Course Notes, 9/29/17

September has been a topsy turvy month weather wise.  Quite cool the first 2 weeks, and July-like temperatures the 2nd half of the month.  The heat that has been in our area has produced some high growth rates in our greens, tees, and fairways.  We have verticut all of these areas within the last 10 days to reduce the amount of leaf matter and applied additional growth regulator, which will return these surfaces to more normal playing conditions.  Besides cutting lateral growing turf and removing thatch, the verticut helps stand the turf up for regular mowers to achieve a more consistent playing surface. 

2 fairway after a verticut

6 fairway after verticut and regular mowing

One constant throughout the month has been the lack of rainfall.  Only on September 19th did we have a rain event producing greater than .10” of rainfall.  Needless to say, it is dry out there, which you can see by what the grass looks in some non-irrigated areas.  Here’s to October bringing our area a good soaking rain!

Of course, that good soaking rain needs to avoid our aerification dates!  Tees were aerified on September 6th, and as you can see to the left, we removed a lot of thatch from them!  With the warm temperatures we had, the holes have already healed in for the most part.  Greens will be aerified on October 5th (Front 9 and the Large practice green) and 6th (Back 9 and Small practice green) using a 3/8” tine.  The cores that we bring up with these tines will be

verticut and the soil will be re-introduced into the profile.  The greens will then be topped off with new sand to finish filling the holes.  Fairways will be aerified the week of October 9th, using a solid ½” tine.  There will be no plugs being brought up, which is how we aerify them in the spring.  While a short term inconvenience to ball roll and playability, aerification is the foundation of proper soil and turf health and a critical component of any agronomic program.  Thank you for your patience and understanding during this busy and quite necessary time in our maintenance schedule!


Some other notes….

7 fairway bunker on a Saturday morning

The picture on the right is unfortunately becoming more evident each morning when we are raking bunkers.  This was noticed on a Saturday morning, footprints right next to a bunker rake.  Out of respect for your fellow members, please rake the bunkers after you hit out of them.  Thank you for your cooperation. 

Jorge raking 11 greenside bunker

Our staff has been expanding the Aussie ring around the bunkers in a further attempt to increase playability.  For the most part we have received positive feedback with this short term change in maintenance, and will be utilizing the plate compactor method I wrote about here in all greenside bunkers next spring.

Skunk digging has been evident is some green surrounds, like this area to the left of 3 green.  The skunks are looking for a tasty meal of grubs.  These areas are repaired, seeded, and a curative insecticide is applied to take care of any white grubs that are present.  These areas are considered ground under repair, and the digging usually subsides later this month. 

In an attempt to better warn anyone on the course of potential weather, we have moved the weather siren from the halfway house to behind 12 black tee.  This siren was having issues receiving its signal from the clubhouse.  It is also solar powered, which was a fun afternoon electrical engineering project (a great use of my Purdue education!)

The milkweed we left in the native areas was well utilized by the visiting Monarch butterflies last month.  Milkweed is the sole host plant for the monarch caterpillar and is critical for completing their life cycle.  Creating additional habitats such as this one right of 16 fairway is a simple way we can help these pollinating insects thrive and contribute to the benefit of our local ecosystem. 

If you have any questions, please contact me at ryan@elconacc.com.  Thank you, and I’ll see you out on the golf course!

Ryan

Course Notes, 8/4/17

The weather this summer (so far) has been quite different that the last 2 summers.  Instead of a solid 5-7 day stretch of hot, humid weather, we have held relatively around normal each day.  Rainfall has been very timely, and with exception to last night's 2" rain received in 45 minutes, the amounts have been manageable and not overbearing.  While the turf at Elcona is healthy and in great condition, I wanted to take a minute and update you on other happenings around the property.

The staff has been busy with our annual sand replacement on 3 greenside bunkers.  This year, the back right 2 bunkers on #3 and the far left bunker along 7 green are the targeted bunkers.  There is much more to this refurbishment than just adding sand.  First, all the older sand is removed.  Since this sand is still usable, we select areas in fairway bunkers to add this too.

Sand removed

Jose spreading used sand in 4 fairway bunker

Compacting new sand

Finished product

After adding fresh sand to the greenside bunker, the sand is lightly watered down before a vibratory plate compactor is ran over the surface multiple times.  This compactor helps lessen the fluffy effect new sand can have and make it as consistent as possible to the other bunkers.  

Bumblebee enjoying flowering Joe Pye Weed 

Honeybee on Black Eyed Susan

We have also noticed many of our winged friends enjoying some of the beautiful wildflower areas as well.  15's pond bank has exploded in color, as well as the smaller pond on #3.  The swamp milkweed in the Rain Garden has grown to over 10 feet in height and is flourishing, all the while helping filter out any possible impurities in our equipment wash water.  Creating and maintaining these pollinator habitats continues to be a focus of the club's Audubon efforts.

Eastern Carpenter Ant

A few of you have asked me about another insect visitor that has made its mark lately at Elcona.  During the day, some greens have small soil mounds appear on them.  These are mainly due to the Eastern Carpenter Ant.  These ants are worker female ants looking to form new colonies with their burrowing.  They mainly feed on seeds and honeydew from aphids and mealybugs.   Normally treatment is not required, since this ant provide beneficial natural control of other pests to turf, such as the cutworm.  We try to set high thresholds when it comes to evaluating whether to treat or not, to limit the footprint we set on the environment.  If the mounds start to significantly impact playability on the greens, we will treat.

