Ice Formation

 Update on the ice on our greens

 Last week we had lots of days of sun that has helped decrease the ice build up on the greens. The shaded green sites like #4 and #15 still have considerable amounts of ice. We have removed any snow that has accumulated this week and aerated them again to help in the ice reduction.

 On the right side of the 4th green we are testing the use of sunflower seeds to attract sunlight and help in the ice melt. This area was choosen due to the fact it is very shaded this time of year and it is a low area where water will collect.

Ice Formation

Layers of ice have formed on the majority of the greens as a result of two rain events we had in January. On February 7^th to 9^th we attempted to brake-up this ice layer with our aerator. We were able to brake-up the ice to help the turf respire and assist in ice melting when we get warm days. We don’t want to remove all of the ice until we know the temperatures are increasing but we do want the grass to breathe. The ice is acting as an insulator and you don’t want to expose the insulated turf to colder temperatures. If the ice is present in mid March we will be breaking it up more and attempting to remove as much as possible.

There is no perfect process to removing ice except warm temperatures. The ice is at different thicknesses depending on green undulations. In breaking up the ice we do not want to damage the winter covers or physically damage the greens surface. The ice will be attached to the cover and the grass plant itself so being too aggressive may damage both.

There is the potential of damage to occur and the extent of any damage will depend on each individual area. On our greens the Poa Annua bluegrass will be more susceptible to damage from extended ice cover. The bentgrasses we have been over seeding with are hardier plants and have the best chance of survival. Once the ice has been removed, it will be important to provide some time for the greens to overcome this period of stress and recover from any damage that may occur.

The fairways also have a considerable amount if ice build up on them. This will be something we will monitor but at this time there is little we can do until mid to late March when we know warmer weather is coming.

Greens Aeration

 The Benefits

• Relieves soil compaction – compaction occurs due to golfer and equipment traffic especially when the greens are being rolled four times a week to maintain speed.
• Controls Thatch – thatch forms an impermeable layer that water and nutrients will not penetrate and this is also the area where disease spores and insects live.
• Improves water infiltration – by decreasing thatch and providing room for air to start penetrating into the soil.
• Increases soil oxygen levels – by improving infiltration of water – water pulls the oxygen into the soil.
• Vent Greens - during the summer methane gas builds up in the soil and aerifying vents these gasses.
• Enhances fertilizer and pesticide applications – by making them easier for the roots to uptake the products.
• Provides a site for new grass plants to grow.
• Disease Control - enhanced disease control on recently aerated areas due to the increased overall health of the plant reducing the number of pesticide applications needed.
• Dilute soil - removing aeration cores on greens and applying sand topdressing to fill the aeration holes helps to dilute the soil based greens and keeps the column open extending the ability of air and water to penetrate.

The Process　

• The greens are aerated and the cores removed.
• The greens are brushed and remaining debris is blown off.
• Topdress the greens with sand.
• Bentgrass seed is spread over the green and brushed into the holes.
• Cut the green to remove excess material.
• Roll the green to smooth the surface.

Cores being removed

The TimingWhy do most golf clubs aerify the greens at the end of August?

The grass plant is actively growing so will recover within days.
The sand dries faster in the drier weather.
This is the perfect time of year to over seed, with cool nights and warm days germination will happen quickly, the poa annua is weak from summer stress so new seedlings have time to strengthen before the winter.
The students are back to school by Labor Day leaving us with a smaller crew, the cleanup will be quick and less disruptive in August.

Three days after aeration and holes are filling in. The weather was perfect for aeration and the cleanup went smooth. Green speeds will take a few more days to speed up.

Bunker on #15

 Sod has been installed and sand placed in the middle of the bunker. As soon as the sod starts to root and we can remove the board edging we will have the bunker back in play.

Bunker on #15

 This is the fairway bunker on #15 before we got started.

 All the bunker sand was removed due to the contamination over the years. We also lowered the back side of the bunker to increase your site lines while you are playing out if it.

 The soil that the bunker was originally constructed with was very sandy. It was removed and good topsoil was installed.

 This is the new shape after everything was regraded.

 Bunker boards were installed to define the grassed area from the sand area.

Already to be sodded.

New Tee

The reconstructed tee on #1 is now open for play. Late last fall we realigned the tee to point to the middle of the fairway, enlarged it to increase playing surface, and resurfaced it for a consistent playing area.

Over the past few months we have fertilized, hand topdressed (above picture), aerated and cut this tee to help the sod become strong enough to handle the day to day wear of a golf tee. Over the next month we may take it out of play for a few days to give it a rest to ensure it stays strong and healthy.

Lightning Strike

One of our large Pine trees on the 8th hole got struck by lightning. Some bark from this tree flew as far as 100 feet. There is a larger crack all the way from top to bottom in the tree now, so due to it being severely compromised it will need to be removed.