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")