Course Update 5.16.14

I will start today's post off by congratulating Colby Harwell on winning the Otis Beck Memorial Club Championship. Mr. Harwell's two day total of 136 was just enough to hold off defending champion John Derrick who shot 137. It was a great weekend for golf and hope that everyone enjoyed the course. This weekend we will be preparing for the Senior Club Championship. The weather looks great and good luck to everyone who is playing.

Harwell (putting) with playing partners John Derrick and BU Coach Jay Goble on the 16th green.

COURSE UPDATE

Rain
We received 2.5" of rain on May 9th and just under 4" on May 12th. Up until now we have experienced an exceptionally dry spring, so we are thrilled to have finally seen some nice rain. We did not experience any major damage to the course with either rain event. However, the rain on the 9th came with significant winds - resulting in close to 100 down tree limbs, 1 large tree (on #1 by the Marina), and damage to our fence at the shop. Both rain events caused the bunkers to wash, and brought a large amount of mud and debris to many areas of the course. The crew did an excellent job both this week and last to get the mess cleaned up. The rain will certainly give our water budget a boost. The elevation of Lake Waco also got some help and came up over 6" to 459.87.

Sergio Zapata working to clean up the tree on #1

A quick note on the bunkers: We experienced substantial washing on several bunkers in the last week. This is to be expected given the amount and rate of rainfall. None of the bunkers held water and there was very little contamination of the sand. We were able to repair all of the bunkers in one day using only half of the crew! This can be credited to the new bunkers and the construction method. The old bunkers would have required pumping, and many, many more man hours to repair. The sand will be soft, similar to new sand, for a couple of weeks due to the washing.

Left bunker on #10 on May 9th

Greens
We completed our second "planet air" procedure on the greens this past Monday. The crew did an excellent job to complete the entire process before the rain hit Monday afternoon. The rain combined with the unusually cool temperatures will help the greens heal in no time. As I have said many times before, this cultural practice is critical to helping the greens survive the summer months. As the temperatures warm up you will also see our crew doing more and more hand watering. This past week we re-calibrated all of our soil moisture meters. These meters are a absolutely one of the best tools we have to properly manage moisture on the greens, and it is imperative that they are all working properly. As always, please remember to keep an eye out for the water guys when playing approach shots to the greens.

Ensuring that all of our moisture meters are reading properly

Tees, Fairways, and Roughs
We are finally starting to see some active bermuda grass growth on all areas of the course. Over the last couple of weeks we have started to aerate tees, fairways, collars, approaches, and some roughs. This aeration will help alleviate compaction, aid in water retention, and encourage new growth. The back nine fairways are completed and we will moving to the front nine next week. We also applied preventative grub control to all of the fairways and some roughs. Grubs and the pest that eat  them (skunks) caused major problems last year. We are optimistic that we have better control practices in place this year. In addition, we will be fertilizing the entire golf course on May 19th and 20th. Finally, we will be working to adjust our mowing patterns for several areas of the course. This includes aligning tees, selecting "no mow" areas, and modifying collar and approach lines.

Using our new DK55 Tractor to aerate 16 tee

Joe Nava using the Aer-Way slicer to aerate #10 Fairway

Projects/Other Work

• Nursery Green - Green growing in nicely, slowing lowering mowing height, topdressing and vertical mowing frequently 
• Spring Change Out - Last week we completed most of our spring flower change out
• Maintenance Facility - We are expecting to receive completed pre-liminary plans for possible renovations today. Eagle Design will have the costing completed by the end of the month
• Colligan Plans - We are starting to select certain areas on the course to be "no-mow" areas. For example, the area between #9 tees and fairway
• Irrigation - We are working hard to re-program our irrigation system in such a way that it will provide us more flexibility under severe drought conditions. These changes will allow us to make much better use of our water allotment by focusing on "in play" areas
• Sod work - Over the next month we are planning to sod several small weak areas on the course. We will start by working on areas close to greens and landing areas. 

