Turf Enjoys Cooler Weather

After two weeks of cooler temperatures we are seeing the turf recover from the high temperatures we experienced earlier in the season and into the first week of August.  The bluegrass rough is once again growng and the bentgrass is doing the same.  During the excessive heat roots of turfgrass plants actually decline or shrink up.  We basically have two times during the year to "grow" roots.  The primary or best time for root development is in the spring and then a secondary opportunity for root growth occurs in the fall.  In the last few weeks we have been seeding bentgrass in the few damaged fairway areas that developed over the summer.  Germination has been good and many of these areas are beginning to tighten up or shrink in size as the new plants fill in.

Slit seeded area with newly emerged bentgrass plants

We also have sodded some bluegrass areas taking advantage of the milder weather.  If you are out on the course please try to avoid driving through a slit seeded area.  We have placed stakes in a few spots to identify them as freshly seeded.  Avoiding cart stress will help these areas recover much quicker. 

The course remains in good shape and playabilty is very good currently.  The conditions should continue to improve as we move into the fall.  We have solid tined all the greens and tees to help with general plant health and are returning to our normal routine maintenance practices.

Golfer enjoy a mild August morning on the course

Come out and enjoy some golf as the fall is some of the best time of the year to play.  August gave us some releif and hopefully September will follow the same pattern.  The drought conditions remain a concern but at least it is not heat and drought combined for the current time.   

   

CCP Internship Program Has Global Impact

For the third year the Country Club of Peoria has participated in a Chinese student internship program that is offered through Michigan State University.  The students attend one of 5 universities in China and MSU faculty teach the courses via the web and in person with trips to China.  Every year in August the students come to Michigan State and attend 3 weeks of equipment training at the Hancock Turfgrass Research Center on campus before heading out to their internships across the U.S.  We are very fortunate to be involved in the program with courses like Baltusrol Golf Course, Boca Rio Golf Club and Desert Mountain to name a few.  The golf business is booming in China so the students will return to their country and be some of the first generation of turf managers at the many courses currently being built. 

Our intern this year is Yuan Hu but we have given him the nickname of Willie.  He has been with us for a week and is adjusting to life in Peoria.  Willie will be with us for three months and around Thanksgiving he will return to China to finish his last semester of college at the University of Beijing.  He wants to be a Golf Course Superintendent when he graduates. 

2012 Chinese intern Yuan Hu "Willie" 

 The Chinese students are always very willing to learn and are hard workers.  We have had two female interns in the past and Willie is our first male intern from China.  Last years intern Lu Huang returned to China, graduated and then landed a job as the personal interpreter for Jack Nicklaus.  He is building his first course in China in the Beijing area and Lu works side by side with him explaining to construction crews and the Golf Superintendent what Mr. Nicklaus is asking to be done.  Lu asked me in an e-mail if I "had heard of a famous American golfer named Jack Nicklaus?"  I let her know that I have some pictures of him on the walls of my office and yes, I have heard of him.  She wanted to know why I had pictures of her boss in my office.  I don't think Lu realizes who she is working for!! 

2011 Chinese intern Lu Huang with'"her new boss"

It is rewarding to think that our internship program here at the Country Club of Peoria is having global impacts half way around the world.  We take pride in all of our past interns that are in the industry scattered around the U.S. and now in China.  All of them have done well for themselves as they advanced in their careers.  In some small way we feel like we can share in their success.  It is important to give back to the industry and be a mentor to the next generation of Superintendents.  When we see them be successful that validates why the Country Club of Peoria supports an internship program and the impact we can have on the golf industry around the world.    

Record July Ends...Welcome Dog Days of Summer!

With the last day of July 2012 behind us the numbers are in.  A Peoria record that stood since 1901 that counted 26 days in the month of July over 90 degrees was tied on the last day of the month in 2012.  We now face some of the driest and hottest days of the season traditionally in the month of August.  The Central Illinois region has been under the gun of Mother nature for some time now and things are tough for turf managers.  Many courses are running low or are out of water.  The extreme drought may be the bigger story over the heat.  Significant rainfall is a distant memory for most and many cities are now looking at water restrictions throughout the region.  Just ask anyone who makes a living in the agricultural business and the true severity of the drought situation becomes very clear. 
The U.S. consumer will even feel the effects of this summer as they pay for food products at the register in the upcoming months. 

