March recap and looking forward

Well, March was unseasonably nice.  In what is typically an awful weather month, she provided great weather.  As of the 29th we have only received 3.5" of rain, but more is expected before April 1.  We hit a record high 87 degrees, and that really helped jumpstart the bermudagrass.  Fairways, tees and greens have really jumped out of dormancy nicely.  Here's to hoping April is just as nice.

The pipe replacement project on #6 is complete.  Christopher Grading did an outstanding job in a very short window.  As wet as the ground was it still amazes me the job got done as quickly as it did. The 30" metal pipe was replaced by a 36" plastic pipe which we shouldn't have to revisit in our lifetime.  While Joe was here we had him address the broken pipe on #10.  Upon uncovering the problem we found that we had a rise of 7" which is not what we wanted to hear.  So, we are kind of stuck with an open ditch, which will have water in it but will allow water to flow into the lake during rain.  The area surrounded by silt fence will be fine graded later this summer when things dry out and re-sodded.

Greens are in good shape!  We have lowered the height of cut several times from our winter height and they are rolling great.  We fertilized them this week to really wake them up.  I expect to begin normal cultural practices soon, such as light verticutting, topdressing and brushing. 

Greens aerification schedule for 2016:
Monday May 16   1/4" core
Monday June 20   1/2" core
Tuesday Sept  6    1/4" core

Also,Monday May 2nd we will be grading high spots around the greens to allow water to drain off the green surface.  This is the primary reason for loss of turf on a few greens.  Years of sand topdressing has caused a lip at the edge of the green.  At the same time I plan to re-sod weak areas on greens with new Champion sod.

April projects:
Fertilize fairways and tees
Pre-emerge fairways
Aerify fairways and tees

See you on the course!

Andy

Ready for Spring!

I'm sure like most of you, I am ready for the temps to warm and grass to green up.  It has been a very challenging Fall/winter!  2016 has started off just like 2015 ended, WET.  This has caused us many headaches like bunker repair,  cleanup after storms and many days of Cart Path Only.  Speaking of CPO, it does not give me pleasure in making it that, it is for the best interest of the course.  So please respect the sign, you spend good money to be a member here.

We are set to begin work on the pipe replacement project on #6 this week.  This should be complete by the end of the week if weather cooperates.  The old pipe will be removed and new pipe installed correctly this time.  Plan on a large area to be Ground Under Repair for quite some time.  It is anticipated that 200 feet by 50 feet wide will be used as the work site.  We might move the tees up so that everyone flies their golf ball over this area.

All pre/post emerge weed control is complete.  We anticipate a very clean golf course this season.  The board graciously approved an increase in my budget for addition weed control and I feel we have a great plan in place. 

We also have a plan in place to correct  the problems on the greens, which actually started off the green.  During the growing season we sand top-dress greens weekly, over years of doing this the collars build up and create a situation that does not allow water to runoff.  We will contract a machine to come out right after Member-Member(May 2nd) to grade around the greens to correct this.  In many cases depending on how much material is removed we will just push the grass back with fertilizer, but some areas might need sod.  It is a great solution to a problem that has been building for years.  I am looking at ways to change my top-dressing program to possibly avoid this in the future.  I will then sod cut out weak areas on the greens and replace with new champion sod.  I am hopeful to have this complete in early May.

See you on the course

Andy

USGA update

Below is an excellent article provided by the USGA.  Take a minute to read it, it gives great insight to a lot of the issues we are dealing with in the current el Nino pattern.





http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/course-care/regional-updates/southeast-region/strong-el-nino-impacting-southern-golf-courses.html

Course Update

Weather continues to dictate what we do on the course.  The maintenance crew has lost quite a few hours this Fall/Winter due to rain and cold temperatures.  As you would expect this puts us behind on projects and we work hard when we can to catch up.  As I write this it is raining again with more coming all day with potential for snow showers.  As I get older my opinion of SNOW has changed, I don't care for it unless I go North to play in it!  It just causes so much chaos in our area and it impacts what I do for a living.  Moving on.

The sinkhole on #6 has gotten worse.  We are currently receiving bids to repair and hope to know something soon.  Basically the problem is this; under the fairway is a 30" culvert pipe that is rusted and now compromised.  During construction in the mid-80's the pipe was put in to drain water to the lake.  The pipe was installed lower than it should and over the years it has backed up with water which led to it's demise.  So for now the plan is to dig up and replace the pipe, this time doing it right!  PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THIS AREA.  It is dangerous, unstable and could collapse at any time. 

