It appears we have skipped spring and moved directly into summer.  It has also been especially dry in May with rainfall barely over one inch for the month.  Hopefully we will see some timely rains beneficial to the course as well as more moderate temperatures.  The summer forecast looks promising with temperatures expected to be below normal through August.  We can only hope!  The warm weather has helped the new bermudagrass sod on the driving range tee and we anticipate opening it for play on June 6th.  Our greens have recovered nicely from aeration and are fast and smooth again.  Beware!

 

A rough winter and an ugly start to spring...

 

 

Sodding Patriot bermudagrass.  Instant gratification.

 

 

Mowing at 3/4" eight days after sodding!

 

 

There has been plenty of irrigation going on during this very dry May.

 

 

Drain lines are very visible right now with the lack of rainfall.  Some of the sands we used are too droughty but very functional when wet conditions prevail.

 

 

There are weekly applications of plant protectants occurring.  Here the practice green is sprayed with a fungicide, growth regulator, fertilizer and wetting agent.  The blue-green dye is used for accuracy.  Foam is used in its place in the fairways.

 

 

The growth regulator is doing its thing to the annual bluegrass.  Here bent can be seen spreading into a divot.  We are making progress.

 

 

Ever blooming roses that are never blooming.  These have been a disappointment so far.  Here Julio is fertilizing to try and encourage bloom.

 

 

We are in the honey bee business!  We started this in April and are having great success.  We are expecting to supply the club with honey next season.  The hives are located at the shop and if you are interested in viewing let us know.  This is part of our Audubon Sanctuary program that we are working on.  Our soil consultant Peter Maybach is mentoring me in the art of beekeeping.

 

Springfield honey!

The golf course has presented its share of challenges this spring.  The contamination of our new fairways and rough with annual bluegrass is concerning but can be fixed.  We began to see the annual bluegrass last fall but felt current applications of growth regulators would keep it in check.  The difficult winter followed by the late spring increased its development and it exploded this spring.  We contacted the USGA once we saw the severity of the problem and are following their recommendations.  The USGA noted that this is not unusual with newly seeded fairways and rough.  Aggressive growth regulator applications are being applied every two weeks that inhibit the growth of the annual bluegrass and promote bentgrass lateral growth.  In addition we will apply a preemergent herbicide in late August to prevent annual bluegrass germination.  We are also collecting clippings at all times and mowing more fairways with light weight mowers to reduce the development of annual bluegrass.  Annual bluegrass reduction in the rough will most likely be the most difficult challenge we face.  Seeding in August and sodding of specific areas in late fall are recommended.

Besides the annual bluegrass problems we experienced some winter kill of bermudagrass on our driving range tee.  We expected it to grow out but it is clear that part of it did not survive and must be replaced.  On Wednesday May20th and Thursday May 21st the sod will be replaced.  We anticipate about three weeks for the sod to root in before we can play on it.

We understand the disappointment with the condition of the new turf but are confident we will get it back into shape.

 

The pollen has been so severe the troops are wearing eye protection when mowing.  Things are finally getting better.

 

 

Greens aerification went very well and recovery has been fast- but never fast enough.  We begin lowering the height of cut on Wednesday and hope to have sharp mowers for the weekend.

 

 

Our greens have great roots.  This soil profile shows how well the sand has been incorporated into the holes.  Notice the nice roots following the sand channels.

 

 

The first mow after aeration.  The height of cut is raised to allow the sand to work into the canopy.

 

 

May has been dry and we are irrigating as necessary.  Here Erik uses a moisture meter to check current moisture levels in the root zone.

 

 

Julio and Armando are doing some great work in our flower beds!

 

 

Perfect sunrise!

The vagaries of Mother Nature.  How disheartening and humbling it is to see so much of our new turf contaminated with annual bluegrass.  The good news is it can be fixed and we are on it.  We have begun aggressive growth regulator applications designed to whack the annual bluegrass while enhancing the growth of the bent.  We are also mowing more fairways with lighter mowers and are collecting clippings at all times as these practices discourage the spread of annual bluegrass. The bent has just begun to grow so with warmer weather it will really begin to fill in.  This is certainly one of the worst outbreaks of annual bluegrass we have seen in a long time.  The ugly seed heads make it that much more pronounced but its seed stage has peaked and the perennial grasses are beginning to grow.  Besides the annual bluegrass concerns our bermudagrass driving range tee took quite a hit too.  What we are seeing is direct cold temperature damage.  Late season play where the turf was taken down to soil as well as the shaded side are taking a long time to recover.  We aerated the tee on Wednesday to try and get the turf moving.  Underground stems (rhizomes) are showing signs of green so there is life but it will take time.  Warmer weather is a great cure for the course.

Annual bluegrass in the first fairway.  The light lines are from the seeder overlap from the September seeding in 2013.

 

 

The difference from seeding and sodding.  The sod is almost all bent.

 

Dragging aeration cores on the driving range tee.  This should enhance recovery but it will take time..

 

 

A rhizome beginning to grow.  Warm weather is a must for this to fill in.

 

 

Cores from two long weeks of aeration.  This area is going to be site of a pollinating garden in the near future.

 

 

Taking the crew to the parking lot after a productive day of greens aeration.  It will take about two weeks for the greens to recover.

 

 

 Beautiful azaleas at the 16th tee and Augusta worthy!