Wet spots next to dry spots, next to really dry spots, next to.....awwww nuts

We are in a very dry spell. One of the interesting and super fun things that happens in times like these is that the irrigation system will make some areas very wet, while other areas remain bone dry. Irrigation coverage and modern controls can help manage this, but even the best systems have to rely on handwatering.
Our staff has been "pulling hoses" for some time now. It is not uncommon for a staff member to have 150 feet of one inch hose out in the fairway. If you have ever seen one of these, you know they are not lightweight. Rated at over 200 psi burst rate, there is quite a bit of material to these hoses. Once the hose is full it carriers 73 gallons of water. A gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds. The hose is heavy. Granted, they are only pulling sections, it is still tough, especially in the sun, when it is 90!
I want to congratulate my staff on doing a tough job and sticking with it. We are looking for a break from Mother Nature soon.
The nuts (acorns) are starting to fall, please avoid driving over them. If we smash them into the turf, we will have nuts where we once had grass. Grass is better to play off than acorns. So tempting to go on and on, but I won't.
After Labor Day we will begin aerification of tees and fairways, we limit this activity to Monday-Wednesday, then focus on clean-up an preparations for the weekend. The green aerification dates are scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of September 23-25.
Don't get above the hole,
Turf

Rain?

Depending on your definition, it might have rained yesterday. There was definitely some precipitation, and some stuff got wet. The areas on the course that receive regular irrigation took some moisture, but the outer areas still are stressed as the dew patterns in the turf reveal.
How dry are we? We are installing a fountain in seven blue and the plan was to use a vibratory plow to pull the pipe in. The ground was so hard, the plow couldn't move through the soil!
Should be a good weekend for golf before the heat and humidity arrive.
Happy Friday,
Turf

Herbicide trials

Our bentgrass contamination removal trials are showing some results! There are clear distinctions between the herbicide applications. We also are evaluating several different methods of establishing bluegrass in these areas. Herbicide treatments differ in one direction and seed establishment methods in the other. We hope to have a solid recipe that is proven to work the best for renovating old areas of bentgrass contamination. The final application of the herbicide will take place this week. A successful experiment on this small scale will hopefully provide us the certainty that would allow us to use these methods to improve the composition of our secondary playing surfaces.........(if this goes well, we would like to try and get more bluegrass and less bentgrass in the rough.)
These areas are on seven blue if you would like to take a closer look.
Killing grass is fun,
Turf

31 and you could be champ!

This weekend is men's club championship! Sign up now!
This years winner will be treated to champions lunch where you will be the guest of honor, hosted by myself, followed by 18 holes of golf. Just kidding, that sounds more like punishment for the loser!
Sign up today, you could be champ!
Today is south district team matches, no men's league and limited space for regular play. Make sure to call ahead before coming out.
31? The number of pitch marks left unrelated on one red green this am.
Please encourage your playing partners to repair pitch marks. Even balls that end up over the greens sometimes leave pitch marks.
Looks like a great weekend!!
Turf

How many golf balls in this photo?

The answer is a bunch if you count the pond.
But really, there is two. This photo demonstrates the bentgrass in the rough. Bentgrass is a poor choice for rough, but an excellent choice for the closely mown areas. Problem is, that it escapes. We refer to this situation as bentgrass contamination of the rough.
We will be experimenting with some new chemical controls that may allow us to slowly eradicate the bentgrass while seeding bluegrass into this area. We will be evaluating the entire process in field trials in this area.
I will present the methods as they are determined.
Really excited,
Turf

When backfilling with sand is a bad thing.

We have taken advantage of this weather pattern to address several issues that have been bugging us for a while. It took me a decade, but after watching the same area struggle on one red fairway year after year, we dug it up today.
We found that an old repair had been back filled with straight sand. While sand is a great backfill material for the purposes of settling, it created a different growing medium with a different water requirement. The result was an area where the turf would struggle when the dry weather would come. We will excavate a foot of this material and backfill with root zone mix to more closely match the rest of the fairway.
Check another task off the list,
Turf

Happy Friday!

The rains and cool weather is timely, as we are repairing this monster. Scattered showers today, we are still on the dry side, many of the ponds are low. We could use a good shower (the course). Mid-am championship next Thursday and Friday, check the golf shop for course closure details. There should be some good players, come check them out.
Turf

Dew suppression

We try to stay on top of industry trends and new products. One of the ways we do this is through product trials. We have a long history of experimenting with new products and establishing field trials with product representatives and researchers. In one of our trials, we are seeing a product that is effective in controlling the dew that is formed on the leaf. Reducing leaf wetness is an effective way at reducing disease pressure. Making fungicides perform more effectively is a good thing. We will be watching to see how long this product's suppression of dew lasts, as this was not the goal of this trial.
Serendipity,
Turf