2015 February Course Conditions

It’s been a busy month for all three of the courses. Bunker projects, drainage and playability projects are all in full swing. I am really proud of the job everyone on the staff has been doing and it is very visible on the golf courses! As you’ll see from the Playability Section of this report we are very close to completing the entire list of playability items from the 2014 playability report. 

Playability Items for 2014/2015

The items marked with highlighted RED FONT have been completed.  We are really excited that we have been able to complete so many of the playability items from the 2014 Playability Report. Rather than take the shrinking list that we have been putting in the monthly course conditions report I have taken the original list from the October Golf Committee Meeting so that everyone could see the full scope of work that has been completed.

White Wing

•        HOLE #2

•        Remove and replace DG at the blue tee area. COMPLETE

•        Place river rocks at the curb between the blue and green tee. COMPLETE

Ø  HOLE #5

•        GREEN TEE:  Remove and replace the damaged steps; rework entire tee box and re sod with Zoysia turf.  Land Constructors will be starting the renovation of this tee area once they have completed the Cowan Creek bunker renovations.

Ø  HOLE #6

•        Replace damaged tee monument. Cleaned off broken portion of this monument and do not feel it needs replaced at this time (hole layout is still visible along with yardages) 

•        Remove rock walkway and replace with mulch with a rock border. COMPLETE

Ø  HOLE #7

•        Place river rocks along the cart path between #7 green and #8 tee box. COMPLETE

Ø  HOLE #8

•        Major tree trimming needed from the tee area to the green. COMPLETE

Ø  HOLE #14

•        Major tree trimming on the right side from tee to green. IN PROGRESS, Contracted and will be completed by the first week of March

Ø  HOLE #17

•        Flower bed left of green and behind the sales center, must be reworked. COMPLETE 

Cowan Creek

Ø  HOLE #1

•        Suggest possible DG area under the group of trees on the right side of the fairway. COMPLETE

Ø  HOLE #3

Recommend installing more French drains on the left side of the fairway. COMPLETE

Ø  HOLE #5

•        Continue to improve the drainage issue near blue tee area to prevent DG from washing away with each rain. COMPLETE

Ø  HOLE #6

•        Improve the drainage on the left side of the fairway. COMPLETE

Ø  HOLE #16

•        Expand the DG area at the blue tee box. COMPLETE

Ø  HOLE #18

•         (Safety issue) Place more large rocks adjacent to the cart path in the creek area to minimize the severe drop off. COMPLETE 

Legacy Hills

Ø  HOLE #1

•        Recommend this hole become a "cart path only" hole full-time. COMPLETE (ROPED OFF 100YDS OUT)

•        Place native rocks along cart path near green area.  COMPLETE

Ø  HOLE #3

•        Create a DG area under the trees on the right side of the fairway, between the bunkers and the cart path.  COMPLETE

•        Create a DG area under the trees at the right front of the green.  

Ø  HOLE #8

•        Large tree on the left side needs trimmed to remove fairway overhang.  COMPLETE

Ø  HOLE #9

•        Eliminate two of the 4 exits and repair the remaining 2; make hole "cart path only" until the repair is healed.  THIS WILL BE THE LAST ITEM WE TACKLE ON THE LIST AND WILL HAVE IT COMPLETE IN MARCH

Ø  HOLE #12

•        Trim the trees on the right side of the left blue tee box.  COMPLETE

•        Install a DG approach to the green tee box.  WILL BE COMPLETE FIRST WEEK OF MARCH

Ø  HOLE #14

•         Trim the trees on the left side of all tee boxes in Berry Creek.  COMPLETE

Legacy Hills Greenside Bunkers

The staff has been working diligently on this and completed emptying the greenside bunkers the first week of February. We have started filling the bunkers back in with the same sand used in the White Wing and Cowan Creek greenside bunkers and hope to have this complete by the first week in March depending on weather.  Currently Holes 1-5 are complete.