Course Update 4.22.14

Good afternoon and thank you for visiting the Ridgewood Country Club Golf Course Maintenance blog. It has been quite some time since my last post, so please check out the Golf Course Update and photos below:

Golf Course Update

Water Situation

• April 1st marked the beginning of our new raw water contract (golf course irrigation water) with the City of Waco. Our allocated amount will stay the same for this contract period.
• It is important to budget our contracted amount of irrigation water for the entire year, as purchasing additional water is typically not an option. 
  
• Continuing to work on short and long term improvements to our irrigation system to make the most of our allotment.
• Lake Level is currently 459.61 or approximately 2.5 feet below normal elevation.

Course Conditions

• Greens
• Overall health is very good (to be expected for this time year)
• Goal now is to prepare greens for the hot summer conditions ahead
• Completed first full "planet air procedure" on March 31.
• Green speed - Weather conditions allow us provide faster green speeds in the spring and fall. However, during this time the grass is actively growing and maintaining consistent speeds can be a challenge. We are using our new equipment combined with other tools to help buffer any speed fluctuations. 
• Spot aerating - Will be using our recently acquired small walking aerator to consistently pull cores on any traditional problem spots on greens. Areas include: front and left side of practice green, front of 7 green, left of 9 green, and several other small areas. This practice will provide more oxygen to the roots and help these trouble spots make it through the summer

  

  Randy Stewart and Patrick Evans aerating the left side of the practice green

• Tees, Fairways, Roughs
• Applied fertilizer and preventative weed control on March 24
• We are beginning to get some bermuda grass growth but are waiting on warmer weather for active growing conditions. The 150 Rule - warm season grasses such as bermuda will not begin to actively grow until soil temperatures rise. This usually occurs once the daytime high and the night time low add up to 150 or greater (i.e. 85/68) for several days.
• Planning to begin vertical mowing and aerating (slicing) fairways and tees in coming weeks
• Scheduling preventative grub control and monthly spray program for tees and fairways beginning May 1.
• Currently applying weed control products in roughs
• Bunkers
• Adding sand monthly
• Checking sand levels every two to three weeks
• Working to address any weak sod and/or areas where the black liner is showing
• Sand cleanup around edges and bermuda grass encroachment

  

  Herbicide is used to help keep edges of bunkers defined

Projects and Plans

• Equipment Replacement - Tomorrow we will take delivery on two new utility tractors. This will be the final equipment delivered as part of our equipment overhaul. All of the new equipment is already in service and performing well
• Maintenance Facility- Continuing to work with Eagle Design Build on future renovation plans

  

  Preliminary site plan drawings from Eagle Design Build

• Colligan Golf Design - Continuing work on water conservation, landscape improvement, and driving range plans
• Water Conservation Plan - In addition to our master plan with Colligan Design, we are working to create our individual course Water Best Management Practices and Water Conservation Plans. 
• Spring flower change out - Should take place in next two to three weeks
• Nursery Green - We are currently in the grow-in phase of our nursery project. 

  

  Nursery Green on April 22

  

  Nursery Green on April 4

• Old Basketball Court - Currently accepting soil from Greg May, and preparing the old court to be resurfaced to grass
• Burn Pile - This past week we completed the burning of our brush pile, via permit from City of Waco Fire Dept. 

  

  Burn Pile on April 15

Conclusion

As you can see spring in a busy time of year for our golf course maintenance operations. In order to start the season off right we decided to have a BBQ for our crew. The entire crew enjoyed an afternoon of food and camaraderie. The food was paid for with funds raised from recycling scrap metal throughout the winter. Thank you for allowing us to have an afternoon to relax and get ready for a busy spring and summer. Please continue to check the blog and we look forward to seeing you on the course.

Joe, Sergio, Mauro, and Jacob prepare guacamole for the BBQ.

If that's not a good looking bbq pit then I don't know what is...

Course Update 3.7.14

Christmas in March!

