Aeration Dates Changed

The aeration of greens and tees was scheduled to occur next week on April 28^th and 29^th.   After evaluating current conditions and discussing options with Pro Shop staff, Club Management and the Green Committee Chairman the decision was made to hold off on aeration of greens and tees.  Due to the cooler spring, current turf conditions and next week’s colder forecast we are moving the dates to May 7^th and 8^th.  We will be closing the front nine on the 7^th and the back nine on the 8^th. 

Efforts to spur the greens into growing by applying both granular and foliar fertilizers have been met with little to no results.  The greens need to be actively growing in order to recover from the aeration process.  Currently the greens are not growing due to the cooler temperatures and current soil temperatures around 50 degrees.  This is almost 10 degrees lower than our soil temps last year at this time.   

Aerating the greens could actually result in setting them back a few weeks with next week’s lows being in the upper 30”s to low 40”s.  Highs next week after Monday are in the 50”s and mid 60’s.  These temperatures are not conducive to any type of recovery for the A1 and A4 bentgrass on our greens and could potentially lengthen the time required for recovery.  In a year like we are experiencing it has been decided to error on the side of caution.   

As always it is our goal to provide the membership with the best playing conditions possible.  Aeration to the greens is vital in providing healthy playing surfaces through the summer stress period.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and as always we appreciate your understanding and patience with these date changes.
 

For current information regarding the golf course follow the Golf Maintenance Department on twitter at: @amorris_andrew.  If you have any questions feel free to contact me at 309-682-9432.  See you on the course!

Is It Spring Yet?

As Spring is plodding along slowly so is the turf.  We have mowed all areas of the course except rough.  Greens and fairways have been mowed twice.  The turf is slowly responding to some warmer sunny days only to be set back by some lower temperatures that are below freezing.  Consistency in temperatures would go along way in helping the turf begin to really flourish.  Next week does not appear to be helpful as we have 2 mornings with lows around 30 degrees and highs in the upper 40's.  This may be consistent with the winter we experienced but not what we are looking for to promote turf growth.

As things have warmed up slightly the course has begun to green up.  We can see areas that were damaged by the harsh winter we experienced.  The damage is primarily in the fairways with greens and tees unaffected.  There are a few spots scattered around the course on fairways but #1 and #4 experienced the most damage.  This makes complete sense as these 2 fairways carry the most surface water and had the most turf that was covered under ice.  There are a number of courses throughout the state that are dealing with winter damage and in the big picture we came out of the situation better than most.  The reason being, we have higher populations of bentgrass and it is the Poa Annua that was most effected by the harsh winter conditions. 


Winter damage on #1 fairway.  Some areas are already recovering.

The turf for the most part will slowly recover but in a few spots we will be seeding into the damaged area.  We have already seen some areas begin to recover without having optimal growing conditions or temperatures so that is encouraging.  Patience will be required as the turf will need some time to recover.   Warmer temperatures will get here and the turf will ultimately recover with time. 

The course is getting cleaned up and is ready for play.  It continues to play "soft" but the greens are smooth and will only get better as we continue to mow and roll them.  Come out and enjoy some golf as carts are now available, weather permitting.  The clubhouse is open with some fantastic improvements so a lunch or dinner after a round of golf is a great option! 

Remember, for the most current course conditions and cart rules follow me on twitter at: @amorris_andrew  It is a great way to keep up on what is happening and the number of followers is growing daily.  I would encourage you to follow if you are interested and want real time information on the course. 

See you on the course,

Andy 

Course Open to Walkers!!

We have opened the course to golfers who would like to walk.   Currently the conditions are very soft and the bunkers have not been raked or repaired from the winter disturbance.  We brought back 3 crew members this week to begin picking up the course and will have some other crew returning on Monday April 7th.  Our first goal is to clean debris off the greens and tee boxes.  The turf has still not broke dormancy but there is a very slight green color beginning to show.

We have not mowed any areas at this time.  Once we see the turf green up and begin to grow we will begin mowing.  It should be in the next 7-10 days depending on the weather.  Warmer temperatures and some sunny days will assist in getting the turf to "wake up."  Hopefully we will see some better temperatures start to come our way soon! 

Golfers can now follow me on Twitter.  I will be using this social media to inform our golfing membership about course conditions, cart availability, course projects that may impact playability and other information.  "Tweets" are very short and informative and will be done throughout the week.  I would encourage you to follow me at:  @amorris_andrew if you have a Twitter account and if you do not you can easily sign up for this free service.  It is the best way to have the most up to date course information and stay informed as to what is happening on the course.  As I said, Tweets will be one or two sentences in length so an extremely quick read. 

Hope to see you out on the course and we will continue to evaluate course conditions in order to get carts out as soon as possible.  It should not be too far off!  Follow on Twitter at: @amorris_andrew for the most current course information.

