#1 Cart Path Drainage Project Update

In March, the maintenance crew added a new drain under the cart path on #1 to prevent flooding and ice related problems along the path.  Almost every year, ice kills a portion of this turf.  Seed was not growing fast enough for us due to our cool, wet April so we decided to sod the area to completely restore it. 

Here are some before and after pictures:

Before

Before

After

This area could still benefit from the addition of some sub-surface drain lines but the new catch basin will greatly reduce the amount of water hung up on the high side of the path.  Something tells me this will not be the last drainage project done in this area, but it is greatly improved. 

5 Tee Results

Last fall, we resurfaced the 5th tee with bentgrass.  It has been open since April, but is just now starting to really look good.  Our cool, wet April delayed its growth for a while.  Soil temperatures have now risen to a point where it is looking happy!

The new Red tee on #1 is also now open.  It takes a while to develop soil fertility and culture when starting with a sandy mix.  These new tees are undergoing the transition from seedlings to an mature turf system and are still developing root mass and a thatch layer.  Some have commented on how firm they can be when dry.  This will go away in time with aerification and normal maturation processes.

Rain Days

People often wonder what golf course workers do when it is raining.  Well . . . it's been raining this April so I can answer that question!  Rainy days actually serve an important function for a golf course crew.  I always keep a couple "rain day" jobs on the back burner until there is a suitable day to get them done.  In fact, if it never rained, I think I would have to create "virtual rain days" where the crew stays off the course and focusses on other projects. 


A View from the Maintenance Building

Here's what we've been up to on the past few rain, or snow, days:

• 3-hour Spring Safety Training and Staff Meeting
• 1 worker fixed ball marks in the rain
• 1 worker changed course set up so that we can catch up on mowing when it drys out
• We disassembled most of the pumphouse in preparation for some repairs
• Refurbished 50 bunker rakes with Vinyl Guard
• Investigated the mystery of the bladder tank (see below)
• Cleaned shop
• At the moment, the crew is helping me do an alpha sort and file of receipts and PO's from 2010.  I meant to do it over the winter but, you know, didn't get around to it.
• Blog!

Bunker Rakes

Over time, fiberglass bunker rakes start to fade and splinter.  They last longer than the old aluminum handles that would kink and bend, but nobody likes fiberglass splinters.  Paint doesn't stick for long, so we decided to use a product called Vinyl Guard to refurbish the rakes.  Vinyl Guard uses a heat shrrinking process to put a permanent protective coat on the handle.  For a couple bucks per rake, they are like new.

Jimmy's favorite job

Some of our "new" bunker rakes

The Pump House

We are in the process of making some repairs to the irrigation pump system.  Over the past week, we have been disassembling and inspecting all the components of the system.  Most of the piping will be replaced due to its age and condition but some elements can be refurbished. 

Irrigation system components up for replacement

Definitely in the "replace" pile

Particularly interesting has been the "mystery of the bladder tank"!  We have never been able to figure out the manufacturer or model number of our tank because there are no markings.  We also weren't exactly sure if it was working properly or not (we suspected not). 

The red tank in the following pictures is supposed to hold an inflated air bladder that buffers system pressure and protects the pumps from excessive starts and stops.  It is important to maintaining the system's health and longevity.  Unfortunately, the air cavity was slowly leaking pressure and had been contaminated with water and sludge.  The tank weighed at least 800 pounds in its waterlogged state so our mechanic had to do some rigging to move it.  Using a combination of chainfalls, sleds, chains, and rollers, he moved the tank out of the pumphouse without breaking a sweat. 

The tank on a "sled" with rollers

Out the door and in the air

With the tank at the shop, it was time to investigate.  Many of these tanks are repairable if you can find the manufacturer and replace the "bladder" inside.  We carefully removed the flanges and drained the air compartment of water so we could take out the bladder.  Here is what it looks like:

Pressure tank bladder

After a lot of searching, we found the slit that was leaking.  Unfortunately these are not patchable.  They have to hold 120 psi while expanding and contracting constantly so they have to be in one piece.  We had to consult with a few experienced pump contractors to figure out the manufacturer.  After calling the manufacturer, we determined a replacement bladder is available.  Now we have the option to replace the bladder and rebuild this tank instead of buying a whole new tank.  Neither option is exactly "cheap" but the mystery has been solved!

