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.