Legacy Hills "Why is the course so dry?"

Over the past few days we have had mechanical problems with the pump station at Legacy Hills which caused it to be shut down. It had already been operating with one pump down because we have been waiting for the New #1 pump to be delivered and installed. With a second pump going down it limits us on the amount of water we can put out in gallons per minute. This causes the water window (time at night that we can water the course) to be longer and drawn out. That being said we do have half of the station back up and running and will be putting more water out on the course as of today.

April 24th Course Updates

* #6 Green at Cowan Creek
The sod on #6 has started to put down roots and is taking well. We will evaluate it early next week and decide if we will open it on May 1st or delay the opening of that green. Our hopes were that it would be ready sooner but with average temperatures still in the 130's we are still not at optimal growing weather for bermuda grass greens.

* Cowan Greens
With warmer temperatures in the forecast things at Cowan in regards to the greens should start to improve. The most recent problem we have experienced with the Cowan greens has been the surfacing of another under lying problem. The greens on the areas where they are not draining well have became Anaerobic, which means they are sealed off and have no oxygen to the plant or it's roots. We have started aerifying these areas so that we can provide air and oxygen to those areas.

* USGA
On Thursday April 26th we will have the Southern USGA rep at Cowan to do a Turf Analysis report of Cowan's greens and course conditions. We look forward to this outside source to give us insight and recommendations on our current practices at Cowan.

* White Wing Aerification
Monday we aerified the greens at White Wing and everything went well. With us only pulling a 3/8" core they should be fully healed in two weeks.

* Legacy Hills
We will be performing the same aerification as White Wing at Legacy Hills on Monday April 30th. Recently we have noticed areas on the Legacy greens that have been off color, we sent in soil samples and it showed a severity of 3 out of 5 for Bermuda Grass Decline. We have treated for it and have seen a positive response and green up of the turf.

*Attached Picture
The picture below shows a plug from an Anaerobic area of #9 green at Cowan Creek. If you notice the top three inches is dark black were it is "sealed" off. The entire profile should look like the bottom half of this soil profile. With aerification and water management we will be able to remedy this problem.

Cowan Creek Update

Thursday morning we will have a representative from the USGA at Cowan Creek to do a course evaluation and tour and report back his findings to the Golf Committee and CA staff. We look forward to his insight and recommendations.

Why are the Fairways cut so low?

If you notice the first picture, it shows a height cut of 5/8" to 3/4" of an inch. This picture was taken from #1 Fairway at White Wing right of the green tee boxes in an area of fairway that does not get much cart traffic if any. All of our fairway units are currently set at 3/4". In the second picture, which was taken in the center of the fairway at 100yds from the green, you can see that the grass barely reaches the 1/2" mark and is closer to 3/8". Both areas were mowed with the same mower, the same day. It is the wear from cart traffic that compacts the turf canopy which in turn makes it appear as if we cut the fairways to low or "tight".

New April Course Condition Updates

Cowan Creek
Last week we went to a temporary green on #6 at Cowan Creek so that we could sod areas that were thin on the "real" green. The sod job went really well and we hope at the earliest to reopen the green May 1st depending on the overall growing temperatures between now and then. You may also notice that we sodded some small areas on #2 & #16 as well but it was not necessary to close those particular greens because of the location and size of the work. Aerification was also done on the greens last week and they are healing nicely.

White Wing
The #1 green is really the only one that we are concerned about at White Wing, with the shade from the surrounding trees and poor drainage it is usually the one we have to aerify and work on the most. Currently it is starting to fill in and should be up to par in the next few weeks dependent on weather.

Legacy Hills
The biggest issue as of late has been the aggressive growth of the Native areas adjacent to the primary rough. We are currently mowing these areas out where we can with our mowers and obtaining bids to get an additional Level 3 mowing by an outside contractor. Updates to come.

Course Update

Aerification

It’s that time of year again, we get out those dreaded machines that “mess up the greens” and start our aerification practices. If you have played over the past week you noticed that we aerified both White Wing and Legacy Hills last week and have core aerified Cowan Creek this week. We know it appears right when the Cowan greens seemed to be on the right track to recovery we go and poke a bunch of aerfication holes in them but please realize that aerification is for the long term health of the turf and will ultimately promote a healthier green. I have attached part of a GCSAA article below that goes into more detail about aerification and have also shared a link to the entire article on the Sun City Golf Course Maintenance Blog sctxgcmaint.blogspot.com.

