It's been a busy month so apologies for not updating the blog sooner. Although the last number weeks have been colder than normal, it has been dry so perfect for getting work done around the course.
The first item to finish up from the winter was the tree work around 2 and 18. Luckily the township allows burning so a permit was acquired, greatly reducing the amount of work to get rid of the brush.
Burning brush on 2
Aeration was scheduled the week beginning April 13th; thankfully the weather broke that week and with it, the first signs of spring. Aeration could not have went better! The fairways are aerated in-house in the spring and it usually takes at least two weeks. The weather stayed dry this year meaning the big vacuum could be used without issues so they were all done within a week!
The cloud of dust from the vacuum on 17 fairway
The greens aeration procedure was changed up this year. There were a couple of reasons for this: the first was to see if they would heal quicker than in the past while still being as aggressive with the amount of area disturbed (which was explained in the last post). I also wanted to incorporate a deep tine aeration to encourage deeper rooting but to ensure the holes were completely filled the Dryject procedure was added.
Deep tining the greens
Dryject injects sand into the profile so it essentially fills the holes from below. While it is a great tool for adding sand to a profile it is not a substitute for pulling a physical core so is generally used in conjuration or addition to a core aeration.
Dryject on 3 green
To ensure the greens stay in top shape, they have been aggressively aerated every year to prevent the build up of thatch. While this has worked I have been becoming more concerned with the heaving it created. This year the machines were slowed down and the tine spacing changed a little. While a little of surface disturbance was lost (most of which was regained by the deep tine) the result was a perfect aeration. Going forward this procedure will be tweaked to perfect it, but overall the results have been great.
Deep tine holes next to core aeration
Aeration can be an inconvenience for golfers while the course heals and I have mentioned numerous times when, and why, it has to happen. The picture below is from 7 fairway and it shows how important aeration is. The aeration holes are the first areas to green up and recover from the winter. The same can be seen during periods of stress during the summer when they stay healthy while the turf around them browns out. The air exchange is critical for the plant and even though these were aerated over six months ago the benefits can still be seen.
Aeration holes greening up first in fairways
Healing has been a mixed affair! Due to the increase in temperatures during, and right after the greens were finished, they healed quickly to a point until the temperature dropped again. Then they remained stagnant for a week or so; saying that they had recovered really well considering the weather. It is interesting that sheltered greens are further along than the exposed greens. The main reason is the temperature. The sheltered greens are holding onto the heat more, whereas the open greens are more exposed to the wind and therefore variations in temperature. The warmer weather over the last week really helped them grow out of the sand and the height of cut is back to normal. They are still growing really well and will start to speed up even more as the growth levels out.
Healing on 13 green on 4-28 (note: that like the fairways, the old aeration holes are greener)
Healing on 2 green (taken within half an hour of the picture of 13 above)
The Turfguard sensors (graph below) show the difference in temperature and moisture between the two greens (2 & 13). During the critical colder weather there is approximately 10F difference between the two, although on the warmer days the difference is smaller. Remember from earlier posts optimum bentgrass root growth occurs when average soil temperatures are 64-75F; as you can see 13 has not been close to that range.
The mowers were switched back to the regular units last week and the cut immediately improved. We had planned to roll last Saturday but unfortunately a dew resulted sand being pulled up, leaving a mess which effected ball roll. This is really frustrating as they were starting to look really good, but as I explained in this old post, it can be an unfortunate part of the recovery process. Dewcure was applied to make sure that there was no issues rolling on Sunday.
Finally to leave the aeration discussion behind until the Fall, here is a short video from the USGA Green Section on aeration.
As I mentioned in the first post of the year, LedgeRock came through the winter in great shape. Having bentgrass surfaces is a major advantage, especially as there are numerous courses with poa throughout the state with turf issues from winter kill. LedgeRock actually had a little - the patch of poa below was on the practice green. Natural poa control!
Last week some damage was witnessed around the course. There was a tire mark on 11 green. Initially we planned on plugging it but upon closer inspection, the crowns were healthy so it was best to let it grow out. It looked ugly for a few days but already it has nearly fully healed.
The tire tracks below appeared in the fescue on 13 and a reminder everyone that for safety, the carts should remain in the bluegrass roughs. The tire tracks in the fescues also look unsightly when they start to grow.
The dead dogwood behind 7 green was replaced and the crew have also started replacing some bunkers. The next update will cover the bunker project in more detail.
The freshly 'Blindered' bunker on 13
As always please let me know if you have any questions or comments: alan@ledgerockgolf.com
