Irrigation Factoid

If you've spent much time on a golf course, at one time or another you've encountered a wet area on the course that was obviously the culprit of a leak in the irrigation system. (or, as Alex likes to say the "irritation" system). Here's a little something to ponder on when your mind has nothing else to do. The plumbing that leads to each irrigation head on our golf course comprises about 10 different joints, "T"s, and fittings. As you know if you've ever done any plumbing, each of those is a prime candidate for a leak. Now, multiply that by over 700 heads on our course and you quickly see that we have over 7,000 potential leaks in our irrigation system. Add to that the fact that most of our system was installed in 1988, making it over 20 years old and you can see how an occasional leak will appear.

From the blog of Lake Valley

Geese a major problem!

Despite our best efforts thus far, the geese just don't want to leave! Someone needs to push for a change, these are not migratory! Last year when the geese issue became a problem, I went to my local nursery and asked for a solution. They pointed me to some reflective tap. Reflective tape? I thought no way would this work. I was wrong! Yesterday, I finally was able to return to the nursery to pick up some additional tape and we have surrounded our 6th hole.

The reflection on the tape aggrevates the eyes of not only geese, but most birds. I found many berry growers utilize this tape as well to keep from losing their harvest. We will keep the reflective tape up until I feel our issue with the geese has gone for the season. I have placed most of the stakes with the tape inside the hazard incase a ball comes to rest near one.

From the blog of William Brown, CGCS West Chester, PA

Family Golf Activities Abound During Family Golf Month in July

Throughout the month of July, affordable family fun is just a short par 3 away as PGA/LPGA Professionals nationwide encourage families to hit the links through special activities during the fifth annual Family Golf Month.

Family Golf Month provides a structured, yet casual, opportunity for families to learn the game of golf and spend uninterrupted quality time together. Every family member-young and old-can participate and receive the benefits a round of golf provides, including fresh air and beautiful outdoor scenery as well as a healthy dose of exercise.

Currently, there are more than 1,800 Family Golf Programs currently scheduled nationwide, including family golf clinics and play days, Take Your Daughter to the Course Week (July 5-11) and Bring Your Kids to the Golf Range (July). Consumers can find a complete list of facilities that are participating in Family Golf Month, along with details on specific events and online registration, by city and state on the Play Golf America Web site at PlayGolfAmerica.com.

Rotted Tree Falls

Just had to show you this OCH! that could have hurt!

As I was touring the course this morning I came across this fallen Basswood at the entrance to the 6th tee. As you can see by the photos the stem of the trunk was very rotten and decayed quite badly. It was

really only a matter of time before the tree would fall. With virtually no wind last night it goes to show it's important to have hazardous trees removed from the golf course before they reach this stage of decay. Thankfully no one was in the area at the time. The location of the tree is right where golfers enter the 6th tee complex as they walk back from the 5th green.

There's a time to save and maintain certain trees on the golf course and there comes a time when a decision needs to be made to remove what may even appear to be a perfectly healthy tree. But when we know the inside of the tree is showing signs of decay the tree needs to be removed especially when the health and safety of the golfers and employees is at risk (even though it may not always be the popular decision). Unfortunately Mother Nature took care of this one before we were able to act on it.

From the blog of Jeff Johnson, CGSA from The Minikahda Club in Minnesota

May Golf Trades dizital issue

I am a little behind getting this up we have been a little busier then usual around here. The May issue has an article written by Justin Ruiz, CGCS from The Rim Golf Club, located around scenic Payson, AZ. Justin talks about keeping yourself motivated on the job, and keeping your staff motivated. You can read the article and see the whole magazine by clicking on the cover picture.

Our new BlogRoll section seems to be popular after just two issue with it included, keep those comments coming we appreciate it. If you have a comment about our magazine or a particular issue please contact me direct through my email posted here on the blog or at layout@thetrades.com.

As always if anyone would like to write an article for us just let me know I will contact you with the pertinent information. If you would like to read through our magazine archives go to our website www.golfcoursetrades.com.

Here comes the Gang Mowers

The following is from Don Mahaffey our project and golf course superintendent extraordinaire. Here is his great post from earlier in the year regarding 19 things a golf course can do to lower maintenance costs. The top of his list included something you don't see every day - a Gang Mower - pictured above. He has received several inquiries from around the world once word got out - here Don's take on how it REDUCED THE FAIRWAY MOWING MAN HOURS BY 50%:

When Mike Nuzzo and I started building Wolf Point, we had a few instructions from our client, the owner of the course. Chief among those instructions was he wanted the course outrageously good and he wanted it maintained in a practical manner. Since we were in a very windy area, hard against the South Texas coast, we knew the course needed some width to be playable. The wind blows all the time here. Both Mike and I are huge fans of the Old Course at St. Andrews and we used her as inspiration for a lot of what we did. One of our challenges was to build this big golf course and yet find a way to keep maintenance costs reasonable. One of the ways we decided to do that was design the course so we could cut the fairways with a large pull behind gang mower.

