Arrowcreek Country Club Agronomy Blog

I'm Back!

2010-09-08T07:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry for lack of communication on my blog, but it's been a long and trying summer. The past couple of months have been basically routine maintenance with some very small projects going on.

We have been having multiple irrigation breaks this summer which is not uncommon for a 10+ year old irrigation system. However, we finally got our new pump installed at the end of August and are now able to irrigate more efficiently. I've attached some photo's of the process of installation.

I have and I am sure many of you noticed some decline in the quality of playing conditions especially the fairways. I was really hoping our controlled release fertilizer would get us through September, however I can see area's starting to decline. Luckily we still have some quick release left over from the spring that we will be spot spreading over areas that need a boost.

Course Happenings

2010-07-01T06:45:00.000-07:00

Monday we needle tined the Challenge greens. Needle tines are very narrow solid tines that poke small holes in the green to a depth of 4 inches. This process is very important in the summer months because the small holes allow for gas exchange in the root zone and relieves surface tension so water infiltration can be maximized.

We are also spraying Primo (plant growth regulator) and Quicksilver (moss killer) this week.

The greens are also being verticut to help maintain our consistent green speed.

You will see the crew out aerifying many areas on the fairways. These areas have the worst soil structure and we are trying to cultivate them in order to grow healthy turf.

Fairway Plugs from #2 Challenge

2010-06-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some samples of some aerification plugs on #2 Challenge. There are basically three layers.

1. Rock/DG

2. Thatch Layer

3. Turf

You can see these are not very large, but that is just how far water can penetrate. This is just for your information as we are continuing to aerify the areas that continue to struggle every summer.

Fairway Irrigation, Pumps, and Wind

2010-06-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

I agree the temperatures have warmed up since June 1st, however there has not been a single day without winds from the mid teens up to 30 mph. This is what has bothered me the most. Hopefully everyone can understand our so called soils are composed of decomposed granite and thatch. There is very little room for root growth and when the wind blows the relative humidity drops and the plant cells begin to dry out very rapidly. Now the plant is asking the roots for more water, but with such shallow root growth, crappy soil, and thatch there is not much available water. I'm trying to get approval to inject wetting agent via our irrigation system, plus we will be out handwatering very soon.

Now speaking of the irrigation system. Yes we have been watering, however we have lost two pumps this season due to our site and outsourcing materials to other countries. We have a new pump in production as we speak. Bob and Charlie are spending nearly 50K to get this fixed right. But in the meantime while we wait our watering capacity has been cut in half. So, for us to irrigate what we need too I have to start around 7pm for it to finish by 6am. But again the winds have dictated when I can start irrigating, which has been around 9-11 pm. We also go out first thing in the morning and start irrigating, but again that wind dries our turf out quicker than I would like. It's 7:30am right now and the winds are already picking up.

New Flagsticks

2010-06-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

We have replaced every single flagstick on the Challenge course with a solid white flagstick. We also replaced any questionable sticks on the Legend.

My set-up staff have been ordered to inspect every stick, every day, and replace as needed with new ones.

Mowing Schedule for Fertilizing

2010-06-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

I just wanted those who are following my blog we just finished fertilizing the Challenge fairways and rough with the new Polyon controlled release fertilizer. Because this is such an expensive product we will not be mowing any fairways or rough until Friday June 11th.

We will do our best to get the Legend finished a.s.a.p., however the wind may slow this process down.

Thank You

Grainy Greens on the Challenge

2010-05-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

On a golf green, grain refers to the angle upon which the blades of grass tend to lie. We have this issue on our Challenge greens. When putting with the grain the ball will roll smooth with a greater speed, however when putting against the grain the ball roll will be slower with little or no roll out. Bentgrass and bermuda grass are the leading "grainy" grasses and this phenomenon is caused by over watering, over fertilizing and not enough cultural practices. The cultural practices include aerification, verticutting, grooming, and light topdressing.

Our plan of attack is going to be a weekly schedule which will go accordingly:

Monday- Double verticut lightly in the late afternoon
Tuesday- Brush, mow, very light topdress, and then water the sand in
Wednesday- Mow greens
Thursday- Roll greens
Friday- Brush, then mow greens
Saturday- Mow greens
Sunday- Roll greens.

