Winter's End?

 A few of you have started to inquire on the start of the 2016 golf season at Elcona, and while it is still hard to predict an exact date, it is right around the corner.  But what signs do we look for in deciding whether to open or not?  

7 fairway.  Open sun leads to no frost.

6 fairway, a more shaded area.  Frost still present!

The main sign I look at is the amount of frost in the ground. Year to year, the level of frost in the ground varies, as you would expect.  The last two winters had a very deep layer with the extreme cold we dealt with.  This year, while much milder, we still had many areas of ground freeze, especially shaded areas.

The pictures to the left show the variability in frost layer as I walked the course last weekend.  The fairway on hole #7 is exposed to sun most of the day.  My soil probe went all the way to the ground, a good sign that any surface water left on the turf will drain down due to the lack of frozen ground.

The left side of 6 fairway is one area I keep good eye on in early spring due to its higher amount of shade.  The probe one went down a couple of inches, indicating frozen ground below. There was a fair amount of water in the surface, because until that frozen ground thaws completely, the water from melted snow and ice is trapped near the surface. In this situation, any traffic, whether foot or wheeled, will cause a rut.

Excess machine and foot traffic on frozen ground can also lead to root shearing on turf plants, which leads to poor turf quality and a longer window for the turf to green up. The soils also need to completely dry and firm up.  Wet soils lead to damage from machine traffic and compaction.  Playing surfaces also need a period of time to allow proper drainage so we can begin to work them into the firm surfaces you are accustomed to.

Spring is near, and with that golf is near too.  We will keep you abreast on the latest course conditions, and open as soon as the conditions allow.  If you have any questions, please email me at ryan@elconacc.com.  Have a great week!

Ryan

Course Update, 2/6/16

5 Green on February 1.

What a difference a year makes.  At this time last year, we were in the midst of a 17" lake effect snow storm.  Ice cover was not a major concern, but was in place in lower areas of the golf course.  This year we have had quite the roller coaster.  Each time we receive a significant amount of snow, it is followed by above normal temperatures that easily melt it away.  Tee, fairway, and rough turf achieved a level of dormancy finally over the last couple of weeks, and the greens are slowly catching up.

I have noticed some greens have a two toned appearance to them currently, which is not a concern to me.  This is where ice and snow cover took a bit longer to melt, and protected the turf underneath from colder air temperatures.  The lighter turf color is where turf was exposed to the elements for a longer period of time.  Again, not a concern, but one of the neat attributes that Mother Nature can show throughout the seasons.

Our annual tree work has shifted to stump grinding and clean up.  One tree that was a subject of conversation and that I have wrote about here was the large Black Oak near #1 green.  This tree rapidly defoliated in July and, according to the two experts I had look at it, succumbed to Oak Wilt.  It was removed on January 26th by our tree service.  If you would like to read more about Oak Wilt, here is an article from Michigan State.

Black oak stump 

Insect boring/fungal growth on a limb

Insect boring 1" from the bottom

Close up of cracking in stump

In observing the tree as we were cleaning up the debris, we noticed a couple of other problems the tree had. There was a direct insect trail bored throughout the the entire tree, and some cracking within the main trunk of the tree.  All of these symptoms, as well as the Oak Wilt symptoms observed when the leaves were dropping in July, probably together played a roll to its demise.  We are unsure if the insect boring led to the fungal infection, or vice versa.  According to Michigan State extension, it is a very troublesome disease to diagnose.

The takeaway I have had from this tree is learning about Oak Wilt, how to prevent the spread of it, and how to best protect Elcona's other Oak inventory from this.  While there is no reason to be overly concerned about it at this time, Oak Wilt is something that we will be continually monitoring within our tree maintenance program.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Have a great weekend!

Ryan

Course Update, 1/11/2016

3 Pond in its Winter State

Winter has finally arrived, and some of the coldest air of the season has invaded our area.  I wanted to take a minute and share some of my observations over the last 4 weeks.

18 green receiving a mow on 12/9/15

Mowing fairways on December 22. Quite shaggy!

Clipping yield from 18 green, 12/9/15

December brought record warmth to our area.  The green and fairway turf was mowed and plant protectants were reapplied in those areas.  The decision to do this is not a easy, cut and dry one to make, but one that was necessary IMO for the long term health of the turf.  Growth regulators were included in the reapplication to minimize growth in case the warm weather continued, which it did for a bit, albeit not the 60's we saw earlier in the month.  As of this morning, all areas are clean of disease.

Topdressing 18 green

1 green after sand was applied

The warm December allowed us to continue adding topdressing to greens to continue to protect the crowns from any cold injury due to exposure.  It also kept the soil from freezing, which was key for any rain events we received over the course of the month.  A great example is over this past weekend, when the course received 1.75" of rain Friday and Saturday.  Thanks in part to the unfrozen soil, open holes from our November deep tine aerification, and a late season wetting agent application that aids in moving water away from the soil surface, all surfaces were dry before the temperatures dropped and any standing water could freeze.  Remembering our ice adventures from a couple of years ago, I was quite happy to see that!   The dangers of ice to Poa annua greens and our experiences are explained here and here to refresh your memory.  

#5 after this past weekend's weather event

No ice, just a dusting of snow on green surfaces

17 Green

With temperatures now forecasted to be below normal, additional snow cover would be highly beneficial to further insulate the crowns of the plants.  Poa annua is resilient, but susceptible to deep cold injury.  While it is "so far, so good" in regards to turf survival over the winter, the situation is one that will be continuously monitored and sampled.

If you have any questions, contact me at ryan@elconacc.com.  Stay warm!

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