Update 4-26-2013

It has been a very busy week and a lot of work was accomplished.

Firstly the greens - they are coming along nicely even though the temperatures haven't been very cooperative. As planned, they were rolled for the second and last time with the asphalt roller on Monday and mowed on Tuesday. Even with the raised height of cut and mowing in the dry, as expected, the mowers collected a lot of sand on the first cut, which destroyed the reels. However it did clean them up nicely and they were sprayed with Dewcure so that they could be mowed in the morning without the worry of picking sand up on the rollers. They were also sprayed again with fertilizer, but unfortunately there was frost on three mornings this week, so they still are not growing very quickly. 

We mowed again on Wednesday coupled with a regular roll and I was actually able to get a stimpmeter reading that looked half decent!! However there was very little grass collected so there was no need to mow on Thursday and a roll sufficed to increase the speed. The cut this morning yielded a nice surprise - the basket had mostly grass in it which means the turf is finally stating to grow through!! After rolling today, the stimpmeter reading jumped another 3/4 ft, so although not up to our usual standards they are in decent shape, especially considering we are only ten days out from aeration and the weather has not been conducive to growth. 

They were sprayed again today with Dewcure to ensure they can be mowed and rolled over the weekend. Since they are not growing aggressively, the plan to roll tomorrow and mow and roll on Sunday is sufficient to maintain them while not slowing down progress. While I'm not chasing greenspeed right now until they have recovered more, it is nice to see how they are progressing.

The last step is to lower the height of cut. I will do this incrementally as not only is it better for the turf, but if it is rushed, we will be mowing into the sand again, which will set us back. The warmer weather in the forecast is promising, and hopefully the sand works in a little more so I can start lowering the heights and switch back to the 'regular' mowers. The 'regular' mowers have a grooved roller which provides a better cut - I use mowers with solid rollers after we topdress for two main reasons; it saves us beating up the reels on the everyday mowers - Secondly the solid rollers are less aggressive on the turf and therefore less stressful which is beneficial considering the beating the turf takes during this time. The solid rollers ride 'on' the turf, whereas the grooved rollers 'dig' in a little so even though both are set at the same height setting in the shop, the actual height of cut will vary between the two and this is another reason the solid roller helps as it is not riding in the topdress but on top.

Below is a picture of one of LedgeRocks mowers with the solid roller cutting unit fitted.

This is a picture of the clipping from the first cut. You can see the sand intermixed with the clipping. The mowers were treated to a much needed grind as soon as they arrived back at the shop!!

This is a picture of a prism gauge. This tool lets turf professionals see the actual height of cut, while also showing the quality of the cut. (sorry it is upside down...). You can see on one side the cut is more level than the other. The smooth side was the pass that was just mowed while the other is uncut. Our regular height of cut is ~0.1" with the grooved roller. The mowers are currently set at 0.125" with the solid rollers.

Here you can see the furthest part of the green has been cut (lighter area), exposing the sand again....

Lastly a picture of the clippings from this morning and it is obvious that the sand is disappearing.

This week we also started deep-tine aeration on fairways. Our machine needed a lot of work over the winter due to the battering our hard soils have given it over the last six years, but thanks to out mechanics it is like new again and working flawlessly. It is a slow operation, however the benefits are considerable. The machine 'kicks' as it enters which heaves the soil therefore helping fracture the soil, relieving compaction and providing drainage. The large holes also provide air channels for the roots. When we first started deep tine aeration we were barely able to get it to go in 2", now it is close to 6" which may not seem like a lot, but it shows how much compaction has been relieved already by using it.

So to some of the other items that we have been up to this week.

We covered the fescue areas that were seeded last year by the clubhouse and 12 tee. These areas didn't come in very well and were covered with weeds. We scalped the weeds down, reseeded, topdressed and fertilized these areas. I did not spray the weeds as it would have prevented the seed to germinate so this way I can get the seed to take and then clean the weeds out. The areas were covered to help warm the soils up quicker which will make the seed germinate quicker than if it was in the open.

You may have noticed I've grown quite a nice crop of clover this year!! It was all sprayed this week and any resilient areas will be resprayed as needed. Herbicides need to be sprayed in dry weather so sometimes our applications have to be delayed until the weather permits. Here's the proof it's dying as it is starting to curl up!!

