Course Update 6/17/13

Thank you for taking the time to visit our golf course maintenance blog. This is the first post, so please be sure to check back for updates and improvements to the blog. We will use this blog to give you insight into our daily operations, course plans, and other golf course maintenance updates. Typically the blog will be updated every 7 to 14 days.



15 Green on Tuesday of Starburst

Last week Ridgewood hosted the Starburst Invitational Golf Tournament for the 15th consecutive year. This tournament brings in players from all of the world and provides a great opportunity to showcase our course to hundreds of junior golfers and their parents that would otherwise not have the chance to see all that Ridgewood has to offer. The maintenance crew did a great job preparing the course and I feel that the event was a success. The course tolerated the traffic well, and we were able to get everything back to normal for member play. The tournament also provided us the opportunity to get started on some much needed housekeeping measures around our maintenance facility. Check out the list and photos of last week's work below:

Week of 6/9 to 6/15

Sergio, Joe, and Jacob install the fan on #5 Green

• Prepared course for Starburst Invitational
• Repaired problems with our transfer pump
• Cleaned shop and washed all equipment
• Topdressed and mowed driving range
• Installed and tested cooling fans for greens PG, 18, and 5
• Replanted flowers at front entrance, and weeded beds
• Trained several new employees on raking bunkers, mowing greens, and hand watering
• Thorough cleaning of all ball washers (including fluid and foot cleaners)
• Applied fertilizer and wetting agent to greens
• Began work on recycling metal from scrap pile at shop
• Prepared about 300 waste tires for pick up and recycling
• Removed large dead tree near pump station



Pepe shows off a few of the tires to be recycled

Week of 6/16 to 6/22

• Greens aeration on Monday and Tuesday
• Continue with trash clean-up and recycling measures at shop
• Edge and trim bunkers
• Evaluate and adjust sand depth in bunkers
• Edge greens
• Mow fairways, tees, collars, and approaches three to four times
• Evaluate irrigation heads and adjust for dry areas on fairways and tees
• Spot weed control for dallisgrass and crabgrass

A couple of important notes on greens

Thomas, one of our TSTC students watering 15 Green

Its that time of year again! The fans are out, the hand-water guys are busy, and our most important task is to keep the greens healthy throughout during summer heat. One of the biggest keys to managing bentgrass putting surfaces in our climate is to develop and maintain healthy roots. There are a multitude of environmental factors and cultural practices that effect root depth. Two of the most important practices include proper water management and maintaining a dedicated aeration program. Fortunately, Ridgewood has been able to accomplish both of these in years past and we are beginning the season with strong healthy roots (see picture below). We must now shift our maintenance practices so that we can maintain these roots throughout the summer. This is accomplished in several ways, including: precise water management, continued aeration, higher mowing heights, and proper fertility. Green speeds will decrease slightly during the months of June, July, August while we make every effort to keep the putting surfaces healthy and smooth.

This profile illustrates excellent roots on the 7th Green

First Assistant Duane Kemp using a field microscope to check for new root growth