Back to turf!!  The course has remained in good shape as we enter into August.  We have some blemishes but for the most part playability is very good.  The greens and tees have remained in good shape and most of our challenges are in the fairways.  We are seeing much less turf damage then we saw last year at this point in time and that is a good.  Mother nature is helping us control Poa Annua (undesirable grass type) in a big way and that is most of what we see in the fairways. 


CCP crew member completes early morning greens mowing

A long conversation last night with turf specialist Dr. Derek Settle from the Chicago District Golf Association centered around the harsh conditions we are seeing in our region.  The concern is the continued heat and dry conditions that are in the forecast and the month of August, which is typically hotter and drier then July.  We will be implementing some cultural practices to help the turf survive but the question becomes how long the turf can hang on under these conditions. 

In the next few weeks we will be solid tining the greens and tees to allow gas exchange and water movement in the root zone of the plant.  This is important during high stress periods as the plant has had roots die back during the hot conditions.  The microbial degradation of the dead organic matter produces gases under the turf canopy that can build to toxic levels in the plant if not released.  Solid tining or venting the greens allows for the gas/oxygen exchange to occur and helps improve overall plant health.  This has no real impact on playability or ball roll and the small holes are gone in 3-5 days.  We will keep an eye on the weather and complete this agronomic task when the opportunity is presented.

Dr. Settle has suggested that we will see solid recovery of the turf stressed areas when we see two things occur.  The cooler shorter days of fall arrive and more importantly some rain events return to the region.  Let's hope that the forecasts are wrong and we see some moisture and moderate temperatures return to the region in the next month.  These changes would be welcomed by many and appreciated by those who make a living managing plants through these harsh conditions.                  

It's July But Feels Like August!

July has been a tough month thus far with daytime temperatures staying well into the 90's and nighttime lows in the mid to upper 70's.  That is a deadly combination to cool season turf like bentgrass and provides endless sleepless nights for Superintendents.  Although it has been a challenge the course remains in good shape overall and playability is still good if you can stand the heat.  The present concern becomes how much more the turf can take. 

Rough area showing stress from extreme weather conditions

We are seeing stress in the rough areas and in some of the fairways where we have Poa Annua encroachment.  Poa is even more susceptible to heat and drought stress so it has a yellow look right now as it deals with the heat.  The tees and greens are doing well as there is minimal stress showing on these surfaces. 

We have had to make some adjustments as to how we manage the greens due to the heat stress.  We are rolling some days in place of mowing and we have backed off the mow/roll combination during the heat.  The result is a slightly slower green speed then we were seeing prior to the heat but the greens are healthy.  Also,
when it is humid the greens tend to slow down from the leaf moisture that is present on a humid day and they become "sticky" with regards to ball roll.  There are some physiological changes to the plant due to the heat that also effect ball roll during the hot weather. 

All the above factors combined mean one thing; slower green speeds.  We all like faster green speeds and we enjoy providing them but during extreme weather conditions it is not prudent to stress the greens any more then necessary or expect fast green speeds  We are not managing the greens for fast speeds right now.  It can be a death sentence to the turf if precautions are not taken.  Our goal right now is simple, keep the greens alive.  When the weather breaks we can always get back to regular practices and get the green speeds back up as long as the greens have survived the stress.  These precautions are being implemented all across the country and throughout the Midwest so we are not alone in our effort to keep greens healthy.  The greens are smooth, true but just slightly slower and that is the trade off that must be made during extreme heat.   

For me the summer of 2012 is like a bad ride at the fair.  You know it has to end sometime but you want it to end sooner rather then later!  All this talk about heat and we haven't even talked about the drought yet!!  Stay cool.          

Hot Weather On the Way!

Sounds like the next week will be some tough weather.  Highs to be in the mid 90's to 100 degrees daily with nightly lows in the mid to upper 70's.  This is the type of weather that turf managers dread but it is what it is.  There will be plenty of handwatering and syringing going on and the 90 degree rule with carts will be implemented until the heat passes.
 