This is going to be a 3-4 month long process and we will be very conscientious regarding our upcoming member tournaments.

Plans for next week

2010-05-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

Weeds, weeds, and yes more weeds is the main goal for next week. We will be applying a broadleaf herbicide to all the native areas, tees, bunker edges, and other turfgrass areas where weeds have begun to grow. Also, we will be spraying round-up to the cobble pull outs. The reason we have waited so long is that the ambient air temperature needs to be roughly 65-70 degrees for constant period so the plant will take up the chemical and begin its process of killing the weed. We now will have those temperatures this week, and it's about time!

Introducing a new fertilizer next week

2010-05-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

The maintenance staff will be introducing a new fertilizer technology on the courses next week. It is called Polyon 43-0-0 and is the leading poly(plastic) coated fertilizer in the industry. In the past we used a SCU (sulfer coated urea), urea being the nitrogen source. SCU is a slow release fertilizer and is quite unpredictable with its release of nitrogen. The sulfur coat that encases the urea prill is very brittle and can crack and degrade easily before it is even applied to the turf. This is a big problem as water enters these small cracks the urea is broken down quickly and the "slow release" become more of a quick release. The volatility of these prill is also a large problem as heat and sun will cause nitrogen loss into the atmosphere. Not good!

Polyon does not use any sulfur rather a polyethylene cover to release the nitrogen slowly throughout the growing season. Depending on the size of the prill there are multiple membranes of polyethylene which allow water to enter the capsule then release nitrogen through the same membranes. There is not any cracking of the prill and the release of nitrogen is completely temperature dependent. So as the heat rises nitrogen will be released slowly and just the right amount to grow healthy turf during the stressful summer months. There is much more to this new science, however it will probably bore you so I can answer any other questions via email or phone.

Wind Damage

2010-05-05T06:46:00.000-07:00

Last week we recorded an outstanding wind speed of 86 m.p.h. at the maintenance facility. We estimated that we lost nearly 30% of the sand from the Legend bunkers. The Challenge was not as bad because of their deep design. We also lost 24 flags that probably ended up down at Wolf Run. New flags have been ordered for both courses and we should be seeing them next week. The maintenance facility, and the outside tent had some significant damage as well. Take a look at the photos.

#5 Bunker Renovation

2010-04-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

We have started renovating the sand traps on the Challenge Course. These are a couple pictures of the first fairway bunker on the right and the green side bunker on the left. Weather has slowed us down, but my crew is doing a wonderful job.

Snow still on the Course

2010-04-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

We still have snow on the courses, however it should melt off today. Cart paths only please for today.

More Winter?

2010-04-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

Looks like we may be getting some snow here tonight. I would love some rain, but I'll take any free precipitation at this point. We just finished fertilizing both courses and will be applying a little extra to the troublesome fairways.

The greens have been cut at their low mowing height of .120/1000 of an inch. This will be our standard mowing height for the year. Rolling the greens often will increase ball roll and promote healthy turf.

The weather looks great for the weekend, so make your tee times.

Spring Cleaning

2010-04-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

I hope you all notice what a great job the crew is doing on the native weed clean-up. We are spending most of the time clearing dead weeds and suckers on the Challenge Course.

Greens Fertilization

2010-04-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

We are applying a quick release fertilizer to the Legend greens today. Tomorrow we will do the same to the Challenge greens.

We will also be applying a quick release fertilizer to the tees, approaches, fairways, and rough to both courses over the next week and a half.

The weather forecast looks great, hopefully we get some great seed germination!!!

Challenge Opening at 10:00

2010-04-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

The Challenge is opening today at 10:00 am. Please be aware there might be some remnants from the fairway aerification such as small plugs of thatch and debris. Due to the snow earlier this week we got a bit behind, however we are doing are best to get the fairways cleaned up ahead of play.

Welcome Members

2010-04-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to the Arrowcreek Maintenance Blog. I recommend you visit this site regularly as I will be posting on a near day to day basis.

As you know the Challenge Course is closed for aerification thru Thursday. The process of aerifying is a necessary one where thatch removal, gas exchange, and reducing compaction are our goals.

However, the greens will not be aerified this spring so our putting surfaces will be in great shape as soon as we get some decent weather. Thank you for checking out this new form of communication and I hope to see you out on the course.