Of Divots, Sand/Seed Bins and Deep Rough

A few members want more sand/seed bins on the course. We have bins at the backshop, at #5 tee, #7 tee, #10 tee, #12 tee and #15 tee. I know of no other golf course that has so much sand/seed available all over the property. I deem them as a necessary evil so we will not be adding more bins. They are rarely empty at the end of the day. If they are, great! What we should be seeing is more divots returned to their original location. Its kind of like repairing ball marks. If you see a fresh divot and feel so inclined, find a crater to put it in. It doesn't have to be a perfect fit. It seems to me that a sand/seed bottle can sometimes become a convenient alternative to walking a few yards and replacing a divot. Am I wrong in making this assumption? In the end though, it is your course and your choice.

Cut the rough!! If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that in the last 2 weeks I'd buy a share. Well, not really. Just to reassure everyone: we are "cuttin the loong grrrass by the puttin grreen" to quote a former greenskeeper. Its just thicker and growing faster than it has in recent memory. Constant rain and timely fertilizing will do that. I for one welcome the change. Remember it won't take too long for it to brown off if the rain subsides and temperatures rise.

It does make the course more difficult doesn't it? Thats the beauty of golf. You must deal with changing conditions and "dig deep" at times. Seriously though, we are doing are best to keep it in control. Thank you for your patience.

At the last board meeting (Monday night) I mentioned we were planning and costing some small projects. One of those was to install a paving stone path for cart traffic behind the 3rd tee box. Without going into too much detail it has been deferred to next season (mainly due to the cost). We will still be doing a small walk off paving stone path behind the 4th green and adding some sprinklers later this season but as I was standing at the 9th tee this morning I got fed up with the mess between the the 2 tee complexes. I knew the whole path area was on our list for aesthetic improvement so I decided to get started. It won't affect your round but it will look much nicer when completed. Wood chips and boulders will be utilized in the open beds. Air movement and sight lines have been improved immediately and when the cart paths are eventually repaved and curbed it will be a huge improvement. It will be a work in progress but not looking "unfinished" as funds become available and it is completed over time.

Don Stenson will be posting a schedule of projects on the website a soon as I make a few changes to the document. These projects are smaller in scale but in addition to Ted Locke's Long Range Golf Course Enhancement Plan. The bunker work scheduled for the 5th hole later this fall is a continuation of Ted's plan.

Wade

The Politics Of Tree Removal And Pruning

Everyone loves trees and shrubs. They look great, create shade, help clean the air of CO2 and produce oxygen. Older trees remind us of longevity and history. The problem, as far as greens and tees are concerned, is that they rob the turf of moisture and nutrients and the shade they produce restricts sunlight penetration and air movement. Critical factors for healthy golf course turf growth.

Do I wish we could remove trees at will to open up those areas here that are diifcult to maintain turf? Of course but we are on leased land and the City of Edmonton has a very restrictive river valley tree policy. We abide by it but some trees do have to come down and that is why we plant new trees in areas away from greens and tees or on the north side of these areas.

Pruning on the other hand is less restrictive and does help us manage tree growth. Unfortunately there are some variables involved here that don't work in our favor. They are: money (labor), time, weather and debris disposal.

We only have so many staff to do so many tasks in a day of work. Tree pruning generally falls under Tim's responsibility and we give him help when he requests it. I tend to give Tim direction as to what needs attention as I am always looking for those areas that need the most pruning (as staffing and time permits). The weather is a factor when storms create additional work or when rainfall finally allows the trees to really flourish. Like now. We have noticed unusual high growth patterns this summer. Another factor we must consider is where to put all the debris. We own a powerful log splitter, a very good chipper and a medium duty stump grinder. Regardless of that we are out of room. The high road, behind 15A and our yard are full. The last point to remember is that we are an old woodland golf course and by the nature of the beast we will always have shaded areas and overhanging limbs to contend with.

Right now we have opened up the back of the 6th tee box and done some other work you may not have noticed. Also I have just given Tim a list of dead trees that need removal as well. Members tend to notice dead trees and wonder why they aren't cut down sooner than later. We know they are there but it all comes down to priorities. More staff and more equipment solely dedicated to tree work would go a long way but is it really necessary? We will get to the task at hand eventually. Without going into great detail think of the area between the 5th green and the 8th tee and the back of the 10th green. Some "pruning" has changed conditions for the better. We need to proceed cautiously here. If anyone needs clarification contact me on a secure line :) .

If you are reading this before playing this weekend the course was flooded twice this week. Tuesday was the first storm and my staff did a great job pumping and adjusting the bunkers yesterday. I told them to take a picture because more rain was forecast and guess what? Thunderstorms and heavy rains have flooded the course again. On a Friday before a weekend as well. So please be patient as the bunkers won't be at their best and the rough will be a tad deep in spots. We will be hard at it again on Monday when we have a full compliment of staff. The only chance we had to roll greens was Thursday and with the soft conditions please understand that the greens speed will be lower.

Wade

About Greens Speed

Greens speed is probably the most talked about, most volatile and most difficult issue to address in the golf maintenance industry. For some a green cannot be fast enough and for a few greens are always a little too quick. As a superintendent I am in the position of trying to find a common ground among all the members and at the same time maintaining the health and appearance of the most important area on the course. I am a fairly decent player and I do like fast greens. My definition of fast being subjective. What I also like are greens that roll true with very little or no bumpiness and "waggle" (subtle side to side movement).

