Weekly Schedule for May 28-June 3, 2012

Weather and unforeseen conditions can/will change the schedule.

-Verticut and topdress greens on Tuesday

Turf Stains

A few people have asked about what looks like some burnt turf out on the fairways. This is actually from an application of Ferrous Sulfate and Manganese Sulfate. These elements give the turf some green color without a flush a growth that Nitrogen can. Here is a picture of an overlap:

Here's a skip:

There is no damage done to the turf and the fairways will grow out of any staining that you may see shortly.

I will be doing an update on the weekly schedule this Tuesday as we are open on Monday.

Driving Range Tee Grass Trial Update

On May 1, 2012 we posted a blog on the grass trials we are doing on the lower driving range tee. This post can be found here: Driving Range Tee Grass Trial

Wanted to share some photos updating everyone on the progress of this trial. Please remember, these grasses do best in warm weather (over 80 degrees) so we are not in a period of high growth for these grasses.. Also, the Patriot and Latitude bermudagrass varieties were sodded (they cannot be seeded) while the Riveria was seeded.



Patriot Bermudagrass





Latitude Bermudagrass



Riveria Bermudagrass

So far I like the color and texture of the Latitude Bermudagrass. However, the real test will come in June when balls are hit from these areas and we can determine how long it will take divots to recover during the heat of the summer.





Weekly Schedule for May 21-27, 2012

Weather and unforeseen conditions can/will change the schedule.

-Continue rolling bunker faces (#14 fairway bunker, #13 and #15-#18)
-Broom greens on Tuesday (http://fieldstonegc.blogspot.com/2012/05/brushing-greens-and-driving-range-tee.html)
-Aerify and topdress new tee on #3

Weekly Schedule for May 14-20, 2012

Weather and unforeseen conditions can/will change the schedule.

-Finish compacting bunker slopes on holes #11-18
-DryJect collars on Monday. Follow this link for more info: DryJect Collars
-Veticut and topdress greens on Monday. Follow this link for more info: Verticutting Greens
-Third application of Healthy Ponds to ponds on #1/#2, #5 and #8: Healthy Ponds

Notes:
-I understand the apprehension of doing cultural practices to the greens now that they are completely healed but it will only make them smoother and faster. On Tuesday you will notice the grooves but the ball roll will not be affected. By Wednesday/Thursday you will only notice a smoother and faster ball roll.
-The Healthy Ponds have worked well in the ponds on #5 and #8. Am going to increase the rate in the pond on holes #1/#2. This pond is our irrigation source so we are pumping water, and thus the Healthy Ponds product, out. An increased rate should help. This is a natural product and therefore takes time to work.

Bunker Video

This is our first ever video blog. Hope you like it!

Fieldstone Agronomy Blog Bunker Video

We are talking about bunker playability in the video. The main thing to remember is that while we are seeing some immediate improvement, time is what is going to be needed (along with rain) to firm the slopes up.

Also, by entering and exiting the bunkers from the lowest (or flattest portion) of the bunker it will greatly help us out.

Weekly Schedule for May 7-13, 2012

Weather and unforeseen conditions can/will change the schedule.

-Finish compacting bunker slopes on holes #5-18
-Burning of sod faced bunkers

Tomorrow morning (Tuesday) I will post a link to our first ever Fieldstone Agronomy Video Blog!

Bunker Rejuvenation Part II

Now that the bunkers have been edged and the sand is distributed evenly throughout each bunker we are now moving forward with the second and last part of our bunker rejuvenation program. Our goal is to have consistent playing bunkers where the golf balls will not plug in the slopes. We'd like all golf balls to be played from the flat portions of the bunkers. In order to do this we are compacting the bunker faces to firm them up. Then we will rake them with the backs of the bunker rakes instead of using the teeth. Each time it rains the sand should firm up and balls hit into these faces will roll to the bottoms of the bunkers which will be raked. This will create a better lie to play from.

A picture of the bunker slope compaction:

Blue and Yellow Paint on the Course

While playing golf this week you may notice some blue and yellow paint on the course. The blue is around the bunkers as in this picture:

We are applying a combination of products to bunker surrounds this week via liquid. In order to know where we have been a blue dye, similar to food coloring, is added to the water. The blue is non-staining and washes away within a few days.

On the collars a yellow dot has been painted to mark the collar and green edge. We'd like to make the collars an even width so that they can be mowed with one mower pass. As of now the collar width varies and multiple passes are needed. The additional passes by the mowers causes extra stress to the turf which is unwanted.

We use a PVC tee and a paint gun to insure the widths are the same:

Brushing Greens and Driving Range Tee

Today we brushed greens before mowing to stand the plant up, thus being able to mow more of the leaf tissue. When more leaf tissue is mowed there is less resistance to the golf ball when putting, making for increased green speeds. If you can picture a green as a clock with the approach being the 6 we will brush opposite of the mow. For example, brush 6 to 12 then mow 3 to 6. We more then double the amount of clippings from when we do not brush beforehand. Here's how it looks with Assistant Superintendent Charles Soper leading the way:

On Monday we took three areas on the lower driving range tee and planted them to different types of bermudagrass. Two of the areas were sodded and the third seeded. Bermudagrass does not produce seed but there are a handful that can propagate via seed. Bermudagrass normally is grown via stolons or sod since it is a warm season grass versus the cool season grasses we have out on the golf course. The warm season grasses such as bermudagrass thrive in the heat and go dormant when cold. Our goal by doing this is to determine which type of turf (bentgrass, ryegrass, bermudagrass) and which particular variety will do best.

In the picture you may notice the bermudagrass areas are lower then the existing tee. This is because the bermudagrass will grow much faster in the summer and produces lots of thatch which will make up the height difference once established.