We also got a few projects completed this week. 

I'm sure you have had a scare or two on the drive off from 1, especially on a damp morning. I know of at least two carts that flipped over and more than a few scares from coming over that little hill by only for the cart so slide and hit the asphalt sideways. To address this, we removed the mound and made sure the entry onto the path is now flat. The area also needed an extra irrigation head, so it was the perfect opportunity to do that also. That mound, the lack of irrigation and the traffic beat up the turf badly in that area, now that it has been regraded and the irrigation added, it should look good all year and be a lot safer for cart traffic.

Removing the sod - the mound can be clearly seen in the tree shadow

The sod removed

The sod stored for reuse

The mound from the greenside bunker

Grading the area

Adding the irrigation

The finished product

and the new view from the bunker.

The other project we completed this week was to tidy up the back left pond on 10 (did you even know there was one there??) After numerous unsuccessful attempts to try and make it more presentable, I decided going all out and sodding it might be the solution. What a difference! It has cleaned up the entire area immensely. The plan next week is to sod the bank along the path to the ball washer and tie it all together.

Spring is slowly getting here - the leaves are finally starting to pop!!

I'm sorry for the long post but as I said at the start, we had a busy week and I wanted to cover all of it, as well as keep up on the condition of the greens and how they are recovering.

Have a good weekend.

Greens Post Aeration Recovery

A member asked me yesterday if I was going to roll the greens today for the GAP matches. After explaining why I wasn't going to roll, I realized that I didn't discuss here what is involved in getting the greens back to top condition.....

When I would aerate in the past my main concern was to get the greens putting fast as quickly as possible. The issue with that was due to the constant mowing and rolling (which dragged the sand up to the top, leaving a mess) and managing the fertility it took anywhere from 3-4 weeks to get them back to 100% which wasn't acceptable. Therefore, I adopted the current approach, which has worked well, although it means the greens are really slow for the first week after aeration. Now that I have the fertility program dialed in (and assuming the weather cooperates) they are really nice after two weeks and are back to 100% well within 3 weeks after we've finished topdressing.

The first thing, as noted in an earlier post, is to roll them with the asphalt roller to take out all the major imperfections after the aeration process. They are fertilized regularly to ensure they grow back through the sand. I have to be careful not to over do the amount of fertilizer applied as I don't want to create more thatch which would negate the topdressing..... Irrigation is key at this point too, as it (obviously) helps the turf grow and it also helps knock the sand into the profile.

The greens are then rolled a second time with the asphalt roller to make sure the mowers do not scalp the turf. The mowing is held off until the majority of the turf is through the sand. This ensures a couple of things - firstly the longer grass ensures the cut is cleaner and therefore less damaging to the plant. Secondly, sand dulls the reels quickly, so the less sand they see the longer the edge lasts, which in turn, ensures the plants are  being cut cleanly as opposed to torn which damages them. 

Dew is another thing that needs to be taken into consideration. The moisture makes the sand stick to the rollers on the mowers and the greens roller. As it crosses the green the rollers 'pull' the sand out of the canopy, leaving it back on the surface, making the green look like it had a light topdressing - which obviously sets the progress back. As it builds up on the roller it eventually falls off in clumps  which leave a mess on the green and especially on the edges where we turn (mowers) or change direction (roller). These require extra labor to clean up and again the clumps on the green set the healing process back as it is more sand on the surface to damage blades and to get worked back into the profile. The final item to consider is when the sand builds up on the mower rollers it physically raises the height of cut of the mower, which in turn means it takes longer to get the greens down to the proper height of cut. As such, for the first few times, I wait to mow and roll in the afternoon to avoid these problems and ensure the healing time is minimized.

I use a product called Dewcure which removes the dew from the turf. It is expensive and it does not last long so I have to time my applications to ensure I get the maximum benefits from it, i.e. when the greens are ready to take regular mowing and rolling. 

The good news is we are nearly at that point. The plan is roll them again tomorrow with the asphalt roller, re-brush them to make sure any final imperfections are smoothed out and any clumps of topdressing are removed; brushing also makes the turf stand up so it can get a better cut. They will be mowed on Tuesday afternoon and sprayed with Dewcure so we can mow them in the mornings. As the growth continues through the sand I will lower the height of the mowers as it allows. 