“Aerification (also known as aeration) achieves three important objectives. It relieves soil compaction, it provides a method to improve the soil mixture around the highest part of a green’s roots and it reduces or prevents the accumulation of excess thatch.

Like so many things, the quality of a good putting green is more than skin deep. In fact, the condition of a green has a lot to do with what goes on below the surface. In order for grass to grow at 1/8-inch, it must have deep, healthy roots. Good roots demand oxygen. In good soil, they get the oxygen from tiny pockets of air trapped between soil and sand particles.

Over time, the traffic from golfer’s feet (as well as mowing equipment) tends to compact the soil under the putting green – particularly when the soil contains a lot of clay. When soil becomes compacted, the air pockets on which the roots depend are crushed, and the roots are essentially left gasping for air. Without oxygen, the grass plants become weaker and will eventually wither and die.

Aerification is a mechanical process that creates more air space in the soil and promotes deeper rooting, thus helping the grass plants stay healthy. In most cases, it’s done by removing half-inch cores (those plugs you sometimes see near a green or in fairways) from the compacted soil, allowing for an infusion of air and water that brings a resurgence of growth. The spaces are then filled with sand “topdressing” that helps the soil retain air space and makes it easier for roots to grow downward.

Older greens often are constructed of soils with significant amounts of silt, clay and fine organic particles that are prone to compaction. Filling aerification holes with sand improves drainage and resists compaction. The periodic introduction of sand to a green’s top layer can, over time, avoid or postpone expensive rebuilding or renovation of greens.

Finally, growing of turf adds to a layer of organic matter on the surface. This layer, called thatch, is an accumulation of dead stems, leaves and roots. A little organic matter makes for a resilient green, but too much invites diseases and insects. Topdressing with sand can prevent thatch buildup, and aerification is one of the best ways to reduce an existing layer and prevent an excess of thatch from becoming established.”




Cowan Creek Update

The greens at Cowan Creek are getting better daily and the warmer temperatures are helping out with the recovery from winter dormancy. The green at #6 will be sodded on Wed. April 12th baring any rain that day. Starting on that day we will be using a temporary green for the rest of the month of April and will reopen this green once the putting surface is healthy again. The #6 green at Cowan seemed to be the only one of them that would not respond to all of the cultural practices that we have done so we sent in more soil samples to the lab and found that it also has a disease called Pythium Blight. We are treating for that this week with a Fungicide labeled for that particular disease which will stop its advancement. All of this in conjunction with core aerification will help insure that we will soon have smooth and healthy greens for the remainder of the season. Thank you all for your patience and understanding during this transitional period.

Legacy Hills Ranking

Our very own Legacy Hills Golf Course was ranked #3 in the Top 25 economy courses in the state of Texas!

Top 25 economy courses
Source: dallasnews.com
APRIL 2012 SECTION

Cowan Creek Greens Update

2012 Spring Transition Cultural Practices – Cowan Creek Golf Club

What is happening to the greens on Cowan Creek?

As reported in the CA Golf Communicator last week, the greens at Cowan Creek are struggling to complete the transition from winter dormancy.  Virtually all 18 greens are impacted, some more than others with #2, #3, #6 and #7 being the worst. 

Cowan Creek endured a relatively mild winter this year, causing the greens to come out of dormancy earlier than in the recent past.  There are several environmental factors, along with the high volume of traffic, that have promoted an unhealthy root system on the golf course greens.  A combination of excessive rainfall and the compaction caused by foot traffic led to areas of certain greens sealing off, which inhibits water and air infiltration to the roots.  In addition, although the temperatures have been warmer than usual for this time of year, the optimum weather for growing Bermuda grass needs to be a combined 150 degrees (when combining the daily highs and lows).  This season has proven to be warmer, yet too cool to meet this standard, and a majority of the days have been overcast with limited sunlight.  These unfavorable conditions promote certain diseases such as Bermuda grass Decline (Spring Dead Spot), Rhizoctonia Zea, and Pythium Blight. 

At a meeting earlier this week of the Central Texas Golf Course Superintendents Association our Superintendents was able to compare notes with other Superintendents from Central Texas.  Several other golf courses in Austin and San Antonio are experiencing similar conditions. 

