Battling Bicarbonates

Kevin Breen, Lahontan Golf Club, Truckee, CA:

"Our irrigation water comes from deep wells on the Lahontan site. Very pure clean water with little electrical conductivity, which is a measure of salts. The one thing that it does have is bicarbonate (CaCO3), and this is a recipe for creating a sink for salt development in our soils. To combat the accumulation of bicarbonate and a pH above 8 in our water, we add gypsum to our irrigation ponds, inject acids into our irrigation system, apply fertilizers with acidifying characteristics, and flush our greens regularly. Flushing assists in the removal of salts and wets the entire soil profile consistently and deeply.

The soil is tested throughout the year, and through the years we have learned that although our pure water looks pretty good on paper, in actuality it is difficult to keep things growing using this water once the bicarbonate starts to react with the calcium, phosphorous and other nutrients in the soil that the turf is needing.

There is a constant struggle to maintain good soil structure, and its importance cannot be over-emphasized because the soil is where the plant grows. The soils on the courses have come a very long way since the course was built. Hundreds of thousands of tons of lime, gypsum, composts, and sands have gone into raising the quality tremendously."

Visit Kevin's blog at lahontanmaintenance.blogspot.com/

Bird House Success

Scott Phelps, CGCS, Newcastle Golf Club, Newcastle, WA:

"The second year of our bird house program has again been a big success. In the spring of 2010 we had the Boy Scouts from Troup 477 build over two dozen bird houses. The golf club provided most of the materials, cut the wood to size and provided direction on how to assemble them. I also gave a brief educational lecture on the types of bird species we were looking to attract and the significance of the design of the bird houses.

Many people do not realize that the shape of the entry hole and the size of the hole have a significant effect on the species that will use it and on the success of rearing chicks. Our most successful box has been the one just outside of the entry to our maintenance facility in our bee and butterfly garden. We have had over a dozen chickadees emerge from that house alone. The other houses on the course have had varying success. Some have not had any birds in the two years and some have had chicks one year and not the next. We continue to monitor the houses weekly throughout the summer to see which ones are more successful. From this info we will move unsuccessful houses to environments, heights, directions, and cover that are similar to our inhabited boxes.

Please note the two small birds pictured above were not raised in our Chickadee boxes. They were seen last week enjoying the sunshine on #1 Fairway on China Creek. It sure is a beautiful sight to see. I know all of you golfers are out there seeking other kinds of birdies and eagles but this double eagle makes you want to slow down and enjoy some of the other beautiful things you can see on a golf course.

Visit Scott's blog at newcastleturf.blogspot.com/

Why are you putting more sand in the bunkers?

Matt Ceplo, CGCS, Rockland Country Club, Sparkill, NY:

"Some welcome recent rains washed out a few areas in our bunkers so we decided to check sand levels as we fixed the washouts. We maintain 4 inches of sand.

Where does the sand go? Believe it or not most of it is hit out during play. A very good example is the irrigation head on the left side of the tenth green. When constructed, the irrigation head was at ground level. It now sits ten inches below grade. The photo of the sand probe shows how much sand has been blasted out of the bunker, raising the lip a good foot or so.

We need to keep the sand at a consistent level for playability. The new sand will firm up within a week or so. In the meantime you may get a plugged ball here or there. While no one likes plugged balls, we do everything possible to prevent them. However, they are part of the game and bunkers are supposed to be hazards."

Visit Matt's blog at rocklandcountryclub.blogspot.com

Carpet Stain

Craig DeJong, Hendersonville (NC) Country Cbub:

"Once in a great while our equipment malfunctions. All of our staff members are taught how to react when a piece of equipment experiences a problem. Fortunately, this does not happen too often. However, it happened a few days ago when one of our fairway units sprung a hydraulic leak.

Despite the fact that a fairway is burned from the hot hydraulic oil, all parties involved responded perfectly. The operator was paying attention and quickly pulled off the fairway and onto the cart path. Our equipment technician got the unit back to the shop, had a new hydraulic hose fabricated and installed, and we were back in business in about three hours. Great teamwork!

Visit Craig's blog at hccgcgd.blogspot.com.