Spring Green-up

Spring is coming slowly but surely!  We have had a cooler March than last year, but April is here.  In 2010, we had some unusually warm days early on.  April 1 and 2, 2010, were over 80 degrees!  We haven't had any really warm days yet, but temps are climbing gradually and turf is starting to respond.

Here is a pair of photos that illustrate how different each year can be:

March 31st 2011 - Starting to warm up

April 2nd 2010 - 80 degrees and green already

April in 2010 was unusually warm early on, so we're not complaining.  We're just looking forward to those 70 degree and sunny days that are on their way.

Drainage Project under Cart Path on #1

As part of our continuing effort to improve drainage on the 1st hole, the maintenance crew repaired a drain under the cart path.  Last fall, we added some lines by the sandtrap on the right (Click here for more on that project).  This year, we are fixing the bottleneck under the cart path on the left.  Many years ago, the addition of the cart path interrupted surface flow to the creek and crushed a couple 4-inch drain lines.  The one functioning 4-inch line in this low spot is not capable of collecting and moving all the water to the other side of the path. 

Here is a picture of the problem area:

After some investigation we found that the line was partially crushed slowing down drainage.  At the time this picture was taken, the rest of the course was dry and it had not rained or snowed for days.

We could feel an obstruction under the path with a hose, so we decided to cut the path and fix the problem:

Here we start excavating the drain line.  The curve in the line is the result of going around a large rock that we eventually removed: 

We decided to replace the pipe with a section of 6-inch solid PVC that we had on hand from another project a few years ago.  To do this, we had to make the trench deeper and dig holes for 2 large catch basins.

Here is the structure we installed before backfilling:

And after some backfilling:

This is the first step in the project.  Now that we have a good route under the cart path, we can run drain lines to it to dry up the area.  Before, we had no way to drain the water to a lower point.

Obviously, the area still needs to be finished and seeded.  I will post a "finished" picture below once the grass starts growing (looks like we are going back to freezing temps for a while) . . .

Golf Course Management Blogging World

I just ran across a great resource for anyone interested in golf course management and maintenance.  Golf Course Management Blogging World will save me the trouble of having to search for all of the blogs out there and "Follow" them.  Not only does the site list a lot of resources, but it contains a snippet from the blogs' latest post.  Thanks to whoever put this together -- I couldn't find the author mentioned.  This will save me a lot of time.  Instead of making sure I'm following all these blogs with a newsreader, I'll just check this site.

There are two other handy lists of golf blogs that I use frequently.  They are a great source of real world information about golf course maintenance and management.  Do you want to know how greens are maintained at various courses?  Wondering about course conditions in a certain region of the country?  Ever think "How did they do that"?  I know I have.  These sites are a great place to find the answer.

 BASF Turf Talk's "Blogs We Like" is a very complete list of superintendent blogs.  I have clicked through it many times and learned something every time. 

Golf Course Industry magazine's "Blog Central" also contains links to a wide variety of golf course related blogs from superintendents, architects, and builders.





Thanks to all of these sites for including Sugar Creek!

Frost Season 2011

Did it snow?  No.  Just frost.

With the start of the 2011 season comes the usual early season frost delays.  While I know many golfers are looking forward to playing their first round today, there will be a lengthy frost delay.

Click here for more information and a video about frost delays.

When we have to delay play due to frost at Sugar Creek, we place signs around the putting green and clubhouse to alert golfers of the condition.

In order to prevent damage to the turf, play is delayed until the first two greens are frost free.  Playing on frosted turf results in damage to the plants in the shape of footprints. 

Click here for pictures of frost damage.

If you watched golf this winter, you may remember the Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Arizona this February won by Mark Wilson .  Frost delays forced the PGA tournament to finish on Monday instead of Sunday.  The frost delays were unusual for Arizona, but we are very familiar with them in the Chicago area.  The winner of the tournament, Mark Wilson, is from Wisconsin and lives in Illinois.  Could his familiarity with cold mornings and frost delays have given him an edge over others in the field?

Dealing with frost delays takes a lot of patience from golfers and staff.  As always, we appreciate the understanding of golfers while we wait for the frost to lift.