What are you doing to improve them?

All of these factors mentioned above have resulted in our need for supplemental fertilizer and cultural practices, of which I will briefly list and describe below:

- 2/2/12:  Fertilized greens with potassium nitrate (13.5-0-46.2), Feature Professional (micronutrient package containing iron)

- 2/7/12:  Fertilized greens with C-85, Potassium Carbonate (0-0-60), Penecal, Salt-EX, Turf RxCa

- 2/8/12:  Applied Headway (turf fungicide) for Bermudagrass Decline and Rhizoctonia zia prevention and control

- 2/10/12:  Fertilized greens with potassium nitrate (13.5-0-46.2), Feature Professional (micronutrient package containing iron)

- 2/14/12:  Planet Air Greens – spiked greens with Planet Air machine to promote water infiltration and provide roots with oxygen.

- 2/16/12:  Fertilized greens with Power N (24-0-0), Power K (0-0-22), Astron, Renaissance, Perk Up, Raider Plus

- 2/21/12:  Planet Air Greens, topdressed, fertilized with Hydrahume, drag brush

- 2/22/12:  Fertilized greens with C-85, Potassium Carbonate (0-0-60), Penecal, Salt-EX, Turf RxCa

- 2/23/12:  Rolled greens with Salsco roller

- 2/27/12:  Planet Air Greens – spiked greens with Planet Air machine to promote water infiltration and provide roots with oxygen.

- 2/28/12:  Fertilized greens with Power N (24-0-0), Power K (0-0-22), Astron, Renaissance, Perk Up, Raider Plus

- 2/29/12:  Rolled greens with Salsco roller

- 3/6/12:  Fertilized greens with potassium nitrate (13.5-0-46.2), ferrous sulfate (iron)

- 3/7/12:  Rolled greens with Salsco roller

- 3/8/12:  Verticut greens (less than 1/16^th”)

- 3/8/12:  Fertilized greens with Urea (46-0-0)

- 3/9/12:  Verticut greens (less than 1/16^th”)

- 3/10/12:  Verticut greens (less than 1/16^th”)

- 3/11/12:  Verticut, topdressed, drag brush greens

- 3/11/12:  Sprayed greens with Headway (fungicide), C-85, Penecal, Potassium Carbonate (0-0-60), TriCal (calcium carbonate)

- 3/12/12:  Verticut greens (less than 1/16^th”), rolled greens with Salsco roller

- 3/13/12:  Fertilized greens with Power N (24-0-0), Power K (0-0-22), Astron, Renaissance, Perk Up, Floradox, Raider Plus

- 3/14/12:  Rolled greens with Salsco roller

- 3/16/12:  Topdressed greens, drag brush

- 3/19/12:  Aerified greens (star tine), Verticut, Topdressed, drag brush, rolled greens with Salsco roller, mowed greens

3/21/12:  Fertilized greens with 50 lbs. potassium nitrate (13.5-0-46.2), 25 lbs. ferrous sulfate (iron), 20 lbs. Urea (46-0-0)

When can we expect the greens to be back to acceptable condition?

Depending on the temperature and amount of sunlight that we receive, we should start to see improvement in health, color, and playability in the next few weeks.  We will continue to perform minor cultural practices on our weak areas to promote lateral growth which will aid in their recovery.

Why are we experiencing these problems only on the Cowan Creek greens and not Legacy Hills when they both have the same turf type?

Although the turf variety is the same at both Cowan and Legacy, they are both being grown in a different soil medium. The Cowan greens were built on straight sand, whereas the soil profile at Legacy Hills is more mature (including the four greens rebuilt in 2010) and retains nutrients and water more readily.  Sand-based greens are more susceptible to leaching of nutrients and drying out.  Over time, the soil profile at Cowan will build up organic matter, which will alleviate the current issues.

What are the cultural practices being used?

Planet Air:  The Planet Air machine is pulled behind a Pro Gator (larger utility vehicle), and is used to spike the greens with thin blades that slice about 2.5-3” into the turf.  This process allows water to infiltrate into the root zone, as well as provides the roots with much needed oxygen.  The practice does not normally impact the playability of the greens, however.  When topdressing and dragging the sand in, we found that the grass would tuft up as the brush crosses the slit at the wrong angle.  The obstruction can be avoided by dragging in the sand in the same direction of the Planet Air slits.

