WR Greens aerification

This year's punch went very well and the timing was great, with the greens very healthy. Our recovery should be swift. I have included a picture of #11 green the day after aerification/verticut/topdress and fertilization. I will post one again next week so we can see the progress. There are a couple of other pictures to highlight the great course conditions at WR.
I have also included a picture of our walk path renovation. Along with recycling sod from our tee renovation, we utilized the aerification plugs from the greens to cover the walk paths to #17. Next month, we will sod in walk paths on #6 and #7 from the new red tee on #6 and the tee on #7

WR NEW STUFF

Here are some pics of 2 projects completed this week. Patrick's awesome work on the walk bridge on #2, will be repeated at the blue tee in the weeks that follow next week's greens aerification. Great Job.

#2 Walk Bridge between fairways

We completed the first of our red tee renovations on #14, 15 and 17. All tees were enlarged and sodded with Tifway 419 bermudagrass. Great job Patrick, Chepe, Maynor and Ruben. They should be in play in 2 weeks. In the meantime, enjoy our proposed additional forward tees.



#14 Red



#17 Red



#15 Red



 

My trip to DC on National Golf Day

Below are a couple of news items from my recent trip to Washington D.C. I was part of the GCSAA's (golf course superintendent's association of America) Government Relations Committee that took part in the National Golf Day. I had the opportunity to spend time with the Senior Legislative Assistants in the offices of Senator's Boxer and Feinstein and Representative Gallegly, in an effort to educate them on the important role that golf courses play in many local economies. Enjoy.

GCSAA represents in Washington on National Golf Day

Golf is so much more than a game - it's an industry that contributes billions each year to local, state and national economics, and employs more than 2 million people nationwide. This is the story that was told on Capitol Hill on April 13, National Golf Day, by members of GCSAA's Board of Directors, Government Relations Committee and staff, as well as allied golf organizations CMAA, NGCOA and the PGA of America. For the initiative, which is part of the We Are Golf coalition, GCSAA educated lawmakers about the U.S. golf industry's economic, environmental and social contributions.

GCSAA's storyteller

As part of the GCSAA delegation, President Robert M. Randquist, CGCS; CEO Rhett Evans; and Jay Goughnour, Class A GCSAA member, joined other association leaders to represent the industry in meetings with Democratic and Republican leadership, the Congressional Golf Task Force as well as the Congressional Black Caucus, and shared quantifiable data that demonstrates the economic contributions golf makes.

In 2008, Goughnour bought Raccoon Valley Golf Course in his hometown of Jefferson, Iowa. He would continue to serve as the golf course superintendent, while his wife, Nikki, tended to the pro shop and office. But just months after purchasing the golf facility, Mother Nature unleashed her fury as water overflowed the banks of the adjacent Raccoon Creek. The Goughners would close their course for more than a month, losing $40,000 in revenue during the height of the golf season (accounting for just under 25 percent of annual revenues). Furthermore, the couple took out a loan for $60,000 to repair the damage.

Working diligently – while taking second jobs to cover the bills – the Goughnours slowly returned the course back to where it was with the intent on improving it. “It is the American dream to be a business owner,” Jay Goughnour said. "Then, through no fault of your own, it gets wiped away by a freak of nature. We are working hard to restore what we had and improve upon it. It would have been nice to be on the same footing as other small businesses to be eligible for government aid."

Also representing GCSAA at National Golf Day events were: Vice President Sandy G. Queen, CGCS; Past President James R. Fitzroy, CGCS; Directors Rafael Barajas, CGCS, and Peter J. Grass, CGCS; and members of the GCSAA Government Relations Committee (Patrick Finlen, CGCS, chairman; John O’Keefe, CGCS, vice chairman; Charles Wolsborn; Robert Ehrler, CGCS; David Coote; Robert Raley; Mark F. Jordan, CGCS; Joseph McCleary, CGCS; John Ekstrom; and Robert Nielsen, Jr., CGCS). Carrie Riordan, GCSAA’s senior director of member programs; Chava McKeel, GCSAA's senior manager of information and public policy; and Jeff Bollig, GCSAA’s senior director of communications.