We plan to start spraying our pre-emerge in the next few weeks.  This application will ensure we are free of weeds until the growing season, where we will apply another for even more control.  The plan for fairways will be the same as last year.  All of this is weather dependent.

Our maintenance manager Kyle has begun remodeling the restrooms on #13.  They will be very similar to what the restrooms on #5 look like.  Please know the will be out of order until further notice.  Thank You for understanding.

See you on the course!

Andy

Enough rain already...

What a crazy "Winter".  In the 15 plus years working on golf courses I have never experienced a season quite like this.  This really describes 2015 in a nutshell.  We started cold, then warm, then cold then rainy, then weeks of no rain.  It has been the one of the most challenging years for me.  As of December 28 we have received right at 70" of rainfall.  Before weeks end we are expected to receive 2-4 additional inches. In comparison we received 47.5" last year.  Talk about what a difference a year makes!  By the way, our annual rainfall average is 51".  Not only is rainfall a story, temperatures are out of whack too.  We are 3 days from January and we still have a few green fairways and we still continue to mow grass on the greens.  We have come within a few degrees of record highs on many occasions.  We are ready for a cold snap to send the entire course into dormancy. It needs it!  I rode the course during the last downpour and snapped a few pictures of flooding.

#7 green

#18 green and #10 fairway

#10 lake out of its banks

#18 fairway river

Overwhelmed wall #17

#16 fairway

                                                                   Sinkhole #6 fairway

As you can see the course is a mess.  My crew is working hard (when we can) to make it as great as possible.  This weather has slowed us down on completing projects. Thank You for your understanding and cooperation.  I look forward to 2016 and another great year at NCC.  We have many great projects and ideas for the upcoming season.  I hope your 2016 is great.

See you on the course!

Course update

Well, disease on the greens continues to be a pain in my side.  Several things contribute to this, excess moisture, damp, cloudy days and lack of sunlight for extended periods.  We didn't see the sun for 12 days!  While the fungus is under check it will unfortunately linger for a while.  We have sprayed numerous products to control the fungus and push new growth, but temperatures are just not right for growth.  I am thankful that its only affecting a few greens and for the recovery that has happened as they could be worse.  This past weekend we had a cold snap which brought a lot of frost to the course.  We have not had frost on the greens yet.  The color of the greens now will be what we can expect throughout the winter.  We use a pigment to keep them green as opposed to allowing them to go off color like the rest of the course.


This has been a strange Fall.  It has been unseasonably warm and very wet.  In the last month we have received almost 12" of rain.  During the Fall it is very tough to dry out from this as the days are shorter and not as warm.  The crew has worked hard to keep the course clean.  Typically after each heavy rain we spend time repairing bunkers, which can take a day and a half to complete.


I hope you and your family have a great Holiday season!


See you on the course!


Andy

Course update

We have been very busy on the course.  Lots of leaves to blow each and everyday.  Often times we will blow an area multiple times the same day.  The weather has been awesome.  Cool in the mornings, but by lunchtime we are shedding layers because the warmth of the sun.  We have been very fortunate with the temperatures for recovery of the leaf spot outbreak early in the month.  Typically the weather has turned much cooler by mid October.  As I look at the 10 day forecast it seems that warm trend will continue.  But as you know Georgia weather can change very quickly and I suspect we will have a frost within 2 weeks.


I wanted to talk about the "mud" on 2 and 7 greens.  For a reason in which I can't explain, earthworms have enjoyed taking up residence in those greens.  Each morning when we arrive to mow, nearly all of the surface is covered with mounds of dirt.  We tried many things, including running water to reduce the amount of dirt before we mow.  We tried blowing the dirt off, but there was no good way.  Eventually the dirt began to pack down and create a layer and choke out the grass.  So, we went out with a high pressure hose and flooded and washed the mud out and off the green. By doing that it allowed those chocked out areas to breath and get sunlight. We applied a few products that have worked in controlling the issue, and recovery is in progress.


I would like to introduce Tony Mosley, my new Assistant Superintendent.  Tony joined us in early October and brings great knowledge.  He has previously served as a Superintendent in the early 2000's before getting out of the golf business.  I am sure you will get a chance to meet and get to know him.


See you on the course!


Andy