Course Update 7.18.14

Golf Course Update

Water

The rains in June definitely helped boost our water budget. In June we used 72% less water for irrigation compared to our historical average usage. We are on track to record similar savings for July. In addition, Lake Waco is back to its normal level for the first time in years. Even with all the rain it is important to note that 63% of the state is still experiencing drought conditions. We are however in much better shape than this time last year when 99.7% of the state was experiencing drought conditions. McLennan County currently falls into the "Moderate Drought" level. The bottom line is that the golf course has benefited from recent precipitation and our "water budget" is in good shape - however we still need considerably more rain to break the ongoing drought. For more information on drought conditions click the following link: United States Drought Monitor

Bunker Maintenance and Etiquette

Jacob Heppell hand watering the greenside bunker on #2

We have been working hard to make the bunkers smoother and firmer. We feel that we have some success by using the following practices:

• Hand watering in conjunction with using a mechanical bunker every one to two weeks to aid in compaction in the bottoms of the bunkers
• Using the back side (smooth side) of the rake to smooth the surface of the faces
• Only raking footprints and smoothing rough or uneven areas several days a week, rather than raking the entire bunker every day before play
• Only smoothing footprints in fairway bunkers all of the time

ALWAYS enter and exit bunkers from the low side

The basic idea is to disturb the bunker as little possible so that the sand remains firm and compact. In addition, we are working to keep the bunkers as moist as possible without over watering the surrounding areas. I have been approached by several members regarding plate tamping bunkers. When the sand was first installed every bunker was packed using a gas powered plate tamper. The process did help to allow the new sand to pack. I recently tried the plate tamper again to see if it would help our efforts to make the bunkers firmer. It did provide some compaction, however it also disturbed a lot of sand. This was particularly true when turning the machine. We will continue to consider the plate tamper a tool when installing new sand, however at this point I do not see it being effective for routine maintenance. Finally, please take a moment to review the bunker etiquette picture above - courtesy of Phil Desbrow, GCS at Lakewood Country Club in Rockville, Md. He maintains a great course blog. Click Here to check it out. 

Greens Update

Root depth on 17 Green on July 10th 

Overall the greens are going great and handling the summer temperatures well. The biggest key to surviving the heat is maintaining good roots. The mild summer so far combined with years of dedicated cultural practices (the planet air procedure) have allowed us to maintain excellent root depth in most areas (see photo above) so far this year. For more information on managing bentgrass in the summer heat please take a few minutes to read the following article: Why do our bentgrass greens slow down in the summer?.

15 Green showing symptoms of Summer Patch

One of the biggest dangers in during the summer months is disease outbreaks. Earlier this week, Assistant Superintendent Duane Kemp spotted a small outbreak of what appeared to be Summer Patch on a few of the greens. Immediately afterwards we went to the web to help diagnose the problem. For years, North Carolina State University has maintained excellent online resources to help superintendents and other turf managers properly diagnose and treat various pathogens. We reviewed their information and consulted with Dr. Jim Kerns who confirmed our diagnosis and helped us choose the best control methods. We have already treated all of the greens and feel confident that we have pathogen under control. For more information on Summer Patch Click Here.

No Mow Areas

View from 15 Tee with deep rough mowed at 5"

All of the "no mow" areas mentioned in my last post have now been mowed down to 5" per request from the board. The idea is to continue with our plan to establish areas of reduced maintenance, but still provide a "maintained look". We are working to determine the best approach and mowing heights for all of these areas. The ultimate goal is still to make better use of our water allotment and other resources while enhancing the beautification and definition of the course.

Other Course Happenings

New Uniforms - Troy Petty shows off the new bright orange shirts while mowing 14 green

• Uniforms - All employees received new uniforms earlier this month. Our hope is that new uniforms help golfers better see our crew members while maintaining a more professional image. Our student workers and part time employees wear the orange shirts, while our full time staff is provided with blue button up shirts and khaki pants.  
• Civitas Trial - We are currently testing a new product on fairways 10 and 18 called Civitas. The product is essentially a mineral oil combined with a pigment that is supposed to provide a variety of plant health benefits including substantial water savings. I will post more on this topic later. 
• Basketball Court - We are in the final stages of preparing the old basketball court for re-grassing
• Maintenance Facility - Plans and cost for the proposed renovations at the maintenance facility have been received.
• #11 Erosion - We are working to develop a plan to better control drainage and erosion to the right of the 11th fairway and green.
• Driving Range - The artificial turf was installed on July 1st. We are currently working with Colligan Design to develop long term improvements to the entire range