A key part of our equipment includes five state of the art walking mowers for use on greens

We will be taking care of the course this year with a much improved and updated equipment fleet. The new equipment received this past week will allow us to perform our maintenance practices in a safer, more efficient, and more effective manner. This will ultimately resulting in improved playing conditions throughout the course. We are currently working to schedule a "field day" so that we can showcase the new equipment. Our entire crew is excited, and we thank you for making this much needed improvement a reality. Check back for more pictures.

A look at our maintenance facility showing some of the new equipment

Course Happenings

Spring is coming fast and we are working hard on several areas of the course. Check out the list below for a few updates.

• Green divot mix is here! We will now be using green divot mix on the the driving range tee, par threes, and fairways
• We will be applying our first fertilizer application of the year combined with our Spring preventative weed application on Monday, March 17.
• Due to the cold weather we were not able to complete our first "planet air" aeration of the year on March 3. We are currently rescheduling for March 17. 
• We are continuing to work with Colligan Golf Design to develop a master plan for the course that includes not only aesthetic improvements but also focuses on water conservation and native plantings. We received preliminary drawings earlier this week
• Mike Brasheers is finishing completion of the new water cooler stands.
• Eagle Design Build has started work on a master plan for major maintenance facility improvements.
• Nursery green construction is complete - See info below.

Nursery Green Construction

We have completed construction on our new bentgrass nursery green, located to the right of 18 tee box. This green will provide us with clean bentgrass sod to use for repairs, controlling bermudagrass encroachment, and for testing efficacy of various turf products. The green will be maintained at the same level as the regulation greens in order to ensure that it always ready for use on the course (it may also double as a short game facility for the golf course superintendent.....). We are planning on seeding the green on March 17. Check out the pictures below to see a quick overview of the construction process. 

Step 1: Sod stripped, drainage installed

Step 2: Add liner (to prevent contamination) and fill material

Step 3: Create "cavity" from fill material

Step 4: Add greens mix

Step 5: Add irrigation and final float greens mix

Course Update 2.8.14

Thank you for visiting the blog. I will use today's update to provide some information on "Frost Delays" and give an overview of course happenings.

So far we have had an exceptionally cold winter. According to article by Stephanie Butts published in the Waco Tribune Herald on February the 5th of this year - we are 13% colder than last year. In addition, earlier this week Waco set a new record for most days with temperatures below freezing. The previous record was 51 days and dates back to 1909! - Click here to read the article -  Waco Tribune Herald Article

One of the most noticeable impacts of the cold weather for avid golfers is the high number of "frost delays". Please take a moment to watch the above video from the USGA explaining frost delays (if the video does not load then click here - Frost Delay Video). There are two types of freezing scenarios that require us to delay golfers from playing. The first is what we call a "frost delay" which occurs when the dew freezes to the grass. The grass in turn becomes extremely brittle and is easily damaged or killed by traffic (see video above). The second type of delay occurs when both the grass and soil beneath freezes. This is most dangerous on our bentgrass greens since they are still growing during the winter months. Numerous times this year the greens have frozen to the point where it has been impossible to penetrate the surface with a pocket knife. The real danger of damage to the turf occurs not when soil is frozen, but as it begins to thaw. As the ice begins to melt, the surface of the plant appears to be fine. However, traffic will cause severe damage to the lower parts of the plant and root zone that have not completely melted.

We use a digital thermometer to check the temperature below the leaf surface to ensure that the grass is ready for traffic.

In addition to delaying play, these cold mornings also delay our maintenance practices such as mowing greens and changing holes. Often times we are forced to reduce our maintenance during frost delays so that we can get golfers on the course as soon as possible. I would like to thank all of our morning golfers and our golf shop staff for the patience and care that they have shown our golf course throughout this cold winter. I can promise you that it does make a difference.

Other Course News

• Nursery Green Construction - We have working hard on completing our nursery green located to the right of 18 green. We will be seeding this green in early March. More information coming in my next post.

  

  Initial site prep and drainage installation



Liner installation and base layer material in process

• Winter weed control - We have been busy controlling winter weeds in a few areas in the rough that were not treated with pre-emergent herbicide last October. 

