame.

Back of #15 Green - Nice & Green...just in time for St. Patty's Day!

We began rolling the greens today and we'll likely begin to mow them tomorrow.  Also began rolling fairways to firm them and settle some of the natural frost heaving that occurs when the soil freezes.  More information on all these activities will be posted shortly.

  

A Good Bit O' the Green

St. Patrick's Day is on Wednesday next week and aside from the usual reasons to celebrate, this year (due to some very favorable developments just this week) there are plenty of additional reasons!

It's hard to believe but just a few short days ago the course was still blanketed by snow.  We've had a winter with a generous helping of the fluffy white stuff, in fact I believe it's the seventh snowiest on record. With temperatures well into the 50's this week, the blanket is no more.  Snow melted...Reason #1 to celebrate!

 Snow cover on Monday 3/8

Snow melted by Friday 3/12

The mostly continuous snow covering this winter has really tested the efficacy and length of protection of our late fall applied plant protectants used to manage snow mold disease activity.  Many areas in the untreated rough have a greater than usual presence of both Typhula and Microdochium fungi, commonly known as, Gray and Pink Snow Mold.  These diseases typically cause foliar blighting but no crown or root damage so recovery will occur from these unaffected plant parts, in a reasonable length of time. Our fall applied nutrients will help accelerate recovery as soon as soil temperatures rise, at which time they will become available for plant uptake. Fortunately, the areas we apply protectants to, the greens, tees, approaches, and fairways,have little to no activity. As with the rough, the amount of disease is more than I've seen in many years (in spite of our treatments) but overall less than many other fellow Agronomists and many Plant Pathologists expected, given the lengthy period of snow cover. Less disease than expected...Reason #2 to celebrate!

 Snow Mold disease fairly prevalent in untreated rough (foreground) but fortunately minimal in green, tee, and fairway areas.

Along the same lines of continuous snow coverage, a great concern of mine, and many of my colleagues, has been the lengthy covering of ice. You can review our snow and ice removal efforts in my January blog posts which, at the time, were performed at what perhaps could have been the upper limits of time that poa annua (a significant plant species component of our turf) is thought to withstand ice covering or encasement. Since those days back in late January I've been wondering if we would have ice encasement injury on #11 green, one of two greens that was rather severely damaged last year. After "flood melting" the snow off #11 green, and then warm temperatures thawing the soil enough so that we could pull the staples, we were able to turn back the cover for a good look. We're not completely "out of the woods yet" (a sudden drop to sub-freezing temperatures could happen and could result in crown hydration injury) but each passing day brings us closer to spring temperatures and beyond the threat of winter injury.

 Thick (3-4") ice coverage on #11 Green in Dec. & Jan.   

        

 
Breaking and removing ice on #11 Green 

                          

 The result of our uncovering was a huge sigh of relief as we found very minimal, essentially typical early spring, slight turf discoloration. No apparent ice or other winter injury symptoms...Reason #3 to really Celebrate!

 First uncovering of #11 Green revels little to no winter injury!  

 Another Green (#2) with a Good bit o' green!

The Luck o' the Irish must be with us! (Along with the luck we created for ourselves with our management practices and products we used to protect our turf this past winter!)  Now let's hope the luck stays with us all summer long, and especially through the Western Amateur Championship!

All Covered Up

I started this post a few weeks ago and then had a few difficulties getting pictures uploaded but now these issues have been resolved. At the time we had just covered (thinking we were just in time for that matter!) the greens, as the temperatures were dipping below freezing, snowfall was predicted, and accumulation was likely.

 Green covering took place on Dec. 2nd &3rd

The date of our annual green covering, and the closing of the greens until spring, varies from year to year (dictated by freezing temperatures) and is preceded by several tasks including; deep tine aeration, topdressing, setting temporary hole locations in the approaches, nutrient applications (designed to be available for plant uptake as soon as the grounds thaws in early spring), and a final plant protectant application.
This final plant protection, which helps control fungi that cause snow mold diseases, is applied as late in the year as possible, and as close to what we believe (a little weather prediction involved) could be a lasting snow cover. A good hard freeze prior to, and then a nice blanket of snow, is always preferred, since snow falling on unfrozen ground can actually insulate it and provide an ideal environment for certain snow mold fungi, but we can't control this.  What we can do is apply protection products before snow is expected and this was completed just prior to our placing of the greens covers.