Turf Notes: Annual Bluegrass and Winter Hardiness

Compared to last year, it looks like we will have only limited areas of winterkill this spring.  In 2010, a long period of snow cover and a long period of freezing and thawing of ice sheets resulted in a lot of lost annual bluegrass (Poa annua).  We sodded the worst areas and slit seeded the rest.  For pictures from 2010, see "7th Fairway- Update."  

Sodding areas of the 6th fairway in 2010

If you see any strange patterns or lines in the fairways this March or April, it may be areas sodded with bentgrass in 2010.  Pictures like the ones below really illustrate the weaknesses of annual bluegrass compared to creeping bentgrass or Kentucky bluegrass. 

Bentgrass sod design on 6 fairway

Another square on 6 fairway from 2010

Creeping bent on the left -- Annual bluegrass on the right

Large square sodded in 2010

These areas have 2 problems that go together: poor drainage (they are naturally low and almost flat) and poor turf species.  While it will take a combination of approaches to improve these areas of the fairways, I am glad to see that bentgrass is capable of surviving the winter in these difficult spots.  It shows that keeping up with our current strategies will improve these areas in the long term.

Right now, you can really see the contrast between different grass species and their reaction to cold temperatures.  Unfortunately, most of the brown areas around our sod from 2010 will green up with warmer temperatures.  I say "unfortunately" because it would be a lot easier to get rid of annual bluegrass if it would die off and stay dead.  Its persistance is amazing.  It will die in a heartbeat in the winter and summer and re-germinate just as fast in the spring and fall.

The Golf Course is Open

With the rising temperatures, golfers have started coming out in increasing numbers.  We had our first significant amount of rounds on Sunday.  This week looks to be a good one for golf. 

If you would like to golf, we are open and the course is looking and playing well for this time of year.  The maintenance crew has been busy cleaning greens, tees, and fairways and finishing our winter tree work.  The grass isn't growing yet, but it looks like spring is just around the corner.

You can always check availability or make tee times at our website (Click here).

Soil Temperatures Since 2005

Over the winter, I had the opportunity to gather and analyze some climate data from the past decade.  One chart in particular I thought interesting enough to share with the golf and turf community.  The following chart summarizes average soil temperature at a 4-inch depth from 2005-2010.  It confirms what superintendents and golfers already know: 2009 was an unusually favorable year for cool-season turf, and 2010 unusually unfavorable.  

Click on image for a larger view

The peaks of the trendlines are about 5 degrees apart.  That is a huge difference, especially considering that our major turf species prefer soil temperatures well under 70 degrees.  A trend of average soil temperature over 75 degrees is a difficult summer, especially for Poa annua.

I fully admit that I produced this chart to put my mind at ease!  2010 was my second year as a superintendent and I needed some scientific confirmation:  Yes, there was something very different about 2010 -- and it doesn't happen every year.  The take-away message of 2010 for me:  Superintendents have to work to make improvements during those "easier" years to get as much turf as possible through those tough years.

Thawing and Freezing

Since the snow has mostly melted, we have been assessing the health of our turf coming out of winter.  Last year, I wrote about the factors that influence turf health coming out of winter in Good or Bad Winter for Turf and A Long, Difficult Winter for Turf.  As it turned out, we had to do a lot seeding and sodding last April to repair ice damage in the fairways.  After a tough summer in 2010, it would be nice to have favorable conditions for turf growth this spring.

Like most golf courses, we have a few areas that tend to weaken or die over the winter.  About every other year, the 7th fairway exhibits significant ice damage.  My theory is that this ice damage is caused by crown hydration of mostly Poa annua during freeze/thaw cycles.  During our last thaw after the first of the year, the grass plants appeared healthy.  While it is difficult to assess health during the winter, ice damaged plants often take on a mushy, soupy texture due to their ruptured cell walls.  This month's freezing and thawing are starting to concern golf course superintendents, but I am still hoping we will have less damage than last year when the ice didn't melt until the middle of March.

On February 28th, the fairways were covered in ice after a heavy rain.  Luckily most of the ice has melted and drained overnight.

