It's Shaggy!

And I don't mean the hippy from Scooby-Doo.




It has been a wet spring to this point, only adding to the swampy weather that caused us to stop mowing in October last season. Because we did stop mowing in October, all of our turf areas came into 2013 tall and shaggy and will take longer to get back down to normal mowing heights than in previous seasons. This picture shows just how much the fairways have grown since October.



Knowing that the weather in WNY can be unpleasant at times, I always have "inside" jobs for my crew when we are not able to be on the course. This year is no exception as we have spent our time painting the shop break room, constructing new tee markers, and assembling new ball washer ensembles and patio furniture. The "Bell Tower" tee markers are labor intensive and will likely not make their debut for a few weeks.

Along with the freshly painted shop, I have made one other change to the break room. I have implemented a digital job assignment board. This little piece of technology has been made possible with the use of Google Drive and the dropping prices of televisions. I will now be able to add or change my crew's job assignments from anywhere on the course, a much more efficient method than in the past.






We are scheduled to begin aerifying the Lake Course greens this week but this weekend's significant rain and small snowfall may alter our plans. Please follow us on Twitter @CHQTurfCare for updates concerning this and all other course maintenance practices.

I look forward to seeing everyone out on the course.

Trevor

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March 12 Update

Last year we were only 4 days away from our first mowing of the season. We lost a lot of snow this past weekend but, looking at the 10 day forecast, we're still a long way from mowing at this point. Temps will be in the 30's for the foreseeable future.

After a short, wet walk out there today I'm happy with what I'm seeing. We seem to have come through winter fairly well, with little snow mold from what I can see. There is always some concern after a thaw/freeze cycle like are experiencing, that we may have ice damage to our fine turf areas when it freezes back up. We have never had an issue in the past, but the potential for turf loss is always there.




One of the few melted greens is the practice green nearest the pond. The turf looks great at this point and I'm anxious to get started on the 2013 season. We'll keep you posted on our progress next week.
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Getting Closer

Looking at the 10 day forecast, I would say we are definitely on the downside of winter. There is still several inches of snow on the ground, no turf is showing, and we'll surely have a nasty snowstorm or two between now and mid April, but the temperatures are rising as they always do this time of year and we'll be mowing and golfing before you know it.




The offseason sees your hard working maintenance staff servicing and repairing the golf cart fleet, about 160 total carts, and our maintenance equipment. Assistant superintendent Bill Peterson and equipment manager Dan Kelsey do an outstanding job year after year to keep our carts and equipment in peak condition, which keeps our maintenance program running at full efficiency. As of today, all carts and green, tee, fairway and rough mowers have been thoroughly serviced and sharpened. Next up are the trim mowers, sprayers and heavy duty utility carts. The next time you see Bill and Dan, please show them your appreciation with a pat on the back and a heartfelt thank you. They deserve it.

We were fortunate again this year to be able to purchase some new equipment. New for 2013 will be a Toro GM 4500 rough mower, an out-front rotary trim mower and maybe enough left over to purchase a couple utility vehicles.



The Toro 4500 will be replacing the Jacobsen R-311 that has been used on the Hill Course. The R-311 has been a great production mower in that it mows a lot of rough, quickly. The downside to that machine has always been its large decks that tend to scalp the turf down to bare soil at the slightest little undulation in the rough. The Toro 4500 has 5 smaller decks rather than the 3 large decks of the R-311 and excels in following contours. We are excited to have it join the other two we have been using for several years already.

The out-front rotary, yet to be purchased, will be replacing the older of our two current mowers, which was originally purchased in the mid 1980's. Again, a testament to the ability of Bill and Dan and their equipment maintenance skills.

The utility carts will be replacing two from our current fleet. For years we have been converting hand-me-downs from our rental fleet to use in our every day maintenance routines. They serve their purpose well, but are not built to handle some of the tasks we ask of them. The new utility carts have a more powerful engine and sturdier suspension to handle some of our tougher tasks.

Of course, we still need to get rid of about 8" of heavy, packed snow before we can even begin to think of using our new equipment. I guess we're not as close as I thought.



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We've Come A Long Way

I'm now on the flight home from this year's GCSAA Educational Conference and Trade Show (GIS '13) flying at an altitude of 36,998 feet according to Southwest Air's Flight Tracker feature on my iPad.

