An Early Christmas

Based on the current weather forecast, it looks as if the Madison area will have a very white Christmas, and there's nothing more that we would like to see than 12" of snow covering the course from Thursday until the end of February; wishful thinking, I know.  In a recent Wisconsin State Journal article, a soil scientist at UW-Madison estimated that we need 4-5" of rainfall (or its equivalent in snowfall) over the winter to replenish the soil moisture that was lost this year.  The relatively nice weather that we've had in recent weeks has allowed us to essentially wrap things up on the course for the year.

Impermeable plastic covers have been installed on 3, 11, and 17 greens, and these covers are designed to minimize the potential for winterkill on these three heavily-shaded and Poa-filled greens.  Last year, we had the same covers on 11 and 17 greens, but the dry, mild winter didn't provide much of a test.  Otherwise, the greens' perimeters have been roped and/or snow fenced to keep sledders and cross-country skiers from going across them.

Eleven green is covered and ready for winter.

Last week, we also removed three trees in and around the sixth hole.  Two scraggly, declining ash trees that were near the bathroom by six tee were taken down, and a relatively large silver maple on the right side of the fairway landing zone was also eliminated.  The silver maple ended up being much more rotten than it appeared to be, and we were quite glad that this safety risk was taken care of.

Today, Santa came early to the shop and delivered a shiny, new rough mower.  Our old mower has over 8000 hours on it, and by purchasing the new mower in 2012, a substantial amount of money was saved due to Tier 4 emission standards that will increase equipment costs in 2013 and beyond.  We will still keep the old mower around as long as it continues to run and use it primarily to mulch leaves in the fall.

Santa also stopped in the pumphouse today and dropped off the repaired version of the irrigation pump that went down in early October, and the crew from LW Allen spent the morning reassembling the pump, as shown below.

Enjoy the snowstorm (if the weather forecasters are correct), and stay safe.

The Never-ending Season

With tomorrow's reopening of the golf course, Blackhawk will officially have been open for 10 out of 12 months in 2012.  Who needs to go to Florida or Arizona to enjoy golf in December anymore?  According to a recent article in the newspaper, Madison is on track for the warmest year in recorded history, and given the extended forecast, things will have to change drastically in the last three weeks of the year for this to not happen.  Although not yet having the covers on 3, 11, and 17 greens makes us a little nervous because of how quickly Wisconsin's weather can change, the warm weather has allowed us to comfortably tackle some outdoor tasks. 

Yesterday,  Chad, Omar, and I finished going through the inner workings of the green and tee sprinklers.  The guts of each of the 147 sprinklers were removed, cleaned in the shop, inspected for worn parts, and reassembled.  Although it is a relatively time-consuming process, it keeps the sprinklers in good working order and greatly reduces the odds of a "stuck" head flooding an area come next year.

Last weekend, I received an unexpected Thanksgiving surprise while checking the hillside lift that transports golfers from the 9th green to the clubhouse.  One of the emergency brakes apparently deployed late in the previous afternoon, and rather than stopping the lift, it snapped off due to an undetectable, deteriorated weld.  While it will be an inconvenience for the remainder of the season, the fact that it broke now is much better than breaking at the start of the next season.  Thus, the lift has been closed for the season for this and other repairs.

The asphalt pavers were here this week to lay down the gravel base for the cart path by 18 green, and it is now passable.  We found out that the previous path was over 40 years old and was essentially laid directly on the native soil; this explains why the paver broke through the path in its initial attempt to overlay the existing asphalt.  The path will be finished as soon as possible next spring.

Work in the shop continues to progress nicely, and the majority of our heavily-used vehicles have been washed and serviced and are ready to go for next year.  In the weeks to come, Dave will turn his attention towards the many mowers that have to be cleaned, sharpened, and given an annual check-up.   We have also started refurbishing and staining/painting the many on-course accessories (ballwashers, divot boxes, tee blocks, etc.) that take a beating throughout the golf season.

Although I've probably said this three times this year, we hope that you're able to enjoy the course for what might be the last playable stretch of weather.     

Hollow Surprise

Over the past two days, the crew from Wolfe Tree Service has been removing three trees from the left side of 18 green complex, near the cart path.  These trees were slated for removal due to the declining health of a linden and a silver maple and because of a lightning strike that severely damaged another linden.  As you can see from the picture below, we found quite the surprise when the non-lightning damaged linden was cut down.

With the exception of few inches of wood on the outer part of the tree, the inside of the main trunk was completely hollow from the base to 40' high.  How this tree didn't topple over is rather amazing, and we're certainly glad that it was removed before anyone or anything could be hurt by its inevitable collapse.  Besides eliminating safety risks, these trees also contributed to the significant amount of winter shade that is cast on the 18th green.  Tomorrow, we will be taking down a silver maple between holes three and four that has developed a great deal of rot and subsequent shelf fungi over the past two years.

Last week, we winterized the irrigation system and removed the plastic intake pipes that extended into Lake Mendota.  To remove water from the belowground pipes, a large air compressor was hooked into the irrigation system near the pumphouse, and the air pressure was used to force the remaining water out of the sprinklers as we turned them on.  On Thursday, the very heavy, cast-iron pipes that connect the pumphouse to the already-removed plastic intake pipes will be removed from the lake with the assistance of a boat lift barge.

The wind from this past weekend knocked many of the remaining leaves from the trees, and we will start cleaning them up tomorrow.  Depending on the weather forecast, we may begin applying our snow mold plant protectants on Friday, but since these products have to protect the greens, tees, and fairways throughout the entire winter, we try to time their application to as close to the onset of winter as is reasonably possible.

Otherwise, the cold days have allowed equipment work in the shop to begin picking up, and our fleet of Columbia utility vehicles are first on the docket for cleaning and servicing.  Between now and spring, there will be plenty of work, both inside and out, to keep our crew of six busy.