Soil Testing

February’s disease samples were sent to the lab on 2/16/2015 and all samples came back negative for disease.

Audubon Certification

The certification process has made strides over the past few months.  We currently have completed the certification handbook, both the fertilizer and pesticide reference tables; cultural practices reference table, the golf course site map, and wildlife inventory.  These documents have been submitted into a dropbox specified for the Audubon Certification Board.  In the upcoming months we plan on establishing a support group including all the active participants in the certification process, as well as board members from wildlife groups in Sun City.  We will complete our case study this year, which will be a collaborative effort between ourselves and the Wood Shop group.  For this we will be building and installing birdhouses in native areas throughout all three courses selected for indigenous bird species.  These bird houses will then be monitored over the years by volunteers and employees.  In addition, we plan on taking and submitting photos needed for the certification process this year, which include:  photos of wildlife on the golf course, our chemical mixing area, fertilizer containment area, etc.  We still need to calculate the acreage of ponds, streams, beds, and other wildlife areas for submittal, which will also be completed this year.  The ultimate goal by the end of the year is to have all of the needed files submitted, with only a required site inspection before we are completely certified. 

GCSAA Certification

Attended 4 GCSAA webinars:

Herbicide Resistance in Turf: An emerging issue facing Golf Course Superintendents

Go Green for Groundwater

How your spray tank water can impact pesticide performance

Increase the precision of your nitrogen application 

Moisture Monitoring

Here is a week’s worth of moisture monitoring from Cowan Creek

Date:	2/9/2015		Soil	Date:	2/11/2015		Soil	Date:	2/13/2015
Hole	High Area	Low Area	Temp	Hole	High Area	Low Area	Temp	Hole	High Area	Low Area
#1	21.3%	27.7%		#1	20.9%	34.6%		#1	20.3%	25.2%
#2	19.3%	34.1%		#2	19.8%	34.1%		#2	13.5%	31.6%
#3	19.8%	18.4%		#3	20.2%	35.0%		#3	13.2%	13.0%
#4	20.8%	34.6%		#4	20.0%	32.8%		#4	18.0%	32.0%
#5	18.4%	27.7%		#5	19.8%	33.2%		#5	18.4%	22.8%
#6	29.2%	19.8%		#6	21.2%	38.9%		#6	24.6%	22.3%
#7	20.3%	30.6%		#7	22.6%	34.6%		#7	19.8%	34.1%
#8	15.9%	23.8%		#8	18.2%	38.6%		#8	11.0%	20.8%
#9	19.3%	27.2%		#9	21.5%	31.7%		#9	14.9%	27.7%
#10	33.6%	33.1%		#10	24.0%	34.2%		#10	25.0%	30.2%
#11	20.3%	31.1%		#11	19.7%	33.1%		#11	18.0%	29.7%
#12	19.3%	20.8%		#12	19.2%	32.8%		#12	18.0%	19.8%
#13	28.2%	30.6%		#13	18.9%	31.9%		#13	25.2%	28.7%
#14	27.2%	36.5%		#14	24.6%	38.9%		#14	18.0%	34.1%
#15	23.3%	30.6%		#15	20.4%	32.4%		#15	18.2%	29.2%
#16	15.4%	21.8%		#16	20.2%	34.1%		#16	14.9%	20.8%
#17	14.9%	15.4%		#17	20.4%	30.2%		#17	17.4%	18.0%
#18	16.4%	17.4%		#18	20.1%	38.1%		#18	15.4%	18.9%
PG	15.4%	32.1%		PG	15.4%	34.4%		PG	13.0%	31.1%
CG	18.0%	30.0%		CG	26.4%	36.2%		CG	24.3%	14.9%

Golf Industry Show 2015

The GCSAA had another great show this year. This year it was in San Antonio so it was somewhat of a home show for us. The Superintendents and myself were able to attend numerous educational classes and the trade show.

