Solid Tine Aerification

Following many of our bigger events you may find us out there the next day solid tining the putting surfaces. During many of our events we mow and roll greens and a much higher frequency than normal. The mowing and extra rolling causes more stress and compaction. The solid tining (aka: venting) helps relieve some of that compaction and allows water and air to get to the root zone. This process causes very minimal disruption and within a day or two is not noticeable. We performed this procedure today on all 27 holes. The Greens held up very well during the Member/Member Tournament this weekend. Today's aerification will help reduce some of the stress that was put on them over the weekend.

USGA: Beauty In Eye Of Beholder

The following is an article from the USGA about the set-up for the US Open and the condition of the Greens.

USGA: Beauty In Eye Of Beholder

Heat and Humidity

The two most dreaded words for a Golf Course Superintendent. The recent weather pattern has brought us both heat and humidity. Turfgrass does not perform well under either of those conditions and when you combine the two it can become difficult to manage a golf course. Our greens are predominately made up of Poa Annua. Once temperatures hit the mid 80's Poa Annua shuts down. It's basically trying to die. Humidity brings in the stress of turfgrass diseases. Turf diseases flourish under high heat and humidity. While we experience these conditions you will see us out frequently syringing greens. You may see a decrease in Green Speed. We also have to be more aggressive with our fungicide program. As we prepare for the Member Member this weekend we will look at the weather closely to determine how far we push the greens. We don't want to push them to hard at this point in the season and risk their health for the remainder of the year.

I have received many question about the Greens at Pebble Beach during the US Open. Even though they never saw temperatures over 65 degrees during the Championship those greens experienced severe drought stress. The splotchy patches on the greens were a weak type of Poa Annua that was severely stressed due to lack of water and frequency of mowing and rolling. As several types of Poa Annua in their greens shut down other types of grasses were still growing. Thus causing a bumpy putting surface. If all the turf on a Green is not growing at the same rate it causes and uneven surface. This is the main reason our green are a little bumpy in the Spring. The different types of grass on our greens start growing in the Spring at different temperatures. Once soil temperatures become consistent our greens begin to become smoother and more consistent.

USGA: Green Speed Issues And Annual Bluegrass Weevils - June 2010

USGA: Green Speed Issues And Annual Bluegrass Weevils - June 2010

Quality of Cut

Quality of Cut is a term that we say a lot following aerification. As I mentioned in my previous post the sand applied following aerification causes a poor quality of cut. The photo on the right was taken after mowing greens this morning. There are four distinct piles of clippings in the back of this cart which represents the four greens this gentlemen mowed. The pile at the top left is from the first green he mowed. Bottom left second green. Top right third green, and bottom right fourth green. Take notice of the amount of grass in the pile and the amount of sand that is in the last pile compared to the first. The sand dulls the mowers very quickly. Unfortunately, it takes about an hour to sharpen each mower. As the sand continues to be diluted we will begin getting a better quality of cut and thus faster green speeds.

Green Speeds

The recent aerification of the greens have slowed the greens down significantly. The topdressing used to fill the holes doesn't allow us to get a good cut on the putting surfaces. Sand will destroy the cutting quality of our greens mowers. We will continue to roll them daily which will continue to provide us with smoother putting surfaces. By aerifying this time of year it allows are greens to recover much faster. An aerification in April would take a month to recover. Our greens should be back to normal by the middle of next week.

Fertilizing Fairways

We have completed fertilizing fairways this morning. This will be the final time we fertilize them until November. The application of a slow release fertilizer will continue to release throughout the remainder of the Summer and early Fall.

Green Aerification

The Green's aerification has been completed and they are starting to recover. We punched the greens with the smallest tine that we have at our disposal. We have completed fertilizing the greens (you may have noticed the smell) with an organic fertilizer. We will be mow the greens for the fist time today but it will take a few more days to return to our normal speed and smoothness.

Green Aerification

Just a reminder that the Green Department will be aerifying Greens on Monday, June 7th. We will be pulling a very small core which should allow for a quick recovery. An aerification in early June will promote root development that should help provide us with healthier Greens throughout the Summer months. There may be some temporary closing of holes on Monday to help complete the process in a timely manner.

Walk Paths

Something new this year has been the installation of walk paths from the Blue Tee Box to the fairway. This feature is common at many of the top clubs throughout the country. These paths are provided as a feature for our members and guest who desire not to use a cart. These paths are not intended for cart traffic. Actually, the turf on these paths will struggle if it is exposed to cart traffic. We have observed an excess amount of carts driving down these path. We have and will continue to encourage our membership to use the cart paths until your have reached the area where their ball has landed. And as always if you are standing on a green or tee your cart should always be on the path.