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.