FALL AERATION COMING SOON!

Labor Day is nearly upon us so we thought we would provide a friendly reminder that fall aeration will take place on September 7 & 8.  We will have 9 holes closed each day to allow the greens to be aerified.  We have already begun the green healing process: we have applied fertilizer and have withheld application of plant growth regulators.  This (along with cooler weather) will provide a flush of growth which will aid in speedy recovery of aeration holes.  We will also be diligently assessing ball roll and will topdress the greens until they are rolling smooth and true.

The fairways and tees will be aerified once the greens are finished and should be completed by September 16- depending on weather.  These areas will not require closures and should cause minimal disruption to play.

USGA VISIT

Our Midwest Region USGA Agronomist, Ty McClellan, visited Wakonda on Wednesday, August 17.  Ty spent the day with John Temme and the green committee discussing the golf course.  Ty was complementary of the condition of the golf course given the extreme heat experienced in July.  He said that our collars looked better than average and said we are taking the correct measures to promote overall collar health and recovery.  Ty also added that our greens once again had the best roots he has visited this season.  

Roots on #11 green extend well beyond Ty's soil sampler.

 The entire grounds crew is currently enjoying the cooler weather.  With the drop in temperatures we have begun our efforts to seed various areas of the course which died this summer.  Areas seeded include: low- lying fairways, 10 tee, and small patches in the collars and first cut of rough.

Areas like this one on #8 have been seeded and should recover through the fall.

 We have also started a few other projects this week:

Drainage being installed in front of the indoor practice facility.

We are also cleaning up bentgrass invasion along pond banks.

You may have also noticed that climbers from Perficut removed a large dead oak near the 13th fairway.

August Update- Hot and Dry is Better Than Hot and Wet!

It has been a hot, dry second half of summer 2011.  Earlier this year we were quite wet- in May and June we received over 15 inches of rain.  July was a month that was touted as the "Hottest July since 1955" by KCCI.  While some areas in the state received rain, Wakonda did not. We observed only 1 inch the entire month.  The hot and dry conditions had us battling to keep the irrigation system running smoothly so we could give our turf the moisture it desperately needed.

When conditions are hot and humid, turf disease pressure skyrockets.  It is a daily struggle to 'walk the fine line' between giving the turf enough water to handle the heat while avoiding over watering which exacerbates disease issues.  To avoid this scenario each green is scouted every day, checking overall soil moisture and for localized dry spots.  Each green receives an individual watering plan- countless hours of checking and hand watering and the result is healthy turf.

While the past several weeks have been a challenge, we are much happier with the condition of the course than we were this time last year.  Summer 2010 was a very wet and hot season.  Turf everywhere struggled to survive the many pressures- at least this July we were able to control how much water falls on the course.

Greens- are performing phenomenally!  Roots are strong and deep (8+ inches).  Ball marks are slow to recover but we are masking their appearance with green sand.  Speeds are holding steady.  You may have noticed a slight dip in speeds during the hottest days in July as we were forced to back off our maintenance a bit to avoid over stressing the turf.  With the cooler temperatures we are back to our normal routine.

Collars- have responded to aeration and traffic control efforts.  Their condition is slowly improving.  Cooler weather will be the key.  We will continue our efforts to the nurse them through summer.

Tees- are doing well.  We have seen some minor disease issues pop up but were able to handle them quickly with fungicides.

Fairways- are also performing well.  Our new bentgrass varieties handle the summer months much better than the fairways did in years past.  We do have a couple areas that are struggling.  The wet spring and early summer left the turf in low lying areas without strong roots- these areas are struggling with the hot weather.  You will also notice other small areas where we have some dead turf- this is to be expected.  We do have some Poa annua in the fairways and treated with Velocity Herbicide in May and June.  The heat has really added a knockout punch to a lot of Poa!

Number 8 fairway Aug. 6, 2011.  Some turf here is struggling.

The same area August 13, 2010- looking much worse.  Hot and dry is MUCH better than hot and wet!

Rough- is struggling in areas without good irrigation coverage and without the protection of turf fungicides.  The good news is this turf is better equipped to handle summer stresses and will bounce back on its own with the arrival of cool fall temperatures and a little rain.  Weeds are the most visible sign of stressed turf.  Crabgrass and nutsedge have carved out a niche the past few weeks- they love the hot weather.  We will selectively treat these weeds in areas of high priority to avoid using a lot of herbicide.  October frost will kill theses summer annual weeds for free!

We are using portable sprinklers to keep the rough green, as best we can.

Yellow Nutsedge.

Crabgrass.

Bunkers- We're glad to have been able to take a break from repairing storm damage.  We will give them more attention once the weather cools down a bit and we can divert our attention from the turf.  We will be inspecting them individually to redistribute sand and add sand where needed.

Collars

 The "Dog Days" of summer are upon us and we are feeling the heat at Wakonda.  We have changed the work schedule for our seasonal staff to avoid working during the hottest time of day.  We are now starting our workday at 5 AM and the majority of our staff heads for home at 11:30. 

