Pool landscape project....................

Since the completion of the new pool and installation of new fence I had been meaning to add a planting bed along the pool deck to protect the fence from the weed whips. Two years later I finally got it done.

The plastic edging along the building and down towards #10 tee was in terrible shape so instead of just going along the pool deck I took out the old edging and put in new timbers. the plastic edging is fast and easy to install but it just doesnt seem to hold up that good around the golf course, hopefully these timbers are a little more durable and this seemed to be a good application for them.

This week................

We will be mowing Easter morning due to the crummy Saturday forecast.


Other happenings this week include seeding, topdressing, and fertilizing the back range tee. Last fall we seeded the front range and that is ready to be put into play. A small landscape refurbishment will continue near the pool (I will post photos after completion) and I will start spraying pre-emergent weed control and post-emergent weed control in the rough.


I plan to sod a few areas around the south putting green and the patio if the grower has started cutting sod.

Remember to sign up for the 2nd mixer on Thursday at 2 pm.

Aerification

Today we aerified greens and as planned we were not as aggressive as we have been in the past. Because of a sand issue and a weather issue we did not topdress today. As you can see from the picture this will heal quickly even if the temperatures stay 20 degrees below normal for the next few days.

I will give them a light topdress later in the week when the weather returns to something us South Dakotan's consider more normal.

I think that's how long the golf season is in Canada

This week we took the greens down to 1/8 inch and did some rolling to start smoothing the greens out for winter. Monday we are going to aerify, maybe. But first I need to go plow the lot for the president's party tonight. How many past president parties require a plow?

Aerification

Aerification is scheduled for next Monday (4/18). This is one week sooner than normal and like last year the project will be done in house. We will be using a slicing tine which will make a very small hole that will be quick to heal. If it rains Monday we are able to postpone aerification for the following week at which time we will deep tine aerify with a rented machine. If we have to push aerification back these next two paragraphs do not apply. The reason for the change is to avoid a part of the year that take-all fungus has been very active and the tine choice is not aggressive to help the plant better resist take-all. It has been printed that aerification can increase the severity of the disease and it has also been written that aerification should be used to help recover from take-all. The big advantage for you is the greens should be recovered before May instead of a week into May on our normal schedule. The second advantage for you is the tine choice is not going to disrupt the surface a great deal. And the third potential advantage is I wont have to deal with a heavy break out of take-all. The disadvantages could be a slow heal because the weather can be suspect in the middle of April, but even a slow heal would put us ahead because of tine choice. And the second disadvantage is I would prefer to aggressively aerify greens in the spring because that is when bentgrass is putting down roots for the season. The bathrooms are opened on the course. New flags are out and ballwashers will be filled soon. We still have a lot of sticks to pick up, a lot of irrigation to check and adjust, and lots of pre-emergent weed control to put down.

This week in turf..............

Here is a photo of the change on #2 tee. We will sod the back end when we get our first load of sod no sooner than the end of April. It is only my opinion but this is a better place for the furniture than our previous layout. I am going to put everything on the posts by the end of the week. Jeff rolled greens today which is something different from years prior. Results would be better if we were a little wetter but the idea is to try and smooth them out at a more accelerated rate then normal. We are going to mow for Thursday's play. Starting mow height is .2 inches lower this year compared to last year. The staff is also raking various areas on the golf course and the goal is to start in the most heavily trafficed roughs and keep the tees and fairways clean for the mowing. #9 pond. Last year the water washed out the area underneath the cart path and we repaired that by dumping a few tons of rock down the hole and topping it off thanks to some free concrete from Yankton Redi-Mix. The repaired held all year but coming out of spring the washout moved and if I didnt think it would take a truck load of concrete to fill the hole that is probably how I would fix it. However, I am going to try and seal some more of the area off using the same method as last year. When I get this repair finished I will fill up #8 pond. If no big rains come you can expect #8 to be very low on water. Next week the bathrooms should open up and ballwashers will get filled unless I see a serious cold snap coming through. Dont forget next week Thursday is the first mixer.

First mow 2011..............

This picture was taken today (April 1st). We mowed all eighteen fairways and the greens for the first time this year. Tomorrow we will cut tees and approaches and change cups. If the wind wasnt blowing 30 mph it would be a pretty good day to golf. Next post will cover the pond situation on #9, more mowing information, and our raking schedule.