Topdressing:  Adding small amounts of greens-grade sand periodically has multiple benefits.  Sand fills voids caused by ballmarks and bumps which provides a smoother putting surface.  Topdressing also improves the soil profile by diluting thatch buildup with sand, and allows more air and water into the root zone by having a pore space that is more diverse.  One major benefit to topdressing is to firm up the putting surface, which speeds up the greens. 

Drag Brush:  Dragging greens is primarily practiced after topdressing.  Using a drag brush works the sand into the soil profile, and helps disperse the sand more evenly across the green. 

The drag brush can sometimes both help and hurt simultaneously.  Last summer we experienced a period of an exceptional drought.  During this time, we were unable to perform several of our weekly agronomic practices which included verticutting and topdressing our greens.  Without knowing whether we would have a steady supply of water for our greens, we avoided these practices to keep them as healthy as possible with minimal disruption to the turf.  In turn, the greens became grainy in certain areas.  When using the drag brush this spring, the brush tufts up the grass blades when dragging against the grain.  It is beneficial to stand the grass blade up with the brush as to reduce the grain on the greens, but by doing so this practice will temporarily make the putting surface bumpy until it is mowed.  Over time, periodically verticutting and dragging the greens will decrease the amount of grain on the greens, making them a more uniform color with better roll.

Verticutting:  Verticutting has several benefits to Bermudagrass greens.  The machine used makes many small vertical cuts into the shoots of the grass plant, enhancing lateral growth, decreasing thatch, and closing up voids caused by aerifying, spiking, or slicing.  The vertictutter also aids in working in topdressing sand, and helps decrease grain on the putting surface.  Weather permitting, this practice will coincide with topdressing on a weekly basis to rid the greens of grain and promote a more consistent roll.

Aerification (Star Tine):  The star tine aerification is a non-aggressive way to create pore space in the root zone, which provides oxygen to the roots and promotes water infiltration.  This process has the similar effect as the Planet Air machine, but can be altered in terms of depth and surface area.  The star tine is a solid tine which punches “X-shaped” holes on the putting surface, allowing room for sand, air, and water. 

Rolling:  We roll the greens using a Salsco roller periodically to increase ball speed and to firm up the greens.  In winter months, we alternate mowing and rolling to decrease the amount of mechanical stress we put on the greens.  Rolling greens after practices such as aerification promotes a more uniform recovery and reduces scalping from mowing equipment.

With the current stresses caused by environmental factors and traffic, our fertilizer program and cultural practices are a necessity to ensure healthy roots.  Compaction (foot traffic), sealing off (water retention), disease stress (cool, wet climate), and low sunlight all have a negative impact on the roots.  We raised our mowing heights in the late fall going into dormancy in addition to these cultural practices to increase the potential of a healthy root system.  Although some of these practices may be perceived as destructive, they are essential to the long-term health of our greens.  With continued agronomic practices and warmer, sunnier weather, we should see a dramatic positive response to the putting surfaces.

 

April Aerification Update

APRIL GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE
SCHEDULE UPDATE


The subpar conditions of the greens at Cowan Creek are necessitating changes to the course locations for the MGA Member Guest and cultural practices scheduled for the golf courses in the month of April.

The MGA Member Guest tournament round scheduled to play on April 21 at Cowan Creek will move to the Legacy Hills course. The round scheduled on April 20th on the White Wing course remains unchanged.

In preparation for the April events the golf course maintenance cultural practices schedule in April will be the following:

Monday, April 2st, star tine aerification on White Wing (star tines are small tines, ¼” x 3”) – course closed
Tuesday, April 3rd, star tine aerification on Legacy Hills after 11:00 AM
Monday, April 9th, core aerification (1/4”) on Cowan Creek – following morning shotgun
Monday, April 16th, Cowan Creek closed
Monday, April 30th, core aerification on Legacy Hills – course closed

The small star tine aerification on White Wing and Legacy Hills three weeks prior to the tournament will improve the putting surfaces and not conflict with the MGA Member Guest. Making these changes at this time is intended to improve course conditions for residents and provide assurance to the MGA we will provide the quality playing conditions as would be expected for a Member Guest event.

Cowan Creek #2 Green Repair

Replacing thin areas on #2 green at Cowan Creek.