Spring is Right Around the Corner

With spring right around the corner, it is time to start shifting away from our winter related tasks to more turf related jobs in an effort to prepare everything for spring.  A big part of that program for our Bentgrass greens at Irving Park begins with aerification.

"WHY AERIFY?" CORE AERATION is one of the “dirty” words of golf course maintenance. With a busy golf season of around eight months in our area of the world, many would question the necessity of disrupting play each year in the spring and the fall on Bentgrass greens.

An important purpose behind core aerification is the removal of unwanted organic matter, allowing improved growing conditions for the roots. With a healthier root system heading into the golf season, the grass plant is better able to withstand the stress of traffic. Aeration also relieves compaction, promotes air exchange and helps with water infiltration.

How much aerification is enough?

There is no specific rule of thumb for what percentage of surface area should be impacted each year. It would be safe to say however that it would be difficult to “over aerify” if plant health was the only factor. The USGA suggests that 15-20% of the surface should be aerified each year. Our program of a 3/8” tine in late winter, a 1/2” tine in late spring and early fall comes very close to achieving the USGA objective of 20% annual surface removal.

3/8"tine on a 2.5 " spacing

How long after aerification before the greens are back to normal?

With cooperative weather, the healing process will take 28 days in late winter and 21 days in spring and fall to return the greens to optimal putting condition. Extra fertilizer and water are applied at this time to expedite recovery."  Smaller tines are used in late winter to speed the recovery during what is typically a slower growing time of the year.

Weed Control

Springtime is also the time of year where the turfgrass is treated with preventative summer weed control products.  Ideally these treatments are applied beginning in late February with a completion date of no later than March 15.  The timing of these treatments is primarily dependent upon soil temperatures with certain summer weeds such as Crabgrass germinating when soil temperatures approach 60 degrees.  Between the two courses we treat over 200 acres of turf each spring and depending on weather conditions these treatments can take anywhere between 2-3 weeks from start to finish.

Winter Damage Update

While we expect a certain amount damage on the warm season turfgrass each year coming out of winter, some years can certainly be worse than others.  While we did experience a very cold month of January it does appear this year won't be witness to any widespread turf loss.  The Farm ultradwarf greens appear to be very healthy as we are currently mowing them several times a week and getting more clippings than normal for this time of the year.  My biggest concern coming out of January was more so in the fairways and roughs where growing conditions such as compaction, shade and poor drainage make the turf more susceptible to winter extremes.  After exploring several of these areas prone to damage we are seeing a good amount of healthy white live stolons, which is a very good indicator that the turf will be fine once it breaks dormancy.  While we still have several more weeks before we are in the clear things are looking good for a normal spring transition.

White/Tan Succulent Healthy Stolon from Shady/Wet Area Prone to Winterkill

Cold Air Heading Our Way

 January Cold

Artic Blast and Polar Vortex are two terms most people have come to associate with really cold air and forecasters say that one such system is heading our way.  One weather news outlet described it as "This will likely be the most significant cold we have seen in years and the pattern of below and well below temperatures are expected to remain in the area for a good portion of January".  With this type of long-range forecast and bold headlines we decided to minimize our chances for any type of cold related damage on the Farm greens by shutting down early and applying a thick blanket of pine straw on the greens before installing our protective covers. By first spreading pine straw on a putting surface and then covering it, we create an air gap between the cover and the putting green surface.  The air gap provides significantly more protection from damage that might otherwise occur with lengthy cold weather events. Pine straw is not that expensive because we reuse the pine straw around the course in areas we would of had to pine straw anyway, but it is very laborious and closes the course down a few days longer than just putting down covers due to the installation, removal and relocation of the straw, therefore it is only used in what we perceive to be high risk weather situations.

Pine straw installed before installing the covers 

Winter Work

Despite late fall and winter being described as our off-season the staff has plenty to keep them busy before we begin cranking up for the next growing season.  A large portion of the late fall and early winter months are spent blowing and sweeping up leaves.  The Irving Park course is especially difficult as there are no wooded areas to hide them.  With the new Greensboro no pickup leaf policy I am sure a lot of people can now appreciate the fact we have over a 100 acres of leaves to blow into piles, load onto trucks and haul to one of the local landfills.

One of nearly 100 trucks of leaves hauled away every year

Vacuuming leaves is a daily task

Each year during the non-growing season we spend ample time cleaning, repainting and refurbishing the equipment and the golf course accessories on each course.  This works perfectly with all those really cold or rainy days where it is not conducive to go outside and work.   This year we're having to do some significant work to the Farm irrigation pump station.  Two of the main pumps and one motor are in the process of being pulled and replaced.  We replaced the third pump last year, so once this work is completed, we should be in pretty good shape going forward on what is effectively a 30-year-old pump station.