A nonstop agenda
Additional NGD activities included a First Tee Congressional Breakfast featuring First Tee scholars, Jim Nantz, and representatives of allied golf. Additionally, We Are Golf's initiative was presented to members of Congress, their staffs and the media with a live session featuring PGA teaching pro Jim Estes and Ramon Padilla of the Salute Military Golf Association. GCSAA Class A members Teddy Blauvelt and Jon Lobenstine also participated in a display for members of Congress and their staffs of how golf courses are compatible with the environment.

The government relations committee held its annual meeting while in Washington, addressing a briefing on priority issues; as well as updates on GCSAA public policy concerning general permits for pesticide applications, H-2B rules, ADA accessibility guidelines, Endangered Species Act litigation and more. Members also discussed coordination strategies with chapter government relations committees and local resources regarding pesticide and fertilizer advocacy efforts. Michael O’Brien from Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE) provided members with an update on RISE’s consumer outreach campaign, Debug the Myth.

The We Are Golf coalition retained the Podesta Group, a Washington, D.C.-based government and public affairs firm, to coordinate the initiative’s unprecedented legislative efforts concerning small business, labor, tax and environmental goals. Its objective is to assist the coalition in getting the golf industry a seat at the table when important and relevant legislation is being developed. Visit We Are Golf.org for more information on the coalition and its strategic progress.

Thanks for your effort and a reminder on WR Cart traffic

I am revisiting an older post from 2010 as a refresher for our cart users. Generally, the cart usage has been good and I appreciate the compliance with our gate system and the replacing of downed rope. These 2 videos are designed to inspire us all to use our carts in a manner that causes as little disruption to the playing surfaces as possible. The carts should proceed directly to the fairway and stay in the fairway until they exit at the exit stakes. The second set of stakes at the entry point are to be driven through as we make our way directly to the fairway. Keeping the carts in the fairwway will require more walking, however this is a good thing as our bodies will be in better shape to hit the shot. There will be a substantial amount of rope placed on the course at our traditional wear areas. These are areas that we will be seeding in 2011 with bermudagrass as we attempt to improve the year round playing conditions at WR.
Please remember that we all can help in preserving the playing conditions and controlling traffic is one of the most effective programs.
The events portrayed in these videos are real. Only the actual people have been changed. Thanks to Patrick and Sergio for helping out.

Greens topdressing and verticutting

This process is designed to dilute  the thatch layer by removing organic matter. Greens are verticut in 2 direction with 2mm carbide tips to a depth of 1/4". Greens are then mowed at .125" and blown. #30 sand is then applied and watered in for 9 minutes. A 24 minute cycle follows that evening, another 6 minutes the following morning at 4:00am and then a final 9 minutes the following evening. Greens are rolled the day  following the topdress.

















WR Bunker Auditing

The following is a reprint of an article that will be appearing in an upcoming issue of GCI , an industry publication.

BUNKER AUDITS- A NECESSARY ROUTINE MAINTENANCE PRACTICE

As Superintendents, we are faced with a myriad of daily challenges. One of the most constant challenges that we face is our efforts to provide quality conditions is our bunkers. Survey after survey of our clientele, be they members or daily users, invariably places “consistency of bunkers” at the top of the list of things that need to be improved. While managing moisture levels within bunkers is extremely challenging given the different green complex configurations with their differing micro climates, slopes, shade and watering characteristics, it is possible to effectively present consistent sand depth. At Wood Ranch, an American Golf Corporation owned and operated private club in Simi Valley, California, we have established a simple yet effective routine process for producing consistency in our bunker sand depth. When I arrived at Wood Ranch in 2008, bunkers were indeed at the top of the list, primarily for lack of depth of sand, causing many players to come in contact with the underlying soil. Before ordering any additional sand, we set about mapping out the existing conditions. This mapping must be done first to avoid ordering unnecessary sand. The mapping process is ongoing and forms the basis for all future work and allows us to focus in on the bunkers and indeed specific areas within the bunkers that need attention.

MAPPING

The first step in any effective program is to map out each bunker for current sand levels. A simple hand drawn map will suffice, however, if you have a GPS based irrigation map or can access Google Earth or similar programs, you can create a professional looking template. Assign an experienced worker (a great project for Assistants, foreman or interns) to divide each bunker into a grid of 2-3’ sections. Utilizing a soil probe with a clearly marked depth line (can be, taped, scored or permanent marked in 1 inch increments), simply probe and record the depth of sand to either the liner or the sub soil. The finished diagram may look something like this:

After our initial survey in 2008, we discovered that there was in most cases, more than enough sand to get us to the depth we wanted. We were looking for a depth of 3-3.5” on the bottom of the bunkers and 2-3” on the faces.