Of course this still depends on the weather and how well the growth continues. The frost this morning will slow things a little but they are progressing better than I expected considering the weather and by next weekend, while not 100%, they will be getting very close.

Lastly I made a 20 ft pass on the big practice green with the roller to show what happens when we roll the topdressed greens with dew on them. Here you can see the sand build up on the roller (even with the light dew today). You can also see the turf is lying down (which would be bad if we were to try and cut as the mower would ride over it) and finally you can see the sand pulled onto the top of the rolled turf.

The next two show the lighter color of the sand on top of the turf.

I understand it is frustrating that the greens are slow for a week but remember that it has only been 5 days since we aerated and topdressed them heavily. This method of recovery gets the greens back up to speed as quickly as possibly while also ensuring they are fully healed in the process and ready to sustain the standards required of them during the summer. 

If you have any questions on this or anything, please email me alan@ledgerockgolf.com 

4-20-13 Update

I can't believe I had to put on a winter jacket again this morning before riding the course..... The storm last night didn't drop as much rain  (0.44") as expected. Unfortunately due to the fact the fairways still have hole in them from aeration and therefore holding water (as explained last weekend) I have to keep carts of them again today to prevent them being cover with tire tracks. So the cart rules for today are path only where available and roughs only where there are no paths. If the forecast holds true and it stays breezy today then hopefully it will dry the fairways out by tomorrow to let carts back onto them.

The good news is the combination of the heavy rain, yesterdays fertilizer application and the warmer temperatures the last few days really made the greens heal a lot over the last 24 hours. The top picture is from around 9 am yesterday morning and the bottom one is from around 8am today, showing how much the turf has grown through  and the sand has worked in. As I mentioned earlier, the  upcoming forecasted cold (& possible frost tonight!!!) will slow down the healing somewhat, however I think that, even if though they will not be 100%, they should be in pretty good shape by next weekend.

Aeration Update

We're done!!!

The greens aeration went really well. The crew worked really hard and had all 4.5 acres greens, collars and approaches aerated and cleaned up in 11 hours!!! I borrowed some CoreHogs based on a recommendation from a local Superintendent and they really helped speed the process up. 

As I mentioned in the last post, I held off on topdressing until Tuesday. It worked as planned although we had a few issues along the way..... Our big topdresser broke down, which meant we had to go back to the old school way and shovel sand into the topdresser, which slowed us a little. A shower in the early afternoon was enough to halt progress for a little also but luckily the sun popped out afterwards and dried the turf up quickly. I had sprayed a number of greens on Monday evening with a product that removes the dew so we could start right away on Tuesday morning (the sand needs to be dry to brush in) so even with the delays we finished up the last greens by 6pm.

The final items were to go back around and clean up around the edges to ensure there are no bentgrass plugs left in the roughs and to roll the greens. I use a 1 ton asphalt vibratory roller to smooth them back out after the procedure. It can be a little scary watching it drive up on the greens but  since the greens are sand based it tightens them back up nicely without the worry of them compacting or causing issues with drainage. 

I posted up a sequence of pictures to show what goes on while we are closed.

Getting started on 7 green

Finishing up on 5 green

The CoreHog on 3 green 

The crew collecting the cores from 2 

This is what the greens look like after the cores are cleaned off. You can see how the old sand bridges holes as it is damp. By leaving it overnight and watering it helps open them up so the topdressing can fill the holes.

Loading the topdresser by hand when the Dakota broke down......

Topdressing 3 green

The Dakota back in action!!

Getting ready to broom - The pull behind type broom works well for us, although if I had to ensure all the holes were filled completely (ie if I was modifying a push-up style green), I would hand broom and follow it with the pull type to smooth the surface.

Job done!!

This is an older picture of us rolling 2 green

Since we only get to aerate and topdress heavily twice a year, I want to maximize the benefits so put down plenty of sand to ensure the thatch is kept under control. We use approx 8.25 tons/acre during the spring and fall aeration processes. For reference, our light topdressings are approx 2 tons to the acre. The total used for the year ensures the thatch is kept under control without having to resort to more aggressive operations which would disrupt play even more and also ensure the greens remain fast and true all season.