    

Cowan Creek Bunker Update

As of 2/16/15, all of the greenside bunkers on the back 9 at Cowan Creek are in some stage of renovation.  Holes #17, 18, and the chipping green have the new liners and sand installed on them.  Holes #10 and #16 are currently shelled out, and are in the process of finishing liner installation.  Every bunker will have a small portion of exposed liner around the perimeter until all bunkers have been renovated and have new sand.  At this point, the contractors will then line the bunker edges with new sod. 

Legacy Hills Bunker Progress

The Legacy Hills Bunker progress is moving along at a good pace. So far this week we have been able to finish a handful of bunkers and hope to have a few more of the smaller ones completed by weeks end. With some cooperation from Mother Nature we hope to have the entire project complete by the end of February or first week in March at the latest.

 

Superintendent Article

The Game’s Unsung Heroes

By Ron Read ·   @golftraditions ·  January 28th, 2015 ·  General

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 1 Comment 

 

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Golf has many heroes—those who do things, mostly, for the love of the Game, and sometimes for recompense.

There’s one group—of many, worth singling out, here, for special recognition.

That is our Golf Course Superintendents.

They don’t often receive much, but they deserve letters of commendation that would stack to the top of the Sears Tower.

My perspective comes from working with thousands of them over the past 40+ years. 17,000 superintendents form the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, though GCSAA spans the world in 72 countries.

More often than not, they are given responsibility for overseeing the game’s biggest asset—the golf course, and we give them far too little recognition for their tireless effort.

This is NOT in ANY way to diminish the tremendous work done by managers and golf professionals. Usually, they are the one’s “out front”, coming face-to-face, daily, with golfers and club members. They are often called the “Mayors” of the golf communities. Some are even called “Generals”.

If that’s the case, then Golf Course Superintendents are the game’s “Infantry Officers”. They are the boots on the grounds, daily, leading on tough issues that include—managing others, tackling diseases that confound, dealing with the politics from within, handling budgets, enforcing environmental and governmental regulations, and even knowing the Rules of Golf! And, oh, yes, they often endure comments from those who might play at scratch, but don’t really understand. Add to all this, they deal with the weather that has a mind of its own—“365”.

The only ones who may have a more difficult jobs, in my view, are Moms everywhere, and perhaps the President of the United States.

30 years ago, we asked the Green Chairman at Tacoma Country & Golf Club to speak at a turf conference. The gentleman, a retired military officer, was one who “got it”. He knew the effort that went into maintaining the West’s oldest club. He showed his recognition by periodically showing up in the maintenance area—in darkness at 5 a.m. when the maintenance staff assembled. He saw, first hand, the effort put forth, usually before sunrise and lasting long after sunset. He thanked them, personally, and he encouraged TC&GC members to do the same.

So, in that vane, it is suggested YOU do the same. Take a moment to thank the unsung heroes—our golf course superintendents and their staffs. These soldiers don’t defend us by carrying weapons, but they really do make our lives better.

Ron Read

Ron is a native of suburban Chicago—LaGrange, IL He kept moving west, first Drake University, then the Monterey Peninsula, residing there since 1967. Following the US Army, Ron joined the Northern California Golf Association in 1970, then the USGA staff in 1981. In 1986, he became starter on the first tee at the US Open and was a fixture there until the 2010 Open at Pebble Beach. While representing the USGA from Alaska to Hawaii and even Texas, he officiated at over 100 national championships, including 30 US Opens. He led the USGA to new championship sites, including Chambers Bay GC—site of the 2015 Open, first ever in the Pacific Northwest. Ron enjoys jogging, golf, bridge, good wine, gardening, hikes in the country with his dog, and traveling, particularly to St Andrews. He is writing a book on his experiences in the Game, and he hopes to produce a TV series on golf’s rich history. He serves on the honorary board of NCGA’s Youth on Course Program.