How does mowing equipment like a large gang mower affect design? We made sure any bridges we needed were large enough to handle the tractor and mowing unit. Turned out that with a transport frame a standard 10 ton bridge was fine. Anywhere we had fairway bunkers close together we made sure there was not only room to pull the gang between them, but room enough to alter the path so as not to create permanent tire ruts. This required bunkers being a minimum of 20 feet apart, which was no problem. If we felt they needed to “play” closer together than that we simply shaped the bunkers to gather shots and beefed up the drainage so that they would still be dry if they were gathering water as well as balls. We knew we were going to have dew paths from greens-tees-fairways and we built those paths so the gang unit could mow them as well while traveling from one hole to the next. To create more width we have a number of shared fairways that melded perfectly with the use of a large production mower.

 We use a Toro 7-gang (above), wheel driven unit that we found used and refurbished over the winter. We installed 11-blade reels along with going through each unit and adding a new coat of paint. We have the unit set at .500, ½ inch, and we are very pleased with the quality of cut. We took one of our lightweight fairway mowers out of action and converted the cutting units to thatching reels. So now, we have a dedicated fairway verti-cutting machine. We slice the fairways as time allows and right now the plan is too vert-cut every fairway once a month. I believe one of the keys to a high quality of cut with gang units is too keep the grass thinned out. Puffy turf scalps with any mowing equipment but really scalps with a gang unit since there is no front roller. Keep the turf thinned out and not only does it cut better, it plays better as well. We cut our fairways twice a week and apply a growth regulator in conjunction with foliar feed every 21 days.

We maintain Wolf Point’s 80 acres of fwys, 4 acres of greens, and 10 acres of rough, along with other Ranch duties (like bailing hay) with 4 people plus myself. The only way that’s possible is with equipment that can get the job done well and in a practical time frame. Our gang unit helps us do that and I will be surprised if we didn’t see a little more of this approach as golf participation stagnates while maintenance costs continue to increase.

From the blog of Nuzzo Course Design

Turfgrass Staff - Don, Phil, & Mike K.

Don Cain & Phil Wagner
aka "The Everly Brother's"
aka "Phil Donahue"
aka "The Fairway Mower's"

Not known for their abilities to sing and perform (although it would be good fun entertainment) and certainly not American media personalities. These retirees have been mowing fairways as a duo since 2007. On mow days they arrive before sunrise, anxiously on the 1st fairway, waiting for the first rays to light the way. Not seen by the membership too often, usually done before play gets to the top of the course, their efforts often go easily unnoticed.

Don Cain (left in picture) - born in Cable, WI and at a young age moved to Superior. He has been a resident there since. A retiree of Barko Hydraulic (Superior), an innovator and industry leader of forestry and scrap handling equipment, he spent 28 successful years painting equipment as the company grew to be the worldwide leader in design. He use to spend his summers playing in softball leagues but now plays more golf and has always been a regular at the bowling alley. In his 4th year at NCC, our appreciation for his dedication and abilities continues to grow. We look forward to many more years.

Phil Wagner (right in picture) - was born in Nebraska but calls Minnesota his home. Raised in a military family he moved often throughout his youth. Feeling a need to serve our country he followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the US military. During his 4 year enlistment he was a military police dog handler. This led him down the path of an engaging 24 year career in law enforcement. Since retirement he has happily resided in Duluth. Entering his 6th year at NCC his pleasure for the job seems to grow every time he starts up his fairway mower. On occasion his family dog, Luna (golden retriever), comes to the golf course with me. The entire staff enjoys her company during the work day. With a refreshing outlook on life that is contagious, we look forward to the future.

Mike Kantor - grew up in Eagan and to Duluth to attend UMD where completed his BFA in Art Education. During college he had an emphasis in sculptural art and created artwork in many unique forms from welding to sewing. Since completing his degree in December he has decided to maintain his residence in Duluth. This fall he will be substitute teaching for the Duluth school district. Entering his 4th year at NCC we are fortunate to have Mike. His aptitude for learning the job makes our daily operations run smoothly. Always offering insight and thinking about effectiveness, he has proved to be a great team member. We hope he will be in Duluth for a long time and call NCC his second job during the summers.

From the blog of Chris Tritabaugh at Northland Country Club posted by Jake Ryan

4 Doing More

In the quest to boost business, these operators are driving revenue with ancillary vehicles


Desperate times call for drastic measures, or so the saying goes. That has never been truer than today, especially for the golf course industry.

