Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Post memorial day

Busy day on the course!
But we are closed!?
When the course is closed, we are capital B Busy. Fertilizing fairways, potassium on greens, weeding bunkers, treating green banks, repairing irrigation, seeding into the hydraulic leak, repairing stump holes, driving range tee work, and that is just before lunch!
Cooler temps have helped us accomplish some of this, what a weekend!
Next rain event?
Soon please,
Turf

Monday, May 28, 2012

Memorial day

Thank you to all of those who have served our country fighting for ours and the freedoms of others.
Thank you to the mothers and fathers who raised the brave men and women who serve and have served the armed forces.
Thank you to the sons and daughters of the enlisted, your sacrifice is great.
Thank you,
Turf
The photo is now suddenly unimportant.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Irritation

It's that time of year again!
Irritation time, I mean irrigation time.
Golf course irrigation systems are complex and expansive. There are many common problems that we experience every year. The one in the photo is a "sticker". That is where the head "sticks" in the on position.
Welcome to de lago nuevo azul!
Turf

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Equipment operators

Golf course equipment operators are often times considered "grass cutters". The reality is that a skilled operator that is properly trained is a valuable asset. Consider the photo, a roller experienced a hydraulic hose failure. The relatively new operator recognized the leak and stopped the machine and put a carpet under the device until help arrived to trailer the piece of equipment back to the shop. The more experiences the operator, the earlier leaks can be detected, and less damage results.
We will see how much turf we lose and determine the repair strategy in the coming days.
Never a dull moment,
Turf

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Sand mounds on putting greens

We have noticed some small mounds of sand recently on the greens that appear different from any of our traditional turf pests. A little bit of investigation and it was determined that not only do I have filthy fingernails (which I did not realize how gross, until photographed close up...sorry), but that the mounds were made by a crop pest. The little beetle in the photo is the seed corn beetle, a common corn pest, who knew?
The mounds are cosmetic and the rules of golf allow for the brushing of the sand with a hat, towel, hand, or the like, provided that nothing is pressed down to improve the line of play.
The beetle is not exceeding any threshold that would require an insecticide application. It was just a cool find.
Ok, I'm a geek,
Turf

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Driving range tee

The next few blogs will be dedicated to the driving range. The grass tee is scheduled for use on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The exceptions to this will be prior to holidays and other major events. This is a preliminary schedule and the quality of the turf will be evaluated in June. If we are able to open the grass on Wednesdays and maintain our quality standard, the schedule will be adjusted.
The photo below is demonstrating how positioning the ball incorrectly on the turf during practice can result in damage several fold greater than a correctly positioned ball.
Tomorrow we will look at the two in a side by side comparison, I plan to post the photos at the club as well.
It is a great day to play,
Turf

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Something is fishy at the club

There are many things going on at the club an if your not paying attention, you might miss them. For instance, did you know that Chef is making sushi? He is shown here rolling it up and boy did it look tasty!!
On another fishy note, we are busy trying to control the algae in the ponds. Our ponds have tested for excessive phosphorous levels which promote nuisance algal growth. Going forward, we will be addressing long term solutions of controlling the nutrients in these systems.
Fish on,
Turf

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Lightning protection works

We applied some nutrients to the greens and found that the system had a minor malfunction. After some electrical investigation, we opened the box in this controller and it appears to have taken a lightning hit. The small box located just below the center of the photo is a surge protector designed to fail in the event of an electrical surge (i.e. lightning) and it did. Typically this box will be enclosed by the two grey covers below the box in the photo. The covers appear to have been blown off.
This is the second time this particular device has been destroyed. My advice? When a storm approaches, six white is not a good place to "ride the storm out."
Blow it up,
Turf

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Happy Mother's Day

No post of mine would bring justice to this day, for we honor our mothers, who without, this world we would not see.
Not only to my mother, but the mothers of all those whom I find joy in this life, "thank you mom's"
Especially little Mollie's, Kristin



I think it must somewhere be written, that the virtues of mothers
shall be visited on their children, as well as the sins of the
fathers. --Dickens. 
 

