Bunker Work at #3

Last week Nick worked on the left green side bunker on #7, this week he is repairing and adjusting the bunker edge on #3. With the original construction there was a small collection area in this bunker that left the golfer with a real difficult shot. We are adjusting the edge of the bunker, bringing it in slightly. Our hope is now if your ball is in the bunker the player can stand in the sand to take the shot and not have to be standing on the turf about 18 inches above the ball.

In the past 8 years a great deal of sand has been blasted onto the face of the bunker. You can see anywhere from 12-18 inched of sand has built up. We are not going to remove all of the sand. This would entail totally rebuilding the face of the bunker and I don't think we want to do that since the turf is very healthy.

And speaking of healthy, the roots of these plants are growing all the way through the sand. Who say's you need to have balanced soils to a healthy plant system?

The finished product.

More Fall Projects

Today Nick completed the repair of the front left bunker on 7 green. Over the past 8 years the face of the green side bunker was beginning erode from golfer wear and tear. In the process of rebuilding the bunker we wanted to make sure we mimicked the original construction by our architect Ron Prichard. In order to do that we had to create the edge of the bunker using burlap bags. The slope of the bunker was then back filled and the top of the burlap bag was covered with soil. It should also be noted that the bags needed to be filled about 3/4th full of soil and tamped into place with a square edge.
Once tamped and back filled, the sod could then be laid over the soil and rolled over the burlap bag and into the bunker edge. The sod is then left covering the bag and sand is pushed up to cover the sod. As the sod roots into the soil and the bag we are then left with an edge that provides the laced edge look. A classic bunker look to a classic golf course.

Tree Root Pruning

Trees on a golf course, love them or hate them, either way they need to be managed. When most people think tree management they usually think about tree trimming, pruning of the branches, or managing for disease or insect infestation. As a turf manager we also need to address the impact trees have on the turf. Tree roots although they remain unseen, they can create a great deal of damage to the turf. Damage that usually seems to be a secondary issue, but quite frankly can be the root (no pun intended) of the problem.

Tree roots can grow right into the greens and rob the turf of the water and nutrients needed to grow properly. This past week Rick trenched around the 5th green on the left and back side of the green. There is a large American elm on the left, 2 large oaks and a basswood to the back of the green. As Rick trenched he cut thousands of feeder roots as well as roots measuring 1-2 inches in diameter. After trenching a barrier fabric was installed in the trench so the tree roots could no longer grow in the direction of the green.

For years we have struggled with the health of the turf on the 5th green. Hopefully by cutting the tree roots the health of the turf will gradually improve over the next few years.

Seeding Bentgrass into Fairways

This past week we slit seeded bentgrass into some of our weaker fairway locations. Of course these weaker fairway turf areas are made up of predominately poa annua. During the course of the summer the weaker, shallower rooted poa annua in many areas on the edges of our fairways around our fairway bunkers checked out. A combination of heat stress as well a loss of poa annua from a disease called Summer Patch, we were left with some pretty thin turf.

During the week of aeration we core aerated the weaker turf areas. This week we slit seeded bentgrass into these same areas. It's getting a little late in the season for seeding bentgrass, but we are hopeful we will see some germination as well as establishment. For the next few weeks we will keep these areas roped off. We want to keep cart traffic off the seeded areas as much as we can so we can increase our chances of success.

Over the past 3 years we have seen a huge swing in our bentgrass population on fairways. So much so that now the majority of our clean-up pass areas (the area where our fairway mower cuts the edge of the fairway) have converted to creeping bentgrass. The only areas where we still have a good stand of poa annua is the edges of fairways next to fairway bunkers and on only a few locations where the fairway and the approach intersect. In another 1-2 seasons I expect the majority of all of these areas to have fully converted to creeping bentgrass. With a few adjustments to our management practices in these areas know we can turn these areas around.

Aeration Week

Looks like the weather is not going to cooperate for us today, drizzle and 15-30 mph winds. The course is closed today so we can begin the process of aerating the course. Today we are in the process of topdressing and deep tine aerating the greens. Unfortunately with the wet weather we might not get the sand broomed on the greens. If this is the case we will wait until tomorrow to complete this process.



For the fairways we are solid tine aerating so there are no cores being pulled. This cultural practice works basically in any weather condition. Although this process is less disruptive for the golfers we will try to complete this task as quickly as we can.



Areas on fairway edges where poa annua is the dominant species we are core aerating these areas. The cores are being removed and then we will over-seed these areas with creeping bentgrass and heavily topdress with sand. These areas will also be roped off to keep our staff as well as golfers from driving in these locations.


For many many years, every year we aerate the 18th fairway there is a section that runs across the fairway that we can't aerate due to an old irrigation pipe that is buried in the fairway. We finally decided to dig the pipe out of the fairway. Once this 4" galvanized pipe is removed, Rick will begin installing drainage into this location on the fairway. If all goes well Rick should have this project completed by either today or at the latest, tomorrow morning.