One of the main pumps being removed for replacement

The Christmas season is now over but not forgotten.  On behalf of all the GCC employees I would like to send out a special thanks to members for their gracious giving that went out to all the employees in the form of a year-end bonus.  The member donations that make this possible are greatly appreciated at this time of the year and goes along ways to defining the commitment the members have for our hard working and dedicated staff.  So, a Big Thanks is in Order!

August Course Update

 Recent Rains

Both courses have experienced significant rainfall over the past three weeks with a total of more than 14 inches of rain.  With that much moisture course conditions have not been quite up to par.  The health of the Irving Park Bentgrass greens has diminished throughout this time frame, going from a nearly perfect root system to a very weak root system and some corresponding thinning of the surface canopy in just a matter of a few weeks.  Throughout this same time period precautions were taken, such as pencil tine aerification of the greens, to allow for improved surface drainage and more surface aeration.  Mowing heights have also been raised from .110 to .130 in inches.  With these conditions also comes a spike in disease activity resulting in an above normal amount of disease treatment applications. This week's more moderate temperatures, especially nighttime temperatures, should provide some very needed relief. With that said, the greens will be fine going forward with a few bruises here and there, but green speeds will be slightly below normal for the remaining part of August.as we continue to manage these delicate playing surfaces

Bentgrass Thinning from Over Moisture and Disease Commonly referred to as Bentgrass Summer Decline

Pencil Tine Aerification

Ponds

 One of the positive aspects of all the rainfall has been to recharge all our ponds on the Farm course.  The pond on #4 was significantly lowered earlier this year to make repairs.  Those repairs were made in late June and the recent tropical depression quickly refilled the pond, All the other ponds were also down significantly as well due to irrigation usage in June and early July, but all ponds on the course are now once again completely full.

Bunkers

The bunkers have also taken a beating with all the recent rains.  The Farm bunkers were built in a way to minimize sand washing down the faces during heavy rains, but the washing we experienced during the tropical depression was some of the worst we've seen since their reconstruction in 2009.  The Irving Park bunkers have always been subject to washing during heavy rain events.  We estimate they have an average of 10-12 bad washing events per year.  Each time these bunkers wash the sand becomes more and more contaminated.  Also, each time they wash it takes approximately 50 manhours to get them back to where they are re-playable.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to quickly see how many man hours we have spent over these past two decades fixing washouts on these bunkers and how helpless we are in protecting the quality of the sand during heavy rain events.  Thursday's tropical depression had the entire staff working on Friday in an effort to get them playable on Saturday only to come in Saturday morning to bunkers that were washed even worse due to the rate at which the rain came down Friday night.

Poor Drainage due to poor sand quality

Guardrails

A new set of guardrails was installed in late June on the Farm course on hole #4.  Guardrails were also proposed on the Irving Park course on hole #16 at the tee box, but meetings with the Greensboro DOT resulted in that set of rails not being approved within the city's right of way, which closely borders the tee box itself.

Farm Ultradwarf Spring Flush and Spillway Repair

 

FARM GREENS SPRING FLUSH EARLIER THAN NORMAL

It's only early March and due to the recent moderate weather we have been experiencing, the Ultradrawf greens on the Farm course are now coming out of dormancy.  This is 2-3 weeks earlier than we see in a normal year.  In the images below you will see on the first one taken late last week where some new growth is showing up where the leaves are light green.  The darker green grass is the older leaves with green pigment.  One week later you can see where the new growth is nearly 100%.  The bottom picture is a green after a mowing showing stripes.  Bermudagrass greens are a little different from Bentgrass.  Typically, when you see stripes on Bermuda greens it means the leaves are growing and laying over and rarely ever will you see a Bermuda green that shows stripes and has fast green speeds.  Many know by now, but the spring flush regardless of when it occurs is a time of very rapid growth and a succulent leaf tissue.  During this phase we attempt to account for this growth spurt with additional mowings, lowered mowing heights and chemical growth regulation.  Despite our efforts it is nearly impossible to maintain green speeds to our typical standards.  We also have to be careful not to over stimulate or overwork the grass because we still have another 4 weeks where we can experience freezing temperatures.  In the event we do experience freezing temperatures you may see us covering greens at a higher temperature threshold than you would expect during the heart of the winter seasonal.  Right now, the plant is using up a lot of its stored energy from the fall to come out of dormancy.  If they experience too harsh of temperatures and are forced back into dormancy, they will be much slower to come out the second time.  With all that said golfers can expect slower roll speeds on the greens for the next few weeks or more depending on the weather cycle over the next 4 weeks.

3/1/24 Light Green New Growth

3/8 100% New Growth

Striped Greens from New Growth 

Farm Lake #4/#8

During one of the heavy rains we experienced in January, the riser cap on the spillway vault structure was damaged.  The damage affected the top 20 inches of the structure, which has resulted in the lake level being down by that same 20-inch height.  We are currently getting bids on repairing the top of the structure to get it back to full pond level.  Until this work is completed the lake level will remain lower than normal.