2nd Asst. Randy Stewart spraying the rough between Holes 1 and 2

Areas next to greens are treated with a spot sprayer to reduce the risk of injury to the putting surface

• Course Accessories - One of winter task is to touch up course accessories, such as tee markers and yardage plates.



Pepe, Joe, Sergio, Mauro, and Kenneth stay warm while re-painting all of the year markers

• Water Cooler stands - Mike Brasheer's crew is making progress on the completion of the new stands. The crew will be working through the weekend.

Course Update 1.12.14

I decided to begin the first post of the year with a YouTube video put together by my Dad. He has been using a drone like helicopter to take aerial photos of Ridgewood and other courses. Just click play above to see some really cool footage of our course and a few others. You can also click here: YouTube Video. Click the link below to view more photos of RCC from the air. RCC Aerial Photos

Foggy morning at RCC, photo by Jim Moore

In other news, we have been busy working on several areas of the course. Check out the list and pictures below for more information.

• Water Cooler Stands - Slabs have been poured and Mike Brasheers is hoping to complete construction by the end of the week. 

  

  Water cooler stand on #9/Practice Tee

• Maintenance Facility Clean Up - We are a long ways from finished but we have definitely made some progress in the last month 

  

  Before

  

  After

• Seed and Sod - Last month I mentioned that we had re-grassed the large area between 15 and 17. The sod is doing well and the tall fescue seed in coming in great. In addition, we used a combination of annual rye grass seed and erosion control mat to complete the marina project. 

  

  Tall Fescue on 15

  
  

  

  Marina grassing

  We have also been very busy working on our capital plans for improving the maintenance facility, finalizing our 5 year equipment package, and initiating our Master Plan in conjunction with Colligan Design. This week we will begin trimming trees, continue irrigation work, begin our nursery construction, and grind several stumps. 

Course Update 12.7.13

I hope that all of you enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday and are staying warm during this exceptionally cold weather. We had a very busy November, and I will use today's post to give an update on course conditions and on a few of the areas that we have been working on.

Maintenance Facility Work

Our Mechanic, Tom Reisinger (center) and Asst. Supt. Duane Kemp (right) pose for picture on our newly installed Golf Lift. This lift provides a safer and more efficient way to complete equipment repairs. Thank you for providing the funds for this much needed improvement. 

The cold weather definitely limits out ability to work on the course, however there is still plenty to be done, especially around our maintenance facility. Currently we are in the process of cleaning up the accumulation of years of old equipment, flood debris, construction materials, old parts, and more. We have been slowly working on this task throughout the summer, but look forward to accomplishing a great deal more over the winter months. In addition to cleaning up the outside, we have been busy working inside the shop to make it cleaner and more organized.

Pepe, Jaime, and Sean paint lines on the shop floor. The lines will help keep our equipment organized.

Ranulfo and Jacob work on cleaning up our shop yard.

Crewmembers Jacob and Sean, work with 2nd Asst. Randy Stewart to give the pump station a thorough cleaning

Mechanic, Tom Reisinger has been busy organizing his work area. Tom has years of old parts that must be identified, labeled, and placed into new container bins. 

Finally, we have been busy planning for potential major renovations to our maintenance facility. Currently the club is working with Eagle Design Build to develop a Master Plan for our facility. This company has built or renovated over seventy maintenance facilities, and we look forward to working with them to accomplish our goal of creating a safer, cleaner, and more efficient work place. Please check back for more information. 

Course Update

Greens:

• Overall the greens are doing very well. We are striving to keep green speeds as consistent as possible. The extreme fluctuations in weather make this challenge difficult at times. For example, this past week we reached temperatures above 80 degrees on Wednesday afternoon - resulting in a flush of growth on the greens, and ultimately slower putting speeds. However over the next 48 hours temperatures dropped more than 50 degrees resulting in little to no growth. We use several practices to help compensate for the changes in putting speed due to weather including: adjusting mowing height, mowing frequency, rolling, irrigation, fertility, and more. Our ultimate goal is to provide smooth, consistent putting surfaces, without jeopardizing plant health. 
• The sod installed on the putting green has rooted nicely, and we will soon be lowering the height to match that of the rest of the green. 