Due to the cool wet weather we have been experiencing, but fairway bunker faces have become quite thick. Since the course is closed today we are using this opportunity to trim the bunker faces down. Once the fescue is cut down another crew rakes the debris and cleans the bunker area. This task will take the crew the majority of the day to complete.

A View From the Passengers Seat

In this months The Minikahda Columns September Newsletter, my dog Pepper took over the duties of writing this months Eagle Eye column. I think she did a great job. If you get a chance to talk to her make sure you mention the column, she loves to get positive feedback.




A View from the Passengers Seat
By Pepper Hemmingway

I’m back at the computer giving the boss break so he can spend some time on the course and less time in the office. It seems to me last year I started my article writing about the cool summer we were having, well it looks like this summer was quite the opposite. I know because it was sure hot at the end of July and the first two weeks in August. Now, I have only been around for 12 years and the boss has been in the business for almost 20 and if he says he can’t recall a stretch of weather like we just had, then it must have been a rough stretch.

Apparently when there are extended periods of hot humid weather and nighttime temperatures stay in the 70’s and dew points remain in the 70’s this creates ideal environmental conditions for disease incidence. The boss and staff were busy treating greens, tees and fairways for fungal pathogens during this period of weather. I know, because when the boss hops on a sprayer, I’m relegated to my office bed until he comes back. There was a great deal of chatter amongst the staff about diseases such as brown patch, summer patch, dollar spot and pythium. It appears they’ve got it all under control. It also helps when the weather conditions changed for the better, disease pressure is reduced and the need to apply fungicides is not so necessary.

Not only have we had a hotter than normal summer, there has also been a great deal of rain, sometimes a little too much rain, in the form of downpours. This is not something the boss enjoys seeing, but he doesn’t mind as much with the new bunker design. No longer do the bunkers wash out to the degree they used too and there is little to no contamination from the silt and dirt which just creates a muddy bunker.

Due to all the rain and high humidity the dependence on irrigation water to maintain the golf course has been reduced this season. On average the golf course will require from 25-30 million gallons of water in a season. This summer, year-to-date, only 12 million gallons have been utilized. As we head into fall season the plants requirement for water decreases. By year end the boss expects our total water usage to be well below previous years.

The rain has definitely helped reduce water usage, but another factor is the overall increase in creeping bentgrass on the fairways. This turf species requires less water than the shallow rooted poa annua. Through management techniques of deep and infrequent watering, creeping bentgrass plants can develop deeper roots. Deeper turf plant roots equates to less water and less water helps provide firmer golf conditions and can reduce disease incidence. A deeper rooted plant also requires less fertility inputs. It sounds like there are many benefits to continue to encourage creeping bentgrass as the dominant turf species on the golf course. I may be just a dog but you didn’t know I knew so much about turf management did you?

Fall is a great time of year and a great time to play some golf. I love it because the squirrels are busy storing food for the winter and everyone knows me and my pal Cooper the Yellow Lab, love to chase those squirrels. Remember to check out the boss’s blog sight at www.minikahdagrounds.blogspot.com and follow him on Twitter for course condition updates at www.twitter.com/MinikahdaTurf. Until next year, I will see you on the course.

Fall Projects

There is a still a lot of golf to be played this year and for the Grounds Department, there are still a lot of projects we want to have completed before the covers are placed on the greens. This year aeration is scheduled for the week of Labor Day. On Tuesday the 7th the course will be closed. We will begin the aeration process on Tuesday the 7th and it will continue throughout the week.

Aeration Schedule
Sept 7th-Deep tine aerate greens, roll, topdress and fertilize.
Begin solid tine aeration of Fairways
We will also be core aerating high poa populated areas on fairways and over-seeding these areas with creeping bentgrass
Sept 8th-Deep tine aerate approaches, roll and topdress
Sept 9th-Solid tine aerate tees, roll and topdress

If the weather cooperates and we have no major equipment issues we should be able to complete the entire aeration process by the end of the week.

6 Tee Stone and Timbers

The old timber edging, timber steps and Pillsbury stone along the 6th tee walk path will all be removed and replaced starting the week of September 20th. West Lake Landscape from Hopkins is the contractor who will be working on this project. This project is quite in depth and will take at least 4 weeks to complete. But once complete this will be the last of the timbers that need to be replaced on the course. Nine years ago we set out to have complete consistency with our landscape throughout the course. This is the last area on the course to have the timbers phased out and the lannen stone phased in.

Drainage

As we work toward increasing our creeping bentgrass population on the fairways we are working hard toward increasing surface drainage wherever we have areas where water stands following heavy rains or extended periods of rain. This past spring we added drainage to fairways 5, 9 and 13 as well as the approach on 16. The next area we will be working is the 18th fairway. First there is an old steel irrigation pipe that's very shallow and needs to be removed before any drainage can be installed. We have good bentgrass in this area of the fairway, but its difficult to maintain firm conditions during periods of extended wet weather, so adding drainage to this area will greatly improve the quality of this fairway area.

