Drying up but another cold shot on the way

 

The rain has moved on but the wind is back and we have one scary low temperature to look at on Monday. As of right now the concern to cover the bermuda greens is low as our residual soil temps should easily remain above freezing. The bermuda has had a nice run into dormancy as well which allows it to tolerate the cold during December. The spring time is when concern rises as the bermuda starts to peak out of dormancy. This is where a cold snap at night could damage some turf. For now though we are focused more on getting work done while it is dry and the sun is out. 

Thursday night update: The forecast has dropped even more now and we have succumbed to covering the greens Sunday afternoon. We have blocked the tee sheet after 12:05 on Sunday to allow our crew to the pull the covers on. We will open the North back up at noon on Wednesday. The South course will open on Monday at 12:30 for anyone that wants to brave the cold. First tee time on the South on Tuesday will be 11am and 10am on Wednesday. 


It smelled like Christmas over on #1 South this week where 3 pines and a cedar tree were removed. This small removal will allow more sunlight to reach the fairway and rough exit area for carts and where a lot of balls end up here short and around the right greenside bunkers.

A few more trees were removed between 6 and 10 on the North this week and we also got started on removing the gum trees between 13 and 16. Next week we will continue to go after the remaining 4 gums here. These gums are not in healthy shape, are overgrown and besides being a menace because of their gum balls, they are now blocking valuable sun for the oaks that were planted as their replacement. 

Small stumps have been getting removed in house and the contractor has been coming once a month to knock out larger ones. Cleaning up stump grindings, filling them in and sodding them is tedious work for sure.

The South team hand dug a quick drain behind 4 green on Tuesday. The new sand based collar here is sloped away from the green and without any internal drainage, as water exits the sand it gets stuck in the adjacent native soil. A new French drain here should help dry up this area and increase playability nicely.

The South has also started the process of moving some fan bases in preparation for the summer. A number of our fans on the South are too far from the green, leaving voids of air flow. This new base on the right of #1 puts the fan within 100 feet of every blade of bentgrass on that green, giving us every chance to keep that surface in proper shape through the summer. We will also be wiring each fan into the irrigation system so that they can be remotely controlled. Each fan position will be evaluated this winter.

The frosty mornings continue to afford us the opportunity to tighten up the shop. This old mixing area was cleaned out and shelves were added to better organize our liquid fertilizers and make more room in the locked cage area for pesticides. A clean organized product area reduces any risk for mistakes when filling up the sprayers.

Next week after the cold moves on we will look to run the deep tine (solid tines) machine across the bentgrass greens. The solid tine creates a small hole that helps water move through the profile during the winter and gives the roots a nice deep avenue for growth as we head into spring. The greens are rolled afterwards and putting is not impacted. This is a normal practice and considered a small Christmas present for the bent!

Enjoy the sun this weekend and stay warm!

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