Just a reminder to please remain using temporary tees for one more week. Yes, the blue tees are open for the NJCAA Championship but I would like to let the white, gold and red tees mature for one more week before being opened for daily play.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
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Sunday, June 3, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
The Eurythmics and Superstition
What does 80's pop group The Eurythmics have to do with golf course maintenance? Well......"Here Comes the Rain Again"!!!!!
After such a great and dry March, April and the first of May has been nothing but a constant onslaught of snow, rain and sometimes both. It has wreaked havoc on our renovation progress on numbers 6 & 8 on the Lake Course as well as our spring aerification schedule.
A good question would be "How much rain have we received?" I have no idea, and this is where the superstition comes in. A few years ago every time I put out the rain gauge, it seemed to trigger a lengthy rain event that would only halt when I brought it back in. Silly, I know, but it seemed to work for a couple years. I guess I'll try the opposite now and put it back out.
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After such a great and dry March, April and the first of May has been nothing but a constant onslaught of snow, rain and sometimes both. It has wreaked havoc on our renovation progress on numbers 6 & 8 on the Lake Course as well as our spring aerification schedule.
A good question would be "How much rain have we received?" I have no idea, and this is where the superstition comes in. A few years ago every time I put out the rain gauge, it seemed to trigger a lengthy rain event that would only halt when I brought it back in. Silly, I know, but it seemed to work for a couple years. I guess I'll try the opposite now and put it back out.
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Sunday, April 29, 2012
Prayers Needed
I received an email last night of a horrible accident that has left a local superintendent, and all around great guy, Jim DeYoung in a coma. Please send a prayer and thoughts out for him and his family in their time of need. This is the email received from his wife last night:
"This is Jim's wife. I just got home from ECMC. Jim did fall off a ladder and is in a medically induced coma. He had bleeding on his brain....this is very tough to write, but he might have brain damage. He had surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain. It is probably the first of many surgeries to come. It is a waiting game. He will need your support. It is going to be a long haul for Jim. He is in ICU and will be probably for weeks. Our daughter is flying home tonight and our son and his wife are driving and should be here soon. We need lots of prayers. Jim is the best husband and father anyone could every ask for and we need him back, so keep those prayers going.
Thanks,
Penny"
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"This is Jim's wife. I just got home from ECMC. Jim did fall off a ladder and is in a medically induced coma. He had bleeding on his brain....this is very tough to write, but he might have brain damage. He had surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain. It is probably the first of many surgeries to come. It is a waiting game. He will need your support. It is going to be a long haul for Jim. He is in ICU and will be probably for weeks. Our daughter is flying home tonight and our son and his wife are driving and should be here soon. We need lots of prayers. Jim is the best husband and father anyone could every ask for and we need him back, so keep those prayers going.
Thanks,
Penny"
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Sunday, April 22, 2012
Black greens, yellow flags and cream caterpillars.
I'm sure many of you have noticed the three greens that appear black, the yellow flags scattered throughout both courses, and the hoards of cream colored caterpillars on some of the greens. Fortunately, these items are completely unrelated.
The black greens are indeed just that, and are completely healthy and pest free. In an effort to speed recovery of #6, 7, & 8 greens, I have been topdressing them with black sand this spring. Black sand was used to soak up the sun's warmth and raise soil temperatures quicker than normal. It has worked wonderfully as these three greens have really filled in since last fall and have averaged 6-10 degrees warmer than the rest of the greens.
The yellow flags are guidelines for my rough mowers. As part of our progress toward Audubon International certification we are letting several of the out-of-play portions of both courses grow up as natural areas. Advantages to this include improved quality of runoff water, wildlife habitat, decreased labor costs and less fuel usage. I will elaborate more in another post to answer some of the questions and concerns that will certainly arise.
The cream caterpillars are a relatively new pest in turf management and are an invasive species known as the European Crane Fly. The native variety of crane fly is not a pest for turf, but the European Crane Fly, first noticed in western New York about 10 years ago has become quite a problem recently. Fortunately, highly maintained turf can sustain relatively high populations, 15-50 larvae per sq ft, without too much concern of damage. We are within this range but are treating for them now before they become more of an issue later on when they are more mature and harder or control.
As always, I am available to answer question and concerns regarding these and any other topics by giving me a call at my office or through email.
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The black greens are indeed just that, and are completely healthy and pest free. In an effort to speed recovery of #6, 7, & 8 greens, I have been topdressing them with black sand this spring. Black sand was used to soak up the sun's warmth and raise soil temperatures quicker than normal. It has worked wonderfully as these three greens have really filled in since last fall and have averaged 6-10 degrees warmer than the rest of the greens.
The yellow flags are guidelines for my rough mowers. As part of our progress toward Audubon International certification we are letting several of the out-of-play portions of both courses grow up as natural areas. Advantages to this include improved quality of runoff water, wildlife habitat, decreased labor costs and less fuel usage. I will elaborate more in another post to answer some of the questions and concerns that will certainly arise.
