Temp Greens

We will be switching to temporary greens this Wednesday

The cold is coming

With the short grass slowly but surely going into dormancy, we spent last week applying granular fertilizers to greens and approaches. These late season applications will help increase turf quality and recovery come spring time.
We also sprayed our greens, approaches and tees for snow mold prevention.
On Monday and Tuesday the irrigation lines were blown out twice to prevent any freezing and cracking of pipes, swing joints, and irrigation heads.
This Friday the bathroom at 12 will be winterized and locked until spring to prevent frozen plumbing.
Next weeks temps drop significantly with high temps barely reaching forty and nighttime temps around twenty. Once the greens freeze solid, we will be switching over to temporary pins until March. 

Setting Up

For those of you squeezing in those last few rounds before the cold really sets in you've probably noticed a lot of work being done to the course. We have punched the greens, tees, and fairways in the last two weeks and applied sand and amendments to these areas. Even though the grass growth has slowed down considerably, we must always be looking ahead to keep the playing surfaces healthy.

Opening up the greens before winter sets in will allow channels for water to escape during the freeze-thaw conditions of winter. Standing water on the greens surface that freezes could cause damage to the plants. The three injuries that effect plants are desiccation, crown hydration, and freeze. To protect the crown of the plant during winter we have started light topdressing to the greens. Once the greens are closed for the season we will apply another heavier layer of sand to help insulate the crown.

The next step in December is to spray the greens for snow mold disease. Pink and grey snow mold can do serious damage to short turf areas if not protected. Luckily, here in S.E. PA long term snow cover is rare, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

On Tuesday we applied gypsum to our fairways at 1000lbs. per/ acre. Gypsum is a calcium product with neutral pH. This will help to lower the pH in the soil as we are testing around 7.5-9. The irrigation water, which is also very high in bicarbonates and sodium typically runs 8.5-10. Gypsum can help improve compacted soils, lower pH, and improves soil structure ("opens up the soil for better nutrient and water absorption")

Happy Thanksgiving!!

To all the members, staff, and families of Rivercrest, I want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone enjoys this beautiful day.

Opening Up

This Tuesday we will be opening up the greens. With 3.5" of rain in the last week and cooler, shorter days it is increasingly difficult to dry out the greens. Poking a few holes will allow vital oxygen to enter deep into the profile to help with drying. While the greens are open this will give us a chance to add fertilizer amendments heading into winter.  The tining also relieves compaction as we have virtually continued our normal mowing and rolling schedule with the gorgeous fall weather.
The process is the same as the August aerification with a double roll behind.  Within a few days ball roll should be back to normal.
We are scheduled to receive our fall gypsum app on the fairways on November 21st. Before the application we will be punching the fairways with 3/4" solid tines to allow the product to get 2-3" into the soil.

Tee aerification

Next week we will be aerifying tees with hollow tines and filling the holes with topdressing sand. A few of the tees that have some wear from the excessively wet summer will be heavily seeded and fertilized. The temps still look above average so I wanted to take advantage of the warmth to get some germination before winter arrives.


Later this month we will be solid tining the fairways. This will relieve some soil compaction from a busy season as well as opening channels for another gypsum application this fall.

The wide balloon tires allow for large quantities of product to be applied without any damage to the fairways.

This truck will hold approximately 4-5 tons of gypsum. We will be putting down 1000lbs per acre

Big Problems come in Small Packages

Just Mocking Me

Last week, quite a few members approached my assistants and me while hovering over an open hole with a quip about the famous movie Caddyshack. “You guys need me to call Bill Murray to help out”. That definitely put a smile on our faces as we searched for the root cause of an electrical break rendering half the satellite boxes on the course inoperable.

Last Thursday, after 4 days of bright sunshine and light breezes, some light wilt started appearing on a few fairways. I grabbed the remote and headed out. Passing by the pumphouse and down 16 cartpath, I punched in a few sprinkler numbers and waited for the confirmation beeps. Good to go, but no water. Tried again. Beep,beep,beep. Nothing. I spun around, checked 4 fairway for golf and typed in the codes. Beep,beep,beep. No heads popping up and that sickening feeling washing over me. Oh lord not again!!! I raced to the pumps and no red fault lights! Whew, we still have water! Opened the breaker panel and there we go, tripped.

Tried the breaker again, 15 seconds later, pop.

Now, this electrical leg travels from the pumphouse to the two satellites in the fescue, down 16 to a junction box at the path to 12 bathroom.  One line heads to the satellites behind 11 and 5 greens. The other continues down 16 fairway, across the creek to 12 fwy, splits again to connect 13 and 15 and then all the way across the road to 8 green and then finally out to 7.

There’s only one way to determine where the break is and that’s going to each splice box, disconnecting all the wires, and then testing with a voltmeter. Once we determine the incoming power line, we reattach the wires and move to the next box.

