The process involves spreading a thin layer of sand over the putting surface. The sand must then be allowed to dry sufficently on the surface before it can be rolled off the turf down to the base of the plant. Once the greens are rolled, most of the sand is cleared from the greens and the remainder gets watered in using overnight irrigation. The greens are mowed and rolled the next day to clean up any remaining sand and the result is a smooth, firmer putting surface. Thursday, September 5, 2013
Greens Topdressing
On Tuesday (9/3) the staff completed topdressing of all 20 greens on the golf course. The practice of sand topdressing has benefits for the player as well as the superintendent. For the player, the benefits of topdressing are that the greens will be smoother, firmer and hold shots better. For the superintendent, the benefit aside from smoother and firmer surfaces is the sand will help minimize the production of thatch, which is the layer of organic matter located just below the turf surface.
The process involves spreading a thin layer of sand over the putting surface. The sand must then be allowed to dry sufficently on the surface before it can be rolled off the turf down to the base of the plant. Once the greens are rolled, most of the sand is cleared from the greens and the remainder gets watered in using overnight irrigation. The greens are mowed and rolled the next day to clean up any remaining sand and the result is a smooth, firmer putting surface.
The process involves spreading a thin layer of sand over the putting surface. The sand must then be allowed to dry sufficently on the surface before it can be rolled off the turf down to the base of the plant. Once the greens are rolled, most of the sand is cleared from the greens and the remainder gets watered in using overnight irrigation. The greens are mowed and rolled the next day to clean up any remaining sand and the result is a smooth, firmer putting surface. 
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Introduction...
As the new Assistant Superintendent, I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Pat Bastron and I come to Blackhawk following Assistant stints at clubs in Peoria Illinois and the North Shore of Chicago. I am incredibly excited to join Chad and the entire staff at Blackhawk. As a 2009 graduate of UW-Madison, the opportunity to return to Madison and become part of the Blackhawk Country Club team is indescribable.
I began working on a golf course in 2001 at age 15 for my father who was a Superintendent at Glen Flora Country Club in Waukegan Illinois for 24 years. I learned the basics of turf management at Glen Flora all through high school until 2006. In 2007 I completed my first internship at Old Elm Club in Highland Park Illinois. At Old Elm I continued to perfect the skills I had learned and gain experience in new areas. Then in 2008 I had the exciting opportunity to intern at Interlachen Country Club in Edina Minnesota which hosted the Women’s U.S. Open that summer. Having the chance to be a part of a major Championship was very exhilarating! My final internship in 2009 took place at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest Illinois. Conway Farms hosted the Western Amateur Championship in 2009 and will host the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship this September. As I mentioned earlier, following graduation from UW-Madison I took a position as Assistant Superintendent at Mt. Hawley Country Club in Peoria Illinois. Working in Central Illinois offered some unique opportunities and challenges that helped shape my career in turf management. After two seasons at Mt. Hawley, I took a position as Assistant Superintendent at Sunset Ridge Country Club in Northfield Illinois. I feel my diverse work experience has well prepared me for the challenges and rewards that Blackhawk Country club offers.
On a more personal note, I am an avid golfer with a 12 handicap. I enjoy bowling, fishing, hunting and watching Badger sports. Also, I have an identical twin brother named Phil. I look forward to meeting each one of you around the golf course and please be patient with me as I begin learning everyone’s names. Once again I wanted to say how excited I am to join the staff at Blackhawk Country Club, and look forward to finishing this golf season strong.
Pat Bastron
I began working on a golf course in 2001 at age 15 for my father who was a Superintendent at Glen Flora Country Club in Waukegan Illinois for 24 years. I learned the basics of turf management at Glen Flora all through high school until 2006. In 2007 I completed my first internship at Old Elm Club in Highland Park Illinois. At Old Elm I continued to perfect the skills I had learned and gain experience in new areas. Then in 2008 I had the exciting opportunity to intern at Interlachen Country Club in Edina Minnesota which hosted the Women’s U.S. Open that summer. Having the chance to be a part of a major Championship was very exhilarating! My final internship in 2009 took place at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest Illinois. Conway Farms hosted the Western Amateur Championship in 2009 and will host the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship this September. As I mentioned earlier, following graduation from UW-Madison I took a position as Assistant Superintendent at Mt. Hawley Country Club in Peoria Illinois. Working in Central Illinois offered some unique opportunities and challenges that helped shape my career in turf management. After two seasons at Mt. Hawley, I took a position as Assistant Superintendent at Sunset Ridge Country Club in Northfield Illinois. I feel my diverse work experience has well prepared me for the challenges and rewards that Blackhawk Country club offers.
On a more personal note, I am an avid golfer with a 12 handicap. I enjoy bowling, fishing, hunting and watching Badger sports. Also, I have an identical twin brother named Phil. I look forward to meeting each one of you around the golf course and please be patient with me as I begin learning everyone’s names. Once again I wanted to say how excited I am to join the staff at Blackhawk Country Club, and look forward to finishing this golf season strong.
