As technology continues to evolve at an unbelievable pace, several opportunities begin to present themselves both in golf course maintenance and in communication. It wasn't that long ago that cell phones were gaining popularity and became more reliable. Now, with the advent of fast and reliable smartphones and tablets, this portable technology is opening doors for instant communication and updates for members and guests to find out what is happening on the course.
"Is there a frost delay?", "When can we get back on the course after aerification?", "What happened to the bunker on #6?" are all questions that can now be answered almost before they are asked. How? By following @cgcmaintenance on Twitter. To this point in time I have primarily been a "lurker", following various industry professionals and their Tweets, and deciding if this was something worth its time and effort. I have come to the conclusion that it is indeed very much worth the time and effort if used properly. I am still getting the hang of how to effectively Tweet, so please be patient as I grow with it. The first few months will more than likely be a little sparse as we battle our way through the last couple months of winter, but will pick up as the weather breaks and work starts up on the course.
What info you will get:
Project updates, weather updates, occasional green speed readings, frost updates, etc.
What info you will NOT get:
What color socks I'm wearing, what my six year old ate for breakfast, what LeBron James said, or where I'm eating lunch.
So, if you are currently on Twitter or if you are considering it, please become a follower of @cgcmaintenance and keep up on course happenings.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Rare February Sight
Here is a sight not commonly seen in Chautauqua in February. A snow free golf course.
It has been nice to see the course mid winter for a change. Everything looks good but, according to the rodent from Pennsylvania, we're looking at 6 more weeks of winter. I'm not sure what that means to us because 6 weeks would get us to March15th. We rarely get rid of the snow until the first week of April. I'm beginning to think this whole seeing his shadow thing is a bunch of hooey. The next thing you know, the Tooth Fairy will stop leaving money for teeth and the Easter Bunny will cease to exist.
It has been nice to see the course mid winter for a change. Everything looks good but, according to the rodent from Pennsylvania, we're looking at 6 more weeks of winter. I'm not sure what that means to us because 6 weeks would get us to March15th. We rarely get rid of the snow until the first week of April. I'm beginning to think this whole seeing his shadow thing is a bunch of hooey. The next thing you know, the Tooth Fairy will stop leaving money for teeth and the Easter Bunny will cease to exist.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Winter Weather vs The Golf Course
Winter seems to have finally arrived here in Chautauqua County. The 10 day forecast is calling for high temps remaining in the 20's and 30's with a little snow thrown in for good measure. For those of you in warmer climates for the winter, you have missed out on the mildest Western New York winter in recent memory with manageable temps and snowfall well below the regional average - Mayville has only had 54" to date. Of course, there are averages for a reason and I'm sure we'll be getting some nasty lake effect through the rest of the winter.
The question I have been getting is "How does the mild winter affect the golf course?" Normally, we would get some hard frosts in late October and early November followed by a snow that would last until late March at the earliest. In my opinion this is ideal, as the grass gets a chance to harden and go dormant before I apply the fungicide and the snow protects it from the bitter winter winds that tend to desiccate the plant, potentially causing winter kill.
I'm not certain how things will come out this spring. We did not have the normal dormancy or snow fall this winter. As of Tuesday afternoon everything looked good and as I would expect it for this time of year, but we still have 3 months of winter to get through. There are two potential problems that stem from this type of winter. 1) The turf was growing later into the winter than normal and may have "grown out" some of the systemic fungicide that was applied, possibly shrinking its window of effective control. And 2) with all the thawing and re-freezing of the little snow that we have had, the potential for ice damage is elevated. We have never had ice damage in the past, but then again, we haven't had too many winters like this. The answer to both problems is to keep a close eye on the course whenever we can see some bare ground and treat any problems when we can.
As I said, we look good so far and the new combination of fungicides we use have proven to be much better than the old stand by (PCNB) of years past and I do not anticipate any control problems in the spring. The ice issue is up to Mother Nature at this point, but we will keep an eye on it throughout the winter. The pictures below are of #3 Lake green taken on Tuesday. Other than being a little shaggy, it looks good.
Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season! Think green!
The question I have been getting is "How does the mild winter affect the golf course?" Normally, we would get some hard frosts in late October and early November followed by a snow that would last until late March at the earliest. In my opinion this is ideal, as the grass gets a chance to harden and go dormant before I apply the fungicide and the snow protects it from the bitter winter winds that tend to desiccate the plant, potentially causing winter kill.
I'm not certain how things will come out this spring. We did not have the normal dormancy or snow fall this winter. As of Tuesday afternoon everything looked good and as I would expect it for this time of year, but we still have 3 months of winter to get through. There are two potential problems that stem from this type of winter. 1) The turf was growing later into the winter than normal and may have "grown out" some of the systemic fungicide that was applied, possibly shrinking its window of effective control. And 2) with all the thawing and re-freezing of the little snow that we have had, the potential for ice damage is elevated. We have never had ice damage in the past, but then again, we haven't had too many winters like this. The answer to both problems is to keep a close eye on the course whenever we can see some bare ground and treat any problems when we can.