So to answer the big question... When will the greens be back to normal? This is tough to answer considering the current weather pattern. The greens were fertilized twice last week in preparation for aeration and were fertilized again today - this new recovery program (which worked really well last year) should have them 100% by the months end, however (like all recovery programs) it depends on the weather cooperating. Right now, the long range forecast for the next week or so is for cooler than normal temperatures which means that the turf will be slower to grow no matter how much fertilizer is applied. 

Today's graph from the soil sensors shows how the average soil temperatures have dipped again. So, where a week ago, we started to see the course green up with a flush of aggressive growth, now the turf is slowing up again as the temperatures are still not quite there for maximum growth. I will be monitoring the temperatures and fertilizing & irrigating accordingly to ensure the greens heal as fast as possible but there is only so much I can do without a little help from Mother Nature.....

4-14 Update

The dry weather earlier in the week was fantastic and we were able to finish all the fairway aeration on Wednesday before the rain arrived. We were also able to get more work done on the tree removal on 17 and were able to get the remaining (hidden) debris from last Junes storm removed also. Unfortunately the rain hit before we were fully finished so there are still a few piles of logs left to remove - which will be done once the area dries out again and we can get equipment in to remove it. 

Saturday brought the sun back, although the temperatures were a far cry from the 80s we saw mid week. The warmer days, coupled with the rain, really got the turf to pop and the course really greened up.

Unfortunately the rain caused us to postpone the Mens Opening day tournament. We ended up with over an inch of rain but the biggest issue was since the fairways were aerated, the holes hold the water somewhat, making them wetter than normal when it can run off. Also due to the soil being dragged back in and being near the surface when it is wet, driving on it causes it to be brought back to the surface - as evidenced in the picture below, when, checking the course, I drove through a wet spot leaving dirty tracks behind.

The greens are scheduled for aeration on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Normally we can get most of them aerated in a day but I like leaving the topdressing to the following day as we can water the greens heavily overnight which removes any sand bridging the holes ensuring the topdressing is more effective by entering the holes as opposed to sitting on top. 

Fairway Aeration

While spring hasn't arrived in force, we definitely saw a glimpse of it this week. The greens were mowed on Monday but the cold days that followed meant they didn't grow. I had planned on rolling them too on Tuesday but couldn't as they actually refroze..... so rolling them would have damaged the roots. Now that the worst of the cold looks like it is behind us, the plan is to get mowing on a regular schedule next week. 

The rain managed to stay away all week, which was great, as we were able to make progress on getting the fairways aerated. The soil moisture was/is perfect and, as a result, the cores have been perfect. Due to scheduling the last few fairway aerations have been done when the soil moisture wasn't ideal, resulting in cores not pulling in some areas and it is fantastic that all the areas are now done well and we do not have to revisit them.

Below is a sequence of pictures to show what is involved in the process. Due to the threat of rain a few mornings and the tournament on Tuesday I had to ensure everything was cleaned up before the end of each day and as a result I have been moving around the course out of sequence to maximize the amount can be done each day.

Each spring the LedgeRock crew do all our aeration in-house as we have the time to complete it. The August fairway aeration is contracted so it can be completed in one day to ensure the course can be reopened quickly. To give an idea of how long it takes to core a fairway, #1 took appox 3 hours and 7 appox 6.5hrs!!

The next step is to drag the cores with an overturned chain harrow. This breaks the cores up and removes the soil from the thatch and returns it to the canopy, acting as a very light topdressing.

We use two different sweepers. The smaller one is used on tighter areas and when the cores are damp. The bigger vacuum type is used on the larger areas and when the cores are dry (otherwise it clogs up and creates a huge mess!!).

We rent a low profile dump trailer for the ProSweep to dump into so there is no down time having to drive to a dump area.

The next step is to blow the left over debris into a wind-row and re-sweep it. By re-sweeping, it ensures the bentgrass cores stay out of the bluegrass roughs preventing possible contamination and also it ensures the first cut does not damage the mower as much.

The final step is to mow with the groomer turned on, this loosens up any cores that may have been packed into the turf and after one more blow ensures the fairways are 100% clean and will no longer damage the mowers.

Provided the weather stays dry the remaining fairways should be aerated and cleaned up by the middle of next week. The back tee at the range has been aerated, topdressed, seeded and fertilized this week also. The cover helps to warm the soil so it will start to grow quicker. Once it is healed and play can be moved to the top tee, the front tee will be aerated and topdressed.