Tick tock

Golfers be aware!

Today's staff meeting included a discussion on deer ticks and Lyme disease.  It is important to be aware and be able to identify deer ticks and associated symptoms.

Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium that can be transmitted by the deer tick.  So not all deer ticks are capable of infecting humans.

Studies have shown that an infected tick normally cannot begin transmitting the spirochete until it has been attached to its host about 36-48 hours; the best line of defense against LD, therefore, is to examine yourself at least once daily and remove any ticks before they become engorged (swollen) with blood.

Always check ankles and calf areas during and after a round especially when venturing in areas of brush or longer grass.

Check out http://www.aldf.com/lyme.shtml

For more information.

-turf

Sent from Erwin's phone, please excuse grammar and punctuation.

Cool temps

The cooler temps allow us to do some things the heat won't. One of those things is a good brush mowing. This photo is from the spring, but we have been busy adjusting the brushes on this unit to perform exactly how we would like. Getting the brushes uniform and at the right pressure is a chore, but we like the result. The photo shows how the first pass had one side of the brush collapsing. Since this photo, we have changed the style and composition of the broom as well. Ever see someone in the janitorial aisle examining brooms in detail? Other customers were probably like " ok buddy, I think that broom will sweep up dust just fine." Ha! Little did they know I wasn't even going to sweep dust!
I think this will be a video soon!
Turf

They were at it again!!

More golf camps building skills while having fun!
Jill says, "My passion is teaching juniors and women the game of golf. I incorporate many games , which are a great way to learn basic golf skills while having FUN.
She walked on to Purdue golf team in 1999. Member of 2000 big ten championship team. PGA member since 2004. Junior golf director at Sand Creek. From. 2006-2012.
We are so happy to have her as an addition to our staff.
We all know someone who wants to take up this great sport, make sure they know that Briar Ridge provides the most comfortable atmosphere for what can be intimidating to beginners.
Call the proshop soon, these camps will be full.
Turf

Holy poa batman

The annual bluegrass turf plant is really showing off this year. Our fairways are white with flowers! Annual bluegrass, also known as poa, is considered a weed in many turfs (subject for another day). The white cast that you see if from the floret of the plant, which eventually becomes seed. I have never witnessed such a seed head explosion here at briar. Why? Hard to tell. The reason poa is so good at what it does, is because it is a prolific seed producer. Instead of wasting energy on roots, shoots, and leaves like a good turf plant, poa chooses another strategy. The alternative strategy of poa, produce a bizillion seeds, croak in the heat, your next of kin takes your place.
It's a great strategy, very successful, and it works. Problem is for those who manage it.
Keeping poa from croaking is the difficulty of fine turf managers. Poa, when compared to bentgrass, needs more water, fertilizer, is more susceptible to traffic and water submersion damage, less tolerant of heat and disease pressure, and I'm sure I missed another that makes this plant less than stellar.
The photo below shows a ball on a isolated patch of bentgrass. This photo demonstrates exactly how much poa has invaded the shady seventh fairway.
Modern breeding efforts have provided turf managers with better bentgrass varieties for a multitude of climates. In addition, manufacturers have improved herbicides that are poa selective. These efforts have given a edge to bentgrass, slowing the invasion of poa into playing surfaces.
Into the batcart,
Turf

Activities galore

Something for everyone!
This ladies putting session looked like a great time, and educational too!
There is much activity around the club. Be sure to read the emails and postings, or you may miss out!
The playground is installed and excluding some restoration work outside the area, looks awesome. Looks like there are some interesting gadgets and neat stuff to climb on. The Improvement train continues to roll. If you don't know about the sports academy, check with the office. Golf, tennis, soccer, and volleyball camps are happening.
Sign up or spread the word,
Turf

Happy Mothers Day

It is a chilly start today!
I would like to wish all of our Mothers a very happy and blessed day.
I imagine my mother will be spending her day on the course. In addition to life, she introduced me to this great tradition and pastime.....golf. What a great way to spend time with each other! Golf is truly a great gift to give to your family. 2013 should be the year to play some family golf!
If we are unable to share a round with mom, lets remember their loving ways. A mothers unconditional love is amazing. Lets be thankful and celebrate them on earth and in sprit.
Love to moms,
Turf

Small irrigation issue

It's that time of year! In the golf industry, we like to call it the irritation system, I mean irrigation.
Mainline leak, six white. My good friend Dale loaned me the shoring braces and boards, or this hole would have been even more massive. We have a ridiculous amount of tape, signage, cones, and anything else we could find to protect this area from anyone entering.
We needle tined the greens yesterday, rolled, brushed, and cut them. We are really happy with how they turned out. We will do the white and two and three blue as soon as we know we can get water on them (yeah this big pipe is preventing that action).
I almost forgot, new flags arrived!!
Back in my hole,
Turf

Joys of spring

The warm temps mean the ryegrass is shooting up in our roughs. We can barely keep up with the growth. Broadleaf weeds are flourishing. We certainly are busy this time of year. This week looks to be a good one for us to catch up!
Five and six blue had a small hydraulic tubing issue, so a few heads ran for about 6 hours.
It is roped off, please avoid these areas.
Have a joyous Sunday!
Turf

Cottonwood......wow

After the falling of this tree, we found a completely rotted cambium. Cambium is the vascular system of a tree. The cambium transfers water and nutrient throughout the plant. The photo with the white healthy cambium demonstrates how very little healthy cambium existed in this tree.
The bottom photo shows the larvae of some type of borer. This insect larvae may be responsible for the destruction of tissue that resulted in this trees death. We will be sending this little guy out for positive identification.
More from the insect world when he / she is positively identified.
Yuck,
Turf

Two red cottonwood

On the advice of a master arborist, we have decided to remove this large cottonwood. We have watched the slow decline of this tree for the last few years. This year, the tree lacks any signs of new budding and is showing serious loss of bark in the upper canopy. The tree now becomes a safety issue.
I have taken a photo of the hole with the tree in position. We will provide an after photo, and I believe that the trees past this cottonwood will still provide a challenge for any balls left. We will continue to talk about the future of this hole post-cottonwood to determine what will be put in its place.
Turf