With participation stagnant, income dwindling and an economic fever that shows no signs of breaking, many owners and operators are looking under every rock in search of ways to increase their revenues. And like Arnold Fornachou, who ran out of serving dishes at his ice cream stand at the 1904 World’s Fair and bought some waffles from neighboring vendor Ernest Hamwi, thus inventing the ice cream cone, some creative golf course owners are discovering there is some good that can emerge from this recession.

The following four innovators demonstrate that the key to survival often requires moving beyond traditional budget lines to find income in places where many have never thought or been willing to look before.

By Steve Eubanks, Golf Business
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Seven More Holes Open Thursday

The back nine will be open Thursday, except holes 14 and 15. No golf carts on the back nine. These two holes remain soaked, tee to greens.

14 and 15 will open when standing water disappears from roughs and fairways.

We are amazed how wet 14 and 15 are a week after the storm. 15 remains unmowable, due to standing water, especially from road to fairway.

When trying to mow greenside 15 fairway today, the greensmower we used scalped turf before we abandoned the project. When play resumes on

15, this damage will be obvious. We are confident that most of 14 fairway will be mowed later today, and available for play later in the

week.

On the front side, we have kept the pump running on #1 to lower pond water level since Friday. However, much of the water we have removed

has been water that has flowed into the pond since Friday. See math below:

PUMPED FROM POND SINCE FRIDAY
IF:
Gallons per pump hour: 20,000
Hours Pump has run: x 50
TOTAL GALLONS PUMPED= 1,000,000 gals
AND:
GALLONS WATER PER POND INCH 70,000
POND LEVEL DROPPED 7 INCHES x 7
GALLONS REMOVED FROM POND= 490,000 gals
THEN
+510,000 gallons of water has flowed into the pond since Friday.

While not trained in hydrology, we are assuming that the high level of water in the pond is slowing percolation of water into soils,

especially on 15. Also, ground water levels are extremely high, adding to our issues. For these reasons, we will continue to pump down the

pond level using both our small 333GPM pump, and irrigation pumps.

And, to add some irony to your day, greens have dried out a bit since last Thursday, and will be hand watered within the next few hours.

From the blog of Patrick Gertner, CGCS, at Potowomut Golf Club

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Back to Normal

After several days of sun and warm temperatures the weather is returning to normal Chicago spring conditions, cool and very wet. We received over 2 inches of rainfall from Saturday evening through last night. As you can see from the photos, the course is very wet. It will take some time for the course to dry considering the overcast and cool conditions.

From the blog of Tommy Witt, CGCS, at Northmore Country Club

18 greens in one day!

Yesterday, we set a new record by completing aerification  on all of our greens in a single day. Normally we would aerify 6 greens on Sunday evening and finish the rest on Monday. We were rained out on Sunday by a solid 3/4 inch of rain. Luckily, Monday's chance of showers never amounted to anything and we were able to work all day long without a hitch.

A day of aerification involves many steps that must be coordinated to maximize efficiency. The pictures below illustrate many of the steps involved as the day moves along. Eventually, I would like to improve my computer skills and put together an aerification montage, but today isn't the day, so a bunch of pics will have to suffice.

The first thing we need is some decent weather and we definitely had that yesterday. A few storm clouds passed by, but only a handful of drops hit the ground. All in all, a beautiful day at SGCC.

From the blog of Jim Alwine, CGCS, at Stockton Golf and Country Club


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What are all those yellow dots on the ground?

What are Chris and Silvio spreading all through the rough?

It isn’t a fertilizer, but a herbicide which we call a “pre-emergent”, or a “pre-em". Pre- em’s are a class of pesticide that is applied to kill weeds as they germinate, and must be applied prior to the target weed’s germination. The herbicide creates a barrier at the ground surface that newly emerging weeds must pass through on their way through the soil. As they pass through the barrier, they absorb the herbicide and die. The barrier, unless physically broken (by a divot, aeration, etc) will persist for 4 months, giving control until mid August. If a pre-em is applied after the target weed germinates and emerges, it is too late, and little control is achieved.

Pre –em’s are used for many types of weeds, but our main target is crabgrass and goose grass.

Crabgrass begins to germinate as the soil temperatures reach 55 degrees f, and continues to germinate until the soil temperature cools in the fall. Goose grass needs higher soil temperatures, and normally doesn’t begin to germinate until late May or June, continuing through September.

We determine our application timing two ways – prior to the soil temperature reaching 55 degrees f, and the “count back”. Count back refers to how long we want the barrier to remain, as it will also prevent wanted grasses from germinating. If we plan for fall reseeding, we need to apply the barrier in time that it will be gone (degraded). April through August is 4 months, so it gives us a seeding date of mid August to be safe.

Applying too early does not give control long enough into the summer, and too late doesn’t catch the weeds before germination, and then the barrier lasts past the late summer seeding window, causing yet another problem. Over and over, I will keep stressing one thing, and that is “Timing is everything for everything” … for everything we do!