Pat Bastron
Thursday, July 18, 2013
The Heat is On
As much as we wish that 90+ degree weather with pea soup humidity would've stayed away this year, we knew that it would arrive at some point. Thankfully, the weather is forecasted to break with the passage of cold front on Friday night. Thus far, the course has been holding up quite well, and we've only had to do relatively minor afternoon hand-watering touchups. Now, we just have to survive the next few days.
This hot, humid weather with persistent dew has been perfect for disease development, and we've seen dollar spot activity in the rough, cosmetic brown patch towards the back of 15 and 17 greens, and the ever-deadly pythium on a very few isolated fairway areas. Yesterday, plant protectants were applied to all greens, tee, and fairways, and you will most likely not ever notice the diseases that popped up on Tuesday night. In our minds, just a little bit of disease development means that we are timing our plant protectant applications appropriately and not wasting very expensive products.
Aside from normal maintenance, which has been keeping us very busy, we haven't undertaken any noteworthy products over the past few weeks. However, the reshaping and sodding project that we completed earlier in the year by 18 green has established and matured very nicely.
For the first time this year, we've had to run the automatic irrigation system for more than three consecutive nights, and despite the moisture that is need to get the turf through this tough stretch of weather, the course has remained quite firm and fast.
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This hot, humid weather with persistent dew has been perfect for disease development, and we've seen dollar spot activity in the rough, cosmetic brown patch towards the back of 15 and 17 greens, and the ever-deadly pythium on a very few isolated fairway areas. Yesterday, plant protectants were applied to all greens, tee, and fairways, and you will most likely not ever notice the diseases that popped up on Tuesday night. In our minds, just a little bit of disease development means that we are timing our plant protectant applications appropriately and not wasting very expensive products.
Aside from normal maintenance, which has been keeping us very busy, we haven't undertaken any noteworthy products over the past few weeks. However, the reshaping and sodding project that we completed earlier in the year by 18 green has established and matured very nicely.
For the first time this year, we've had to run the automatic irrigation system for more than three consecutive nights, and despite the moisture that is need to get the turf through this tough stretch of weather, the course has remained quite firm and fast.
In completely unrelated news, some may have noticed that we have a duck nesting at the base of hackberry tree that is to the left of hole 2. While she doesn't seem to mind the occasional visitor, please be respectful of her nest and eggs.
As we've been telling our employees, be safe in the heat and drink more water than you think you need.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Overcompensating
Someone (Mother Nature) has been overcompensating for something (the 2012 drought) this year.
After last year, I vowed to not complain about rain, but it is starting to get a little ridiculous. From April through June of 2012, we received 6.82" of rain (and only 0.35" in June) and pumped 9.5 million gallons of water through the irrigation system. Fast forward one year... 20.47" of rain has fallen and only 1.4 millons gallons (mostly to water-in products) has been pumped. With rain falling as I type and more in the forecast, we have officially topped 8" for the month of June.
As I had mentioned in the last post, we are lucky to have such a well draining course that doesn't have a waterway running through it. However, the constantly saturated soils do present concerns for turf health. Prior to the monsoons starting last week, we were actually seeing some areas in the rough drying out and these areas are those that stay the wettest the longest. When roots can't access oxygen, they quite simply shrink towards the drier surface and that is precisely what happened. Hopefully, the soils will drain well enough that this doesn't happen on a widespread basis to the fine turf areas, but it's a distinct possibility that could make it a difficult summer. Luckily, it hasn't gotten as warm as was forecasted because nothing hurts roots more than boiling in waterlogged soils, and for now, we'll hope for the best.
In other news, we completed the sodding project by 18 last week and pleased with the results. All of the rain has provided a strong test to the water diversion that was a part of this project, and we will have to make a few minor tweaks to get it functioning as we would like. Until the roots establish and the rains stop, we will keep the sand bags in place, but they will hopefully be gone by next week.
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| A dark and very wet 7th fairway from this morning. |
As I had mentioned in the last post, we are lucky to have such a well draining course that doesn't have a waterway running through it. However, the constantly saturated soils do present concerns for turf health. Prior to the monsoons starting last week, we were actually seeing some areas in the rough drying out and these areas are those that stay the wettest the longest. When roots can't access oxygen, they quite simply shrink towards the drier surface and that is precisely what happened. Hopefully, the soils will drain well enough that this doesn't happen on a widespread basis to the fine turf areas, but it's a distinct possibility that could make it a difficult summer. Luckily, it hasn't gotten as warm as was forecasted because nothing hurts roots more than boiling in waterlogged soils, and for now, we'll hope for the best.
In other news, we completed the sodding project by 18 last week and pleased with the results. All of the rain has provided a strong test to the water diversion that was a part of this project, and we will have to make a few minor tweaks to get it functioning as we would like. Until the roots establish and the rains stop, we will keep the sand bags in place, but they will hopefully be gone by next week.