Here are two spots we are watching closely:

Draining areas on 7 fairway

Melting ice on 6 fairway

In 2010, we tried to improve the drainage in these areas and re-seeded them with creeping bentgrass.  Because bentgrass has a greater tolerance for ice cover and cold temperatures than Poa annua, we are hoping to see less ice damage this year in the places where the bentgrass took.  More improvements will need to be made to drain these areas more quickly, but planting a hardier species should help these areas survive the winter in the meantime.

Besides these areas, the turf is looking good after a snowy February.  Our newly planted tees are looking healthy and the greens are free of snow mold.

Chili Open 2011

On January 8, 2011, Sugar Creek held the year's first outing -- the annual Chili Open.  Cold temperatures and a dusting of snow did not deter a packed field of hardened Chili Open veterans and newcomers from heading out for a shotgun start tournament at 9 o'clock.  Many golfers commented on the excellent conditions this year as opposed to last year's Open which saw brutal winds and almost a foot of snow cover.  This morning the greens were rolling over 2 feet on the Stimpmeter as opposed to 2010's 2 inches.  Blazing fast greens speeds(for this time of year) and firm fairway conditions contributed to low scores and lots of fun.

2010: The Year in Pictures

For a larger slideshow, please click here.

Tree Trimming and Buckthorn Removal on #7

Now that the grass has stopped growing, it is tree trimming season again!  Last week, we started work on some trees that were resulting in some unfair tee shots on #7 and some buckthorn that was encroaching on the course from the fenceline.  A few overhanging branches were rendering the back of 7 tee almost unusable during the season.  After removal, the health of the tee will also probably improve due to increase sun exposure.

You can see from this photo that the view from the tee will be significantly improved in 2011:

7 Tee

Last winter, I wrote a post about buckthorn that answers many questions about the undesirable nature of this plant (Link to article). In addition to the ecological reasons for controling buckthorn, this fenceline in particular often resulted lost balls.  Lost balls ofen cause slow play so we began our winter buckthorn removal here.

A portion of the fence line cleared



Buckthorn along 7 fence line





Clubhouse Service Area Project

In October, the maintenance crew installed drainage and brick pavers behind the clubhouse in an area that often turned into a mess during the summer.  We were so busy during the project that I forgot to take many photos!  I have finally pieced together some before and after shots from different cameras:

Clubhouse service entrance before the project

The "Mud Pit"

After excavation and base compaction

Finished brick pavers

Fun with Google Earth

Is that a human smiley face on our putting green? Well, yes ... but not on purpose. The satellite must have snapped a photo just as the junior league was having a putting lesson this July. The availability of satellite imagery on the web is a great resource for superintendents and golfers alike. I know I like checking out other golf courses with Google Earth before I play them.  I also use Google Earth to retrieve satellite images from previous years.  These photos help us identify problem areas and changes made to the course.

2010 Fall Scramble

It is a beautiful day for the Fall Scramble at Sugar Creek!

These golfers try their luck on the third hole's risk vs. reward bonus. They may gain a 1/2 stroke advantage over the competition for shooting at the difficult far pin placement (Blue Flag).  Which one will it be, guys?

If you look close, there are 2 flags on the 3rd green! (Just for today).

It may be October 30th, but Mr. Hoffman is not ready to give up his shorts for winter gear:

 

#1 Red Tee Germination

The red tee on #1 started germinating and filling in this week. 

Many people have asked about the brown spots on the front of this tee.  They look like little piles of dirt deposited on the tee, and that is pretty close to what they are.  The spots are actually earthworm castings, a.k.a. worm poop.  They will not adversely affect the establishment of the tee, although they may smother small quarter-sized areas. Once the grass gets taller and starts to spread, they should become mostly invisible.  Worm castings are actually in most turf, we just rarely notice them except on extremely short turf or newly seeded areas. 

Drainage Project on #1

Last week, we tackled a few drainage projects on the course and by the clubhouse. We ran some drain lines to the right of #1 fairway in an attempt to fix a persistent soggy spot. After ruling out the usual culprits, irrigation leak or broken drain line, we found that in this whole area water seeps up from the ground around the rocks and bricks that are buried here. Adding perforated drain lines should give the water a clear route to the creek instead of bubbling up to the surface. We will probably have to wait until next year to judge the success of this project, but these additional lines should improve the situation.

1st Step - Sod Removal

Trenching in progress

This trench started filling with water very soon after digging

Laying the lines and replacing sod