Greens update:
The last two weeks have brought us very favorable weather
and the greens have responded nicely. The vast majority of Graden lines have
been covered due to normal soil temps, moisture, and the weekly fertilizer
spoon-feeding we have been applying.
1 green has been slower to respond due to a couple of
factors. 1 has always been a green that needs extra care to keep pace with the
rest of the course. The trees that surround our maintenance shop block the
typical westerly breezes that would help to dry out the green. This causes the
roots to stay overly wet and will not grow as deeply as a green with full sun
and airflow. Over time, the saturated roots will die back resulting in less
root area to uptake proper nutrition and oxygen thus slowing growth. This was a
serious issue on 4,7,9, and 11 greens in the past but with selective tree
removal, more sun and wind is available and those greens are doing
significantly better. The second factor is wear. The design of the green, which
has steep slopes on the front third, the left third, and two small mounds on
the right greatly limit us in making pin location choices. This concentrates
all the play right through the middle where most of the recovery has been slow.
We have needle tined this green four times in the last month
and a half and will continue to do so to help get vital oxygen to the roots.
This will also provide much needed air 2-3” down to help dry out the green. I
will reduce mowing frequency on this green to help alleviate additional wear on
our part and increase fertilizer applications until the green has healed.
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| 18 Green - Full sun and Airflow |
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| Almost there- picture taken from 1 green center of traffic |
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| Picture taken from 1 green away from high traffic areas |
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