Walk Path and Intermediate Cut Renovation...

Peter Wendt, CGCS, Kinloch Golf Club, Manakin-Sabot, VA:

"We wanted to give everyone some insight into how we went about renovating the walk paths and Intermediate Cuts around the golf course. As we talked about in an earlier post, we have sprayed all of these areas with Tenacity to eliminate bentgrass. We also sprayed any common bermudagrass in these areas with a new product that we have been testing through the summer months.

The process then started with our disc seeder making two passes through the walkpaths and intermediates dropping seed along the way. We couldn't get as tight to the fairway line as we like with this piece of equipment, so we followed up with aerifiers poking holes on very tight centers, approximately half an inch deep. Drop seeders were then used on all walk paths and intermediates to ensure perfect coverage.

Starter fertilizer was then applied and all areas were watered-in. We continued to keep these areas moist and was great germination over the next seven days. We then touched up any areas that needed additional seed, and then we began to mow the new seedlings."

Visit Pete's blog at kinlochgcm.blogspot.com.

Clogged Sprinkler Heads (UPDATE): Bryozoans

Jason Hooper, Quilchena Golf Club, Quilchena, BC:

"I've received numerous responses to my recent blog post about our clogged sprinkler heads (link) from industry professionals around the world and it appears as though the most likely pest clogging our sprinklers is something called bryozoans. What exactly are bryozoans you ask? They are aquatic invertebrate animals commonly known as moss animals. They are introduced to golf course lakes and ponds by ducks or geese. These 'moss animals' clog irrigation line filters and sprinkler head screens and make it extremely difficult to irrigate effectively and efficiently.

This is the first time I have personally ever heard or dealt with this aquatic pest. We will be sending samples from our irrigation pond and sprinkler head screens to indeed confirm the existence of bryozoans. The treatment methods for them can be quite costly and very time consuming so we must be absolutely sure that they are the cause of the problems before we take the appropriate measures to eradicate them.

I was not surprised to receive the information and advice from other golf industry professionals. Turf maintenance is a very tight-knit industry filled with professionals that are always willing to share experiences and offer advice and possible solutions. Not that I'd ever wish for others to experience turf maintenance issues, but it sure is nice to know we're not alone and that we can learn from the trials and tribulations of others too.

"After hearing the nightmarish stories in conversations with other superintendents, our fingers are crossed..."

One of these industry professionals, Kyle Marshall (Director of Golf Courses and Grounds at Capital City Club in Atlanta, Georgia), dealt with bryozoans for the first time back in the summer of 2010. Just like us, they thought they were dealing with pond algae clogging their heads before testing of samples confirmed it was bryozoans. Kyle shared with me an article he wrote for his local industry association's newsletter outlining his bryozoan experience and offering some very sound advice and effective solutions. I urge you to take the time to read Kyle's article so you have a better understanding of exactly what we may be dealing with: When Bryozoans Attack: Perils in Your Ponds.

After hearing the nightmarish stories in conversations with other superintendents, our fingers are crossed in hopes that bryozoans are not detected in our test samples, but we are preparing for having to work through and resolve this problem.

More useful information about bryozoans here, here and here."

Visit Jason's blog at qgolfclub.blogspot.ca.

2012 Fall aerification damage...

Owen Coulson, Vestavia Country Club, Birmingham, AL:

"So you've seen the basic process that we adhere to twice each year during our aerification of the greens. This process has proven to be excellent for us over the last several years and other than some minor tweaks here and there everything runs smoothly...until Fall 2012.

The large sweeper that we use to clean the greens of the cores dug deeply into #3 green. This has not happened to us during any of the previously aerifications. We have been able to get the area fairly smooth and we will continue to work on it and plug it as needed. We are still trying to determine why this happened this time.

When it happened again on #5 green (less severe), we parked the machine and picked up the cores by hand. I always take a bunch of pictures, but when I saw the machine buried into the green I felt too sick to grab my camera."

Visit Owen's blog at vccturfgrass.blogspot.com.

Energy efficiency...

Pat Daly, Framingham Country Club, Framingham, MA:

"We had NSTAR Electric and Gas in to perform an energy audit of the maintenance facility to reduce our energy demands. One area that they recommended we change is our lighting. We received a grant to change over all the lighting to more energy efficient fixtures and bulbs. It's amazing how well the new lights brighten up our work area. It will make those early mornings a little safer for the crew as well."

Visit Pat's blog at fccgrounds.blogspot.com.

A little better every day...

Brandon Collins, Country Club at Woodmore, Mitchellville, MD:

"It's no secret that summers, especially in the Mid-Atlantic, are a difficult time for a Green staff. In July and August, we are fighting a constant battle with Mother Nature to keep the turf healthy while still providing quality playing conditions for the members. In general, these two goals usually do not go hand in hand. The days are long and stress is high (both on turf and personnel).

This period is now behind us and we are to my favorite time of year. Not only because next July is still ten months away, but because we can shift our focus to improving the golf course. A great deal has been happening over the past two weeks on the golf course. Below is a quick snapshot of what we have been up to.

I realize that all of the practices have an impact on the playability of the golf course and I want to thank the membership for their patience. These are all short term disruptions to the course conditions that will provide long term benefits."

Visit Brandon's blog at http://ccwoodmoregcm.blogspot.com

New treads...

Shane Conroy, Asst Supt, Park Ridge (IL) Country Club:

"Our skid loader received a much needed upgrade this morning: new tires! The old tires, as you can clearly see were quite worn and desperately needed to be replaced. Oscar was able to remove the old tires from the rim using our bead breaker machine and some help from a few more common tools."

Visit the Park Ridge blog at parkridgeccgrounds.blogspot.com.

A part of life...

Craig DeJong, Hendersonville Country Club, Hendersonville, NC:

"It has been raining for two days, the golf course is covered in debris, and we're completely behind on mowing. That's life on a golf course! Better to look on the bright side than dwell on the negatives.

We took advantage of the rain to perform some duties that require rain or irrigation. All the fairways and approaches have been sprayed with a fungicide to combat Spring Dead Spot and an insecticide to calm down the grub activity. Tees were fertilized along with all of our new sod around the greens. I'll give credit to my staff members for dealing with the elements.

The cup almost runneth over...

The forecast for the foreseeable future looks ideal and we'll get caught up on our work. The greens will be our biggest project to maintain. They have not been mowed for two days and if the rain does not stop it will be a third. Since we aerified the greens, 10 days ago, they have received extra amounts of fertility to help the healing process. Well, they are growing out of their mind right now. It will take a few mowing's to get them back down to their correct height."

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

Back in the saddle...

Steve Cook, CGCS MG, Oakland Hills Country Club, Bloomfield Hills, MI:

"We arrived home safe and sound after six days of climbing in the Tetons, culminating in a successful summit of the Grand Teton last Thursday. Thanks to the staff for holding down the fort in my absence.

The remainder of this week is course preparation for the Member/Member this weekend. Next week we'll finish the North Course fairway aerification."

Visit Steve's blog at ohccturf.blogspot.com.