Cowan Creek Greenside Bunkers

Last week we started our Greenside Bunker Renovations at Cowan Creek. Please remember to
play ALL of the greenside bunkers as Ground Under Repair until the project is complete. We will be posting updates on the Blog tracking our progress.

January 2015 Course Conditions

Course Conditions

All three courses are doing well with the exception of a couple of the sodded areas on the White Wing greens that we are keeping a close eye on. You probably have noticed that these areas are roped off and have been receiving extra attention with sand and hand spiking. We feel that they should be fine in the spring but will not hesitate to cut any bad areas out and re-sod them early on in the growing season.  

Playability Items for 2014/2015

The items marked with highlighted green font have been completed or will be completed per the Dec. schedule. The week that we were covered allowed us to get ahead of schedule on the Legacy Hills greenside bunkers.  

White Wing

HOLE #5

•        GREEN TEE:  Remove and replace the damaged steps; rework entire tee box and re sod with Zoysia turf.    

                        Received Bid and will submit for work when weather is suitable for planting.

HOLE #6

•        Replace damaged tee monument.  

 HOLE #8

•        Major tree trimming needed from the tee area to the green.  Arborist and crew are currently on property  

HOLE #14
 

•        Major tree trimming on the right side from tee to green. Currently plan to be started in house 1^st week of February or before.

HOLE #17

•        Flower bed left of green and behind the sales center, must be reworked. Round up sprayed week of 1/19 with cleaning and trimming to follow 

Cowan Creek

HOLE #1

•         Suggest possible DG area under the group of trees on the right side of the fairway. (11/4/14 – limbed up trees, began clearing out underbrush)
(12/9/14 – almost finished prepping area.  Need to hand dig around exposed native rock, then add decomposed granite, then define the border)
 

HOLE #3

Recommend installing more French drains on the left side of the fairway. (late December – early January)(scheduled to be completed on our closed day (1/26/15)
 

HOLE #5

•         Continue to improve the drainage issue near blue tee area to prevent DG from washing away with each rain. (January 2015)      (1/20/15 – flushed existing drainage pipe of sediment, cleaned out slot drain, lowered square drainage basin.  Need to replace dg in areas where sheet drainage occurs with a larger rock, add border.  Early February)

HOLE #6

•         Improve the drainage on the left side of the fairway. (11/10/14 – exposed drainage pipe on the left side near landing area, began unclogging drain from daylight and flushing sediment buildup)
(12/9/14 – finished removing crushed and root-filled pipe, waiting on pipe and fittings delivery.  Still need to install new pipe, re-grade lower drainage area, cut down large willow tree in native)

Legacy Hills

Legacy Hills Greenside Bunkers

A majority of the staff’s time has been spent working on the bunkers and we have almost completed emptying all of the Greenside Bunkers. We will start filling them in with the new sand in February.

HOLE #1

•         Place native rocks along cart path near green area. Will get rock from native

12/8/14 Area is prepared for rock. Finished 1/19/15

HOLE #3

*** Start Date Week of 12/08/14

•         Create a DG area under the trees on the right side of the fairway, between the bunkers and the cart path. Will be finished by end of January 2015

•         Create a DG area under the trees at the right front of the green.

Will start first week of February 2015

HOLE #8

•         Large tree on the left side needs trimmed to remove fairway overhang. Finished 1/19/15

HOLE #9

•         Eliminate two of the 4 exits and repair the remaining 2; make hole "cart path only" until the repair is healed.

HOLE #12

•         Trim the trees on the right side of the left blue tee box. Finished 1/19/15

•         Install a DG approach to the green tee box. Will start Prepping Feb. 2015

HOLE #14

•         Trim the trees on the left side of all tee boxes in Berry Creek. Trimmed trees that we were able to reach week of 11/24/14 Finished 1/19/15

Greens Covering
Per the Greens Covering policy we have had to cover the greens the week of Jan. 4^th – 11^th. 

