Back Again

The combination of my lack of Tech savvy and the brutal season limited my posts dramatically.  I plan to update this site on a regular basis moving forward, so keep an eye out for new and insightful (in my eyes anyway!) information.

The highlight of our fall stretch was the execution of a large scale Tenacity program.  We treated roughly 38 acres of rough with 3 apps @ 15 oz.  spaced 10 days apart.  The chemistry is quite amazing, and results are in the form of "bleaching" leaf tissue.  I noticed that most all plants had some bleaching effect, and after three apps even some desireable species had thinning or decline.  However, this turf recovered quite well following a break and some Urea N.  Bentgrass, crabgrass, and most broadleaf weeds did not fair so well!  In areas of good 3 app coverage, my estimate is 90% was eradicated.  Interseeding began immediately following the first application; and continued well beyond app 3 due to amount of acreage.

Due to growth habit, the bit of Bent that did survive moved and competed with new seedlings introduced via a Turfco TriWave seeder.  Seed "catch" was a bit below my expectations, as I believe the Tenacity has more soil activity on seed/seedlings than they let on.  The fall fill was adequate, and I hold final reservation until June of 2013.  It is my experience that Bluegrass fill will be quite suprising by May's end!

Leaf season was much quicker in 2012.  Another extremely hard summer has taken it's toll on urban forests.  Color was short lived, and most species dropped quickly in October.  The positive for us is the ability to execute other projects, and actually begin a broadleaf program in the Fall; not typically available on this piece of property.

Enjoy the upcoming Holidays, and remember what we are all thankful for.

RB

Time to take a breath!

Wow.  What an unbelievable stretch of heat and drought.  May ended as one of the driest on record, and the second half of the month saw more highs in the 90's than the 70's.  This pushed through a very busy Memorial Day holiday.  The constant heat and lack of natural precipitation forced more summer like irrigation practices.  I am very pleased with the results of this first wave and the staff's response.  We implemented a more aggressive hand watering program during the week; covering surfaces other than just greens.  Even at the height of the heat and drought (the weekend), we were able to keep turf alive while still providing acceptable firmness and kept speed up on the greens. 

There is a little break in the heat; and it came with a small .5 inch rainfall Monday evening.  The dust is settled for a few days, and the irrigation can be shut down...but we could all benefit from another rain event late in the week. 

Ryan Baldwin, CGCS

Firm, Firmer, Firmest

Sure wouldn't expect to post this on April 9th!  The incredibly warm, dry spring has provided some of the best playing conditions seen over the past 3 total golf seasons.  Add in the cocktail of Plant Growth Regulators (PGR's) used to inhibit seed head development and slow typical spring growth; and you set the recipe for a fast track. 

This is a great time to talk about soft and firm conditions, and how we "control" said scenarios.  As you would know, dry conditions give us the ability to add water as needed...a much nicer scenario than saturated ground.  The conditions today are prime example of our practices and said results.  The turf plants are requesting little to no additional hydration even with soil moisture levels Well Below the "wilt" or "death" stage when in summer months.  The past two summers, we have applied water to preserve the asset...and under such extremes provided a softer than desired playing surface.  Now, little irrigation is required to ensure plant and asset protection, therefore the conditions are allowed to firm and speed increases....a prime example of how we Want to manage the course under normal temperatures and around rainfall events.

Get out here and tee it up!!

Spring....err...I mean Summer!

It's been a while since updating the Blog.  Hopefully understandable, as golf season and course preparations are in FULL swing.  The record setting March was a welcome suprise for all; providing an excellent start to the growing season and an opportunity for Members to reengage with Highland early in the calendar year.

As you can imagine, it has been quite challenging balancing the needs of a course in May condition while still attempting to accomplish March needs; all with a reduced staff typical for this time of year.  We are knee deep in mowing schedules, topdressing programs, pesticide needs, PGR applications, etc. etc.  This is unheard of for anytime in March, especially starting as early as mid March.  However, I am proud and confident to say the golf course is in excellent playing condition.  Nice, dry days have kept the facility firm (especially for spring!) and all the preparations we have accomplished compliment this nice weather stretch.

The Master's is upcoming, and that means our first "unofficial" event of the season...the Master's Par 3 event is right around the corner.  Let the season commence!!

Rain, Rain, Rain

Well, one nice day upon opening the course is followed by a monsoon.  Look for better days to come.

Course Update 3.6.2012

Temperatures are expected to rise throughout the day today.  The freeze layer from the past few days dissolved today around 9:30 AM.  Immediately following, the crew began executing debris cleaning procedures on each putting surface.  This afternoon, following debris removal, greens will be rolled to promote firmness.  Tomorrow morning, Wednesday, we will execute the first greens mowing of 2012.  I plan to return pins to greens behind the mowing procedure, thus play will be back on greens.

The early opening of greens could require adjustment if a cold snap does return.  This eventuality will be dealt with on a day by day basis, and would not constitute a long closure following such a weather pattern. 

Spring is near!

Ryan Baldwin, CGCS

Rain, Rain, more Rain

The mild winter has been fantastic for equipment maintenance, yet has made our annual forest management work quite difficult.  A february freeze is in order!  Yet today, another soaking rain is falling...while winter's white has been quite the no show!

Winter....Maybe

The white stuff is actually flying today.  This, on the heels of 60's, thunderstorms, and torrential downpours.  Typically, I don't associate winter with weather headaches...but this one is nutz!  Tree work is well behind schedule for 2011/2012 with hopes for a cold, frozen February. 

Planning and preparations are well underway for Golf Season 2012.  One of the elements we are addressing is fairway water management.  For starters, Lord help us if we see a third brutal summer in a row!  That aside, during times of long drought or heat stress, we are going to allocate a larger portion of resources to hand watering of fairway surfaces...at the expense of other daily maintenance procedures.  This is our best way to produce the firmest, living surfaces possible within our framework.

Come on winter, then bring on the spring!