Course Notes, 1/12/18

5 green up close

5 green on January 11

Happy New Year to everyone reading the blog!  2018 has started out quite cold with exception to yesterday's quick thaw.  Although reality has sat back in today with a quick hitting ice and snow event, yesterday gave me a chance to evaluate the golf course and grounds.  Except for an active mole near the practice facility, I am happy to report no issues on the course.  The Poa on the greens looks great, and there is still quite a bit of protective sand around the crown of the plant.  Bowser has even enjoyed our course inspections the last few days. 

Winter work on our department consists of four main areas:  Snow removal, equipment maintenance, course marker maintenance, and tree work.  Since you probably are aware how much it has snowed at Elcona so far this year, let me update you on what the staff and I have been up to these last few weeks in regards to the latter three areas:

Much of our equipment maintenance happens in the months of January and February.  All of our mower reels and rotary blades are sharpened for the upcoming season, and routine maintenance like oil and fluid flushes are performed as well.  The second picture shows our Equipment Manager, Steve Ott, using a torch to heat and remove a failing bearing and cup from one of the rollers on a fairway unit. 

On an important side note, the 2018 season marks the beginning of Steve's 39th year of service at Elcona.  His dedication, knowledge, and ingenuity to the club and our department is utterly invaluable and I am quite thankful to work along side him each day here and call him a teammate.  In the spring, if you see him out and about on the golf course, please stop and thank him. 

The staff also does a wonderful job refurbishing all of the various markers and supplies you may utilize out in your round of golf.  The brass fairway markers are taped, and 2 coats of black paint are applied, followed by tape removal and 2 coats of clear coat to give it a glossy shine.  The tee markers in the background are sanded down, re-stained, and given a coat of spar urethane to prevent the elements from damaging them.  All other course supplies, like ball washers and litter baskets are touched up as well to provide a great look for the upcoming season. 




Finally, our tree work is coming along quite nicely.  The list is much smaller this year compared to previous years, with an continued emphasis on turf health and aesthetic improvement.  Our staff is also concentrating on trimming several oak trees on select holes after tree removals have been completed. 

15 Colorado blue spruces were removed from the south side of the club drive last week.  These very large trees were removed due infection from Phomposis blight, a canker disease that has become more prevalent in the Midwest in the last few years.  The aesthetics of these trees had created a poorer aesthetic for members and guests entering the club.    In the spring, irrigation will be installed and the bare areas will be repaired with sod.  Michigan State has a great extension article on reasons on Spruce tree decline, which you can read more about here. 

This removal also is another demonstration of the planning that goes into the tree program.  Many years ago, a plan was developed to replace these trees with a group of Norway Spruce to better screen US 20.  As the Norway spruce behind them matured and further screened US 20, the Blue Spruces could be removed and not hinder the club with a view of US 20. 

Blue Spruces along the club drive

Tree service hauling them to flat ground for clean up.  Note the thinning lower branches.

Our staff dragging a spruce to flat ground for safer clean up.

The final look!

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On Hole 15, the red maple closest to the cart path and Zimm's Creek was removed.  The turf in this area the last few years has become thinner and less playable for approach shots that land here.  The resulting removal will allow for drier, more playable shot attempts from that area. 

15 landing area before

15 landing area after

If you have any questions, please email me at ryan@elconacc.com.  Please stay warm this month and I will have further updates on our activities on what is shaping to be another busy year for our department.  Have a great weekend! 

Ryan

2015/16 Tree Work

(Editor's note:  This was supposed to be posted on January 2, 2016, but did not due to a technical error.)

A beautiful December sunrise

If you took advantage of the warmer golf weather that December brought, you may have noticed the tree work that has been accomplished within the last few weeks, and may have questions on the reasons why certain trees were removed.  Elcona's tree removal strategy revolves on continuously improving playing conditions and turf health on the golf course, while maintaining the integrity and playability of each hole. Trees are a tremendous asset to Elcona's golf course, as long as they are the right tree in the right location.

The impact of tree roots and nutrient competition  to a turf stand.