For the twentieth year now we have used greens covers which are a permeable material made with a double layer, woven, translucent polyethylene and bonded with a unique lace coating. I believe they have been very beneficial for the following reasons:

• Protect against the desiccating affects of cold dry wind should it be an "open" low snow cover winter.
• Protect against debris and other undesirable accumulation and damage from geese, deer, and coyote.
• Protect against walkers, cross country skiers, joggers, etc., when greens are frost covered.
• Enhances soil warming in early spring leading to earlier root growth, and earlier dormancy break and spring green up.   
• Allows late season aeration versus more common immediate post Labor Day timing, providing a longer period, well into late fall, of undisturbed putting surfaces. 
• Should damage occur due to disease or ice (covers allow air and moisture to pass so ice can still accumulate) the covers will enhance new seed germination from overseeding and general plant recovery.

 All tucked in for winter!

Well, as it turned out, our covering process was indeed quite timely as the ground froze and has remained frozen since then. Snow cover has been nearly continuous, at least in the shorter turf areas (greens, tees, and fairways) where the soil is not as well insulated by the plants as it is in longer turf (rough) areas. Yesterday a new blanket of the fluffy white stuff fell and more is falling as I write this, so Mother Nature has the entire course well covered at the moment and it appears as though it will be this way for some time. It's quite nice for Christmas and it protects in much the same way that our green covers do, but a mid-winter thaw often occurs and the green covers will then, and continuing on into spring, provide the many valuable benefits that they have for many past years.

Mother Nature's Natural Covering!

The Green Cover Shuffle

And they’re off…

I suppose I could have started by, “And we’re off”, since this is just our 2nd post in the launch of our new blog, but what I’m referring to are the green covers. Yes, the covers are off, but don’t get too excited just yet, as unfortunately the cold is not quite gone for good. But, with the temperatures finally warming yesterday, and with the next few days looking to remain rather mild, the time is right to pull them off for now.

At this point in the early spring we begin the “cover shuffle”. It’s the term I’ve affectionately given to the task of repeatedly pulling the green covers off when it’s mild, and putting them back on when the temperatures again drop below freezing. You may ask, “Why not just wait until it stays above freezing and then pull them off just once”? Oh, I wish it were that easy!

The covers serve several functions such as:

· Protection against desiccation due to cold, brisk winter winds during periods of no or very little snow cover
· Minimize deer, geese, and other mammal damage
· Protection against foot traffic frost damage by uninformed players, dog walkers, etc
· Allow us to shift our aeration later in the fall - covers provide enhanced growth; therefore, improving recovery time and closure of the holes
· Enhancing early spring root growth and most notable, spring green-up.

Below are examples of the issues minimized by the use of our green covers.
(CLICK ON ANY PICTURES IN THIS & ANY FUTURE POSTS TO ENLARGE THEM)

It’s rather striking when we first pull the covers off (as shown below), and many of you may not have seen this before. Fortunately, the new blog makes it possible for us to post photos of this, and many other things, as soon as we see them.

As I stated, the green covers enhance spring growth and green-up. They do this rather well as temperatures, sunshine, and day length increase, and because of this, we must carefully manage their use. Left on too long the covers will lead to excessive growth of a weak, spindly, off- colored, and disease prone conditions. Removed too early, and frost and freezing weather will quickly negate the many benefits gained. So, until the temperatures moderate and the low temperatures remain above freezing we’re in “cover shuffle” mode.

This year we have an added challenge of trying to slow growth slightly more than in the past, as we plan to engage our full labor resources later than usual. We’re hoping for periods of mild days, where we can pull the covers for several days at a time, letting the greens acclimate slowly and gradually green-up and grow, opposed to periods of widely fluctuating temperatures.

Hopefully, this post gives you more insight about the benefits and management our greens covering practice. This is the 19th winter season I’ve used covers (they last about 8 -9 years), and I must say, they have proven very beneficial.

The winter is not over, but the greens should be off to a great start, as they look very healthy, with no disease or damage. Our late fall, deep tine aeration holes/channels are still visible at this point, but the cover will go back on early next week with additional recovery to follow.

We’ll keep you posted, so check back often! Thanks for visiting!