Tees and Fairways:

• We have been spraying the the tees and fairways with ferrous sulfate (iron) and green dye. This combination of iron and dye helps maintain color and definition over the winter months. We will continue this process throughout December, and are considering trying turf paints in the future. 
• The damage to fairways from skunks has decreased substantially with the cold weather. We will continue to monitor this problem, and have plans to better control this problem in the spring. For more information please send me an email - tmoore@ridgewoodwaco.com

Other Areas:

• Sod and Seed - The zozysia sod and tall fescue seed planted on holes 15, 16, and 17 is doing very well. Please remember to keep carts out of these areas when possible
• Bunkers - we have spent the last two weeks checking all of the greenside bunker sand depths. We moved sand around and added sand to several bunkers. If you ever notice an area in any of the bunkers that needs attention please let me know asap. 
• Water Cooler Stands - Construction will be begin next week on the new water cooler stands. The stands will be built using the same rock used on the clubhouse, and will be a nice improvement to the course.
• Irrigation- We have experienced a number of irrigation leaks over the last few weeks. The changes in temperature and soil moisture cause our clay soils to swell and contract significantly, resulting in pipe breaks.
• Marina- We recently re-routed the water supply line and moved a large live oak tree located at the south end of the marina in conjunction with the parking lot improvements. Currently, we are working on a plan to grass the large slope created as part of this project. 

Course Update 11.4.13

Good Afternoon, and thank you for visiting the blog. I will use today's post to give you an update on the rain, course conditions, and a few small projects that we have been working on. Before we get started, I would like to take a moment to congratulate John Derrick for winning the championship flight of the Odis Beck Memorial Club Championship this past Sunday. This Mr. Derrick's 6th victory!

Rainfall
According to weather.com, Waco received 7.3" of total rainfall for October - over 3" above normal totals. The rain has been extremely beneficial and the lake has risen over three feet since my last post. See pictures below. However, even with all the recent rain the lake is still just over four feet low. We desperately need more rain in order to fill the lake up before spring.

Intake on 8.26.13

Intake on 11.1.13

Course Conditions
The recent rains have helped many drought stressed areas recover from the summer, and we look to be in good shape heading into the winter months. The wet weather has definitely brought an influx of fire ant mounds to the fairways and roughs. Fire ants are expensive and difficult to control over large areas, but we are working to treat as many places as possible. Fall is prime time for bentgrass greens, and as the temperatures drop we have gradually been able to increase putting speed and firmness. We have delayed our last major planet air procedure due to weather and multiple course events. We have tentatively re-scheduled this important practice for Monday, November 11th.

Hole 13 on 11.2.13

Other Course Happenings
We have been busy working on several areas of the course. All of the driving range tees have been over-seeded and are now open for play.

The lower driving range tee on 11.1.13

On the 21st of October we re-sodded the damaged areas around the putting green. The new sod is doing well and we will gradually lower the mowing height to match that of the putting green.

Joe Nava and Sergio Zapata installing the new sod

Sod installed on the putting green

We have also been working to re-establish tall fescue in many shaded areas on the course. Tall fescue does best when seed is planted in the fall, and can survive all year if given enough water and traffic is limited. Most of the seeded areas are roped off - please avoid driving in these areas.

Tall fescue planted behind 8 green

Tomorrow we will planting several shaded areas on holes 16 and 17 to zoysia grass. The grass has been generously given to the club by Jeff Mathis of C&M Golf and Grounds. We will use combination of zoysia sod and tall fescue seed in order get better turf coverage in these areas.

Area prepped for sod in front of 16 green

Area between 15 and 17 ready for sod (Ruby and Roxy in the background)

Finally, we are working to change out all of the annual flowers around the club. Assistant Superintendent Duane Kemp has been busy selecting flowers, picking locations, and making sure all the flowers are planted correctly.

David Nava, Patrick Evans, and Montana Chick plant winter annuals in front of the club.