Dessication and Direct Cold Temperature Injury

Lately I have frequently been asked how I think the course is overwintering. Although I feel we have overwintered well to this point, there are some issues that have me very concerned.

The most pressing of the concerns is winter desiccation. Desiccation occurs when roots cannot provide enough water to replace what the crowns and shoots loose. We have been without any measurable moisture for far too long. Combine this lack of moisture with high temps an winds and we are approaching  a time for concern. With no measurable moisture in any long term forecasts we may have no other option than to start hand watering the greens next week. We will haul water to the greens in our sprayers and apply by hand.  This is a time consuming process but the possible benefits make it worth while. I would love to use the irrigation system to supplement the tees, fairways, and rough but that could be at a huge cost to the integrity of the underground piping. The freezing temps would wreak havoc on a charge irrigation system and the costs of repair would far exceed the cost of reseeding any winter damage.

Winter desiccation damage. Notice the wheel tracking. Keeping traffic off these areas is very important.



There are risks to dormant watering that we must be aware of however. Too much supplemental water could provide enough moisture to the plant to catalyze both intracellular and extracellular ice formation. Anytime we experience warm weather coupled with too much available moisture, the crown of the plant runs the risk of hydrating. If this warm weather is followed by a dramatic drop in temperature, there is a risk of ice formation within the plant. The rapid formation of Intracellular ice (ice within the cell) causes mechanical damage to the cell wall and results in cell death. The formation of Extracellular ice (ice between the cell walls) is an equilibrium process meaning that the formation of ice between the cells pulls water from within the cell causing cell desiccation. This desiccation over time can result in a weakened and damaged cell. The correction application of water is very important.

Another issue that concerns me is that these extremely cold stretches we have experienced this year have all been preceded by a short stretch of above-average temperatures. This last arctic blast was proceeded by a couple days in the 50's and 60's and along with those temps came the melting of what little snow cover we had.

The loss of snow cover compounds many issues. The most obvious is that we lose the protective and insulting benefits that snow cover gives us. Snow cover provides good protection to the plant from the extreme cold temperatures as well as the desiccating winter winds. With as little moisture as we have had over the last few seasons, any protection from desiccation is very important.



Fortunately this is not our course but is an example of freezing injury on turfgrass.



Bentgrass has the ability to withstand much lower temperatures than ryegrass so, unlike with desiccation, my initial concern is not for the greens but for the fairways. My level of concern is not alarming at this point because I am not sure that these previous periods of warmth were long enough to cause hydration and it has been so dry. Also the fact that they happened in the dead of winter when the plant was at its highest level of dormancy versus the spring when the plant is preparing to break dormancy will hopefully help our case. On that same note however, it appears we are going to have temperatures well above normal in the near future. If these high temperatures linger long enough and there is sufficient moisture, we could have a problem on our hands.

Preventing winter damage can be very difficulty since our control options are extremely limited. Predicting winter damage is also very difficult. We will do our best to protect everything we can and wait for spring to see the results of what is shaping up to be a difficult winter. Pray for some snow.

Trailer Fabrication

I would like to thank Randy Robbins and Kurtis Burden for designing and fabricating a trailer for the maintenance crew to use. They took an old pull-behind tank sprayer, gutted it, and repurposed it for use as an on-course trailer. We now have the ability to haul extremely heavy equipment anywhere on the course.

This will really pay off when we reach the aerification/venting processes. Transporting our greens aerifier from one hole to the next is very time consuming and limits our ability to needle time during the summer months. This trailer helps alleviate that issue and makes the process much more convenient.

These are the behind-the-scenes processes that often times go unnoticed and, as a result, unappreciated by the golfer. Not only did these guys save the golf course money we would have used to buy a new trailer, but they also saved us time working on the course and, as we all know, time is money.