Achieving the above is not just a simple matter of "shaving the greens down", a phrase I cannot stand. It involves aeration, topdressing, verticutting, brushing, fertilizing, irrigation, mowing heights, reel and bedknife design and rolling. I won't go into the details but firm greens tend to be faster and "soft greens" tend to be slower. Of course something most golfers overlook is the design of a green. Sloping greens give the perception of being faster. Flatter greens are deemed slower when one compares our greens to lets say Blackhawk's. In fact our Stimpmeter readings are very similar to theirs (news flash: superintendents communicate with each other all the time). Unfair yes, but perception becomes reality in our world.

What I need to strive for are healthy, consistent and fair greens at our course. I'm getting a little off topic but I just want to stress how many factors can affect greens speed on a day to day basis. In addition to all of our maintenance factors the weather can cause speed changes as well. Case in point. We had the greens rolling true and very fast (by USGA standards) on the weekend. Too fast for regular play, great for tournament play. The fast speeds being attainable in the future by altering our maintenance practices. We didn't roll on the following Monday (you cannot roll everyday) and they slowed down slightly. We planned to brush, cut and roll on Tuesday but heavy rains arrived and so the greens were not touched until today (Wednesday). We could only cut them as they were too soft to brush and roll without potentially causing damage. Are the greens even slower than Monday? Yes. They went from 11.5 to 9.5. Exactly what I expected.

For the remainder of the summer and part of September we will strive to maintain the greens between 10 and 11. The Club Championship and The Member Guest will see speeds similar to The Martell, all conditions being equal.

I encourage everyone to visit the USGA Greens Section (Google it) and read up on the history and the proper use of the Stimpmeter (and what in fact a stimp number means). You will also see the USGA's Stimpmeter numbers for slow, medium and fast greens speeds for both regular and tournament play. I use it as a rough guide. So here we have arrived at the following: using 14 blade reels matched with a super thin bedknife on our Toro 21" walk behind mowers to cut greens daily, setting the mowing height at .110 inches and rolling 3 to 4 times/week we can attain a stimp reading of 10.5. Remember that weather and our practices such as verticutting (will actually slow down the greens) and light topdressing (will actually speed up the greens) can change everything. Read the update boards at the pro shop!!

Please give me your feedback. I will do what I can to satisfy your wishes (within sound agronomic practices and not beyond normal turf stress levels.

One more point. I know its been wet but its way better than 3 years of near drought conditions!

Wade

Have you ever wondered ..........?

Have you ever wondered how the daily pin placements are decided?

We don't have a rotation sheet or a guide and I personally do not tell our setup crew where to specifically locate the pins unless it is a major event such as the Henry Martell or the Club Championship. They are well trained as to our requirements and rules. They need to understand and play the game in order to get a feel for what they are accomplishing. They get better with time and by making mistakes or "pushing the limit" (read that as difficult placements that may be okay for certain conditions but not others).

Have you ever wondered how long it takes to mow the greens, tees/approaches and fairways?

It takes 2.5 hours to mow greens when using 4 walking greensmowers. 2 hours with 5 and 1.5 with 6. We rarely use 6 mowers due to available staff. It takes 3 hours to cut tees and approaches using 2 riding greensmowers. It takes 5 to 7 hours using 2 fairway mowers and 3 to 4 hours using 3 fairway units. Mowing fairways is the most difficult, demanding task at Highlands so we don't have as many trained operators available like we do for other equipment.

Have you ever wondered about the hard hats our staff wear?

They are government approved protection and being caught not wearing it at the appropriate time and area of the course means a session cleaning the wash bay and the sump that collects all those wet, rotting clippings. They also must wear approved steel toed footwear. We check by dropping a cement block on their feet (just joking). Hearing and eye protection is provided and we have a list of tasks that require the use of this gear. Remember there is some onus on the employee to wear the gear as instructed.

Have you ever wondered why the course is a little rough around the edges or the fairways are "shaggy" on a Sunday afternoon?

Simple. It all comes down to available labour and the budget. Oh and one more variable. Do you want rough mowers and the fairway units out there on the course until 11 or 12 o clock? No you don't and if you can find staff that wants to be out there mowing on a weekend in the summer for 11 to 12 bucks an hour let me know. Remember from above. You can't just throw anybody on a fairway unit 1 or 2 days a week and expect good results.

Have you ever wondered how nice my home lawn looks?

It doesn't. I have kids, a female dog, a wife that is also a golf course superintendent and a home to keep clean. Although with the weather this summer and my youngest mowing and weed whipping it does look okay. For now.

Wade

The Trouble With Divots

Okay. So you've taken a divot after an outstanding shot on the fairway or even out of the rough. Now what? Admire the result, pat yourself on the back and head off to the green? Don't worry about the divot because someone else will take care of it? Perhaps you don't care that the blemish will be there for weeks on end or the golfer behind you will end up hitting their shot out of the canyon you left behind. It won't repair itself. You have to do your part.

Find the divot or the pieces and patch the divot hole as well as you can. The odds are good the pieces will be full of Poa annua seed head and that a whole piece of turf will likely survive until the next irrigation cycle. This isn't Arizona after all. Last time I checked it rarely gets to +30 C here. If you have a sand/seed bottle sprinkle some on top as a layer of topdressing (all the better for recovery). As a last resort if your divot is AWOL use the sand and fill the hole completely.

It does take extra effort and a little extra time but the results are worth it. Smoother, better looking fairways. And believe me we have some nice fairways thanks to perfect growing weather and good timing with the fertilizer. Lets keep it that way and don't be too quick to blame someone else for "all the divots not repaired" or "it must be that shotgun we just had" (although they are major culprits as we all have seen the group of 4 out there!). Thanks for your help.

I'll be posting a video detailing proper divot and ball mark repair soon. Rehearsals are now underway.

Wade