Early Fall

Despite an exceptionally long golf season, it seems hard to believe that it's already November.  The days are getting noticeably shorter, and the weather has certainly been very fall-like this week.  The trees have lost their leaves earlier than normal, and one has to suspect that the drought played a role in their expedited fall.  There are still a few oaks, shagbark hickories, and silver maples that aren't quite leafless, but they are definitely the exceptions.  Last week, we blew quite the pile of leaves to the road along hole 15, and tomorrow, these will be removed with the greatly-appreciated assistance of Shorewood Hills.

A snapshot of the leaf berm along 15.

Aside from a little bit of mowing and leaf cleanup, the frosty mornings have allowed us to get caught up on work around the shop, and we have also begun pulling soil samples from the course.  Every five years, soil is collected from each green, tee, and fairway for nutrient analysis.  Ten samples that measure 3/4" diameter by 4" long are randomly collected from each of these areas, mixed together, and placed in sampling bags that are provided by the UW-Madison Soil and Plant Analysis Lab.  The lab will then test the samples for pH, percent organic matter, phosphorus, and potassium.  We can then use the results to make any necessary adjustments to our fertility and overall management plans.

Chris pulling a sample from 13 tee.

Moving forward, we will likely be winterizing the irrigation system and applying snow mold fungicides over the next two weeks.  Course supplies will slowly migrate from the course into the shop, and the perennial beds will be pruned.  With consistently cold nights, mowings are few and far between, but sunny afternoons are still great for getting in a round.

Rainy Project Days

We knew that the rain would have to come eventually, and of course, it's all come at once.  That is not a complaint, though.  With the unexpectedly heavy shower that the course received this morning, we've had 3.6" of rain over the last week, and this is close to the same amount of rain that fell from July 27 through October 12.  The relatively slow, steady rains have been perfect drought-busters, and the lower soil profile once again has some moisture in it.  Although we have a few weeks before the the snowflakes will start flying, it's a relief that we won't be entering winter in a drought.

Aside from dodging rain drops, we had a very productive week on the course.  We laid 2500 square feet of bluegrass sod in various areas, and the most noticeable improvement can be found around nine green.  Since we removed a few trees from the back of the green, it should now be possible to grow some grass in this area, and we were pleased with the results.  Sod was also laid by 4 bunker, 8 black tee, 9 cart path, 10 bunkers, 15 cart path, 16 bunker, and 18 tee.

The new look from behind 9 green.

Yesterday, we also finished some tree removal that was started last week by 1 green and by 11 green.  Two ash trees were removed from the southside of 1 green.  Aside from reducing winter shade and subsequent ice accumulation on the green, their removal also fits the ash tree removal and replacement program that was initiated four years ago in preparation for emerald ash borer.  The two honey locusts that were taken down behind 11 green were planted too close to the green.  As they matured, their roots not only competed with the green for moisture, but the trees also contributed to the significant shading that this green has.  Now that they are gone, the stately oaks that were behind the locusts provide a much nicer backdrop.

Work is coming along nicely on the rain garden that Shorewood Hills is installing alongside hole 13.  The main irrigation line that runs from the pumphouse to feed the entire irrigation system happens to run through this area, and with the amount of excavation that's needed for the project, the mainline had to be rerouted deeper into the ground.  This relocation was done last week, and despite some apprehension on our end, everything seems to have gone well.  This week, they have been excavating and shaping the actual garden areas, backfilling with gravel and sand, adding a liner, routing overflow pipes, and even planting and landscaping one of the gardens.

A semi-completed rain garden (above) and still some work to do (below).

Course Happenings

With the fall colors in full swing, it's an especially beautiful time at Blackhawk, and it also means that wayward shots are more likely to be gobbled up by the falling leaves.  Although we do our best to keep the course as playable as possible, windy conditions occasionally make this goal unattainable.  So, pack a few extra golf balls and enjoy the vibrant colors that line the course.

After today, it looks as if the weather will turn significantly more fall-like, and this means that frost delays will become more common.  The following link is a great 90- second video that the USGA made to explain why frost delays are necessary:  http://www.usga.org/turf/articles/video/frost.html.  As you'll find out, these delays were not created for the sole purpose of torturing waiting golfers, and they are quite frustrating on our end, too.

Besides keeping the course clean, the extremely dry conditions continue to keep us busy.  According to today's newspaper, our yearly precipitation is now nearly 10" below normal.  Chad has officially exhausted our supply of part-circle sprinklers (these sprinklers can be adjusted to water a limited area), and the entire north side of 17 and both sides of 15 are lined with these sprinklers to only water the rough.  Other part-circle sprinklers are moved throughout the course to water similarly-dry rough areas.

Going forward, we will be working on a few small sodding projects and are hoping to make a nice dent in the tree-removal list.  Today, the men's tee on hole 1 was re-sodded where it had thinned due to restricted foot traffic, and the same will soon be done by steps on 18 tee.

We hope that you have been enjoying the exceptional early-fall weather and that you are doing some rain dances for your grounds crew.

1988 vs 2012

Aside from a 10-day stretch in mid-July, the golf course has continued to dodge most rain events, and September is shaping up to be an exceptionally dry month.  For a little comparison, I took some time to dig up the data and compare 1988 to 2012:

                         1988           2012

May                   0.92"         3.19"
June                   2.06"         0.31"
July                    2.44"         3.28"
August               2.95"         1.80"
September          2.43"         0.78"

Total                  10.8"          9.66"

Since September isn't over and because I couldn't find daily data for 1988, I pro-rated the total September 1988 rainfall (4.29") over the 17 official days that we have had thus far.  Looking at the 10-day forecast, there are currently no days with greater than a 20% chance of rainfall, and the discrepancy is thus likely to grow by the end of the month; we're hoping that it doesn't.