Asst. Superintendent Alex Palos Hand watering  #10 Fairway

The "Dog Days of Summer" are always interesting as we deal with the heat and an increase in disease pressure that heat and humidity bring.  We have been fortunate thus far with disease as we have seen very little activity this season.  This is due to the dry conditions we have experienced and the low humidities we have had so far.  We will see what this next round of summer has for us.  It feels like we have had three summers already this season with the early warm up and lack of rain! 

 The course continues to play well despite the uncomfortable temperatures.  We will be working hard through the next 10 days or so to keep the turf as healthy as possible.  We will see some stress on the turf with the excessive heat but hopefully the heat won't stay around for too long.  Come out and enjoy some warm weather with us!! 

Weather Man says Hot, Hot, Hot!!

As we look at the forecast for the next 4 days or so the temperatures are 90 degrees plus.  How does this effect a turf plant that is known as a cool season plant?  Well to a bentgrass plant 90 degrees is getting out of the comfort zone.  Ideal temperatures for cool season grasses range from 64 to 75 degrees.  When temperatures are above this cool season range then turf may begin to show signs of stress.  The most common symptom to heat stress is wilt.  The plant shuts down physiologically and begins to use stored energy reserves to survive.  If the heat is a short term event then after a few days the plant returns to normal physiological activity but if it is long term (3-4 weeks) then the plant begins to struggle as the built up energy reserves are depleted.

So what can we do to help the plant?  You will see us syringing the plants with water during the day time.  Syringing is not like watering.  When syringing you just wet the leaf blades of the plant in order to cool the plant by the evaporation of the water off the leaf.  No water is put down into the soil so this is a very short, quick process.  You will see us hand syringing the greens and usually we use the irrigation system to syringe the fairways and tees.

Another way to protect the turf during times of heat stress is to limit the amount of mechanical stress that is allowed on the turf.  We may reduce our mowing frequencies, mow with lighter equipment or stop mowing until conditions improve.  As golfers the stress of cart traffic on wilted turf can be significant and that is when we ask that you abide by the 90 degree rule.  I have been asked by many golfers if this rule is based on a 90 degree temperature reading.  Actually it has nothing to do with temperature and everything to do with approaching your ball in a fairway at a 90 degree angle.  It is usually when we see temperatures around the 90 degree mark that we implement this rule being that the turf is showing signs of heat stress or wilting.  Driving carts across areas of wilted turf can cause damage within the plant cell wall and leaves tire tracks which then turn brown.  It takes awhile for the plant to recover from this type of mechanical damage so following the 90 degree rule when asked is very much appreciated. 

The course continues to play well even though the heat is upon us.  If you are coming out to play we will be observing the 90 degree rule with the carts for the next few days so enter the fairway at a 90 degree angle to your ball.  You may stop in the fairway then after hitting proceed back into the rough with your cart.  Conditions are dry and firm although not as dry and firm as the Olympic Club, for those of you who watched the U.S. Open.  The heat is expected to break after Thursday (6/21) so check with the pro shop regarding cart rules for the day when playing.         

    

 
 

New Team Members at CC of Peoria

Our Interns for the summer have joined us here in the Golf Maintenance Department.  Brian Powell is attending Illinois Central College studying horticulture beginning this fall with an emphasis in turfgrass management.  Anthony Feitz is a recent graduate of Purdue University with a B.S. in Turf Science and is pursuing his career goal of becoming a Golf Course Superintendent.

CCP Golf  Interns Brian Powell (left) and Tony Feitz (right) 

We are fortunate to have both of these young men working with us this summer and each have some solid work experience in their backgrounds.  When you see Tony and Brian on the course please help us in welcoming them to the CC of Peoria. 

It was a busy beginning to the week as we hosted the Maui Jim Invitational on Monday.  A full field of golfers along with PGA Senior Tour players filled the day with excitement.  Benefits from the event go to the Peoria Children's Home and many of our members participated in the event.  The clinics given by the Senior Tour players and long drive world champion/trick shot artist Dan Boever are always highlights for the participants. 

Senior Tour players Craig Stadler and Dave Stockton  

The Maui Jim Invitational brings in participants from all around the country and is one of the highlights of the year for our department.  The course was in great shape for the event and continues to play well for all of our members to enjoy.  It was a great day for the event and even Mother Nature cooperated. 

Come out and enjoy the course as it is in some of the best condition of the year.    



Grandstand set up on #3 Tee area