Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Cart Path Only For Now
This picture was not taken at Fieldstone but is a great example of why we are cart path only:
Monday, July 2, 2012
Bermudagrass on Driving Range Tee
Starting tomorrow (Tuesday) we will have the driving range set-up on the lower tee. This will give us a chance to evaluate how the different types of bermudagrass recover from divots.
In this picture the red arrow points to bentgrass and the blue arrow points to the bermudagrass. Obviously the bermudagrass enjoys the heat and needs less water than the bentgrass. Once the weather cools and we get some rain the bentgrass will become healthy and strong.
In this picture the red arrow points to bentgrass and the blue arrow points to the bermudagrass. Obviously the bermudagrass enjoys the heat and needs less water than the bentgrass. Once the weather cools and we get some rain the bentgrass will become healthy and strong.
Weekly Schedule for July 2-8, 2012
Weather and unforeseen conditions can/will change the schedule.
-Star tine greens on Monday. Should be healed in a few days.
-We are taking a less is more approach this week. Due to the heat and drought we are currently experiencing it is best to "baby" the turf rather then put more stress on it.
-Weather note: Average rainfall January-June is 24 inches. Total January-June of this year, less than 12 inches.
-Star tine greens on Monday. Should be healed in a few days.
-We are taking a less is more approach this week. Due to the heat and drought we are currently experiencing it is best to "baby" the turf rather then put more stress on it.
-Weather note: Average rainfall January-June is 24 inches. Total January-June of this year, less than 12 inches.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
Questions and Answers
I thought that this would be a good opportunity to share my thinking on several subjects that have come up recently. Hopefully this will help everyone understand why we make the decisions we do regarding the golf course.
Cart Path Only Due to Excessive Heat
When the air temperature, dew point, humidity level and soil moisture levels are in the correct proportion wilting occurs on the fairways. The damage done by carts when driven through these areas is obvious and can be seen throughout the fairways. Through education, training and experience we can determine when the turf is wilting. While the turf may be ok in the morning, when the conditions are just right it happens quickly. Unfortunately we do not have a reliable way to determine exactly when this will occur. So while it may be ok to drive on the fairways in the morning, once wilting does occur, it takes a long time to inform everyone on the course that it is cart path only thus causing damage to the turf before communication can occur. Therefore we make the cart path only decision in the morning based on the information we have.
Long term we are looking at wetting agents (types and rates) and a turf type sunscreen to reduce wilting and get golfers on the fairways. While I do not believe we will a solution this weekend, it is something we are actively working on so carts can be on fairways as much as possible.
Collars
So far there is undoubtedly marked improvement in collar health since last year. Although July and August are still ahead of us! We've decided to take a proactive stance and are doing some cultural and fertility practices on areas that traditionally have thinned out in the past. Especially collars on holes #3, #6 and #8. There is no doubt we are moving in the right direction and am appreciative of everyone's patience and understanding.
Cart Path Only Due to Excessive Heat
When the air temperature, dew point, humidity level and soil moisture levels are in the correct proportion wilting occurs on the fairways. The damage done by carts when driven through these areas is obvious and can be seen throughout the fairways. Through education, training and experience we can determine when the turf is wilting. While the turf may be ok in the morning, when the conditions are just right it happens quickly. Unfortunately we do not have a reliable way to determine exactly when this will occur. So while it may be ok to drive on the fairways in the morning, once wilting does occur, it takes a long time to inform everyone on the course that it is cart path only thus causing damage to the turf before communication can occur. Therefore we make the cart path only decision in the morning based on the information we have.
Long term we are looking at wetting agents (types and rates) and a turf type sunscreen to reduce wilting and get golfers on the fairways. While I do not believe we will a solution this weekend, it is something we are actively working on so carts can be on fairways as much as possible.
Collars
So far there is undoubtedly marked improvement in collar health since last year. Although July and August are still ahead of us! We've decided to take a proactive stance and are doing some cultural and fertility practices on areas that traditionally have thinned out in the past. Especially collars on holes #3, #6 and #8. There is no doubt we are moving in the right direction and am appreciative of everyone's patience and understanding.
Cart Path Only-Friday, June 29, 2012
This is a telling picture of what cart damage does to the turf on hot days.
It is evident that the straight lines seen here are from cart tires driving through stressed turf. Therefore, we will require that all golf carts stay on the paths until cooler temperatures come along.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
How You Can Help
Two items of note that would be of great help in keeping the course conditions as pristine as possible.
The first one is in regards to how to practice on the driving range tee. For those of you who have not read the article in the earlier post about this please do so (Driving Range Divots). Here's a picture taken this morning showing the preferred and unpreffered method of practicing on the driving range tee:
The right side of this picture shows the proper way to hit golf balls in long lines for faster turf recovery. The block of bare soil on the left will take much longer to heal.
The second item is on #3. The back part of that green does not get a lot of sunlight and is stressed from foot traffic. If everyone could park in front of the green and use the stairs to access the putting surface we should be able to help the back portion of the green recover.
The first one is in regards to how to practice on the driving range tee. For those of you who have not read the article in the earlier post about this please do so (Driving Range Divots). Here's a picture taken this morning showing the preferred and unpreffered method of practicing on the driving range tee:
The right side of this picture shows the proper way to hit golf balls in long lines for faster turf recovery. The block of bare soil on the left will take much longer to heal.
The second item is on #3. The back part of that green does not get a lot of sunlight and is stressed from foot traffic. If everyone could park in front of the green and use the stairs to access the putting surface we should be able to help the back portion of the green recover.
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