Since only the edges of our roughs receive water from the fairway irrigation heads, the above-pictured portable sprinklers are part of our roller-base fleet that have been used on a nearly-daily basis since June to prevent the deep roughs from going dormant.  In areas where shallow-rooted trees predominate and compete very capably for soil moisture, this mission has become very difficult, but we will continue with it until either winter or rain arrives.

Otherwise, the greens are healing very nicely from the aerification that was completed on September 10, and it's hardly noticeable on many of the greens.  As of yesterday, the natural grass range tees have been closed for the year to allow for divot recovery.  Today, we aerified these tees, and we will be seeding, fertilizing, and filling-in the divots over the next day or two.

The cool temperatures that dominate the extended forecast are a welcome relief from the heat that was, and the turf will regenerate the roots that were lost in summer.  Soon the leaves will begin falling in earnest, and leaf mulching will consume much of our time.  Yes, the year is certainly winding down, but we hope that you're still able to enjoy some great fall golf.

Changing Times

In some regards, it is hard to believe that the peak golf season is coming to an end, and on the other end of the spectrum, the early start to the 2012 season and the extreme heat and drought that we endured from mid-June through early August made it seem like Labor Day should have come a month ago.  But, alas, September is near, the days are shorter, and the shadows are longer.  Despite a warming trend over the next few days, change is most definitely in the air.

Most locust trees, many ashes, and a few maples are already showing their traditional yellow, purple, and red hues, and blowing leaves off of greens prior to morning mowing has become a daily routine.  There's little doubt that the stressful summer months have expedited leaf fall, and the pesky acorns are also dropping in earnest.  Despite frequent waterings, a few of the small trees that we planted in mid-June didn't survive, but other damage to the trees and shrubs appears to be temporary.

Our crew will also be taking a different and smaller look after this week when five full-time seasonal employees depart for school.  However, our spring and fall rough mower, Joe, will be returning, and we still somehow manage to get everything done that is needed.

Maintenance work on the golf course has been fairly routine as of late, and if you haven't heard, we will not be core aerifying the fairways this fall.  More on this at a later date, but I can't imagine that any golfers will be heartbroken over this development.

Have a great Labor Day/Badger football opening weekend!

Breaks and Patches

Since there are less desirable pictures to follow, let's start this post off with a nice one of the 13th hole..

After two months of brutal weather, it seems as if we might finally be turning the corner, and this break in the heat is much needed.  For those who haven't been keeping track, we've had 33 days with at least a 90 degree high temperature.  In hindsight, we were actually fortunate to have been dry throughout the majority of the heat because high moisture+high temperatures=turf death and disease.  When the rain returned in mid-July, a disease called summer patch started appearing on a few collars and approaches.

Here's a direct quote from one of my turf books, "Infection by the summer patch pathogen is highly dependent on the temperature and moisture status of the soil.  When soil temperatures are elevated (65-85 degrees) and there is ample soil moisture the summer patch pathogen readily infects and colonizes turf roots.  As soil temperatures increase beyond 75 degrees, root growth is slow and cannot compensate for roots damaged by infection."  Summer patch is most effectively treated when soil temperatures reach 65 degrees at a 3" depth for several consecutive days, and this year, our preventative applications occurred on May 22 and June 1.  Unfortunately, the extreme weather, subsequent stress, and high rainfall for the last half of July caused the summer patch pathogen to rear its ugly head.  This disease only affects Poa annua and Kentucky bluegrass, and once present, curative fungicide applications are not very effective.  However, there are a few fungicides that are thought to help out and one was applied this week.  We also solid-tine aerified the worst of the areas to promote root growth and to cool the soils with the relatively brisk nights that are being forecasted.  Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet to for this disease, and it will likely linger until the temperatures are consistently lower.

The above picture from 15 approach illustrates the what summer patch looks like, and  although it's unsightly, it should have minimal impact on play.

From one break (in the weather) to another, we had yet another irrigation break by an isolation valve.  Each hole has a valve between the loop the feeds the entire system and the pipes that are attached to that hole's sprinklers.  These valves allow us to make necessary repairs on an individual hole without depressurizing the whole irrigation system, and in the 17 years that Chad has worked here, this is the first year that any leaks have occurred in and around these isolation valves.  This year, we've had three such breaks!  We're not exactly sure why we've had so many, but we're speculating that the extremely dry conditions may have caused movement in the soils that resulted in the breaks.  Our latest isolation valve break was by far the least complicated of the three, and we were able to fix it ourselves.

The latest break took place on hole 4, and the repaired product is pictured above.

Besides the summer patch, we're happy with course has been holding up.  Hopefully, the cooler days and nights will stick around to allow us to provide you with faster greens and to help the Poa grow some roots.

When it Rains, it Pours

Over the past 9 days, the golf course has received 5.1" of rain, and it took from April 14-July 17 for the same amount of rain to fall.  So much for all of that drought talk.  As you've probably noticed, the rough areas have gone from slightly brown and barely growing to vibrant green and growing like crazy.  For weeks on end, part of my morning routine involved moving portable sprinklers to rough areas that were drying out in an effort to keep them alive until the next rainfall, and it's safe to say that the effort was worth it.  Looking at the course today, it's hard to imagine that we just emerged from one of the hottest, driest periods on record.

Speaking of the heat, it still hasn't left us, and by my tally, we have now had 29 days where the high temperature was at least 90 degrees.  Looking at the extended forecast, most days are predicted to have highs in the upper 80s and lows in the mid to upper 60s.  Given that our average daily high temperature never exceeds 82 degrees in Madison, it's strange to think that the forecast is a break in the weather.  However, at this point, the turf (and its caretakers) would certainly like to see a much more dramatic cool down.  I commented to Chad last week that we're learning how to grow Poa annua in Texas this year, and I'm not sure that that's too far from the truth.