See you on the course,
Andy

One Last Snowfall......Maybe?

After what has been a winter for the record books could we be seeing our last snow event?  The winter of 2014 provided record breaking snow accumulations and low temperatures.  The question being asked by many right now is, "How did the course fair through the winter?" 

It is a little early to fully assess how the turf did over the winter but preliminary observations are relatively good.  We know there are some low areas on the course that were under ice for most of the winter and that is where our concerns are focused.  Bentgrass has exceptional cold tolerance and we are fortunate to have bentgrass as our predominant grass type on our playing surfaces.  Our roughs are bluegrass and it also has good cold tolerance. 

The issues that are created when a turf plant is exposed to the type of winter we had this year can be devastating.  Dr. Kevin Frank, Turfgrass Extension Specialist with Michigan State University, reports the following,"Winterkill is a general term that is used to define turf loss during the winter. Winterkill can be caused by a combination of factors including crown hydration, desiccation, low temperatures, ice sheets and snow mold. Because of the unpredictability of environmental factors and differences in other factors such as surface drainage, the occurrence of winterkill on golf courses is variable and can vary greatly between golf courses and even across the same course." 

Over the last few weeks we have been scouting the course looking for this type of damage.  We can see a few areas where the turf appears to be damaged but until warmer temperatures arrive we can only speculate as to whether or not there is any winterkill.  Many areas are showing some very slight "green up" which is a good sign that the turf is fine. 


Could this be the last snow event of the year?  It is March 25th!!

Being one of the coldest winters on record we had a frost line that was almost 2 feet in depth.  Typically we would see frozen soil to a depth of 10 to 12 inches and in many years even less.  How does this effect the course?  As the soil thaws the moisture that is created makes a very soft surface.  We are currently thawed down to around 12-14 inches which leaves another foot to thaw.  As temperatures rise and some warmer rains fall the last foot of frost will thaw but surface conditions can still be very soft during this process.  Once again Mother Nature is the one in control.  When conditions improve we will get golfers out as soon as possible.  Initially walking and then the carts will come.

So, dust off the clubs and take a swing or two to work out the cob webs.  The season will get here sooner or later. Let's just hope it is sooner rather than later!!       

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.  The Holidays are always a welcomed time of year so enjoy your families and eat plenty!  Have a great day.

Be Thankful

I just returned from a visit to Hillcrest Golf Course in Washington, IL.  To see the devastation first hand is overwhelming and those of us who were unaffected should be thankful.  Superintendent Chuck Bishoff is doing his best to put all the pieces back together and get this long time recreational facility back in shape for his community.  His concerns are daunting to say the least and this small 2 man business will be challenged to the extreme in getting through this process.

Chuck and owner Brian Brubaker have asked me to serve as a consultant in helping them through this disaster.  I have been asked over the years to consult for various courses around Central Illinois and this time it was easy to say yes, I will help.  This business is the sole lively hood for these two gentlemen' and their families.  They cannot afford to be out of business for a long period of time.  The people in the community need somewhere for recreation as Washington is rebuilt over the next few years.  Hillcrest needs to be a viable option for the community.  As a young boy I experienced a fatal tornado which leveled our home and devastated our community of Ankeny, Iowa.  I can remember that as recreational facilities reopened people felt a sense that the community would be alright.  We could make it through this and get our community back.  First the parks then the pool and finally our little local public golf course.  As each one reopened it brought back something normal to the otherwise chaotic world that we had been thrown into.   

If you are not from a small community this may sound like nonsense.  If you are from a small town you know exactly what I am talking about.  Washington, IL will recover from this disaster.  It will take years and countless hours of hard work but they will recover.  If  I can help in a small way assisting Brian and Chuck in dealing with this disaster then count me in.  I know there are numerous Superintendents that are willing to lend a hand.  Superintendents are funny that way, always willing to help each other out in a time of need.  That is just what we do and how we do it.     

I will leave you with some pictures I took of Hillcrest Golf Course and the surrounding area.  Every tornado has what I call miracle stories and Hillcrest has one.  There were 3 ladies and 1 gentleman that survived the storm in the pro shop.  One of the ladies was 84 years old!  How they survived is a miracle and when you see the photos you will understand.  The pro shop is leveled and has a car flipped over laying on top of it.  The gentleman made it to a small basement but the ladies rode out the tornado in a restroom on the main floor.  All four walked away with minor injuries.  I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Hug your kids, tell your wife you love her and Be Thankful! 



Pro Shop-notice the seats for snack bar counter

 

Damage on # 18 green

Vehicle in parking lot with Pro Shop in background

 
                          

 

Restroom where 2 ladies laid on floor holding toilet and 84 year old sat

Look across golf course...the car is a new addition to the course

Golf green damage

 

 

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!!