Bunker Repair and Maintenance
Due to the excessive temperatures we experienced this summer we have some areas on bunker edges and bunker faces that will require some additional attention. The second week in August we recorded greens surface temperatures reaching 130 degrees, soil temperatures close to 90 degrees. Plants don't function well in those conditions. Those were greens surface temperatures, I have no idea what the temperature was in the bunkers. Turf growing on bunker edges suffered, in some areas more than others and repair will be required.

We have struggled with the quality of the turf on the bunker faces on the left fairway bunker on 16 as well as the first fairway bunker on the right of 16. These are south facing bunkers and additional irrigation is needed. We will be pulling pop-up irrigation heads onto the shoulders. This will allow us to supplement these faces with additional irrigation as needed.

1 Tee Sod Job

The back right corner of the first tee receives a great deal of foot traffic throughout the season. No matter what the maintenance practices are it's difficult to maintain quality turf. On a given round there are typically four players and anywhere from 2-4 caddies that congregate in this area. Last week Rick Krause sodded this area. We will keep it roped off for a number of weeks until the sod has completely knitted and healed.

Following Labor Day we will begin working on these projects and do our best to have them all completed this fall and I'm sure there will be a lot more we can add to the list.

Dutch Elm Disease

Next Monday we will be removing the large American elm tree behind the 13th green. About 3 years ago this tree showed signs for Dutch elm disease. Since that time we have tried yearly fungicide treatments to protect the tree and in hopes that it would overcome this deadly disease. Unfortunately the tree has lost the battle and will need to be removed. Tim's Tree Service will be removing the tree Monday morning.

Going Organic?

Organic Golf Course Article

A very good article in the New York Times regarding the Vineyard Golf Club on Martha's Vineyard and their 100% organic approach to managing a golf course. I have often thought that managing a golf course organically could quite possibly be a due able concept. There would need to be some creativity on the Superintendents part and it would require some help from those in the organic farming industry to aid with the process, especially when it comes to insect control. In the process communication to golfers and dealing with loss of turf, especially in the early years would need to be tolerated. After a season like we endured this year with extremely high disease pressure, it would be interesting to see how that could be handled. I think its extremely important for us as Superintendents to think about the concept and go through the thought process as to what could be done to reduce our dependence on fungicides and insecticides. Changing our approach to how we manage with less fertilizer and less pesticides is not an easy proposition and yes at times it takes some GUTS. But change is never easy and going against what has been the norm for the past 30 years and traveling the road less traveled, some times you end up walking alone on the path.

This past 6 weeks, based on environmental conditions, has been one of the most difficult I can remember in my 20 years in the business. The heat, humidity and moisture produced by Mother Nature forced some extremely difficult disease pressure on us. The past 3 summers have been a cake walk compared to this summer. Summer patch, brown patch, dollar spot and pythium, diseases that at times were simultaneously active. I don't recall EVER seeing that in the past. Throughout the tough stretch of weather, yes we applied fungicides to protect our fine turf sward, but we have still reduced our overall dependence on fungicide as well as fertilizers in the past 3 years. In the past we were on a strict preventative fungicide regiment on greens, tees and fairways. Now we continue to treat greens regularly but tees and fairways are only treated on an as needed basis.

By treating only when required it forces us to be more diligent watching the extended weather forecast as well as our scouting for disease incidence on the course and then deciding if we need to make an application or will the weather change and the disease pressure changes and an application would not have been required. Sometimes the weather pattern dictates we spray, whether or not we have seen any fungal activity or not. The last 2 weeks were a good example of that. We knew night time temperatures were going to be in the 70's and daytime temps in the 90's with dewpoints in the 70's for an extended period of time. We treated greens, tees and fairways, knowing full well that pressure for brown patch was ideal. We also were required to spot treat fairways for pythium, multiple times.

Now with cooler nights and limited hot days we will monitor as the conditions dictate and will apply fungicides as we feel are required. But as the temperatures continue to decline and the humidity and dewpoints stay low we might very well be able to not make another fungicide application to tees and fairways until we begin to make our snow mold protection applications in the middle of October. Now wouldn't that be nice.

Wall Street Journal Article

This Wall Street Journal Article does a great job explaining the stressful summer it has been throughout the country and what golf courses have been dealing with. Thankfully we have not endured these types of conditions in our area(or at least not to this degree), but the past two weeks have been the worst weather conditions in the Minneapolis area regarding heat and continual humidity we have experienced in a long long time. Disease pressure has been off the charts. We have experienced brown patch, pythium blight, dollar spot and summer patch all at the same time. Other courses in the area are also dealing with these issues as well as anthracnose, another potentially destructive disease.

The weather forecasters are predicting the weather to break after this week. Lets hope their forecast holds up or the weather breaks sooner.

How Turf Dies in the Summer

Click here to see how turf dies in the summer

Every want to know how turf dies in the summer? Here is an excellent 6 minute video explaining how.