We use different pre – em’s for different play areas and for different grasses. In a few weeks we will treat the tees and fairways with another product which was developed specifically for the finer turf areas. We will use yet another pre –em for our greens collars. We do not treat greens because pre –ems prune roots, and on greens, we always need every bit of root that is there. If crab grass or goose grass should emerge, we pick it out with a knife!

So that’s what we are doing, and what all those yellow dots are all about!

From the blog of Ken Thompson CGCS, at The Greate Bay Country Club
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Growth Regulators

Growth regulators are frequently applied to NSCC's turf throughout the growing season. As their name implies, these compounds are designed to slow the growth rate of the turf. In addition to reducing inputs such as labor and fuel, which are required in mowing, growth regulators also are a major component in our overall turf management program. On putting greens, growth regulators help to keep the grass "under control" providing for smoother ball roll and consistent green speeds. On fairways and tees, growth regulators promote the lateral growth of turf which promotes quicker recovery from damage such as divots. One of the most important assets growth regulators afford golf course managers is their ability to reduce the amount of seedheads which grasses, especially annual bluegrass (Poa annua), produce in the spring. Not only are the white seedheads unsightly, they also provide a very bumpy and inconsistent putting surface. By applying two different growth regulators at the same time, a synergistic affect is realized which can successfully suppress seedhead development. The lack of seedhead development promotes a true putting surface, as well as a healthy turf plant. Seedhead  production requires a tremendous amount of energy by the turf plant which is already susceptible to many biotic and abiotic stresses. By suppressing seedhead development, we can lessen the workload of the plant. This energy savings translates into a healthier plant. The timing of this application is critical. We base our application  timing on a computer generated model from Michigan State University together with our own site specific knowledge. Our first growth regulator application was made on Monday. We will follow with another application in three weeks to supplement the initial application.

From the blog of Garrett Luck, CGCS, North Shore Golf Club
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Aerials Galore

I love aerial photography and these being golf courses makes it that much sweeter.



Last winter I began a golf course archiving project that originated while I was trying to create a detailed image of the Yale course from the 1934 Connecticut statewide aerial survey. I was able to create a high-res file from images on the Connecticut state library’s website by stitching together 144 images into a .tif file that could print in a large poster size. I did the same for CC of Fairfield, where I spent most of middle to late teens caddying and working in the pro shop when I wasn’t mostly playing the course. (Unfortunately, the present course has lost much of the routing that appears in the 1934 photo.) And then I assembled one of Brooklawn CC where we played our high school matches for Fairfield High…and eventually I put together files for 23 courses from that one aerial survey. That 1934 April snap-shot reflects an impressive collection of work from Golden Age architects: Walter Travis, Donald Ross, Devereux Emmet, A.W. Tillinghast, Seth Raynor, C.B. Macdonald, Charles Banks, Robert White, Willie Park, Tom Bendelow, etc. In most cases, the aerials show these courses in their “as-built” conditions. By then, very few had been modified much from their original designs.

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Choose Your Course, Name Your Price:

It's that Easy! April 7 through April 21

Secure a rare chance to tee it up at some of the best known and most exclusive golf clubs in the game in an innovative online auction that runs April 7 to April 21. More than 650 golf courses from the Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia and Texas will be available for bid as the golf industry rallies to raise money for turfgrass research.

Some of the game's greatest venues are ready to welcome your foursome if you post the winning bid. View an updated list of courses on offer and register to receive a reminder email in the hours before the auction launch.

That list will grow right up to auction time but already high profile partners include:

    * Pinehurst No. 2 - which hosts its third U.S. Open Championship in 2014,
    * Harbour Town Golf Links - home of the PGA Tour's Verizon Heritage Classic.
    * The Ocean Course at Kiawah - host of the 1991 Ryder Cup and the PGA Championship in 2012.

Plus exclusive private playgrounds ranked by Golf Digest among the 100 best golf courses in the country including Sage Valley, Long Cove and Eagle Point.

In each region, proceeds will benefit research critical to the continued health of our great game and the billions of dollars in economic impact it generates in the participating states.

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Be on the lookout for annual bluegrass weevil adults

Golf course superintendents in central and western PA should be on the lookout for annual bluegrass weevil adults. Adults were observed at Bucknell C.C. late last week, and with the warm temperatures over the weekend, more adults should be on the move. Other monitoring sites in Western PA and West Virginia have reached or exceeded the 100 - 120 degree day mark. The late Dr. Paul Heller used to say that adults begin to come out of their over wintering sites between 100 and 120 degree days. Also, forsythia at full bloom to almost 1/2 gold and 1/2 green is consistent with the adult movement.

When numerous adult annual bluegrass weevils are observed, an application of an insecticide (pyrethroids are often used to control adults) may be warranted. Keep in mind that we are having a very unusual spring, so insect lifecycles may not be as predictable as we would like. More updates will be provided as the year progresses.

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