All told, the playing surfaces are holding up very well.  With the rain, the greens won't be very fast, and you won't be getting that extra roll on your drives.  But, the forecast looks to be a little more on the dry side and things will return to "normal" before long.   

Field Trip

I'm sick of writing about the weather, and you're probably sick of reading about it.  So, here's something different (until the next post that will likely be weather-related)...

Last Friday, we were joined by 20 rugrats from LaPetite Academy in Waunakee for a two-hour field trip.  With their red shirts, they blended right in with the crew, but we resisted the urge to put them to work.  Below is a photo diary of their time here.

Part-time crew member and full-time owner of Maier Arbor Solutions, Reid Maier started the day off with a presentation on bugs on the golf course.  Reid has a masters degree in entomology, and he coaxed one of our visitors into dressing up like a bug.

 Our resident third-grade teacher, Randy, next showed the kids how we mow tees (above) and cut cups (below).  Safe to say that he's never had such a large audience when performing these jobs.

The kids then made the trip up to 12 tee and were given a history lesson on the Native American history of the land that the course occupies.  Paul (our general manager) has tremendous amount of knowledge on the subject.

Overall, it was great to have them out here, and they seemed to feel the same way.  Hopefully, they didn't learn too much; it is summer vacation, after all. 

Severe Drought

With only 0.35" of rain since June 1, this old course is still hanging strong.

As of July 10, the Madison region was officially deemed to be in a severe drought, and since the local media has the weather stats covered, there's no point in reciting them here.  To this point, we are pleased with how the course survived the heat wave, and despite the possibility of some some destructive diseases during the 100 degree days and 80 degree nights, we escaped virtually disease-free.  However, the lasting effects of the weather that we experienced (and are still experiencing) will be felt throughout the remainder of the summer.  We've had nine days during which the soil temperature at 2" below the surface of 11 green (where we have a remote temperature and moisture sensor) exceeded 90 degrees.  Since the cool-season grasses that we grow start to lose root mass once the soil temperature starts exceeding 75 degrees, you can imagine the toll that 90+ degrees has on the plants.  The sensitive Poa annua that comprises much of our greens and fairways is especially affected.  You need to look no further than our 9th green to see the difference between the much healthier (and greener) bentgrass and the sickly-looking Poa.  Until rooting conditions return in the fall, our effective rooting depth will not be past 1-2".  Thus, water has to be available near the soil surface, and the greens will not be as fast and firm as they once were.  We have to have a fine balance of water as too much will boil the remaining roots.

You will notice a few weak looking spots on the course, and they are all strictly due to abiotic stress.  In other words, there is no disease present, but the plants simply aren't programmed for this weather.  We will do everything in our power to keep the course looking and playing as nicely as possible, but the extended forecast doesn't appear to be offering any relief.

Two weeks ago, three trees (2 oaks and a black locust) were removed from behind 9 green.  Due to the eastern shade that these tree cast, the back half of the green didn't receive sun until noon, and during hot days, the turf plants stop photosynthesizing by then.  Additionally, turf prefers the light quality of morning sun. In other words, this green is now socked with minimal rooting and little ability to photosynthesize. These are the primary reasons why the back half of 9 green is much more stressed than any of the other greens.



Before the tree removal.



The after is better, but there are still a few black locust trees that may be considered for removal.

 
We appreciate the positive comments that many have been passing along, and the ridiculous amounts of Gatorades and ice cream bars that were purchased from the collection that Mrs. Rath took from the junior-day parents have been greatly appreciated.

And the Heat Goes On

It's not exactly news that we're in the midst of an incredible stretch of weather.  June was officially the driest ever June in Madison, and we only received of 0.35" of rain at the golf course.  Normal rainfall for June is around 4".  On top of that, it has obviously been hot, and if the forecast holds true, we will have 11 straight days of 90+ degree temperatures.  From the information that I could find, the longest recorded stretch of 90+ degrees in Madison is 10 days.  As you can imagine, none of this is particularly good news for our cool-season turfgrass.  With soil temperatures in the upper 80s, roots are likely shrinking rapidly, and the high air temperatures do not allow the plants to photosynthesize very effectively.  Accordingly, we have gone into defensive mode and will be doing everything that we can possibly do to get the course through this heat wave with the least amount of damage possible.

The fourth hole would like some 70-degree high temperatures but is hanging in there despite the oppressive heat.

To alleviate stress, we will alternate daily mowing and rolling on the greens, and the heights of cut on the greens and collars have been raised.  Because of this, the greens will not be as fast as they normally are, but slow, alive greens are better than fast, dead ones.

Through judicious water use and a lot of handwatering, the fine turf areas (greens, tees, and fairways) are doing fine, but they have another week of misery to get through.  Please be curteous to the handwaterers, as dragging hoses around in 95 degree weather is tough enough.  It is also very likely that the sprinklers will be used to cool the turf during the heat of the afternoons.  As always, we will attempt to not interrupt your golf round as much as possible.

Further, we will have an additional challenge this week with the annual Shorewood Hills fireworks display from the 10th fairway.  The throngs of visitors should at least not have to worry about mosquitoes this year.  Ah, yes, just another summer...

While the obstacles are many, we are determined to get the course through them as unscathed as we can, and we are fortunate to have a dedicated, hard-working crew to help us do just that.

Have a great 4th of July, and stay cool. 