After 3 hours we finally narrowed down where the break might be, but it was between two boxes and most likely 4-5’ underground. That’s when the professionals were called with all their fancy gadgets and meters.

After 2 hours, and Tim’s(Rainbird Irrigation) needle on the gauge bouncing back and forth we had pinpointed a spot and started digging.

I was on my stomach reaching down the hole as far as I could when I hear “well, isn’t this typical union work, one guy in the hole while 3 guys standing and watching”.  Now that made me laugh! It isn’t always good being the tall guy in the group.

We found our problem! Three feet down, I felt the insulated cable, rough edges, and then exposed copper wire. Bingo!

One tiny little creature, causing so much mayhem!! Never a dull moment at the Crest. 

Grounds and power wires: Never a good match

Aerification update

Aerification went well this fall. Unfortunately we will have to finish the approaches later this season. The heat reached 90 on Tuesday and I didn't want risk damaging any turf. The greens were punched and amendments applied on Monday. We left them open till Wednesday to get as much air and drying time as possible then doubled rolled. Today the greens were mowed and rolled again.
The tees had 3/4" plugs removed,  heavily topdressed and final brushing yesterday.

Aerification Time

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday the course will be closed for aerification. We will be punching the greens using the bayonet tines, applying amendments, and topdressing. The sand will be brushed in and greens left to heal. Approaches will be punched using hollow tines and topdressed. We will resume mowing before golf begins on Thursday.
The tees will be cored with 3/4" hollow tines and topdressed to fill the holes. The timing couldn't be better as the rainfall this summer has not let up for two months. Since the last week of June we have collected 12" of rain in our gauge. Certainly a drastic contrast to last year with the 6" that fell over 5 months. This excessive rainfall coupled with much higher levels of humidity has caused soft conditions, shrinking roots and wear in the higher traffic areas. Opening the tees will allow for much needed oxygen to revitalize the plants, create channels for new roots, and remove the wet decaying thatch that slowly but surely weakens the plants.
Fairways will be solid tined later in the fall then topped with gypsum.

You usually won't hear many supers say these words but I'm looking forward to aerification.

Fescue Mowing

In the next week we will be mowing down the majority of native areas in preparation for the next round of sprays. The crew will rake and clean up the debris. I will be applying the second dose of grassy weed herbicides as well as broadleaf control. In early fall (Octoberish) one more application for grassy weeds and a pre-emergent will be sprayed before winter arrives.

Venting

We will be venting a few greens today with the same tines as last month. The rest will be completed tomorrow. The rain total for Saturday into Sunday was 3" and much cooler temps arriving this week. This provides a perfect opportunity to open the sopping wet greens and bring much cooler air into the root zone after the intense heat last week.
As before, we will be double rolling behind and continuing our normal mowing schedule. This won't affect any play.

The Heat is On!

Just a reminder. As we push on through this oppressive heat it is extremely important that my staff and I can cool off the plants throughout the day. We will be circling around the course during the afternoon heat to mist the greens(syringe), and run short cycles on the fairways and tees. We only need a few minutes to get across a green so bear with us.
This isn't actual watering but cooling. When the humidity rises the plants can't effectively cool off. Just like us, when the hot sticky days of summer arrive we sweat and the humidity traps the sweat raising our temps. (i.e. all the heat warnings on the news and weather stations). We either jump in a pool, run through a hose or get into the air conditioning. The plants are experiencing the same overheating. The plant pulls water from the roots and sends it through the stomates (pores) on the underside of the leaf. This water vapor/droplet is hopefully evaporated(transpiration) to cool the plant down but high humidity negates this process.
That's when we have to step in.
It looks like just a couple more days and the weather breaks.

Unloading

I thought the rains would never arrive. And then they did and boy Cindy was angry. We received 2.4" of rain in about three hours. We got the pond filler we were looking for but timing could have been a bit better. It was drizzling at 4:30am and with the crew ready to roll out at 5 we got about 15 minutes of prep completed before all hell broke loose. After popping drain caps all around the course and surveying the damage we set out. 90% of the bunkers were washed out and at 7:00 many of the greens still had puddles.
Luckily the greens drain very well so it wasn't long before they were playable. I couldn't mow the greens this morning without risking damage from digging and scalping so we'll double cut and roll tomorrow to catch up.

Topped off 10" in one short storm. 

Water Hazards galore!

We hurried around the course and quickly shoveled and raked the worst washouts to make the bunkers playable but will do a full bunker rake in the am.

