Rough Growth

With the rain on Tuesday then hot temperatures this week the rough has really taken off growth wise! Even with the plant growth regulator that was applied last week to the bunker surrounds these areas are particularly high. With extended heat the rough will eventually slow it's growth as we get into Summer. For now we are  doing the best we can to keep up with our mowing. Bunker surrounds are scheduled to be mowed again on Monday and another application of plant growth regulator made.

#8 Pond and Moss on Greens

We have treated the Duckweed in #8 pond. The normally green weed will turn an orange like color then sink. This should occur over the next few days.

There are a few greens out on the course (mainly #1, #9, #10 and #12) with some areas of moss. We are treating this with a herbicide and you may have noticed the moss going from a green color to black as seen in this photo.

These areas should be completely gone shortly after the second application of the herbicide in two weeks time.

Additional Irrigation

We are adding an additional irrigation head to the area in front of #17 tees. It is going to be located before the rock wall that runs in front of #17 fairway. This area has not had irrigation previously.

The trees in the background of this picture are the ones located just to the left of #16 green.

Weekly Schedule for May 27-June 2, 2013

Weather and unforeseen conditions can/will change the schedule.

-Verticut and topdress greens on Tuesday
-Sod prep irrigation lines at #7 tees
-Aerify #3 Blue tee, #6/#13 Blue tees and #16 Black tee

Weekly Schedule for May 20-26, 2013

Weather and unforeseen conditions can/will change the schedule.

-Finish mowing all bunker surrounds
-Apply a plant growth regulator to bunker surrounds after mowing to slow growth in these areas
-Sod #4 and #7 tee surrounds where irrigation was installed

Weekly Schedule for May 13-19, 2013

Weather and unforeseen conditions can/will change the schedule.

-Verticut and topdress greens on Monday
-Sod installation on select fairway and rough areas
-Stack sod bunker repair
-Irrigation installation at #7 tees

Great Spring Weather for Poa

Have had several questions and comments about the amount of Poa annua (annual bluegrass) seen on the greens this Spring. The cool Spring that we are having has given the Poa ample time to seed thus making the plants much more noticable for a longer time period then normal. Also, the desirable turf species on our greens, creeping bentgrass, thrives under slightly higher temperatures then does the Poa. Therefore the plant growth regulator we use for Poa control is not quite as effective because it works by stunting the growth of the Poa so the bentgrass may outcompete it. With the bentgrass not growing as much the competition is not there.

There is some good news. We are one of about 200 golf courses throughout the United States (there are approximately 16,000 total golf courses in the United States)  testing a new product from Korea called PoaCure. We have two plots each measuring 1,000 sq. ft. One is located on the putting green and the other in #17 fairway.

There have been many products that claim to be the silver bullet for Poa annua eradication but each has it's pluses and minuses. So far, this particular product seems to come closest to being "the one" that will get rid of Poa. It works by slowly killing the Poa giving the bentgrass enough time to fill-in where the Poa plant was. This product is also very safe for the bentgrass.

This picture shows an untreated Poa plant.

This next photo shows a Pos plant treated with PoaCure and the bentgrass filling in to take it's place.

Of course in areas with too much Poa this is not an effective control because the bentgrass would be unable to fill-in fast enough leaving many bare areas.

More testing needs to be done before this product becomes registered for use in this country. But it has been on the market for several years in Korea with great success.

Fortunately, since we are a test site we will have full access to this product about 2 years before it reaches market.

Am looking forward to seeing how this product does over the Spring and Summer here at Fieldstone.

Weekly Schedule for May 6-12, 2013

Weather and unforeseen conditions can/will change the schedule.

-Install new irrigation at @7 tees
-Prep areas in fairways and rough for sod coming next Monday