Course Update

You know that it is dry when a local news channel's lead story is about drought-ridden lawns and that's exactly what happened last night.  The last significant rainfall that the golf course received was 0.6" on May 30.  Since then, we've received 0.2" of rain, and the recent stretch of hot, windy days certainly exacerbated the dry conditions.  Thankfully, we entered this heatwave with very good rooting depth, and the playing surfaces have thus held up quite well.  Over the past few days, two people have been handwatering dry spots all day.  However, since our double-row fairway irrigation system is only able to water the edges of the rough, the wider rough areas are drying out substantially.  Over the past two weeks, I have been using portable sprinklers attached to 100' hoses in an effort to keep these dry rough areas from entering dormancy, but it has been impossible to keep up with the evapotranspiration rates that we've been experiencing.  Accordingly, unless we received a substantial (greater than a half inch) rainfall tonight, the rough will continue to be quite dry.

The positive side of the dryness is that this heat didn't bring any disease with it, and we're hoping that the drier rootzones will have prevented the turf roots from essentially boiling to death.  While it's too soon to know for sure, our roots may have survived the heat (fingers crossed).

If you play this weekend, you may notice that the rough and green banks are longer than normal, and this is being done in preparation for the Taylormade Invitational that is being held here on Monday.  Things will return to normal on Tuesday.

When we haven't been handwatering, we've completed a few small projects over the past two weeks, and the most noticeable was the addition of a perennial garden to the back right of 16 green.  This area was unsightly from its frequent use as an unofficial cart path, and we hope that you like the garden and its associated walking path.  We also completed come sod work behind 10 green and by the 6 tee bathrooms.  Due to shade issues and cart traffic, the back left of 10 green had developed grass-less tracks, and with a little cart traffic control and the previously-removed tree that cast a significant amount of shade on this area, we're cautiously optimistic that we'll be able to keep some turf here.

Rain or not, we're looking forward to the break in weather that is coming tonight, but an inch of rain sure would be nice (and much needed).

Productive Week

If it were possible, we would have bottled this week's weather and replayed it throughout the summer.  With minimal wind and temperatures in the 70s, it was a very productive week.  After being here for a few weeks, our seasonal employees are settling in nicely and that has certainly helped us to take on duties besides mowing.  Approaches and tees were fertilized with Milorganite, and the tees especially will appreciate this slow-release fertilizer.  All of the fairways were also fertilized with a granular product.  Typically, we fertilize the fairways with a granular product once per year and rely on smaller, more frequent doses of liquid fertilizer throughout the remainder of the year.

Also this week, traditionally dry spots on greens, tees, and fairways were treated with wetting agents.  Soils in a golf course setting (especially those with a high percentage of sand) often become hydrophobic when water-repelling organic compounds coat the soil particles.  Wetting agents act as a bridge between the soils and water and allow for more even moisture retention and penetration.

And, finally, much of the course was spot-sprayed for broadleaf weeds this week.  Our primary weed targets at this time of the year were prostrate knotweed and white clover.  Over the past few years, we've been aggressively trying to reduce the knotweed population in many rough areas.  This particular weed does well in compacted soils, and with very few cart paths, the majority of the course's rough area are quite compacted.  Earlier this spring, we also aerified and fertilized the worst of the areas to give the grass a fighting chance and to alleviate some compaction.

A few weeks ago, you probably noticed that two trees between 6 forward tee and the driving range were removed.  Although one of the trees (a honey locust) was in poor health, they were targeted for removal because they impacted play from the left side of the practice tee, and the before and after pictures below illustrate just that:

Speaking of tree removal, a medium-sized linden tree that was located to the front left of 3 back tee was cut down.  This tree made the back left of the tee unusable, and its elimination creates a very interesting angle for tee shots.  Again, the before and after pictures are below.

Similarly, a linden tree that is to the front left of 15 tee was trimmed, and this will also allow for use of the back left portion of the tee.

We hope that you enjoyed the nice, cool week as much as we did and have an enjoyable, hot weekend.

Mother Nature: Good and Bad

It's been a very busy few weeks on the golf course, and this morning's rain is finally giving me a little bit of time to provide an update.  Over the past two weeks, the majority of our summer crew arrived, and it was just in the nick of time.  Thursday's windstorm created an absolute mess on the golf course, and all hands were needed to make the course playable again.  In the eight years that I've worked at Blackhawk, it was the messiest that I've ever seen the course.  Our crew did a tremendous job of getting everything back in shape for the Memorial Day weekend.  There may still be a few more leaflets and sticks lying around than normal, but the course's transformation from Friday morning to afternoon was remarkable.  Below are a few pictures that illustrate the mess that we had to deal with:

Two large maple limbs (above and below) broke off between holes 10 and 12.  Both of these trees were already slated for removal, and Mother Nature just gave us a head start on taking them down.

A large section of a crabapple on the range nearly hit our irrigation satellite.

This linden tree on the left side of 7 actually broke off below ground.  Thus, there's no stump to grind.



Two trees also snapped off by the lift that runs up the hill behind 9 green.  One was a box elder, and the other was a tree that had already died.  Luckily, no one was on the lift when either fell.

While the large limbs and downed trees did take a significant amount of time to deal with, the majority of our time was spent blowing smaller sticks and leaves off of the greens, tees, fairways, and green banks.

The picture above shows what the edges of most of the fairways looked like after they had been blown off.

But, on a positive note, we finally received some much-needed rain overnight and into this morning.  It had been 19 days since our last rainfall, and with warm air temperatures, low dew points, and windy days, our irrigation system was working overtime.  Although the course was playing very fast and firm, unirrigated rough areas were beginning to exhibit drought stress.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!  

Aerification Complete

Despite the semi-uncooperative weather from Sunday evening through Monday morning, the greens aerification has been completed, and all-in-all, it went very well. 