Tining

Ask and you shall receive. Well, sometimes. I prayed a bunch last summer but was never answered.
We've received close to 2" of rain in the last week re-wetting the turf but unfortunately softening everything up. This coming Monday has very cool temps expected, especially at night so we will take advantage of this and needle tine greens. With all the wetness opening channels will allow the noxious gases that accumulate rapidly during wet and warm periods to escape. The slits will also allow vital O2 to penetrate deeply into the soil and give channels for the roots to grow. The plan is to do a few holes Monday ahead of golf and roll smooth behind. The remaining greens will be finished on Tuesday. This operation, as we've done before will not hinder mowing or rolling schedules.

Fan On 1 Green

The fan is installed! 1 green has always been a difficult green to manage. The main principle superintendents will agree on when caring for greens is proper sunlight, good drainage, and good airflow. When one or more is disrupted trouble will occur. Bentgrass loves it dry and sunny. When those are deprived the plant compensates by slowing root growth and increasing shoot growth to catch all available sunlight. When roots suffer you are removing the lifeline to the plants. Roots gather nutrients, water, and oxygen to support whats on top. When roots are damaged the plant will take much longer to grow and heal. On one, we've removed the majority of trees to the right side of the green to allow more sunlight and that has helped but another component is proper airflow. The maintenance building as well as thick woods to the left of the green block all typical westerly breezes. When the heat of the summer rolls in this will have detrimental effects on the turf. The first is overheating. When it's very humid and the area does not have adequate airflow the temps rise rapidly on the surface. The second especially after rainfalls is the plant can't dry out. This leads to the formation of black algae, increased disease pressure, welt wilt, and thinning turf.

The installation of the fan on 13 in 2012 has helped dramatically with the health of this green. Due to trees used as a barrier for the pool area airflow was cut off and the green suffered year after year. Losing patches of grass on this green during July and August was commonplace. The fan gives just enough breeze to cool down the canopy and help it through the summer


After deciding on a position that would effectively hit the majority of the greens surface as well as not obstructing golfers view too badly, it was time to dig.

A 20''X40" deep hole was dug and 10" of gravel for drainage.

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An adjustable sleeve was leveled then the hole was filled with concrete

I pulled 600' of 6/2 gauge wire to the back of the maintenance building.Whew that wire is heavy!!

This was the nerve racking part. Lifting the heavy brand new fan and carefully positioning, placing it on top of the pole. 

1 green and me can finally breathe easier.

New Houses

I'd like to sincerely thank Mr. John Marrone for donating his time and wood working shop to help us replace the bluebird houses around the course. The new houses look fantastic and within 12hrs of setting them out they were filled!

Our RiverCrest master craftsman, Mr. Marrone.  Thank you so much!!!

Fescue, Fescue

After research, speaking with numerous supers, and trial and error, three weeks ago I sprayed the our fescue areas with a three herbicide combination. The herbicides will attack annual broadleaves, grassy weeds, as well as a preemergent to stunt or eliminate future broadleaf weeds. The pre-emergent I will spray again in the fall to combat winter annuals before the start of next season.
I was a bit disappointed at two weeks as the main target grassy weeds looked to be doing fine and thought to myself here we go again. The typical weeds...dandelion, groundsel, thistle/bull thistle, and chickweed were curling up nicely though. What in God's creation did they seed into these mounds during construction?? Then it started...purpling, browning of the tips, very slow growth for this point in the season, then the result I was praying for. The slow death.
While you play around the course you will notice browning areas throughout the fescue. The herbicide has a long list of grasses it will attack but the fines will be relatively unharmed.
I will spray again before the summer heat to target some of the more difficult to remove grasses like K31(course tall fescue).  This product can ding up the fescue under stress and high heat. Another app will be applied in the fall.
Due to the extreme slopes and hazards on some of our mounds we will have to hand spray as I was unable to safely drive the sprayer over them. If the results continue to impress we will get out there very soon and begin to hand spray.
In the second pic you can see how effective this spray was. It was an accident, but great results. Those passes continued all the way down the right side of 7 and 8. The fine fescue untouched.

I was able to spray the entire mound along six and the fine fescue is doing great. The targeted grassy weed ...not so much.

This was a slip up. I accidently bumped the boom off with my elbow. Remarkable difference!

Very Clean! Now I can let it grow nice and long and will look fabulous all brown. JUST KIDDING you SLICERS

Aerification

Greens aerifcation was finished this week. Due to starting later than normal in the year, the busy golfing schedule became an obstacle and we needed three days to complete the process. The crew hustled and knocked off the last 5 greens before 9:00 on Wednesday morning.

Everything went smoothly after a little hiccup first thing Monday. The drive belt decided to let loose on the first green slowing our start but after that was fixed it was off to the races.

The great thing about the graden machine is the amount of material removed from the green and the sand immediately filling the slits which keeps the greens dramatically firmer than hollow tine treatments. This eliminates having to drive heavy topdressing machines over open holes, creating ruts and closing many of holes before they are filled.  Compared to typical hollow tine aerification the Graden pulls about 30 tons of sand and thatch from the green to 10 tons.