REDISTRIBUTION

The next step after the initial detailed mapping was to assign staff and equipment to begin the process of redistributing the existing sand to the needed areas. A crew size for this project of 6-8 has worked well. At Wood Ranch, we have 47 greenside bunkers and 28 fairway bunkers. A mechanical bunker rake with blade, several landscape rakes, regular bunker rakes, fine tooth leaf rakes for the finish hand rake and 2-3 soil probes were all that were needed.

 

A probe was used to check the depth and then our Toro Sandpro was used to move the sand around. The material was raked in and then the Sandpro was driven over the bunker with the rear rake elevated, to compact the sand. A final rake by hand and we were done.

REGULAR AUDITING IS KEY

Once the initial audit and redistribution has been completed, additional sand can more accurately be ordered. The next step is to monitor the movement of the sand in the bunker by probing weekly for a month. In that time, you can get a good sense of how the bunkers are being used. Again utilize a staff member who is a golfer (usually, but not limited to, your Assistants and interns) to probe and create a simple diagram of each bunker and where the sand has moved to. It could be as simple as this:

OBSERVATIONS AND REGULAR AUDITS

As you would assume, most of the sand moves toward the back of the bunker as the players rake themselves out. Most of the sand accumulates at low spots/easy exit points and is always far more than accumulates toward the greenside from actual explosion shots. After several months, it will become evident which are your key, heavily used bunkers. Most of them will be at the front of the green or in the case of fairway bunkers, in the landing area. Fairway bunker sand movement is slightly different as a result of the constant use of a mechanical rake. Tight turns to maneuver around capes will result in sand sliding off the back of the rake and accumulating along the edges. Sand also tends to move off steep slopes if the rake drives too high up the slope. Reducing the speed at which the mechanical rake is driven, raking only the relatively flat areas of the bunker and avoiding sharp turns, can all lead to less sand being moved around and accumulating in unwanted areas. Use of a longer hand rake by the mechanical rake operator will allow them to rake the steeper slopes by hand and they will be less tempted to drive too high . Consider raking parallel to the edge on your cleanup hand rake 3 or 4 days out of the week and perpendicular to the edge on the other days.

The key to the whole operation is to be regular in your audits. After 3 years of our process, we are to the point that we have 4 quarterly total audits in which we do all fairway and green bunkers (75 bunkers). This takes us 1 week. We usually assign 4-6 people to work from 5:30am to 10:00 (lunch) and then add 2 more in the afternoon from 10:30 to 2:00pm, Monday through Friday. This allows us to get our course set up and mowing done. Total for the week is approximately 200- 275 hours.

In addition to our quarterly audits are the 8 monthly audits of our key, heavily used bunkers. They number 24 and can be done in 2 mornings with 6 people for a total of 52 hours. Time varies with climate and we expect time to be longer after significant or sustained rain.

The final piece of the process is to communicate to your patrons. At WR, I have a 1 page weekly update in written form that is sent to staff and posted on our club’s website, as well as e-mailed to my Greens Committee who in turn e-mail blast that out to their respective groups. I also update my golf course blog site with pictures of the process. I also ask that any bunkers of concern  be made known to us through the monthly Greens Committee meeting. I have had great success by addressing a member’s specific bunker and this responsiveness has improved the overall view of the maintenance operation.

Will the audit stop the complaints? Absolutely not! But the audit is a simple and effective tool for improving the consistency of the depth of the sand in your bunkers.

Dave Coote

Wood Ranch GC

www.woodranchgc.blogspot.com

Rough soil amending

This week saw us begin to modify the soil in the areas that we will be reseeding with Bermudagrass this summer. These are primarily the areas that we loose the ryegrass in due to the high traffic and poor soil conditions. Aerification with 3/4" hollow tines in 2 directions was done first. The plugs were removed and then Turface, a porous ceramic material was added. Turface is an excellent material as its large particle size creates ample macro pore space for water to pass through while simultaneously, its high internal porosity traps water within the particle and make sit available to the plant roots for uptake. By incorporating this material now we can prep the area to facilitate a quicker establishment of our new seed.