Soil Testing

January’s disease samples showed nothing at LH, Rhizoctonia Zeae at a severity of 1 (on a scale of 1-5) at WW and Bermuda Grass Decline at CC at a severity of 3 on the same scale of 1-5. The fungicides to treat these diseases has already been applied.

Audubon Certification

 We continue to update our pesticide record spreadsheets from this year, and will move onto our case studies for each course after the site maps and pesticide records are completed.

GCSAA Certification

Attended 2 GCSAA webinars:

Bolster Turfs ability to use natural defenses against stress 

Expect the unexpected: Plan now to minimize your risk

Attended a full day seminar with the CTGCSA: BMP’s for Irrigation Practices 

Wet Course Conditions

Dealing With Wet Winters

Submitted by Craig Loving 

It seems like every year there are areas on each course that remain wet throughout the winter months.  Whether it’s an approach shot that doesn’t quite make it onto the green or losing a few yards off of your drive, these areas have an impact on the playability of the golf course.  The following paragraphs will explain why this happens, what measures we’ve taken to minimize this, as well as future projects to eliminate some of these wet areas.  We will briefly explain our winter irrigation adjustments, the effects of winter rain events, and how we deal with these conditions. 

Irrigation

During the winter months (November through March), we cut back our watering based on the needs of the plant.  As the turf goes into winter dormancy, the plant shuts down and water and nutrient uptake is reduced substantially.  We schedule our irrigation cycles based on evapotranspiration rates, which are reduced during cooler temperatures.  For example: in mid-summer months (ET of .26) we would need to water an area for 15-18 minutes to replace the moisture lost from both water evaporation and plant transpiration (evapotranspiration).  In the winter (ET of .06) we could water the same area for 2-3 minutes for the same effect.   

A majority of our focus in the winter is maintaining optimum root moisture to the greens.  We check moisture levels on a daily basis, then hand water or run irrigation cycles accordingly.  Fairways, tees, green surrounds, and rough irrigation are reduced as well, generally dependent on rainfall totals. 

Winter Rain

Rainfall is the primary advocate for wet conditions on the course during the winter months, mostly due to its unpredictability.  We can control every individual irrigation head on our course in regards to the direction, irrigation time, and irrigation amount for over 1,000 heads per course.  However, if we get a 2” rain event in December all we can do is wait for it to dry.  In some cases, this could take several days. 

There are two key factors behind why the drying process is prolonged during the winter.  The more obvious factor is that cooler temperatures reduce evaporation rates.  The lesser-known factor deals with a dormant plant’s inability to uptake water.  Therefore, most (if not all) of the turf drying comes from a reduced evaporation rate.  So when a 1” rain event happens in the middle of summer with high temperatures (and an active plant), it would take much less time to have playable conditions than when the same amount of rain occurs in the middle of winter. 

Protecting the Turf

After a winter rain event, we generally play it as safe as possible to ensure the health of the turf on our courses.  When grass becomes dormant, it loses its ability to recover from cart traffic ruts in wet areas like it would during the growing season.  This is the reasoning behind extended cart path only days, which is unfavorable for every golfer.  We have fairways on each course that may be 90% dry after a rain event that are cart path only, but are deemed so because the lower wet areas are too large to rope off for 1-2 days.  Some of our current worn areas in fairways and rough are due to high cart traffic in the winter months, and possibly due to a lapse in judgment by allowing carts in those areas at the wrong time of year (after rainfall).  We plan to be sterner in the future in this regard, and although it might not be a popular tactic, we believe it will help us with long-term turf health. 

Drainage

We plan to attack some of these lower wet areas with supplemental drainage to shorten the length of “cart path only” time.  These projects are ideal for winter months when our focus is on special projects and not on maintaining turf height.  With a trencher attachment to our skid steer, this process should be much faster than in years past.  Cowan Creek remains the course that needs the most supplemental drainage, as well as original drainage improvement.  We’ve seen dramatic improvements in areas that we’ve previously added drainage, and we hope to soon eliminate all of these long-term wet areas.