Some trees can be targeted for removal discussion based on their proximity to fairways or greens, their impact on the surrounding turf health (too much shade and nutrient competition), while others are targeted because they are growing into other, more desirable trees.  Others are removed for their own failing health or the large amounts of debris and litter they produce.  The picture above shows quite healthy turf outside of the tree rootzone, which is clearly defined by the brown turf.  Below I have identified a couple areas and the reasoning behind their removal.

Right side of 6 with a couple Sugar Maples removed

#6/16 before removal

This area above is on the right side of 6, both off of the tee and in the rough short of the bunker.  This area is a popular spot for wayward tee shots, but is quite thin in terms of turf cover due to many Maple trees, in terms of their maturation, high shade cover, and robbing the micro-environment of nutrients that the turf uses to thrive.  The above left picture shows an example of the thin turf cover and bare areas that are typical in this situation.  This removal will increase the amount of sunlight to the area and create a better environment for turf to grow, while still providing a challenge for any wayward tee shots.

#1 from the landing area.

The area to the right is #1 from the landing area.  The tulip tree behind the green was removed due to the large amount of debris that is rained onto the green, as well as the damage it took from a couple of storms in the past 2 years.  Roots were also beginning to encroach the immediate green surround and impacting the health of the bluegrass.  Two oak trees on the left side of the hole will also be removed later this month whenever the ground freezes.  Both oaks are in sickly shape, one from oak wilt and the other from an ant infestation.

We also have continued focusing our efforts on removing silver maples on property to further reduce those pesky helicopter seeds that are prevalent in the late spring months.  About 10 additional ash trees have been removed due to their succumbing to Emerald Ash Borer damage.

I welcome anyone that has questions on any work done on the golf course to contact me at ryan@elconacc.com, or give me a call at the maintenance facility.

Ryan

December Golf and Tree Work

12 green looking great on December 14th

After a down right frigid November, December has allowed the staff and I to continue work outside on the golf course.  This past weekend welcomed temperatures well into the 50's, which thawed any frozen soil and allowed a few rounds of golf to be enjoyed on Elcona's golf course.  It gave me a chance to also inspect the turf for any disease development, which I can happily say I did not see any major signs of.  I am overall pleased with the condition of the course heading into a sustained winter weather pattern, whenever that may occur. 

Many of you may have noticed the tree work that has been accomplished within the last few weeks, and may have questions on the reasons why certain trees were removed.  Elcona's tree removal strategy revolves on continuously improving playing conditions and turf health on the golf course, while maintaining the integrity and playability of each hole. Trees are a tremendous asset to Elcona's golf course, as long as they are the right tree in the right location. 

Some trees can be targeted for removal discussion based on their proximity to fairways or greens, their impact on the surrounding turf health (too much shade and nutrient competition), while others are targeted because they are growing into other, more desirable trees.  Others are removed for their own failing health or the large amounts of debris and litter they produce.  I have identified a couple areas, the reasoning behind their removal, and some before and after pictures. 

The view from 8 tee, October 2014

8 tee, 12/15/14

We removed two Silver Maples and two Locust trees between Holes 8 and 11.  These trees have noticeably declined over the last few years, and the near annual basis of trimming these trees for playability reasons indicated they were overgrown for this area.  The turf underneath this area had to compete with these large trees for moisture, nutrients, and sunlight and at times throughout the growing season struggled. 

During his visit in Mid-October, Arthur Hills (our current golf course architect) emphasized the need to open the view on these golf holes, and remove these 4 trees.  The Silver Maples produced a tremendous amount of leaf and seed litter in the spring as well, and their removal kept consistent with previous tree removal plans ridding the course of these messy trees. 



The view from 11 tee, 12/15/14

 

The left side of 9 fairway, October 2014

The two silver maples and one large red maple has also been removed on the left side of #9, along the out of bounds line bordering the Practice Facility.  As the top picture shows, the 5 Burr and Scarlet Oaks that were planted years ago to replace these trees have reached a point in their maturity that the larger Silver Maples have begun to stunt their future growth.  These Maple trees also produced a tremendous amount of litter in the fairway and out competed the surrounding turf for water and nutrients.  The farthest Silver Maple from the tee boxes was hit by lightning twice in the last 5 years, severely jeopardizing its long term health. 