Winter 2024 Update

January 18, 2024 Course Update

To date the winter of 2024 could be defined as wetter than normal with near normal temperatures.  With that said, this week we are experiencing our first real bought of cold artic air with temperatures forecasted to be below 15 degrees for several nights this week.  

Farm Ultradwarf Covers

Thus far we have only covered two times, but the cold air this week had us working overtime on Sunday and Monday to not only pull covers, but we decided to add some extra protection by adding a layer of pine straw beneath the covers.  Based on the current forecast we expect to pull covers and remove straw next Monday and Tuesday (1/22-1/23) and have the course reopened by Wednesday, January 24.  As we have done in the past when we have used pine straw, the straw will be pushed off the greens to the sides and we will relocate the straw to our landscape beds over the next few weeks.  We pine straw these areas each year in late winter and early spring, so there is no additional cost for the straw itself, but there is a lot of extra work that goes into this process.

Shaking the Straw

Hydrating the Green

Pulling the Covers

Finished Product

Too Much Rain

The rains have been constant and as of late they have been heavy.  We recently had 2 inches of rain followed by three inches the very next week.  The forecast next week, once it warms up, is for 6 consecutive days of rain.  Above normal rains like the ones we've been experiencing make not only for soggy playing conditions, but they create a lot of extra work for the staff in the way of picking up sticks and debris and working on washed out bunkers.  The bunkers on the Irving Park course have always been prone to washing in heavy rain events and a lot of work goes into fixing them up and making them playable again.  When bunkers at Irving Park wash the staff has to go out and shovel off the silt and organic layer, which you never get all of because some mixes with the sand as it is washing.  Once the sand is cleaned off it must then be pushed and shoveled back to the edges and large rakes are needed to smooth the slopes.  The faces will need to be packed firmly to prevent plugged lies.  Lastly, raking and smoothing the bottom is never easy after all the shoveling and gouging that occurs to move the sand back to the edges.  The Farm bunkers have a newer style of construction that helps to minimize washout and more importantly prevents the subsoil from eroding into the bunker sand.  We occasionally get complaints on the quality of the bunker sand at Irving Park but after 24 years of washouts with no subbase protection the quality of the sand eventually deteriorates to what we see in the bunkers today despite our best-case efforts over the past many years.

Righthand Bunker on 6 Erosion and Contamination After Rainstorm

Front Bunker on 6 After Recent Rainstorm

Tennis Court Improvements

There have been numerous improvements to the Irving Park tennis facility over the past year including new fencing, wind screens, adding a new patio area and a significant amount of landscaping to the pickleball court area are just a few of the things worth mentioning.  The latest improvement included making repairs to the brick walkway between the upper and lower courts as well as adding access to the pickleball courts by adding a new set of steps.

New Access Steps

Tree Work

The winter is also a time where we do a lot of tree work.  This year we will remove nearly 20 trees that are all dying, already dead or present a safety risk to the golfers.  A good example of a safety risk was the split tree we removed last summer on #8 at Irving Park.  That tree generated a huge crack after a moderate windstorm and posed a huge risk to golfers due to its immense size.  Another similar tree was recently removed on #6 at the Farm course, which had a large amount of lean, was dead at the base and had a large crack forming in the main trunk.

Dead at the Base with a Strong Lean

#6 Farm Tree Removal Short of Green

Indoor Work

On cold and rainy days, which we have a lot of throughout the winter months, the staff has plenty to do inside.  The number of course accessories definitely adds up on any given golf course and each year all those accessories such as, tee markers, water cooler housing, trash cans, and hazard stakes all have to be gone through and refurbished for the new year.  So, there is a lot of sanding, painting and woodwork that goes on behind the scenes each year to keep everything looking new.

Sanding Tee Markers

Benches and Hazard Stakes

Water Cooler Housing

Fall Means Leaves and More Leaves

 

Fall Sunrise on #5 Farm Course

Fall Leaves

While the leaves started falling several weeks ago, going forward there will be days where they will blanket the courses.  For the next 6-8 weeks the staff on both courses will spend the vast majority of their time cleaning leaves from the playing areas in an effort to make the courses playable and to ensure everyone's round is more enjoyable.  There will be times when Mother Nature simply does not cooperate with our efforts, and we simply lose the short-term battle.  This week's cold front, where rain is in the forecast followed by winds blowing10-20 MPH, will be a good example of a time we will likely get well behind. This is a good time of the year for your group to consider a Leaf Rule before teeing off.  Most people utilize a leaf rule when a ball is seen going into an area heavy in leaves, and upon searching the area when the ball cannot be found, they are then allowed to take a free drop in that same area.  