The cream caterpillars are a relatively new pest in turf management and are an invasive species known as the European Crane Fly. The native variety of crane fly is not a pest for turf, but the European Crane Fly, first noticed in western New York about 10 years ago has become quite a problem recently. Fortunately, highly maintained turf can sustain relatively high populations, 15-50 larvae per sq ft, without too much concern of damage. We are within this range but are treating for them now before they become more of an issue later on when they are more mature and harder or control.
As always, I am available to answer question and concerns regarding these and any other topics by giving me a call at my office or through email.
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Monday, April 16, 2012
#6, 7 & 8 Greeen Update
The early spring weather has been great for the course as we continue to regain mid season playing surfaces on #6, 7 and 8 Lake greens. The colder weather with several frosts/freezes in the last two weeks has slowed things down considerably but we have treated these greens a little differently that the rest and they are still growing and filling in nicely. #6 is 100% back and #7 and 8 are right behind and will be back by mid May if not sooner.
I realize that tree removal is still a touchy issue with most Chautauquans and encourage those with questions to contact me. In past posts I've detailed why removal was necessary but it is always nice to hear this from other sources as well. In the You Tube video below, Chris Tritabaugh of Northland Country Club in Minnesota articulates this very well. Chris' blog is tagged as Northland Country Club Turfgrass Maintenance to the right of this blog as one I follow and is loaded with good information. It's worth checking out.
I realize that tree removal is still a touchy issue with most Chautauquans and encourage those with questions to contact me. In past posts I've detailed why removal was necessary but it is always nice to hear this from other sources as well. In the You Tube video below, Chris Tritabaugh of Northland Country Club in Minnesota articulates this very well. Chris' blog is tagged as Northland Country Club Turfgrass Maintenance to the right of this blog as one I follow and is loaded with good information. It's worth checking out.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Early April Update
It's hard to believe it is April 3rd and we're having a hard time keeping up with the mowing. Soil temps have fallen 12-13 degrees in the last week and, while the growth has slowed down, it is still going quick enough that we're having a hard time catching up. Please be patient with our mowing and maintenance schedule when things don't appear to be in mid season form. Keep in mind that it is only April 3rd and we usually still have snow cover at this time.
The last two days have been verticutting days for the Lake Course, getting fairways and aprons done for the first time this season. The greens have been verticut once and will be done a second time this week. In the past I haven't been happy with our verticutting on the greens. They just didn't seem to bring up much material or stand the leaf blades up like I wanted so this winter we replaced the OEM blades on our verticutters with some 2mm carbide tip blades and decreased the gap from 3/4" to 1/2". What a difference and a sense of accomplishment when we verticut compared to years past. I think you will really see a difference in the greens this season and will be thrilled with the improved putting quality and consistancy.
Also this week, we will be getting out tee markers, ball washers and tee signs, bunkers are being cleaned and raked, and the Learning Center driving range is now open.
Happy Spring!
The last two days have been verticutting days for the Lake Course, getting fairways and aprons done for the first time this season. The greens have been verticut once and will be done a second time this week. In the past I haven't been happy with our verticutting on the greens. They just didn't seem to bring up much material or stand the leaf blades up like I wanted so this winter we replaced the OEM blades on our verticutters with some 2mm carbide tip blades and decreased the gap from 3/4" to 1/2". What a difference and a sense of accomplishment when we verticut compared to years past. I think you will really see a difference in the greens this season and will be thrilled with the improved putting quality and consistancy.
Also this week, we will be getting out tee markers, ball washers and tee signs, bunkers are being cleaned and raked, and the Learning Center driving range is now open.
Happy Spring!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Taking Advantage of Early Spring
We've been busy taking full advantage of this year's early spring. Stick and debris cleanup is done on the Lake Course and only a couple holes remain on the Hill Course. Greens, tees and fairways have all been mowed at least twice with another cutting coming today and we will start on the rough after that. A great start to a new year!
The biggest advantage to the early start has been the continuation of last season's renovation and tree removal on #5-9 on the Lake Course. We have been able to get a good start on stump grinding and removal on #6 and should have the entire hole renovated and sodded by the end of April, a full month ahead of schedule. Other enhancements on these holes will include tee renovation and leveling and bunker renovation. If the weather holds, we will be done with this in early May.
The downside to these renovations is that the front nine of the Lake Course may be periodically closed for the safety of our staff and contractors. A small price to pay in my opinion considering there are 27 other holes to play while we are working.
I'll post pictures as they come available. In the meantime, enjoy the good weather and come out and see us.
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The biggest advantage to the early start has been the continuation of last season's renovation and tree removal on #5-9 on the Lake Course. We have been able to get a good start on stump grinding and removal on #6 and should have the entire hole renovated and sodded by the end of April, a full month ahead of schedule. Other enhancements on these holes will include tee renovation and leveling and bunker renovation. If the weather holds, we will be done with this in early May.
The downside to these renovations is that the front nine of the Lake Course may be periodically closed for the safety of our staff and contractors. A small price to pay in my opinion considering there are 27 other holes to play while we are working.
I'll post pictures as they come available. In the meantime, enjoy the good weather and come out and see us.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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