Motherhood

The bravest battle that ever was fought; 
Shall I tell you where and when? 
On the maps of the world you will find it not, 
'Twas fought by the mothers of men. 

Nay, not with cannon or battle shot. 
With sword or braver pen, 
Nay, not with eloquent word or thought, 
From mouths of wonderful men; 

But deep in a woman's walled-up heart, 
Of woman that would not yield, 
But patiently, silently bore her part, 
Lo, there is that battlefield. 

No marshaling troops, no bivouac song; 
No banner to gleam and wave; 
But, those battles, they last so long, 
From babyhood to the grave! 

Yet faithful still as a bridge of stars, 
She fights in her walled-up town 
Fights on and on in the endless wars, 
Then silent, unseen, goes down.
        
               -Joaquin Miller (1837-1913)
 
 
I will talk about the course tomorrow,
Turf 
 
 
 
 

Friday, May 11, 2012

Not again

I was hoping that maybe the cottonwoods would take a year off. The impact of these messy weeds on our operation is amazing. We cannot keep the rollers on the mowers clean and then they will not cut at the heights we set them at. They also clog up radiators, air filters, and worst of all, my head. One word......TIMBER!
The driving range is open on the grass. This year we will use the mat on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and any other day that the ground is so soft that hitting from the grass will create more divots than typical damage.
The rain we received on Monday, would typically close the range for several days, we opened on day after the rain stopped.
I did something good,
Turf

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Rain and fungus

We received about two inches of rain Sunday. We are cart paths only for today.
My little fungus friend sclerotinia macrocarpa has reared it's ugly head. Hopefully the forecast is correct and the lows will hit in the forties, that should put it in check. The white that you see is the fungi's fruiting bodies, or mycelium. The presence of the mycelium lets us know it is active. Scouting for disease is an active practice we engage in and allows us to make management decisions based on solid principles.
Dollar spot is the single greatest pathogen on fairways and tees. Modern cultivars have been breed for resistance to the dollar spot fungus.
I'm sorry,
Turf

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Help Woodsy spread the word!

Don't you be a dirty bird!
You may remember that catchy tune from the ad campaign against littering in the seventies. There also was a good one with a native American Indian who had a tear running down his cheek as he looked over a highway roadside.
The connection with our environment is important for our health and well-being. The golf course is a prime place to reconnect with nature. Our staff takes a great deal of pride in providing members and guests with a pleasant experience.
Please, don't be a dirty bird, cigarette butts will not degrade, nor be chopped up by mowers (both photos at one red tee). Help us continue to provide a beautiful setting in which we can enjoy outdoor recreation, by using receptacles, field stripping cigarettes, and securing all other waste from blowing outside the cart when driving.
Put litter in its place (remember that one?
Thanks,
Turf

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Cinco de mayo / derby day

Happy Derby day!
The course awaits!
Come watch the derby in "The Turn."
Be careful of cinco de mayo party goers, especially if they resemble anything like the attached photo.
Check out the briar ridge turfgrass Facebook page for a cool photo!
And they're off,
Turf

Friday, May 4, 2012

Driving range drainage

We received a half inch of rain overnight and our drainage on the range is working. My fears were realized this am as the project focused on the area of the range that drained the poorest. The front of the range now drains great and is working better than expected. The back of the range, as you can see in the photo, still pockets some water. We had a feeling that we would want to add some laterals to the back of the range, so this is not alarming in any way.
While it is not perfect, it is a great advancement forward.
I am reminded of a great Homer Simpson quote to his young daughter Lisa. "you tried and you failed miserably, the secret is....never try."
Try to work that into your day somewhere, very uplifting.
Now that's funny,
Turf

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Red stakes

Good morning,
We have been working on some of the diseased trees on the course. In order to identify the stumps to avoid injury, we have places a red stake next to them. The stake is only for identification, and is not identifying a hazard or any other abnormal condition. Once the stumps are removed, the stakes will be pulled, and ground under repair will be marked with the identifying white paint. Once the pro staff marks the course, we will identify the stumps in another fashion to avoid any confusion.
Timberrrrrr,
Turf