On Sunday afternoon, our fantastic group of overqualified part-time workers allowed us to aerify and clean nine greens.  Then, it rained 0.7" and was cool and drizzly on Monday.  Because of the muddy, slimy mess that additional aerification would have resulted in on Monday, our efforts were instead focused on backfilling the holes on the front nine.  Tuesday brought ideal aerification weather, and we were able to aerify, clean, and backfill the back 9.  Between classes, six UW-Madison turf students lent a hand on Tuesday and did a great job as usual.

Below is a photo journal of the process that we use to aerify your greens at Blackhawk:

First, select greens are deep drilled.  This machine has 5/8" diameter by 10" long drill bits that are spaced 5" apart.  The holes that are created by this machine really help the greens drain well and break the layer between the native soil that the greens were originally built with and the layer of sand topdressing that has been built up over the years.

The deep drill doesn't bring up a lot of soil, but the deep holes stay open for a long time.  Because deep drilling is a slow process and because we only own one machine, we're not able to use this method on all of the greens each year.  This year, eight greens were deep drilled.

Core aerifying was completed on all of the greens, and if the green was scheduled to be deep drilled, the drilling was done prior to the coring.  These machines bring up a 1/2" diameter by 3-4" long core on 2" spacing.

The significant mess is then shoveled to the collars for collection.  This is the most back-breaking portion of aerifying, but with enough workers, it's not too bad.

A heavy layer of sand topdressing is then applied to the greens.  Given the variable moisture of our sand, it's always tricky to put down the correct amount of sand, but Chad got as close as is possible.  This year, approximately 22 tons of sand were used.

Once the sand is good and dry, the greens are drug four times to get the majority of the sand into the holes.

Since the machine drag isn't able to get all of sand into the holes, a large crew that's armed with backpack blowers, shovels, and brooms follows behind and systematically works the sand across the green until the holes are filled and a minimal amount of sand is on the turf canopy.  Although time consuming, this allows for the best, smoothest finished product that we can provide.

Lastly, the green is rolled to smooth out any ridges that the aerifiers may have made, the hole is cut, and it's ready to go.

Although it's going to undoubtedly create a wet golf course, the 0.3" of rain that we received this morning helped to further clean the greens by pounding the sand into the turf canopy.  With the temperatures that are forecasted for the next few days, we are optimistic for a speedy recovery and for hole-free greens in the near future.

Speaking of weather, Mr. Rath emailed Chad and me the following, "The average temperature for March 2012 was 50.1 °F which was 16.1 degrees above normal. The average in April was 47.9 °F,  2.2 degrees cooler than March! April was also near normal for Madison, finishing 1.3 °F above the average temperature of 46.6 °F."  This was the first time in Madison's weather history that March was warmer than April.  

Greens Aerification

It's just about that time of the year again...  If you've noticed, the tee sheet on Sunday, April 29 closes at 2 pm for that twelve-letter curse word: aerification.  Right now, the weather looks cooperative for Sunday and Monday, and the course will be closed as scheduled to allow for greens aerification.

Last week, we applied fertilizer to the greens to provide them with ample nutrition to cover the many millions of sand-filled holes that we are going to be creating.  Now, we just need Mother Nature to warm things up to get the grass growing.  Hopefully, she will cooperate and everything will heal quickly.

Yesterday, we tested out the two core aerifiers and deep driller on the chipping green, and all of the equipment worked like a charm.  Thus, the greens are now 1/20 of the way done.

As we've done for a long time, we're having the UW-Madison Turf Club help us clean the greens and fill the holes on Monday.  These guys provide labor that is otherwise unavailable at this time of the year, and they really do a great job.  This project is also the major fundraiser for the Turf Club, so it's most definitely mutually-beneficial.

With the great condition that the greens are in, you might be wondering why we find the need to make them sandy and bumpy.  However, the benefits are many (thatch removal, increased oxygen in the root zone, deeper roots, better water infiltration and percolation), and a little bit of inconvenience now is worth it in the long run.  Blackhawk's old, Poa annua greens have been mostly unscathed over the past two extreme summers, and diligent core aerification is no small factor in our ability to keep them healthy.  As I've said before, it's a necessary evil.

I'm going to attempt to take pictures to document the entire process and will post the results next week.   

Welcome Rain, Unwelcome Wind

With the good this weekend came the not so good.  After going a full two weeks without measurable precipitation, the 0.9" of rain that we received from Saturday through Sunday was much needed.  I was already seeing cracks opening up in many rough areas from the lack of moisture, and the rain that we received should really help along the seedlings that germinated from this spring's interseeding.  Although we thankfully avoided the severe storms that caused so much damage in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Iowa, the strong winds that accompanied the storm system did create quite the mess on the course.  Most of the branches are on the small side, but there were a few big branches that took falls.

On the slope that runs from the clubhouse parking lot towards eight tee, one half of a large oak split and fell onto the parking lot.  With it went the cable that provides internet to the clubhouse, but that's much better than hitting a parked car.  This morning, Wolfe Tree Services will be coming to cut down the other half of the tree, as it's aimed directly at the golf cart storage building.  Otherwise, one of the towering white pines near the fairway bunkers on the sixth hole had a large branch snap off yesterday, and this branch created a domino effect below it.  We will be cleaning that up today after the guys from Wolfe cut down the hanging branches.

Besides routine mowing and maintenance, much of our time last week was spent picking up ground stumps and filling in and seeding the remaining holes.  All that remains for stumps is a half-ground enormous silver maple between holes one and nine; this stump was worked on for at least four hours and still isn't done. 

The other special project that we had time to start last week was bunker edging.  Over the years, grass has encroached into many of the bunkers.  While you, the golfer, probably don't think that smaller bunkers are a bad thing, the edges become ragged, unsightly, and difficult to maintain due to growing grass in pure sand.  In most cases, we can see exactly where the bunkers are supposed to be, but we also use a soil probe to determine their boundaries.  Last week, we completed the greenside bunkers on holes one, two and five, the fairway bunkers on hole eleven, and the small top left greenside bunker on nine, and the finished products look really, really nice.  We will be doing more of this as time allows.      