9 fairway, 12/15/14

Although this removal brings the out of bounds more significantly into play, for the long term health of this area and the more desirable species of tree it was necessary to remove these three trees. 










We have also been removing several ash trees in the woods near the Halfway House that have succumbed to Emerald Ash Borer.  The large Ash behind 1 green has been removed as well.  I will keep everyone up to date on our winter progress periodically.  Have a safe, happy Holiday Season and a Happy New Year!

Ryan

Fall Project Update

It took a while, but we finally received some much needed rainfall.  Until September 19^th, we had gone since August 3^rd with only .17” of rain.  This stretch of dry weather was eerily similar to last year but thankfully the dry spell came later in the year when the days are shorter and temperatures are cooler. All in all, we managed the dry spell without any major issues and are set up well for some spectacular fall golf.

Incredible color change after a much needed rain!

Traditionally, fall is a very busy time for us in the Grounds Department. This year is no exception. Not only do we have our typical maintenance of the golf course to complete, but we have several major course improvements that are scheduled to be completed.  Beginning in October, my staff and I will be making some changes to #4 and #14 fairways, renovating some tees that need leveled and aligned, resurfacing cartpaths, treating and removing trees that have been damaged by Imprelis, performing our normal tree work to improve the golf course, and, of course, the renovation of #18 green.

#18 green is, without a doubt, the hot topic of the fall.  Most of you will agree that changes need to be made in order to make the green more playable than it currently is. Beginning in October, Arthur Hills and one of his contractors will begin working on the renovation of the green. As of the writing of this article, we do not have a final plan of what will take place, nor do we have a set schedule, but one will be on the way shortly.  Stay tuned to the blog as this will serve as the primary source of information for the project.

I will provide detailed information regarding each of these projects and why they are taking place as we get closer to the actual work taking place. Until then, please stop me if you have any questions or concerns and I will do my best to get you the information you need.  

Lastly, greens are scheduled to be aerified on October 3rd and 4th weather permitting. we will be aerifying 9 holes at a time, so please check with the Pro Shop staff to see which 9 will be open on these two days. Have a great month!

Justification for a Tough Decision

Change is never easy, especially when it comes to impacting something that you have grown accustomed to and have developed an appreciation for.  With that being said, sometimes change can mean opportunity.  This was the case regarding the tree removal project behind #12 green and along side #13 tee this past winter.  We had a clear opportunity to improve the health of a very important green.

Unacceptable turf conditions due
to poor air movement

Unfortunately, this opportunity was born out of a couple of very stressful periods.  If you recall the previous two seasons we struggled to keep the turf on #12 green alive during the abnormally hot/humid conditions that we faced.  Truth be told, we came very close to losing the entire green on several occasions.  If the fan were not present, I feel very confident that the past conditions would have been far worse.  Last winter, with approval from the Green Committee and Board of Directors, it was decided to significantly reduce the tree population in this area.  This was a very difficult decision to make knowing how it could potentially impact the view of the 12th hole from the middle of the fairway.

#12 before tree removal

With careful consideration to the backdrop of #12 green, a plan was put in place to remove a majority of the trees in an attempt to take advantage of winds coming out of the west, northwest, north and northeast.  I had great confidence that we would achieve our desired results, but there was no way to tell...until the week of July 1st.  The first half of the week gave us three days with temps in the mid to upper 90's, while the second half brought 4 days with temps in the low 100's with humidity.  This unprecedented stretch of weather wasn't exactly conducive for maintaining turfgrass, especially our greens that are comprised of Poa annua.  However, it was ideal weather to test our decision of removing the trees.

#12 after tree removal

Looking back on that week of horrendous weather and surveying the turf conditions of #12 green the following week, the green survived the test and has unquestionably gone from what was easily our weakest green to arguably our best one.  The best news of all is that the fan was never used, although I did consider putting it out.

I will stop well short of claiming that we will never have another problem with this green, but at this point it seems pretty clear that the decision to protect our asset was the correct one.  I would hate to think of what the condition of the green would be like now if we hadn't made such a tough decision.

Please click on pictures for a more detailed view.