What does that have to do with GIS '13? It is a reminder of how far the golf industry, and technology in general has come. 20 years ago at this time I had just attended my first GCSAA Conference in Anaheim as first year assistant superintendent at Transit Valley CC in Western New York. It was quite a bit to take in for a young 23 year old who had never flown in a plane or been farther west than Cincinnati. The trade show floor was huge, the information in the seminars was great, the equipment and technology seemed groundbreaking, and it was at the time.

Now, 20 years later, here I am sending out a blog post from 37,000 feet over New Mexico, reviewing GIS '13 in my mind. Everything is the same, yet different. There was the usual new equipment, irrigation supplies, course amenities (some of which hasn't changed in over 20 years), and turfgrass seed and sod suppliers. What is different is the amount of technology applied to everything. Everything from remote operation of irrigation systems on iPads and smartphones to remote control mowers for steep banks. I even discussed the viability of bermudagrass surviving a northern winter, a distinct possibility given reports that the Redskins are considering a hardy new variety for RFK Stadium. It is now conceivably an option for our lawn bowling green that only gets used for 9 weeks in the summer.

All these advancements are helping superintendents across the country perform at the highest level, despite budgets being cut and dollars being stretched. But, possibly, the biggest innovation is social media. The use of Twitter, Google+, blogs, and the like are connecting superintendents across the world as if we are standing right beside each other. We are teaching each other new maintenance techniques, how to use the latest apps on our iPads and smartphones, and reassuring each other that we are not alone in our challenges as we wear so many hats in the course of a year. This week I have had the pleasure and privilege of meeting not only some of the best superintendents in the world, but some of the finest individuals as well. Superintendents from my own state of New York to those in Indiana, Ontario, Australia, and Siberia to name a few, and who I likely would never have met without Twitter. It is amazing how much information can be shared in 140 characters or less and it has become a tool in this new world of golf course maintenance that has become as important to me as my soil probe and my equipment.

Thank you to all my new friends from around the world. I look forward to our time together with social media and seeing you at GIS '14.

I'm now flying at 36,999 feet over Dodge City, KS. We've come a long way, indeed.

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Reflection and Projection

Reflecting back on 2012 I would call it A Season of Change. Change in the appearance of #5-9 on the Lake Course, the addition of low maintenance areas and changes in agronomic practices.  Projecting forward, I would call 2013 A Season of Detail with our focus being on cleaning up tee areas, cart paths, more attention to detail in all aspects of our maintenance program and, again, more tweaking of agronomic practices.

The different appearance of the holes affected by the tree removal on the Lake Course has been received with largely positive feelings from the membership, and no one can argue the results.  We now have three strong greens where we once had our three weakest, a model for future greens improvement where trees are impacting turf health and putting green quality.  Last fall we were able to get the newly created open areas around #7 and #8 greens seeded with a fine fescue blend that is coming in quite nicely.  The area to the right of #8 will be mowed as rough along the cart path and left to mature closer to the wood line, creating another visually attractive low maintenance area.  2013 will see the completion of this project as we re-seed any remaining bare spots on the edges.  #7 will see its tees leveled as well as a new gold tee closer to the fairway.

The new low maintenance areas started off slowly with several of these areas taking a while to mature, but the end result is what we expected, producing a different look, separating the holes in some areas and providing a nice contrast in others.  An added benefit was the reduction in rough mowing time, not only saving a small amount of fuel, but saving labor that was able to be focused on other areas of the course. In 2013, we will be adjusting these areas, adding or reshaping some and reducing others as necessary due to playability and/or aesthetics.

Fall of 2012 started off very productively but, unfortunately, ended quite soggy.  This has delayed what we thought could be a very productive time for tee leveling.  We had started holes #7 and #15 on the Hill Course when it became too muddy to proceed and we will have to start on these tees as the ground dries and firms in April.  I have been using the tee leveling projects to kill two birds with one stone and upgrade our tee irrigation to allow us to better control our water output.  Of course, this adds a day or two of work per tee.  Tees on #7 Lake, #7 Hill and #15 Hill should be completed by mid May.  Further tees will be leveled as time and weather allow.