Stately Tree Had to Come Down

#8 Irving Park Willow Oak Split

The large Willow Oak behind #8 green on the Irving Park course recently formed a huge split at the top of the primary trunk all the way to the base of the tree.  This was one of the bigger trees on the property with a canopy that stretched nearly 100 feet across.  Due to the immense canopy and the severity of the crack the tree posed a severe threat to anyone's safety that found themselves in close proximity to the damaged tree.  Once the split was identified the holes on that part of the course were closed and a tree service was called in the next day to remove the tree.  There is a large area beneath the now removed tree that was mulch and will be temporarily seeded for the winter months and will be sodded next spring.  We deferred sodding warm season grasses this time of the year because these types of grasses would be subject to winter damage as they will not have time to establish any type of root system. 

Farm Tough Day November 4 

One doesn't have to search the internet too hard to find some really creative Tough Day setups.  Some might even say hateful.  Our tough day is more focused on pure golf without any of the extra distractions.  Pins are guaranteed to be challenging, but playable.  The weather forecast on Saturday looks to be great, so for those of you who want a really good test of your skills be sure to sign up for this year's Tough Day on the Farm course.

A Not So Perfect Spring Transition

 WARM SEASON GRASS - SPRING TRANSITION UPDATE

Now that soil temperatures are starting to warm it is becoming apparent the short burst of cold air in late December has done some damage to certain areas of the two courses.  The Irving Park course has suffered the most damage, but the Farm course is not immune. As is the case with most years where we have experienced a measurable amount of winterkill or winter damage the areas affected are in the less-than-optimal growing areas.  These areas include wet areas, dry ridges on tops of mounds, dried out bunker surrounds, and the usual areas to include shady zones and north facing slopes. 

As is customary the Irving Park course has the most amount of damage with the majority of damage occurring in poorly drained areas, which we all know the drainage issues on the IP course are numerous. In the areas where there was only one underlying factor such as poor drainage the damage appears to be limited to the top 3/4 inches of the turf.  This means there are live healthy roots deeper in the soil that will eventually migrate to the surface, but the turf will be thin, and it will take an extended period of time and effort to get these areas to fill in.  Areas where there are multiple underlying growth limitations such as poorly drained soils in shady areas or compacted areas or north facing slopes the turf will be even slower to come back and will likely have to be replaced with new sod.  The reasoning is fairly simple.  Rooting systems in normally healthy growing locations are much denser than those with multiple limiting factors.  For example, a defined area of healthy turf may have 100 inches of root matter.  That same defined area of turf growing under multiple limitations may only have 30 inches of root material.  If you damage 50% of the root material the healthy area still has 50 inches of root material whereas the limited area know only has 15 inches and will not likely have enough root mass left over to regenerate a healthy stand of turf in an appropriate amount of time.

The Farm course will also see some hurdles to get it back to where the membership is accustomed to seeing it, but the fairways are Zoysia which is much more winter hardy, so the scale of damage is much lower. While Zoysia is much more winter hardy it does not tolerate poorly drained soils for extended periods of time, which often occur during the winter months.  When the course was renovated in 2008-2009 a significant amount of drainage was installed and the staff has been adding new drainage every year since then, but it's a big course and we still have some work to do.

WHAT'S THE PLAN AND WHAT SHOULD EVERYONE'S EXPECTATIONS BE?

Sod is in short supply this year.  Not so much due to winter damage because that is restricted to a very small area of northern and central counties in NC and parts of Virginia, and this is by no means a large event for most courses.  Rather there are a lot of new courses being built and several courses currently under renovation that has large acres of turf under contract.  With that said, we will find what we need to make the necessary repairs, but we will need to be patient as it will become much more available once we get more into the hotter growing months of June and July.

IRVING PARK

The IP course will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, April 24-25 to allow us an opportunity to cultivate as many of the damaged areas as possible and to start applying the first of many extra fertilizer applications.  We will repair 10,000 square of the worst areas that are in play and deemed to be too slow to come back during the first and second week of May.  From there we will continue our fertilization program and begin preparing the course for the McAlister Cup.  That will put us into the month of June where we will be better staffed, and sod will become more available.  I would expect by the late June or early July the course should be restored to its normal condition.

FARM COURSE    

We expect to have any areas in the fairways that will not recover in a timely fashion repaired by the second week of May.  There are other areas on the Farm course that are of concern, but they are more standard areas of repair that we deal with on an annual basis and as they present themselves more clearly, they will be dealt with in a timely manner.

Wet Swale

Wet Swale

Wet Swale

Dessicated Mound

Desiccated Bunker Edge

Farm Wet Swale Just Above Drainage
Line

ON A LIGHTER NOTE,

The pickleball patio and landscaping is nearly complete and we hope the membership finds this area pleasing and useful.

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