Heavy Roller on Greens

Following the last aerification process, I wasn't satisfied with the smoothness of the greens. This fall, I brought in the big guy to smooth things out. This is a process we would like to add to both the spring and fall aerification processes moving forward. I think we can get a quicker recovery and better product if we increase the amount of sand we apply to greens during aerification and use this roller the following week.

The first question most people might ask is "aren't you creating a compaction issue?" The short answer is no. Compaction is a huge issue on a high volume golf course, but less of a concern on the sand-based greens. The particle size and structure of sand does not lend itself to compaction like a heavy clay soil. Sand-based greens are far more prone to wear and tear damage than compaction. This allows us to get away with using a 1 1/2 ton roller on them.

This is not a fast process as it takes 20-30 minutes per green in addition to the transport time between greens. Hopefully it will prove worth the time and effort.

Fall 2013

Fall is, without a doubt, my favorite time of year. We had a successful golf season and now it is important we get a few major projects done before the snow flies. I was reviewing our greens management program today and was pleased to realize that we completed 13 topdressings on the greens between May and October. This is the most consistent topdressing season we have had since I started working at Indian Creek. Frequent topdressing takes a lot of work, especially on a 27-hole course. My mechanic and assistants worked very hard to help us get the job done. I hope to fit a few more topdressings in this fall and will aim to complete closer to 20 next season.

#3 Red Feather

Fairway aerification and over seeding were completed in the past couple weeks. This year's aerification process was by far the most thorough and aggressive since I started. We pulled 1/2"-1" cores to a depth of 4"-5". Every square foot of fairway was over seeded and aerified.

#4 Black Bird

#7 Black Bird

The next week will be spent fertilizing 120 acres of rough. We will also be spraying all the rough for broad leaf weeds. We also hope to finish up mowing our 50+ acres of natural areas. We are focusing on cleaning these areas up over the winter and throughout next playing season. It will be nice to treat these areas as an aesthetic element of the course as opposed to unmowed waste areas. It may take a season to get a real grasp on the weed control but I think we can take a big step in the right direction over the next 12 months.

 #2 Gray Hawk

Fall color on a Red Oak

Leaf cleanup always becomes a focus as the weather turns and many hours will be spent mulching what we can.

#5 Black Bird

Dividing Perennials



Time is running out to divide your perennials before the ground freezes. Perennials often benefit from division every 3-5 years and it's is a great way to get the most out of your plants. Please enjoy the how to video below.

 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuYW2Vj5JZ4&feature=youtu.be

Interesting Course Photos

Former Indian Creek Superintendent Bob Hall brought in some photos that he has collected over the years. In his collection was one that was taken of #2 Black Bird in early spring prior to the grand opening of Indian Creek Golf Course. Strangely enough, I had taken a photo of the exact same hole from nearly the same spot in the spring right before we reopened Black Bird after the renovation. My photo was taken without knowing the old photo existed. It gives us a great insight into how far the course has come over the years. I apologize for the poor picture quality, these are actually photos of photos taken with my phone.

Gray Hawk Warranty Work Complete

Duininck Golf was recently back in town to finalize some of the finishing touches on the Gray Hawk rebuild. With any grading and drainage installation project, soil settling is expected and ours was no exception. Last year's dry conditions made the soil very difficult to work with, so we expected a little more settling than in past years and we were right. A small crew was brought in to regrade the basins to recapture the intended slopes. In addition, some inlets were lowered and irrigation heads were leveled. Then, these areas were seeded and hydromulched. With a little warm weather and moisture, we hope to have these areas well on their way to being grown in by the time the snow falls. 

 

Is this the end of the settling? Most likely not. The course will continue to settle for many years to come. The rate of settling will change from year to year based on many factors, including seasonal moisture rates and the severity of freeze/thaw cycles, but we will continue to address the problem areas as they appear. You can play your part in helping reestablish these areas by keeping cart and foot traffic out of the roped and staked areas. 

1Gray Fwy

 

1 Gray Fwy

 

 

1 Gray Fwy



6 Gray Fwy

 



6 Gray Fwy

 

 

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