Continuing with the tees, we are in the process of finalizing the graphics of our new tee signs and expect to take delivery around the end of March.  We will begin installation on the Lake Course as soon as possible to have this completed by the time of the NJCAA National Championship in early June.  In conjunction with the sign installation, we are also purchasing new ball washers and garbage cans, and installing a planting around each tee amenity complex to protect them from damage from mowers and golf carts.  Given that we are doing the installation and plantings in-house, I would expect this to take us about 4 weeks per course, maybe quicker once we establish a routine.  But, again, weather will dictate final completion dates.

Keeping with our Season of Detail theme, we will be cleaning up our cart paths to make them more enjoyable to ride and less distracting from the aesthetics of the hole.  Improvements may be as simple as redefining the edge, restructuring the end of a path or as extensive as an all out replacement.  For the most part, this will not be a quick fix and will be taking place throughout this summer and into the next few years.  Factors influencing cart path conditions are weeds, drainage, runoff, previously poor construction methods and poor placement of original paths.

2012 also saw some changes in our agronomic practices as they relate to turf health and playability.  We began regular “venting” of the greens to go along with our regular topdressing and verticutting schedule.  This “venting” is merely a monthly aeration of the turf with small solid tines to allow the greens to accept water and air easier, providing healthier greens that are better able to withstand the stresses of summer as well as deep winter.  The small tines allow us to perform this task with little to no disruption to the putting surface.  The results were immediately seen as we survived a brutal July much better than the previous season.  Tees and certain fairways will be vented this season in hopes to achieve the same results.

Periodically brushing the greens before mowing also became a regular practice, eliminating a considerable amount of grain, improving turf density and providing a truer putting surface while keeping our height of cut up a little.  A win-win for both the player and the turf.

2013 will see another tweak in our agronomic program as we shift from the conventional granular applications of fertilizer to a nearly 100% use of soluble fertilizers applied through our sprayer.  This will certainly be more labor intensive, but will also save us thousands of dollars in our budget that will be able to be used in other areas.  These savings were so great that we were able to add a micronutrient package to our fertilization program and still be thousands less than our previous granular applications.  What does this mean to you as a golfer?  It simply means healthier turf, fewer ugly grass clippings in the fairways after mowing and improved playing conditions. 

Adam Moeller, USGA Green Section Agronomist, was back for a Turf Advisory Service visit in September to tour the Hill Course and review our changes to the Lake Course per his recommendations following his tour in 2011. It was another positive day with many great tips and recommendations provided.   Adam was very pleased with the results of our tree project, particularly the vastly improved health of Lake Course greens on #6, #7 and #8.

One final note, to make it easier to follow my blog, www.cgcmaintenance.blogspot,  I have added a feature that will allow you to enter your email address and you will be notified via email every time it is updated, eliminating the hassle of periodically checking in.

I am also creating a new Twitter account, @CHQTurfCare, for more immediate updates on projects, maintenance procedures, frost delays, etc.

I hope everyone is having a safe and enjoyable off season, and I look forward to seeing you all in the spring.   

Irrigate for Playability and Turf Health, Not Color

Great article on which direction golf course maintenance SHOULD head. Will we? For the sustainability of our game, I certainly hope so.

http://gsr.lib.msu.edu/article/moeller-irrigate-1-25-13.pdf


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January Update

Our spring-like weather last weekend has chased the snow off greens, tees, fairways and all but the shadiest areas of the rough. I always enjoy a nice January thaw as it allows me to get out and check turf conditions during a time when we usually have a couple feet of snow cover.

I'm happy to report that the fine turf areas are doing well. I have seen a few spots of superficial gray snow mold on a few tees and fairways and nothing on greens. I always get a little nervous when we have a warm late fall/early winter after our snow mold applications have been applied but, like last season, this doesn't appear to be a problem at this point and hope that our control holds up until spring.

Bill and Dan are just finishing up carts this week and will be back down to the shop to start on our maintenance equipment early next week. They were happy to only have 115 carts to service this season, not needing to service the 30 that we are trading for newer models. They give each cart a very thorough physical, changing filters, oil and belts on each one, and brakes and seat covers on carts that may need it. They do a nice job making sure you have a reliable and comfortable cart for you each season.

Hope everyone had a safe, healthy and happy holiday season and we look forward to seeing you in the 2013 season.


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