The blog update always seem to find a way to the bottom of the
to-do list but the plan is to have an update at least once a month from here
on.
It wouldn’t be an update without talking about the weather - what
a wild ride 2018 has been so far! The winter never wanted to end and then April
ended up being one of the coldest ever. It looked like May would be the same
but it was actually warmer than normal, mainly due to the warmer nights.
So what did that mean for the course? The cool weather resulted
in an extended healing period after spring aeration. There was a PA Golf
Association event in early May so it was decided to move spring aeration up
this year in hopes that the greens would be healed for the event - with the
side benefit that they wouldn’t have lots of sand on them for GAP Matches. The
plan worked in that the sand was mostly below the canopy for the GAP Matches
and the greens were in good condition for the PA Golf Association event, even
if some of the holes were still visible after six weeks. Soil temperature
drives growth, with cool season turf starting to wake up and start growing in soil temps in the mid 50Fs. Bentgrass really gets going once it gets into the mid 60Fs. The bentgrass variety at LedgeRock is also one of the slower varieties
to get going in the spring, which also compounded the issue. It seemed like the
last few springs were cool and it took forever to warm up but 2018 consistently
was three to four weeks behind. The soil
sensor data below shows just how much longer it took to warm up this year (the blue line shows the average soil temp of 55F).
Spring 2018: The average soil temperatures above 65F only start around May 1 and it only gets into the mid 50Fs around April 22.
Spring 2017: The average soil temperatures above 65F start around April 23, however it hits mid 50Fs in early April
Spring 2016: The average soil temperatures above 65F start around April 23, however it hits mid 50Fs in early April
Due to the amount of rain the course looked great and played as
good as it ever has when we were actually able to dry it right down. Since then
the overall weather pattern has been wet. I’m surprised how well the course has
handled it. The club has been lucky to miss a lot of the bigger rains, which
means that regular maintenance and letting carts out on course hasn’t been too
much of an issue and the Founders Cup was a big success.
Every decision on what needs to be done on the course has to
ensure that it will not set the turf back for the summer so skipping a rolling
or mowing when it’s wet pays dividends later in the year. Just a reminder too
that carts can do a lot of damage when it’s wet, especially in areas like drive
offs where the traffic is concentrated so it is imperative that the traffic
control measures are followed at these times.
The greens were top dressed lightly on Thursday 7th for the first
time since aeration. This helps with smoothing the surface along with thatch
management which helps with firmness. This would usually have been done earlier
but due to the schedule and the cold and wet weather this was the first time it
was able to be done. There are a few more planned as the summer continues and as
the weather permits.
The Poa annua populations on the greens have increased a little
this year, largely due to the wet cool weather in which the poa thrives and
which bentgrass does not like (and therefore isn’t competitive against poa
envasion). While the populations are still greatly less than one percent the
spots are getting more visible and numerous. We still plan to dab and pick it,
but there is enough now to look into more widespread applications to kill it. A
product called PoaCure has been in trial with great results however the poa at
LedgeRock was not bad enough to warrant trials prior to this year. The turf
program at Penn State is helping us to trial the product on the 16 green which
is one of the worst. We are confident that it will work and we hope that the
product will become available next year.
Poa being eaten by Annual Bluegrass Weevils on 4 green. The strip of green are bentgrass plugs from a few seasons ago - the weevils are not eating it (yet!)
Dr. Fidanza at Penn State is also helping with a trial of other
poa controls on the collar of the small practice green. These applications are
duplicated around the collar and once we have data from that - ie how will they
kill poa and how well the bentgrass can survive the treatments, the trail will
be modified and repeated. Poa is a very aggressive plant and can adapt to
changing environments quickly. Due to this it is important to have multiple
control products that can be alternated to ensure long term control so the
practice green trial is very important. There may be some dead grass on the
collar but they will be sodded out once we know how the products work.
The fescue areas are looking great and a lot of people have asked
about not mowing them. I’m still debating what to do but most likely they will
need to be mowed so the weeds can be sprayed and the thicker areas do not get
out of control.
Lastly, I had the opportunity to visit some of the top courses of the world this year that I had not been to before. I finally made it to Augusta for the Masters -
I went with high expectations but still was blown away by everything, it was an
amazing experience. Earlier in the Spring I went to the BIGGA (British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association) conference in England and visited with staff from Royal Birkdale and the superintendent at Royal County Down. This week is the US Open so I’m also looking forward to checking out Shinnecock Hills. I love visiting other properties and seeing what they do and how they work. Its great to see what we're doing right and to pick up some new tips, trick and see if we need to step up the game!
Royal Berkshire GC
Royal Berkshire GC
Royal Berkshire GC
Royal County Down GC
Royal County Down GC
Royal County Down GC
Royal County Down GC
As always email me alan@ledgerockgolf.com with any
questions or concerns.
