Leaves and More Leaves!!

The fall leaf drop came late this year.  Just in the last few days we have seen the leaves really come down on the course.  We deal with them in numerous ways to clean up the course.  The big "vacuum" is in heavy use along with mowers equipped with mulching units.  We have a turbine blower that is used to help in the effort.  This year is slightly more challenging as the majority of our staff have been laid off for the season so late season leaf cleanup is left for a skeleton crew.

Mower equipped with mulchers cleaning up leaves

It seems like there was not much transition this year from warmer weather to colder temperatures.  We have already seen a measurable snow and we are just at the midpoint in the month of November!  I hate to say it, but you might want to get the shovel out of the shed and test fire the snow blower.  The predictions for this winter are colder and wetter then what we have seen the last few winters.   Hopefully the forecasts are wrong and Mother Nature is kind to us.



Turbine blower rounding up leaves on the course

Well, I wish I could tell you all to come out and enjoy the course but the weather conditions and temperatures right now are not optimal for golf.  We will have the course cleaned up for any brave souls that would like to come out and test the elements.  We have the Annual Turkey Shoot coming up on November 23rd and who knows what the weather could bring this year!  It is always an enjoyable event for those who participate in it. 

The big vacuum helping out with leaf cleanup

   

 As the year winds down and we head into the Holiday Season the Golf Maintenance Staff would like to wish you all Happy Holidays and an enjoyable winter.  We will be busy with on course projects and the annual equipment maintenance duties.  It won't be long and Spring will be back around.  Until then we will see what Winter has in store for us.  Enjoy the Holidays!!



Summer Draws To An End

With the last day of summer having past on the 21st of September maybe now summer will come to a close.  The last few months have been very dry, hot and non typical for August and September.  As we enter into fall we can only hope for some cooler temps and some needed rain.  This was like a summer in reverse with July being milder and September providing us with some of our highest temperatures of the year.  The real challenge has been the lack of rain.  Mother nature does a much better job of applying an even distribution of moisture compared to the best designed irrigation system.  When you have to rely on irrigation as the sole supplier of water on the golf course then there are some potential issues that can become problematic.  Since the first of July through today,  on our course we have seen a total of 3 inches of rain while our evapotranspiration (ET) number is at 14 inches.  (see May 24, 2012 blog post for ET definition)  The 11 inch deficit has become a major concern for turf managers. 
In Central Illinois some courses have been put on restrictions while others are simply running out of water in their irrigation ponds.  Thus far we have been fortunate with our water supply and have had no mandates placed on us like last season.  It felt like this season was going to be a decent year to grow turf with limited challenges but in the last 8-10 weeks the challenges have been numerous and very unseasonal.  I guess that is what makes the job of being a Golf Course Superintendent  challenging, rewarding and stressful all at the same time!  It seems every year Mother nature likes to remind us that she is in control and she allows us to grow turfgrass.  Each year is different and you have to roll with the punches.
As we enter into fall we have completed aeration of greens,tees, approaches and 4 of the fairways.  The fall season is busy for the Golf Maintenance Department as we prepare the course for the upcoming winter and next season.

Crew member Sonny Jordan  processing cores on #1 fairway

In addition to aeration there are numerous other agronomic practices that must be completed before the snow flies.  Fertilizer applications, fall herbicide applications and seeding and sodding projects are all on the the agenda.  Add in the annual war on leaves beginning in a few weeks and things will be busy around the course. 
Give the aerated areas a few weeks to heal and come out for one of the prettiest times of year on the course.  The fall colors are always impressive and it appears the temperatures will continue to be favorable for some golf.  Hopefully summer has drawn to a close and now fall can move in! 

What A Summer!!

What a difference a year makes.  Maybe Mother Nature is trying to show some kindness after last years brutal heat and drought.  Regardless, this year the weather has been great for growing grass with just 10 days or so of hot temperatures thus far in the summer.  Mid August is when we see the days begin to shorten and even "hot" days don't seem to be that much of a problem.
 
The cooler night time temperatures are always a welcome sight and we started seeing those return in late July.  Last year we did not see a day with a low in the sixties from mid May until August 12th.  That was a long stretch of terrible weather.  This year we were wearing wind shirts and jackets in July with a few lows in the 50's.  Can you say "Climate Change"?  If you are not a believer in global warming you have to agree that we are seeing weather extremes pushed to new limits.