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| The back left bunker on 18 is still washing out a little bit, but not nearly as badly as it has in the past.
Given the rains, we feel fortunate to have gotten the Pitch In for the Patio fundraiser and the TaylorMade Invitational completed over the past two days, and from what we've heard, both were well received. Now, we have our fingers crossed for some dry days.
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Monday, June 17, 2013
All About 18
It's hard to imagine two years that have started differently than 2012 and 2013. By this time last year, we were probably already handwatering frequently and I was likely using portable sprinklers in the rough. Not to jinx ourselves, but we have yet to water the course this June and have maybe run two full-course irrigation programs this year. Despite all of the rain, the course has been holding up quite nicely, and it's times like these that we are thankful to have a course that drains so well. Of course, luck plays a role with the weather, and we dodged some downpours on Saturday evening that hit areas south of Madison with an inch of rain.
As of last week, we were fully-staffed for the year, and in spite of having more new employees than normal, it looks as if we should have another great crew this year. With all of the extra bodies, we are able to do more than just mow grass (which we've been doing a lot of) and some of the detail work that's tough to find time for in the spring is now getting done. Plus, we're able to tackle some projects.
Two weeks ago, we removed eight arborvitaes that separated the 18th green from the 13th tee. These trees unfairly punished slightly mis-hit tee shots on 18 and they also covered up some great views. I think that the view from hole 18 down 13 is now one of the best on the course, and the picture below captures just that.
Tomorrow, thirteen pallets of sod will be arriving to complete the transformation on both ends of the 18th hole. We will be leveling the ground with the cart paths that were paved by 18 tee last fall and by 18 green a few weeks ago. Sod will also be laid in the area where the arborvitaes were removed, and the area to the left of 18 green will be receiving a more dramatic makeover that will improve it aesthetically and functionally.
It's no great secret the the back left bunker on 18 washes out frequently, and the main culprit causing this is water from the parking lot and service drive the rushes down the banks and into the bunker. To impede the cascading water, we will be raising the backside lip of this bunker and lowering the valley behind both leftside bunkers to encourage the water to run towards the cart path. We're pretty excited to not have to pump/fix this bunker after every minor rainfall, and it will subsequently play much more fairly, too.
One of the other more noticeable changes on the course is the straw matting that is between the ninth green and first tee (pictured below). After removing invasive shrubs from this area two years ago, it has been our intention to improve this area further. This year, we hired an ecological firm to plant a savanna prairie mix in this barren spot, and once the plants germinate and mature, we think that it will be a great looking addition to the course.
Otherwise, the annual flowers have been planted, and the fairways have received their annual granular fertilizer application. It's hard to believe that in a few weeks, we will be celebrating the 4th of July and beginning our Japanese beetle grub preventative applications. It's amazing how time flies when Mother Nature provides moderate temperatures and ample rainfall; let's hope that she keeps up the good work.
As of last week, we were fully-staffed for the year, and in spite of having more new employees than normal, it looks as if we should have another great crew this year. With all of the extra bodies, we are able to do more than just mow grass (which we've been doing a lot of) and some of the detail work that's tough to find time for in the spring is now getting done. Plus, we're able to tackle some projects.
Two weeks ago, we removed eight arborvitaes that separated the 18th green from the 13th tee. These trees unfairly punished slightly mis-hit tee shots on 18 and they also covered up some great views. I think that the view from hole 18 down 13 is now one of the best on the course, and the picture below captures just that.
Tomorrow, thirteen pallets of sod will be arriving to complete the transformation on both ends of the 18th hole. We will be leveling the ground with the cart paths that were paved by 18 tee last fall and by 18 green a few weeks ago. Sod will also be laid in the area where the arborvitaes were removed, and the area to the left of 18 green will be receiving a more dramatic makeover that will improve it aesthetically and functionally.
It's no great secret the the back left bunker on 18 washes out frequently, and the main culprit causing this is water from the parking lot and service drive the rushes down the banks and into the bunker. To impede the cascading water, we will be raising the backside lip of this bunker and lowering the valley behind both leftside bunkers to encourage the water to run towards the cart path. We're pretty excited to not have to pump/fix this bunker after every minor rainfall, and it will subsequently play much more fairly, too.
One of the other more noticeable changes on the course is the straw matting that is between the ninth green and first tee (pictured below). After removing invasive shrubs from this area two years ago, it has been our intention to improve this area further. This year, we hired an ecological firm to plant a savanna prairie mix in this barren spot, and once the plants germinate and mature, we think that it will be a great looking addition to the course.
Otherwise, the annual flowers have been planted, and the fairways have received their annual granular fertilizer application. It's hard to believe that in a few weeks, we will be celebrating the 4th of July and beginning our Japanese beetle grub preventative applications. It's amazing how time flies when Mother Nature provides moderate temperatures and ample rainfall; let's hope that she keeps up the good work.
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