Bentgrass is a prolific thatch producer and if not properly managed can lead to many issues including puffy soft greens, weak shortened roots, waterlogged greens which can lead to scalping, disease, and black algae.

Aerification is a NECESSARY evil.

With the weather cooperating, the later start may have a positive result towards healing. Compared to last years cold start, the soil 2" under the greens is already at 65 degrees. This was taken Friday with a pogo monitor on 4 different greens. Enormous change from last year when I had low 50's temps the week before Memorial Day.

Even Tim was giving us a helping hand to finish quickly! Thanks Tim

Long lines of thatch and sand - buckets of dry sand to fill the machine

OOPS

From time to time the material can get caught up under the machine and rip out a 2-3 row section. This has happened every year we have used the Graden. With all the material piling up behind the machine it usually takes a few feet before noticing. To fix this damage, we used strips from the practice greens to replace the  missing pieces. Just like a small piece of sod, in a few weeks it will be rooting and heal right up.

The Graden uses 2mm wide star shaped blades to slice through the thatch. Kiln dried sand is loaded in the machine and drops down into v-shaped tubes that fill the slit.

Happy Easter

Aerification

With impending rain this week we will be scheduling greens aerification for Monday April 10th. The graden process will be used. The sand we use is kiln dried to work through the machine. If any moisture gets onto the sand it will clog up the tubes, bringing our work to a complete halt until we clean and blow out the lines and start again.
We will be punching the fairways over the next couple of weeks with solid tines.  This will have no impact on play or starting times.
The tees will be punched in early May as the holes are still open from the late fall aerification.

Once we start I will post pics and videos of the Graden and aerification processes.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!

   

Slainte Mhaith!

Stewardship

After a few beautiful 70 degree days in FEBRUARY, we are sitting here in the middle of March looking out at 8+" of snow and ice. As all of us wait with baited breath to get this season underway I felt this was a perfect time to discuss a topic that to this day still is an issue. BALLMARKS! I want all of our members, guests and staff to realize whether we are playing Augusta, Merion, Rivercrest, or the local public course that it is our responsibility to take time and repair marks left by our play. It's part of the game that many times is overlooked and  leaves the course in worse shape for the players behind.
I started playing this great game at 9 years old and the first lesson I had with the local pro was him discussing course etiquette. He instilled in me to leave the course in better shape than I left it. Fix your ballmarks, rake the bunkers smooth, and replace your divots.
After 35 years I'm still amazed when I tour the course every morning and walk on these greens there are ballmarks completely untouched. Always try to fix your mark as well as find another to fix while you are waiting for your friends to putt.


   


These photos above were taken on Saturday, October 15th from 4 green.


Now, we also need to fix the mark correctly. Fixing the mark incorrectly will leave an ugly scar on the green for weeks or longer.  I have posted two videos below on the proper way to fix a ballmark.

5 Tee Revamp

I'd like to thank Doug Mottin and his staff from Mottin Golf Course Renovations for the excellent work reshaping the black/blue tee on #5. The original tee on black/blue tee was not large enough to handle the traffic and we were forced to use sections on the back of the 12th tee for hitting. Another issue was the rough area in between the two tees was using up valuable space and needed to be corrected.
The back tee was a paltry 1200 sq. feet and after reshaping is now 2700 sq feet!! This new tee will give us many more tee placements to distribute the wear.

The back tee- half the width of the forward tee. 20+ft. of rough wasting space.

The machines arrive and digging begins. The mini-ex carves a soft taper off the back of 12 Tee.

Load after load hauled away and stock piled at our shop for future projects.

The floor almost completed to a 8" depth. This was then laser leveled for a small amount taper for drainage.

After drain lines were dug and pipes installed, approx. 80 tons of tee mix was added and leveled.

The surface was plate tamped(compacted) then spun with our bunker machine. Sod Arrives!

Penn -trio sod installed on the tee along with turf type tall fescue rough sod for the border.

FINISHED PRODUCT!

 The whole process went smoothly and seamlessly. Thank you to Doug, Kris, Brett and the crew for a fantastic job!

GREENS!

It's that time of year again! The weather looks fantastic and we will be opening the greens this Friday.
So get out there and stretch those winter legs and enjoy the warm sun.


SPECIAL NOTES:

We are working on a large project to expand the black blue tee on number 5 and there will be large material haulers running back and forth between our maintenance shop and 5.

It is still early in the season and if the weather decides to plunge back into winter time temperatures (the groundhog did see his shadow!) we may,  from time to time change back to temporary pins to protect the greens from damage.


DON'T FORGET TO REPAIR THOSE BALLMARKS!