Mowing Week

This week, much of our time was spent trying to keep up with the quickly-growing grass.  The fairways grew so much over the weekend that we had to mow them on Monday and Tuesday to just catch up.  Luckily, with the cooler days and nights that we've had this week, growth has slowed on the fine turf areas (greens, fairways, and tees), but the rough and banks are still growing like crazy.  As we'd hoped, we're starting to see a significant amount of germination from the seeding that Chad did in the rough areas, and the 0.75" rainfall that we received overnight will certainly help them along.

Over the past two weeks, Omar has also been doing quite a bit of filling in and seeding of depressions that had developed in the roughs.  Often times, these dips form from the rotting stumps or roots of trees that were cut down.  So, if you notice random spots in the rough that look as if they were just filled with soil and seed, that's the explanation.

On the 6th hole, the trees make it look like March, but the turf thinks that it's May or June.

Yesterday, Chad and I fertilized the more divot-filled tees.  We really want to get them filled-in and growing as much as possible prior to the heart of the golf season.  I also spent a couple of hours fertilizing heavily-trafficked and/or thin areas in the roughs and banks.  With very few cart paths, keeping these areas healthy is always a challenge.   When possible, we try to fertilize prior to a rain event, and Mother Nature certainly did her part overnight.

It goes without saying that it's been an interesting spring for turf managers.  Many of our spring applications are timed with either soil temperatures or with growing degree days, and due to the unusual stretch of weather that we had from March 14-22, the normally-used thresholds were reached in record time.  For example, once soil temperatures at a 3" depth reach 65 degrees for a stretch of consecutive days, we are supposed to spray for summer patch.  Summer patch is a disease that infects and impairs Poa annua roots once the soil temperatures reach this point, and its effects are not seen until the compromised roots cause the plants to struggle in the summer heat.  In 2011, we made our first summer patch application on May 13, and if we were to have gone by the book, this year's application should have occurred on March 22.  However, we made the decision to not spray.  This decision was made after consulting with both Dr. Jim Kerns, UW-Madison's turfgrass disease pathologist and with local veteran superintendents.  Of course, we also used our own intuition, knowledge, and observations of the slow-to-wake Poa.  Besides treating for summer patch, others have had to wrestle over treating for Take-all patch, for crabgrass, for broadleaf weed pre-emergence, and for Poa annua seedhead control.

One unfortunate side effect of the early warm-up was that we weren't able to apply a pre-emergent herbicide that we were planning on using to control prostrate knotweed, which is our peskiest weed.  Although the herbicide was ordered in November, we weren't even able to get it before the knotweed starting germinating.  As a result, we'll treat it with a post-emergent herbicide, and we'll still use the pre-emergent to prevent any other seeds that are in the soil from germinating later.

It looks as if this weekend is shaping up to be another great one for golf, and we hope that you're able to enjoy a round at Blackhawk. 

How 'Bout the Weather?

Whew!  Sitting at my desk in what seems like the first time in two weeks, "whew" seems to appropriately summarize the days since the snow melted.  Without the luxury of seasonal workers, the crew had to go from 0 to 60 in the blink of an eye, and I hope you'll agree that they did a tremendous job of whipping the course into shape and getting all of the on-course amenities in place.  After opening the restroom near 6 tee on Wednesday, the course was basically fully operational.  Normally when we open, the weather is still kind of questionable, but with the lowest high temperature being 73 degrees since opening, that was certainly not the case this year.  The grass is growing like crazy, and we'll be spending much of our time over the coming weeks walking behind or sitting on mowers. This year's course opening of March 14 was the second earliest on record (since 1973) and was only topped by seven days in 2000.

What month is it?  Not only are the daffodils in full bloom, but the magnolia bush between 1 and 9 is already dropping its flowers.

Besides getting the course cleaned up, mowing, and putting out the course equipment (benches, ballwashers, rakes, etc.), we've also gotten our irrigation system primed, and the big intake pipes are in the lake.  Shredded bark has been added to the landscape beds by the clubhouse.  Select stump holes have been ground, cleaned, and reseeded.   Chad has also spent a significant amount of time seeding areas of the rough that thinned out during last summer's hot, dry weather, and we're cautiously optimistic that the seeding will have a reasonable amount of success.  Since most of the affected areas are heavily-shaded, it's difficult to establish seed due to tree competition for moisture and light.  However, with the warm soil temperatures, good soil moisture, and trees that haven't leafed out, conditions are about as good as they can be for germination to take place.  We're crossing our fingers.

Now that you've hopefully been able to enjoy the weather with a round of golf, you should have seen that the course did indeed fair well over this abnormal winter.  There is a very small amount of winterkill on the back half of 3 green, but it is already recovering very nicely with an assist from Mother Nature.

While it looks as if 80-degree days are going to be disappearing for the meantime, the weather is still forecasted to be more than reasonable for this time of year, and we hope that you'll continue to enjoy this bonus golf.  Although we've finally caught our collective breaths from the chaos of opening, the crew will still be more than busy going forward.  

  

It's Opening...

 ... on Wednesday!!!  I hope that you're as excited as we are about the course opening in two short days.  As was detailed in an email sent out by the club, there will be no restrictions on tee times (mens and ladies days).  Right now, we're not 100% percent sure on the availability of golf carts, and we'll have a better idea as the course dries out tomorrow.  Everything was pretty wet today, but that can change quickly.  Since the back 9 generally slopes towards the north and away from the sun's shallow southern angle, it tends to remain soggier, and there's a chance that carts might be allowed on the front 9 but not on the back 9.

