Exploring an alternative source

In November, Pinter and Associates Ltd. (geotechnical engineers) were asked conduct a geological study as to whether there was evidence of a possible alternative water source available for irrigating the golf course. The intention is to reduce or, if possible, eliminate the amount of potable water (15,000,000 gallons per year) used to irrigate. The process to date has consisted of drilling three two inch boreholes known as test wells. The wells were bored down to a depth of approximately 40 feet and samples were taken every five feet to be brought back to the lab for analysis.  On Monday December 5th, Pinter and Associates Ltd. returned to further analyse and sample the monitoring wells.  Over the next few weeks they will be generating a report of their findings along with a recommendation as to whether or not it is viable to proceed with the next steps in attempting to extract ground water for the purpose of irrigating the golf course.

Boring test well

Removing soil sample for analysis

Installing test well

Blowing Snow

Typically, seeing a headline as this would mean greens are being cleared and golf is shortly around the corner. However, this winter has not brought average weather and therefore this is not your typical snow blowing.  Having roughly only an inch of snow in some areas on the greens and others that are bare right down to the tarp, we figured we would try an experiment to produce our own snow in order to increase the insulation value. Typically blown snow becomes quite hard packed and in some cases actually forms a bond to the turf or the tarp which is undesireable, however, with the temperature soaring to plus six last Tuesday the result by Thursday was a very hard "crust" layer on top of the snow.  By having the crust on top, we decided this may be a good time to test this theory as the snow blown onto the green would just stay on top of the crust and not form any sort of bond.  On Thursday we hauled five loads of snow from the local hockey rink which was spread out around the green surround and a snow blower was used to blow the snow onto the desired areas.  We will be monitoring conditions such as snow compaction, bonds created with existing snow, bonds created with the tarps, and the insulation value that was created. Determining the insulation value will be done by monitoring crown temperatures under the area where the snow was blown versus and area where it was not. 



Its been a while

Well there is no doubt its been a while and a lot has happened since the last post. I have committed the cardinal sin of blogging.... not keeping up with updates. That being said, I will commit to posting updates on a regular basis from here on out. It is now November and the golf course is closed yet activity still continues within the turfcare department. Preparations made to playing surfaces for winter survival went well this year and were complete and wrapped up ready for the snow on November 10th. Unfortunately, a day of rain came before the snow did and as I write this post we still only have 1 1/2" - 2" of snow on the greens whereas last year at this time we had 5" of snow cover. Weather conditions this time of year play a large part in what type of turf conditions we will have come spring and thus conditions are being monitored closely. Temperatures in the zone known as the "crown", where the plant continues to function during winter months, are being monitored and recorded as weather conditions change. Ice formation on the putting surfaces is also being observed closely. Currently a few greens have some ice formation under the snow cover but to date still seems quite porous and likely will not pose too much of a problem. On a positive note, there are greens that still look very good and as long as the snow shows up before the cold temperatures we should be fine. Below are some pictures showing conditions to which I have made mention of.

Thermometer on top of ice 3 green

Crown temperature under snow and ice on 3 green

Able to poke through ice on 4 green

Crown temperature on exposed area of 6 green

Looking good on 9 green

Insect Repellent

This is a friendly reminder that when applying insect repellent please do so on cart paths or other non turf surfaces.  The picture shown was taken on the 6th tee where repellent was applied.  The foot prints can clearly be seen where the product did not come into contact with the turf.  As you can see, where the repellent does come into contact the turf it causes significant damage and often the turf dies.  Several spots are showing up throughout the course as the mosquito population reach an all time high, so if you are applying repellent please do so in an appropriate area.

Interseeding Complete

What seemed like an entire three weeks of rain following aeration the weather has finally started to cooperate.  On Monday July 3rd,  the first of two interseeding bentgrass into our putting surfaces took place.  This process was started last year and will continue in years to follow incorporating it with our cultural programs.  This method of interseeding and type of bentgrasss seed (T1) has shown promising success, not only what was done last year but also at facilities such as ours (smaller old "push up" style type greens, heavy traffic, shaded areas, etc.).  The idea behind the process is to introduce new bentgrass seed into the putting surfaces with minimal disruption to every day play on the golf course.  Small holes are made into the surface with a tow behind spiker making approximately 75-80 holes per square foot and 1" deep. The seed is then broadcast spread onto the putting surface at a rate of two pounds per thousand square feet, sand is applied, then a brush towed behind a utility vehicle is used with the objective of brushing the seed and sand into the holes.  The green is then rolled and will receives a heavy irrigation cycle that night.

