Spring's Right Around the Corner

 Irving Park Aerification - February 27-28

Our first aerification of the year is almost here on our Bentgrass greens on the Irving Park course.  This is a crucial procedure that serves to provide ideal growing conditions for the plant throughout the spring growing season.  Our aerification program consists of three timely spaced-out procedures that are carefully designed to remove excess organic matter and compaction for the overall long-term health of the greens.  The late winter aerification is the slowest of the three to recover due to cool soil temperatures and a corresponding slow plant growth rate.  As such, conditions typically return to normal conditions over a three-to-four-week period depending on temperatures in March.

Topdressing and the Differences Between Bent and Ultradwarf Management

With temperatures warming up, the initiation of our topdressing program on the Farm Ultradwarf greens is most likely right around the corner, so I wanted to touch on the topic of our topdressing program on the Farm greens and why it is so different than that of the Irving Park greens.

One of the main differences between Bentgrass putting greens and Ultradwarf bermudagrass putting greens is the way in which they grow. Compared to Bentgrass, Ultradwarf Bermudas grow much more aggressively both vertically and horizontally. This leads to a much denser canopy and more rapid buildup of old plant material, thatch, and grain.

In order to provide a good putting surface this dense canopy needs to be thinned out, removing old plant material, and encouraging a more upright growth habit. This is done through frequent, light verticutting, which is usually done at a depth ranging from 1/16 ” - 1/8” deep. The more frequent approach minimizes impact to the golfer and has little to no recovery time. Topdressing rates vary depending on the season and the growth rate of the grass, but simply put a typical application of sand should not result in significant sand harvesting in the first mow cycle following a topdressing application.  Judging the sand rate is not a perfect science but spread rates are based on clipping yields prior to mowing and expected growth rate following topdressing depending upon factors such as future weather forecasts, recent inputs such as fertilization, and timing of plant growth regulator applications.

Ideally topdressing is done with light and frequent topdressing, which accomplishes many things in Ultradwarf putting green management. It for one, fills in any inconsistencies in the putting surface, adds firmness, reduces the impact of grain, reduces algae, and most importantly dilutes the organic matter in the upper soil profile, leading to better water infiltration, more oxygen for roots, and disease prevention. Again, more frequent light applications of sand affect play less, and ensure that the most sand possible stays in the plant canopy and does not get picked up by mowers.

Wrapping Up a Busy Winter Season

The staff on both courses has spent the last several months working hard to get the courses ready for the 2023 golfing season.  Just a few of the things they have been working on include but are not limited to:

• Daily maintenance of mowing or rolling greens, changing pins, raking bunkers, blowing the course clean, etc.
• Copious amounts of leaf removals
• Refurnish numerous course accessories. 
• Tree and Stumps removals with just a few trees and stumps left on the list.
• Adjusting and adding sand to bunkers where needed.
• Select cart path repairs on the Irving Park course with a few more on the schedule when warmer weather returns for good.
• Replacing the 30-year fence surrounding the Irving Park maintenance shop.
• Winter weed control on break through weeds with more needed once soil temperatures warm.
• Trimmed back 1,000's of ornamental grasses on the Farm course.
• Surprisingly enough, the Farm greens have only been covered twice this year, but March always has the potential for colder weather that may include future covering events.
• Both courses are nearly complete with pre-emergent weed control applications for summer weeds.
• Replanted the damaged section of plant screening on the left side of #12 on the Farm course to screen off Horsepen Creek Road.

Future Work

• Aerify IP greens February 27-28
• Apply nearly 800 yards of hardwood mulch to each course. 
• Before you know it begin mowing warm season grasses on both courses.