Hole #6 July 2013

  The course remains in good shape and playing conditions are very good.  As we enter into the fall we are preparing for a busy September highlighted by The Grandview Invitational September 12-14.  The Course will be closed on September 23-24 for fall aeration of the course.  September and October are always busy with agronomic tasks that begin to prepare the course for the upcoming winter and next year's season.

But for now, what a great end of summer!  Come out and enjoy the course during the final round of summer.  Next week's forecast is a little warmer in the upper 80's.  The kids are returning to school and soon fall football, soccer and my personal favorite, hockey will dominate any free time that is available.  For now, get out and enjoy the course.       

Busy Week for Visitors

This week was a little different in that we had many guests come to tour the course.  Oscar Miles, Retired Certified Golf Course Superintendent paid us a visit on Monday with a group from Spring Lake Country Club in Quincy, Illinois.  Mr Miles is consulting for Spring Lake C.C. during a gas and regrass project that they are going to be doing.  Oscar is somewhat of a legend among superintendents in Illinois as he was Superintendent at the Merit Club in Chicago for over 20 years.  He was also Superintendent at Olympia Fields and Butler National prior to the Merit Club and is in the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame.  Oscar has hosted numerous PGA and LPGA tour events during his 40+ year career as a Superintendent.  It was an honor to spend time with him on our golf course.  He was impressed with the results of our regrassing project as were the rest of the group.

Oscar Miles (far right) with group from Spring Lake C.C.

 
Tuesday we had a visit from Dr. James Crum, PhD from Michigan State University.  Dr. Crum is one of the leading authorities on turfgrass soils/ chemistry in the industry.  He has worked around the globe as a consultant for such projects as the Beijing Olympics, World Soccer Federation, NFL, Major League Baseball and countless golf courses from Spain to China.  He was here to visit our MSU intern Kyle DeRoo who has been with us this season.  Again it was an honor to have Dr. Crum on the course for a tour and he also attended a Green Committee meeting that evening and gave some insight into the benefits of topdressing fairways.  Dr. Crum has always been a mentor to me and his evaluation and input of our course is always appreciated on his visits.  He has visited our course numerous times over the last 8 years so he has seen the transition as course improvements were made and was very complimentary of the course conditions.

Thursday we had Dr. Ed Nangle, PhD, Director of Turgrass Programs for the CDGA on the course for the morning.  Dr. Nangle is new this year to his CDGA position and was visiting different courses around the state to get a feel for the diversity of growing conditions and challenges that he will be consulting on.  Originally from Ireland Dr. Nangle did his PhD work at The Ohio State University.  (We won't hold that Against him! )  He worked in New Zealand and Florida prior to making his way to the Chicagoland area.  Illinois is an interesting state to be a turf advisor as you have both warm season grasses in the south and cool season grasses in the north with the transition zone in between.  After meeting Dr. Nangle he will be a great asset to all CDGA clubs throughout the state as he has worked with all grass types.  He was pleased with our golf course and surprised by the topography that the course is on.  We look forward to working with Dr. Nangle on agronomic issues and wish him luck in his new position.

The course continues to be in good shape so get out and play some golf.  The ten day forecast looks good and it is hard to believe we are looking at mid July already.  The heat and humidity have not been too bad and the staff and the turf both appreciate that!  
     

The 4th of July.....Already

Where did June go?   As we move into July the weather for the first few days has felt like late May!  Highs in the 70's and nighttime temperatures in the low 60's.  What a strange year we are having.  The course remains in good shape as we head into July and what is usually the most stressful time of year for the turf.  Warmer temperatures and the humidity have to show up sooner or later but until then this weather is simply Awesome!

Hole #1 at Country Club of Peoria

The weather for the 4th of July could not be better so come out and play some golf.  It is a great way to burn off some of those BBQ ribs and get ready for all the fireworks that will be presented in the area. 
We all enjoy the parades and fireworks but let's not forget what this day is in celebration of.  On July 4th, 1776 our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence declaring our freedom and separation from Great Britain.  Please remember those who currently serve in the military and past veterans as Americans have always led the fight for freedom and justice not only on our soil back in 1776 but around the world.  We should all remember that freedom is not free so thank a veteran or someone currently serving in the military for what they have done for our country.  God Bless America!      