Tow behind spiker

Holes  spiker creates

Joey applying topdressing sand

Sarah brushing sand and seed into holes





Aeration Complete



After getting off to a late start Monday morning due to the rain Sunday evening, we managed to complete all aerating and topdressing yesterday.  This did not come without a great effort put in by the crew.  We started aerifying at 4:00am, all greens were aerified and cores cleaned up by 12:00pm.  With the sun shining and the forecast calling for rain the rest of the week, we pushed hard to get the topdressing process done and by 6:30pm after 14.5 hours, everything was complete.  In the days to come, the rain or irrigation water will push the sand down into the holes and weather pending we will be doing another application of topdressing in combination with our bentgrass interseeding program. Below are some pictures of the process from start to finish.  

 Sarah aerating putting green

Removing cores

Joey applying topdressing sand

Kendra and Sarah working sand into holes

Ryan blowing sand into holes

Andy rolling

Finished product

Aeration - Update

After months of planning and weeks of assembling and preparing equipment, the one thing we can not control does not cooperate, the weather . We were scheduled to begin Sunday at 3:00pm and as the staff started to show up so did the rain. Within 30 minutes it was a steady rain and according to the radar was not going to pass.  As of 4:00pm aeration was called off and postponed to the following day.  The crew will regroup at 4:00am Monday morning and aeration will begin.

Rain is definitely not what is wanted prior to aeration as greens become wet and saturated, thus cores do not pick up as well and topdressing sand is much more difficult, if not impossible at times to work into the holes.  With the intention of completing the process as efficient as possible three aerators will be used. Greens will be cored, picked up and then topdressing will start.  The back seven holes will remain closed, as previously planned, until noon and as such we will focus our topdressing efforts on those greens first.  Once the back seven are finished we will be completing the remaining greens by going in reverse order starting on hole 11 and finishing on hole one. As indicated in an earlier post we work in reverse order in an effort to minimize interruption to golfers.  Again, this is all weather dependent and so far we have not found much fortune in such.  None the less, we will try to make this process as quick and painless as possible.

Aeration

If the weather cooperates, the first aeration of greens will take place Sunday June 12 starting at 3:00pm.  The tee will be closed at this time to make the process go as efficient and smooth as possible.  The intention is to have greens One thru 11 aerated, cores picked up and topdressed by the end of day on Sunday and the first tee open again Monday morning. The process will continue Monday on greens 12 thru 18.  During this time the back 7 holes will be closed until all aeration and topdressing is completed. This, if everything goes well and the weather cooperates, will be approximately 12:00pm. We will be using 5/8" coring tines followed by topdressing with straight sand.  Once the sand is applied and has time to dry on the green a steel mat will be dragged across with the intention to fill all holes.  This year we will be using a turbine blower as a next step to try and get as much sand in the holes as possible as well as assist with any debris that has been left behind.  The final step is the green being rolled and a heavy watering that night.
 
I have attached an animation below which also explains the aeration process quite well

Two-Way Etiquette

It takes a lot of effort and man power to maintain the golf course at a level that meets expectations. With the significant amount of daily play that occurs, efficiency is critical for staff to accomplish daily tasks ahead of play. A task that should take only three hours to complete without play, takes four to five hours to complete in the middle of play.

It is our goal to complete as many tasks as possible before play each and every day, but at times it is not possible due to many factors such as weather, equipment breakdowns or just simply the amount of time it takes to complete a specific task. Staff members are trained to be sensitive to play, but at certain times the job at hand may require the employee's attention causing them to not notice approaching golfers immediatley, or it may be, that completing the task results in better efficiency, both of which would cause a short disruption for the golfer.  When you find yourself approaching maintenance staff please ensure that they are aware of your position. In doing so this will result in an efficient, safe environment for staff and a more pleasurable experience for golfers with the absece of maintenance equipment.

 The following animation is from the USGA and it talks about how play and maintenance can co-exist together



The challenge begins

Ever increasing regulations are seeing the elimination and restriction of popular turf fungicides that have aided superintendents in maintaining golf courses in our harsh conditions. The most recent to be added to this list is quintozene, which, for the last four years we have used to treat our fairways and have had great success at an affordable cost (see above picture). It was announced in the fall of 2010 that as of December 31^st, 2010, quintozene would no longer be registered for use in Canada so we had little time to experiment with other fungicides to find a replacement. We have started experimenting with other options, all while trying to do it at an affordable cost.  In 2010 we treated fairways 4, 8, 12, 14, 15, and 16 with different fungicides that were similar in cost but as you can see by the picture below of the 8^th fairway there was little success.  We will continue to experiment and research new products in order to find a product or combination of products that will be most beneficial in the prevention of snowmold on fairways.

Welcome

Welcome to the Cooke Municipal Golf Course Turfcare Department.  With all the technological ability to get good information out we plan on using this blog to inform and update season pass holders, guests and anyone interested in golf course maintenance. I hope to update this blog at least twice a month and include pictures and videos as my blogging skills improve.  We will discuss golf course conditions, routine maintenance, cultural practices, projects and general education relevant to golf course maintenance.  I am looking forward to this adventure and hope you enjoy the postings of information as we move through the season.