As I said, we look good so far and the new combination of fungicides we use have proven to be much better than the old stand by (PCNB) of years past and I do not anticipate any control problems in the spring. The ice issue is up to Mother Nature at this point, but we will keep an eye on it throughout the winter. The pictures below are of #3 Lake green taken on Tuesday. Other than being a little shaggy, it looks good.
Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season! Think green!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Blogs I Follow
In my wanderings around cyberspace looking for ideas and information for our blog, I have come across several others that do a wonderful job updating their respective membership. I visit these sites somewhat frequently looking for ways to improve the Chautauqua Golf Club Maintenance Blog and occasionally steal a topic, idea, or link. Many of these are not from our immediate area, but are from many areas of the US. Regardless of where the they are located, golf courses face many of the same challenges - unlevel tees, tree/shade issues, drought, never ending rain, heat, disease pressure, water quality issues, environmental challenges, maintenance practices, etc.
I have added a list of some of these blogs to the right side just under the Weather Channel. I encourage you to check them out and see what is going on at other courses around the country. Check back periodically as I will be updating the list as I find more, some of which may be from courses near your home course when you are not at Chautauqua.
The blog I mentioned in my last post, turfdiseases.org, is worth checking out as well. I am certain you will be able to find some information relative to your home club/region.
I have added a list of some of these blogs to the right side just under the Weather Channel. I encourage you to check them out and see what is going on at other courses around the country. Check back periodically as I will be updating the list as I find more, some of which may be from courses near your home course when you are not at Chautauqua.
The blog I mentioned in my last post, turfdiseases.org, is worth checking out as well. I am certain you will be able to find some information relative to your home club/region.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Where oh where did the Poa go - Turf Diseases | Turf Diseases
This is an article taken from an excellent turf blog done by a group of turfgrass pathologists from around the US and Canada. It is an great article that nicely describes some of the problems we faced this summer up on #6,7, & 8 greens on the Lake Course.
Where oh where did the Poa go - Turf Diseases | Turf Diseases
Friday, September 9, 2011
Aerification Update
It's that time of year again when we begin the very necessary practice of aerifying greens. I always get the comment "Do you have to do it now?". And the answer is a very firm "yes, it must be done now".
We have always tried our best to work around the golf schedule and begin aerification in mid to late September to avoid disappointing members and guest. The downside to this is that we are left with just a few weeks to aerify 36 holes of greens, tees, fairways and a learning center with very little good weather, shorter days and a smaller staff. When it rains this time of year we not only lose that day of aerification, but the following 1-3 days as well while things dry back out.
This season we got an early start on the process with both Lake Course tees and greens being done before Labor Day. This is the ideal time of year for aerification in our region of the country. The days are still warm enough to dry the course quickly and the nights have started to cool off, lowering the soil temperature to a point where the turf is starting to grow aggressively again and the holes fill over quickly. The following pictures are from one of the Lake Course greens. The first picture is of the green after the cores were removed and the second is the same green one week after it was topdressed. As you can see, the holes are filling over nicely. If we had done this in mid to late September, it would take two weeks to get to this point and would have been a disruption for a longer period of time.
We were able to get through the Hill Course greens this week. #1-8 were deep tined and the rest were done in the traditional manner but the topdressing was rained out yesterday and today. Hopefully we will be able to get it done early next week before the holes close up too much. After that we will continue on with Hill Course tees, fairways on both courses, and the learning center.
We have always tried our best to work around the golf schedule and begin aerification in mid to late September to avoid disappointing members and guest. The downside to this is that we are left with just a few weeks to aerify 36 holes of greens, tees, fairways and a learning center with very little good weather, shorter days and a smaller staff. When it rains this time of year we not only lose that day of aerification, but the following 1-3 days as well while things dry back out.
This season we got an early start on the process with both Lake Course tees and greens being done before Labor Day. This is the ideal time of year for aerification in our region of the country. The days are still warm enough to dry the course quickly and the nights have started to cool off, lowering the soil temperature to a point where the turf is starting to grow aggressively again and the holes fill over quickly. The following pictures are from one of the Lake Course greens. The first picture is of the green after the cores were removed and the second is the same green one week after it was topdressed. As you can see, the holes are filling over nicely. If we had done this in mid to late September, it would take two weeks to get to this point and would have been a disruption for a longer period of time.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
USGA Turf Advisory Service Visit
Just got done with and all day Turfgrass Advisory Service (TAS) visit with Adam Moeller of the USGA's Green Section.
We had Adam come in primarily to assess our shade/tree issues on #6, 7, & 8 on the Lake Course and give recommendations for trees to be removed, but turned the day into a full day TAS. We came away with some good suggestions from an agronomic standpoint and a lot of tree suggestions. Overall, a day well spent.
If anyone has any questions about our visit, please don't hesitate to contact me.
We had Adam come in primarily to assess our shade/tree issues on #6, 7, & 8 on the Lake Course and give recommendations for trees to be removed, but turned the day into a full day TAS. We came away with some good suggestions from an agronomic standpoint and a lot of tree suggestions. Overall, a day well spent.
If anyone has any questions about our visit, please don't hesitate to contact me.
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