Hole #4 ready for some golf!

Come out and enjoy some golf, eat plenty of BBQ and be safe as you enjoy the fireworks during the holiday.  The CCP Golf Maintenance Staff wish you all a Happy and Safe 4th of July.

4th of July celebration at Washington Monument

A Fine Time to Deep Tine

As we prepare the course for the summer stress period we are utilizing a new deep tine machine that was purchased earlier this Spring.  The Redxim 7120 Verti-Drain can drive solid or hollow tines down to 8 inches deep.  We are using this machine on the fairways to relieve a hard pan that has developed at a 3 inch depth.  After aerating the fairways at a depth of 3 inches for the last 50 plus years it is not hard to imagine that a compaction layer has developed in the soil profile.  The same problem occurs in agriculture after a crop field is plowed for years at a 10 inch depth.  A hard pan develops in the soil profile at the bottom of the plowing depth.  This new machine allows us to break through that hard pan and shatter the soil profile at depth. We have the flexibility to set the depth anywhere from 1 to 8 inches. 

Deep tiner in use.  Turf behind the machine is ready for play

The process has very little impact on golf as it does not pull up any debris and creates very small holes.  The surface is basically playable immediately after the process is completed.  A very small half inch hole may be visible but for most golfers will go unnoticed.  After the fairway is mowed a couple of times the holes cannot be seen.  We set the machine to a depth of 4.5 inches to start with and over the next few years will continue to go deeper.  We are finding there are plenty of hard objects at the 4.5 inch depth and can only imagine what we will find once we are down to 7 or 8 inches!      

Holes made by half inch solid tines 4.5 inches deep

We will deep tine Fairways and Tees a couple of times during the season. Some Superintendents are using this machine on greens and we may test that out at some point in time.

Deep tining obviously helps break up and shatter compacted layers but there are other side benefits.  It allows water and air movement down into the root zone.  It also provides a great channel for new root growth to occur and promotes deep healthy root systems.

We are excited to have this piece of equipment in our "tool box" and to see the improvements it can make to our turf quality and turf root system.  The course is playing very well right now and is in good shape so come out and enjoy it.       

8 inch long deep tines used on fairways  

    

Rain, Rain and More Rain!

Lately it seems that the rain will just not end.  Over the last week from May 26 to June 2 we recorded over 7 inches of rain at our course weather station.  Some may believe that this is good for the turf but excessive rain can cause numerous issues for the turf plant and is an area of concern for Golf Course Superintendents.

Saturated soil conditions limit pore space for air and gas exchanges to occur in the root zone and roots need oxygen.  Some areas of the course have had standing water on them for the last week.  Bent grass suffers drastically when submerged for more than 24 hours and we are seeing some submerged areas turning yellow and thinning out after being underwater for almost an entire week.   

#1 fairway after .4 inches of rain in 20 minutes

Prolonged saturated soils also prevent the turf plant from developing a deep root system.  This may not result in immediate decline in plant health but when the summer stress period shows up in July and August plant health declines readily.  Root development occurs in the top 2-3 inches of the soil profile because plants have not had to put roots down to seek moisture.  The roots heat up very quickly in the top 2-3 inches as soil temperatures increase resulting in plant health decline and root die back.  This time of year we would usually water deep and infrequently to force the plants to develop deep root systems.  The current rains are exactly the opposite of this agronomic strategy. 

The other issue that is concerning is disease pressure.  Saturated soils along with higher soil temperature literally provide the perfect environment for disease development.  It is like Mother Natures petri dish!  You might ask, "Don't you spray for disease control?"  We do spray but getting the sprayer out on saturated soils can cause major damage to the turf due to rutting and ripping the turf right out of the ground.  Getting mowers, sprayers or any large equipment out on the course for any daily maintenance over the last week has become very challenging. 

As you can see the current situation regarding rain has created many concerns for the upcoming season and we have not even touched on current playability or the financial impacts it has on the Club.  We will do our best to manage our way through this situation and get the course back in shape.  Understand that the course is not drying out very well and getting carts out will take a few dry days and some time.  Unfortunately this weeks forecast is calling for more rain mid week.  Hopefully the forecasters are wrong.  Last year we could not buy a rain event and this year we could not pay to keep rain away!  Crazy....