The grounds staff aren't the only creatures dealing with the extreme temperatures.  Remember, the golf course is alive and must also cope with the stresses that come during this time of year.  If you have played golf recently you have undoubtedly noticed that the course is getting quite dry and there are some areas that are turning brown.  Don't be worried.  The vast majority of these areas are in the rough where we do not have irrigation coverage and this turf is merely going dormant until more favorable conditions return.  

Every part of the course is different and requires specific management but the grounds crew is working feverishly to keep the course alive and healthy.  We are constantly probing the earth to check for moisture, repairing sprinklers, adjusting sprinkler run times, and adding supplemental water through hoses and hand watering. 

The most difficult area of any golf course to manage is the collar around the green.  The collar receives extra traffic from greens maintenance practices- when mowing, rolling, and topdressing we must travel across the collar to maintain the green.  Bunkers are also an added challenge for the collar.  First and foremost, the bunker creates a "bottleneck" where mowers and foot traffic become concentrated.  Also, when sand is ejected from the bunker as a result from a golf shot it often lands on the collar.  This creates two problems.  First, the sand becomes very hot and scalds the turf- think of walking barefoot on the beach on a hot day.  Second, the sand can accumulate over time and effectively topdress the collar with bunker sand so turf in the area is often growing in soil which is poorly suited to support plant growth. 

Turf in front of #6 green showing stress.

Our collars are performing as expected.  They are healthy but some ares are showing signs of heat and traffic stress.  We are doing several things to nurse the collars through this challenging part of the season.  First, we have raised the mowing heights by about 10% to 1/2 inch.  Second, we have and will be aerating some of the collars to relieve compaction and allow for gas/ water exchange.  Third, we are checking each green, and collar every day for dry areas and hand watering as needed.  Finally, we utilize plastic lattice to help protect the turf from the traffic stress caused by our greens mowers. 

Plastic lattice- purchased from home improvement stores are lightweight and easily transported and moved.  They provide protection from the grinding motion of a turning greens mower.

Ball Marks!

 The heat of summer is here so we would like to take a moment to talk about ball marks.  Repaired ball marks heal much more quickly than those that are neglected.  At Wakonda we are fortunate to have a large maintenance staff- repairing ball marks is a detail that is a part of our daily routine.  However, when temperatures heat up it is often too late for a ball mark to have a chance at a speedy recovery if it is not repaired immediately. 

A ball mark that has been neglected.

By the next day it will look like this one.

 When we enter the hottest months of the year we are also in the peak of our season- more golfers, more ball marks, slower recovery.  Over time the marks become so numerous that they begin to affect hole locations and ball roll.  Another strategy we employ is to fill the marks with a green colored sand.  This has two benefits- the void is filled and thus smoothed and the green pigment masks the appearance.

 Here is a short demonstration video made by PitchPro Golf, the maker of our ball mark tools you find in your golf carts and in the baskets located on the first and tenth tees. Please take time to learn how to use this tool and properly repair your ball marks.

 We've all missed putts when our ball rolls through a previous golfer's mark so do your part to help make Wakonda the best that it can be.

"Turf Twister"

 We found some unique turf damage on the golf course today.  See if you can figure out the cause: 

The damage is pictured above.  The turf is Kentucky Bluegrass and is located in the primary cut of rough on hole #10.

Here is a close- up of one of the five or so areas affected.

The area outlined in red shows a distinct pattern.

These areas appeared after our July 4th celebrations at the club.  There were activities for children and many families walked to other locations on the property to get a good view of the fireworks.  The cause of this damage is...... Insect Repellent!  The pattern shows a well- intentioned mother or father lined their children up like ducks in a row and gave them all a treatment, undoubtedly to prevent itchy mosquito bites.  We see insect repellent damage every year and the damage can be confusing at first but once you spot the flip- flop prints the diagnosis is a lock.  Luckily this damage occurred in the rough and this turf will recover.  However, we would like to promote the application of these products in the rough only and not on the green, tee, or fairway- ideally on the cart path!

Drainage!

June was a wet month for Wakonda. We received a total of 9.5 inches of rain with 5.5 inches on June 8 & 9.  It has been a wet beginning to the 2011 season- we have received more than 20 inches of rain since April 1st.

We are taking advantage of the drier weather this week by tackling a drainage project on holes 12 & 13.  

Jaret Vasey operates our trencher on the left side of 12 fairway.

Intern Jason Conrad is prepping a trench for pipe.

The process is labor intensive but will have a tremendous impact in playability.  Other areas we would like to install additional drain pipe include fairways 3, 5, and 8.  Hopefully we will have weather favorable for drainage work so we can address theses areas before turf health declines.

The type of drainage we are installing is a corrective measure for excess ground water and is not necessarily part of the drainage master plan which was completed last fall by Turf Drainage Co.  This consultant focused primarily on upgrades which would better handle surface runoff from surrounding areas during major rain events.