Irrigation Leaks

There will be many posts here this summer regarding our irrigation system.  The age of it, problems we have it, inefficiency of operation, poor distribution, and options to improve it.  Recently we have had numerous breaks in the PVC pipe in the ground.

4" pipe break on #12 fairway

  Over the last couple years we have averaged about 15 breaks a season, higher than average but common due to the age of our pipe.  This year we just repaired break #16 on Friday, and the season is just getting started.  It is the scarry part of our irrigation system, as PVC pipe buried in the ground is rated for 20 years, this is year #44 that our pipe has been in the ground!!!!!

Bluegrass Billbug

Just like everybody would imagine, we do have chinch bugs just like Carl and it is the way you see it on the movie....Well actually we do not. We do have Bluegrass bill bugs.  The larvae (feeding) stage live in the thatch layer around Kentucky bluegrass plants and feed on the root system.

Turf under stress due to root system being fed on by bluegrass billbug

An approach area of damage

During this larvae stage they are heavy feeders before they emerge later in the summer as adults.  As the feed on the root system, they are cutting off the turf plants ability to up[take water, and hence when the hotter drier weather hits like right now then the dry areas show up on the turf.  It is not a lack of water in these areas, but the lack of the plants ability to uptake the water with no root system.

Small areas of bluegrass larvae causing wilt stress

An insecticide watered into the thatch layer takes care of this larvae feeding problem, and some extra care on these areas will bring them back in a couple weeks.

Oak trees Iron defiancy

The majority of the oak trees on the golf course have a chlorotic (yellowing) appearance and some are dropping a few leaves.

Chlorotic (yellowing) color

Defoliation on the left side

 This is due to a Iron (Fe) deficiency.  There is Fe nutrients in the soil around the tree roots, but because of the hi pH of the soil the Fe nutrients are not available to be taken up by the root system of the tree.  Thus causing the yellowing and defoliation of some of the leaves.  With the most of the tree, it is not the entire tree but just a portion of it.  

Here you see a maple tree on the left completely healthy and an oak tree on the right with some yellow leaves

We have put iron tablets in the outer cambium layer of the trees and this will be absorbed and taken up by the tree.  A 1/2" hole was drilled one inch deep, and a medicap plug was inserted on the outer edge of the tree. In about 2-4 weeks the trees will green back up and re-grow any leaves that they dropped.

Got your sunscreen....on the turf (turfscreen)

Yes, that is right, we sprayed the greens with sunscreen this week.  A new product came out last year that has the turf industry talking.

As the story goes, a golf course superintendent was putting sunscreen on himself while standing on a green and he spilled some.  That spot on the green was healthier, greener, and stood up to more heat stress during the next week.  So sunscreen has been manufactured in a jug now with a small amount of green pigment.  The sunscreen and pigment is being called turfscreen, and university research trials has shown the applied turf areas to hold up to intense sun and hi temperatures than non-treated areas.  It also has been proven that with the pigment the surface temperature of the treated turf is 5 degrees cooler than non treated turf right next to it.  Last summer I did a couple test areas on greens and when we were really dry and intense sun with temperatures around 105, that turf was healthy, required less water, and did stand up to the heat better.  The issue with the turf screen is the same as sunscreen, you must re-apply.  As we mow the greens daily we are also mowing off the sunscreen.  We will continue to analyze it and see if it is something advantageous to add our to agronomic plan at LGCC.

Here you can see the front right portion on the green is less greens color, no turfscreen applied

Same area - middle right with no turfscreen

Greens Spiking / Venting

It is that time of year again, when the temperature starts rising, greens are getting drier, firmer, faster, and we are putting more stress on our turf.  Like the last couple years, I will be spiking the greens June 1, July 1, and Aug 1.  These are very small needle tines, 1/4" diameter by 4" in length.  We put these small holes in the greens to allow oxygen to get down into the root system, allow water to infiltrate through the surface and turf canopy, allow carbon dioxide and other toxic gases to escape from our root system, and in general just open up the green surface to create a healthier plant.

After the spiking, we roll the entire the green and even though the holes are visible they do not effect the ball roll.  After the holes are not open and visible at the surface, there still will be small channels down through the matt layer and into the rootzone.

BJ

As most of you guys see me out on the golf course, I always have my trusty side kick with me.  My dog BJ.  Some people think she is running the show, but just like everybody else, she does have her responsibilities too.  She is responsible for keeping the geese of the golf course, or atleast in the ponds and off the turf.  She is also in charge of squirrel observation, rock chuck population control, and water testing.

 She is an 8 year old yellow lab that has been with me now for 7 years.  I got her out of the pound in Denver CO, and she has been with me on the golf course everyday since then.  Every morning at 4:30 AM she waits patiently by the front door, and as we approach the golf course she cant sit still in the back seat of my truck.  She is ready to ride shotgun every morning when I leave the shop to tour the golf course.  Her favorite thing might be receiving treats from members, as now there is a large handful of individuals that carry dog snacks in their golf bag.  It is interesting as she knows every one of those members and she will spot them from 100 yards away, run up and sit by their golf bag and just wait till they find a snack to give her.

She is always studying the health of our turf with me, assisting in training staff, and loves her time running the golf course as the sun is rising every morning.

She is super friendly and very approachable for anybody that would like to walk up to her.  She does have the characteristic lab smile, where she raises her up lip every time you approach her.  Some people get scarred thinking she is snarling at them, or showing her teeth, but that is just her way (most labs do it) of saying she likes you and hello with a smile.

  

Great Staff - Thank you

I want to take a minute and say thank you to my great staff.  As of mid May, we are now fully staffed with a total of 15 employees.  8 of these employees are full time, 2 are weekends only, and 5 are part time ranging from 20-30 hours a week mostly in the mornings.  Over half of these guys have been with the Country Club for several  years, a couple 8 years, 6 years, and several 3 years.  This time of the year is always very busy as we are training the new staff, and these returning guys are really the ones that hold everything together in these busy times.  I will say this current staff is outstanding and these guys really do make me look good.  I may be the one that comes up with the plan, but they are the ones carrying out the plan 7 days a week at 5AM, in the 105 degree heat.  I tell them everyday how much I appreciate them as they keep up with my high expectations, hectic pace, and tasks and challenges that I keep throwing at them.

As you pass these guys on the golf course, please tell them thank you and how much you appreciate the outstanding job they do day after day.

Great job Guys!!!