We took the covers off of 11 and 17 greens on Friday, and they look great.  Today, the ropes and snow fences were removed from the perimeters of the greens and tees, and some time was spent resuming the stick and debris pickup that started last week.  Possibly due to the lack of snow, there isn't a tremendous amount of tree material on the ground, but we still have a enough raking to do.  Over the next two days, we'll put out the course equipment, cut new cups, fix the bunkers, get the lift running, and mow the greens (among other jobs).  All in all, the course came out of winter in great shape.

However, some areas in the rough that took a beating last year look a little rough, pun intended.  Due to the hot, dry summer and limited irrigation capabilities, some areas that are heavily shaded, trafficked, or both suffered.  Many of these areas have Poa annua seeds in the soil that will germinate once the soil warms, and we will also be interseeding more desirable, shade-tolerant grasses.  Until the worst of these areas improve, they may be roped off to allow for seedling success and recovery.  Namely, the rough between 3 and 4, by 12 tee, and between 14 and 15 may need a little babying.

We hope that you're able to enjoy the record warmth that is forecasted over the next week with a round or two at Blackhawk.  See you on the course!

Melting Update and a Farewell

Spring appears to be springing earlier than normal this year, and with a high temperature of 65 degrees yesterday, the course quickly went from being covered in four inches of snow to mostly snow-free over the course of our eight-hour workday.  The long range forecast calls for a brief cool down tomorrow and Friday before a sustained warming trend next week.  As of yesterday afternoon, frost could still be found 2.5 inches below the surface of the greens, and the below picture shows just that...

Inevitably, you're probably wondering when the course will be opening.  Unfortunately, at this point, it's hard to say.  Prior to opening, we like to see the following:  no snow, no frost, actively growing turf, and a favorable long-term forecast.  Thus, with minimal snow and frost and a good 10-day forecast, it looks as if it'll be sooner rather than later.

Two green (in the foreground) was nearly clear as of yesterday, and eleven green (in the background) is still covered in not snow but a white, impermeable plastic cover.  The covers on 11 and 17 will likely be coming off shortly.

As of right now, our best guess is that the course will have little to no winter damage, which is fantastic news.  In previous posts, some concern was expressed for the third green, which was still 100% snow covered as of yesterday afternoon.  However, two weeks ago, we pulled two plugs from this green, and they sprung to life very nicely.  Our ice concerns have basically passed, but until it really warms up, damage from crown hydration and snow mold are still possibilities.

In other, unrelated news, we will be saying farewell to a member of our crew, Jake Rath, this Friday.  Jake interned for us during the 2010 and 2011 golf seasons while finishing his Golf Enterprise Management degree at UW-Stout, and he was converted to a full-time employee this past fall.  Last week, he was hired as the assistant superintendent at Bishops Bay, and although we'll be sad to see him go, we're proud to see him advance his career.

Earlier this winter, we were also thrilled to learn that our other intern in '10 and '11, Cody Semingson, was hired as the superintendent at The Valley Golf Course in Mondovi, WI.  Cody grew up near The Valley and is looking forward to the challenge.

In a very competitive job market, it's very rewarding to see former Blackhawk interns, Jake (left) and Cody (right), progress in the industry. 

 

Treasure Hunt: New & Old

My wife has been busy studying for her nursing boards lately and with no kids, that's meant that I've had more time to kill than normal.  Yesterday, when Google-ing images of Blackhawk, I ran across two aerial pictures of the course that were taken in fall of 2011.  One picture is taken from the south and one is from the north.  They're great images that can be seen (and purchased if you so desire) from the following link:

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/bill-lang.html?tab=artworkgalleries&artworkgalleryid=120041

So, that's the "new" part of the treasure hunt.

Here's the old...  I've always been curious about the work that A.W. Tillinghast did on the course, and to the best of my and Chad's collective knowledge, no formal plan exists of the plans and recommendations that he made for the club.  But, I'm going to look more into that.  However, I did run across two very cool letters that Mr. Tillinghast penned during his extensive travels of the U.S, on behalf of the PGA.  These letters explain some (maybe all?) of the work that he suggested at Blackhawk.  I hope that you enjoy reading them as much as I did.

The first is from May 6, 1936:
http://www.tillinghast.net/Tillinghast/PGA_Letters_JAN-JUNE_36_files/Media/Madison%205-6-36/Madison%205-6-36.jpg?disposition=download

The second is from October 23, 1936:
http://www.tillinghast.net/Tillinghast/PGA_Letters_j-dec36.html#82

Three Green Snow Removal

Today, the decision was made to clear the accumulated snow from three green.  I'm probably beginning to sound like a broken record, but the arborvitaes and University Avenue bridge create an excellent microclimate for snow and ice accumulation.


 The above picture was taken prior to removing the snow, and the reason that we removed the snow was to facilitate the melting of the ice that had formed beneath it.  The ice was thickest on the front half of the green.  The sun had melted some of the snow on the front, but it reformed into ice during the cool nights.  Earlier this winter, we removed snow and ice on the back half of the green, but it wasn't as thick there this time.  The warm temperatures that we had today put a tremendous dent in the ice, and grass was already poking through the ice as of this afternoon (see the picture below).

Some of you may be wondering what effect this warm winter has on the golf course.  The short answer is that it's too soon to tell, but with the exception of three green, we aren't too concerned about winterkill.  However, that can quickly change if the Poa were to "wake up" (which is does much more easily than creeping bentgrass), take in water, and suddenly freeze.  This can result in crown hydration, which is something that has been discussed in length previously.  Otherwise, our main concern is degradation of the snow mold fungicides, and we'll be keeping a close eye out for any snow mold as the winter progresses into spring.  Currently, very little is present, even in the roughs, but pink snow mold doesn't necessarily need snow to form; it just needs cool, wet conditions.  To be sure, we're keeping our fingers crossed for a turf-friendly finish to winter.