Latest updates for Sand Creek Country Club Grounds and Greens
Due to the weather the course is now closed for the winter. The Lake 9 has temporary cups in the approaches and is open for winter play.
The green are put to "bed" in the winter. It is a multi-step process we use that involves the following:
Mow the greens one last time
Blow off any debris
Spray preventive snow mold product
Topdress with sand to cover grass
The Topdressing helps protect the crowns of the plant from freezing injury or drying out during the harsh winter months
We had a rough stretch of mid 90's highs and mid 70's lows 2 weeks ago. This past week had 70's highs and a few 50's lows. Our bent/poa mix greens perform much better in the lower temp range. When the temp and humidity are high this allows the bent and poa to grow at different rates and creates a puffy surface. Expect to get a much smoother ball roll as this weather pattern continues.
After the 4" of rain we got in the last 10 days the rough is happy again. We are getting after it with everything we have. Four rough mowers with operators going at 12 hours per day which is just keeping up with growth. Accuracy trumps distance until we are able to get this under control!
Friday morning we saw the rain approaching from the northwest. We decided this was a good time to start applying our first wetting agent application to the fairways. Two different products are applied that do two different things. One product is designed to retain water in the root zone for up to 30 days. The other is designed to help the water penetrate to the root zone resulting in healthier turf and firmer conditions. Together these allow us to use the irrigation system less and improve playability.
Here we are watering in the application for a few minutes before the rain arrives.
One thing we struggle with at Sand Creek on our 3 nines is keeping all 29 greens consistent with firmness and speed. Out ultimate goal is to have every greens playing the exact same throughout the day.
It has been a process but we are making strides and I feel better about it now than in my first season here.
We do most of our greens maintenance and Monday thru Wednesday and then push for better ball roll and consistency on Thursday they Sunday. It will be this way until we get a few things under control.
The main factors that contribute to smooth ball roll are: mowing height, grass blade texture, upright growth habits, sand Topdressing for smoothness and moisture amounts.
We have been specifically been working on the creek greens to promote upright growth and remove the amount of grass "laying over". This can impact ball roll especially in the afternoon when the grass blades stand up and "grab" the ball. We have been aggressively Verticutting when weather is right, blooming to stand blades up, and Topdressing weekly to smooth the surface.
We have seen much improvement from last year and will continue to be vigilant in these practices until we are in more of a maintain mode rather than a reactive which is what it takes currently.
Last year we were not able to walk mow greens to due the puffiness which led to scapling on every green. I felt we have made enough improvement to firm up the greens and we brought the walk mowers back out yesterday. After 2 days of walk mowing I am pleased with the results. We saw minimal scalping mainly on creek 5,6,7 and 8. The walk mowing will continue which always leaves a cleaner cut.
Last Monday we aerified the Lake 9 greens and filled completely with sand. After 3 tenths of a pound per 1000 square feet of nitrogen fertilizer and 1.4" of rain Monday morning they are healed all the way. Here is a picture from last Tuesday and today.
Also, we were able to brush and cut the creek greens yesterday. This stands the grass up and gives us a cleaner cut. We are slowly getting rid of the "sideways" growth habit of our grass and moving towards a more straight growth habit and increased density. This results in better ball roll and a firmer surface that can withstand the traffic green surfaces get.
We successfully finished aerifying the lake greens this past week. They healed up extremely quick and are ready for play. We are still using the creek and marsh as the main rotation currently.
We were able to aerify the Lake 9 greens on Monday. The process went as follows:
1. Double Verticut
2. Blow to clean off debris.
3. Double cut the green
4. Topdress heavily
5. Poke holes
6. Drag sand into the holes
7. Backpack blow to fill and clean
It's a tedious process, but it works.
We also have been doing lots of landscape improvements around the clubhouse. I will get some pictures and update you on that soon.
After .8" overnight we delayed the aerification of the Lake greens until the forecast looks better. Instead we were able to double Verticut the lake greens. We also put out a sand Topdressing on the creek and marsh greens followed by a fertilizer for health purposes. We also were also able to get all the fairways cut in case we get more rain this evening. The first pic is marsh 2 after a light sand dressing. The second pic is a before and after of what a Verticutting does which I will into more later. What do you think Verticutting does for the greens by looking at the side by side pictures?
We got just over 2" of rain since Monday night. Last year this time of year the greens would have been very soft all week. The last blog post showed us applying a wetting agent to help move excess water through the rootzone while at the same time holding some of the rainwater so the roots get what they need. I've been impressed with how firm the greens are right now and it shows we are making progress through Verticutting, Topdressing with sand, and using the proper nutrients and wetting agents.
This morning we put a light sand Topdressing on all the greens followed by a wetting agent and fertilizer application. The sand will smooth the surface to improve consistent ball roll. The wetting agent helps to make the water in the sand below the grass more uniform. This provides a more consistent, firm feel to the greens and also allows us to water less often.
After the sand and spray are applied we water it in for 15 minutes with our overhead sprinklers to move it down off the grass blades.
A reminder that the Marsh 9 will open for play next Friday the 24th. We will begin to aerify the Lake 9 on Tuesdat the 28th and plan on having it back open for play on June 7th. Thank you for your patience during this important process as we improve playing conditions.
Every spring at each course that has cool season grass in the rough most superintendents get asked why is it so thick and tall. There is almost always a flush of growth this time of year during prime growing conditions for cool season grasses like we have in the rough. We are mowing it 2.5 to 3 times per week and are still having trouble keeping up with the growth. This will soon pass and we will see normal conditions when the ball is just off the fairway.
With the rain and warmer temperatures the rough is really taking off. We are having a hard time keeping up with growth right now. The broadleaf weeds are in full swing also.
Reminder that Marsh 9 aerification starts tomorrow
We are aerifying all practice areas today and started on the Creek fairways. We plan to have all the Creek fairways and approaches done by Thursday. The practice area will be done and cleaned up today
It's cool out, but with this run of dry weather we are taking the opportunity to aerify our driving range tee. It's not disruptive and we will do this a few times in the spring to firm up the surface.
During frost delays its a good time for our turf team to clean our work area and pieces of expensive equipment. We have jobs lined up each morning in case we are not able to get on the course right away.
Course cleanup has begun in preparation for the 2013 season. Some of the crew returned on Monday to rake up debris that winter left behind. We will be opening the Lake 9 on Saturday cart path only. Please call the golf shop for more information. Here's to a wonderful golf season.