Eastern Cicada Killer

Cicada Killer in 6 bunker

Finally, many of you have noticed large “bees” burrowing into the bunkers and fairways.  These are actually Eastern Cicada Killer Wasps.  Although their large size and swarming can be intimidating, they are a non-aggressive wasp that avoid direct contact with humans and will not sting you unless you really agitate them for a prolonged period of time.  They are much more interested in finding cicadas for lunch then spoiling your day.  Control of these wasps is quite difficult and unless they are burrowing into greens and fairways causing damage, is not necessary.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at the maintenance facility.  Have a great week and I hope to see you out on the golf course!

Ryan

Course Notes, 5/30/17

Compared to a typical May, 2017’s version was colder, wetter, and busier than normal (the latter being a good thing!).  Our staff is doing a wonderful job with projects, both on and off the golf course.  Here is a quick recap of our observations and activities in the last month:

A low of 28 on May 8th

Orange tinge to fairway turf

Close up of 17 fairway turf showing tip burn/old leaves

The cold weather in early May (including morning lows below 30 degrees on May 5th and 8th) was not a welcome sight for the turfgrass in the fairways and green surrounds.  Many of you have asked me about the orange tinge you saw when looking at a fairway from afar, while it looked green when on the fairway.  The pictures of 17 fairway close up showed the orange is actually the tips of the leaf blades and the old leaf blades, with greener, healthier turf growing below.  The variety of bentgrass we have in our fairways is an older variety that is quite susceptible to cold temperatures.  The two freezes we had earlier in the month stunted the turf’s growth, and would not push new growth until more consistent warmer weather returned, which in the last few days has.  Green surrounds have finally shown growth and have received their 2nd fertility application to provide consistent food for the next 90 days.

The staff also has concentrated on detail work in the bunkers and tees.  We rented a plate compactor to further firm up bunkers that have had new sand installed within the last 2 years, and sifted through the sand to remove as many rocks as possible.  It continues to amaze me the amount of rocks that consistently make their way up from the subsoil to the surface through washouts, frost heaving in the winter, and maintenance practices.  Four 5 gallon pails were removed on the bunkers on holes 7 and 16 alone.  Removal of these impediments will continue to be a priority for our staff.  Tees were verticut last week to remove excess growth and thatch. We will continue to work on firming up these playing surfaces.

Plate compacting bunker edges

Tees after verticut and regular mow

Rocks removed from 1 bunker on 7

Lots of material removed from tees!

Finished bunker on 5

The Fiesta Hut project is completed and I couldn't be happier on the resulting product.  With the wet weather, our concrete contractor has fallen a bit behind on his work and as soon as he can, they will be out to finish patching the walkway around the new stone wall. When you see him, please thank Greg Stump for his efforts on this project, and his other transformations around Elcona.  He is currently in full planting mode, adding tremendous color to the Elcona landscape.

Finally, NiBlock was out earlier in the month to refurbish the cart paths in the woods, 7,11, and Halfway House, and did a wonderful job.  The staff is currently planting grass seed and landscaping around the Halfway House, and as course needs allow, we will be adding soil and seed to the shoulder areas that need raised up.

If you have any questions, please contact me at ryan@elconacc.com.  Thank you, and I will see you out on the golf course!

Ryan

Course Notes, 3/28/17

Things are starting to green up and bloom here in Northern Indiana.  Forsythia have begun showing their yellow blossoms on the bottoms of the plants, daffodils and tulips withstood mid-March snows and freezes to begin their Spring, and the grass on the golf course is starting to green up in anticipation of another season.  The picture to the right shows 9 green during a 96 hour synopsis of a typical March in Indiana.  Snow, melt, snow, melt followed by a day where winds reached 60 miles/hour.

The staff and I continue working on course clean up, applying pre-emergent treatments for crabgrass and other grassy weeds, and mowing the fine turf on an as needed basis.  As weather more consistently warms and additional staff return, we will begin to assume our normal in-season maintenance routine.  We are typically fully staffed by Memorial Day.

New Pin Location cards

As more of you come out to Elcona to enjoy the warmer weather, you will notice a couple of changes to your daily experience that we hope will enhance your enjoyment.  One of these is a change in pin location options from 3 to 4.  This will give our staff additional flexibility in both yardages on par 3's (think 8 and 11) and moving pin locations better around wear points on the green.

The other change is a new maintenance method we are trying in how we maintain the bunkers in an attempt to further improve the playability of them.  A large focus of this centers around helping the ball better roll to the bottom of the bunker, to provide firmer sand and playing conditions in the bunkers, and to help prevent "fried egg" lies.  In the past, we raked the entire bunker and edges with leaf rakes in daily maintenance, a process that usually takes 5 staff members about 4 hours a day.

The new style of raking is termed the "Aussie Method", which began as a common method of maintenance in the Sandbelt region of Australia, and has become increasingly popular across the globe.  It achieved global exposure during the 2014 US Open at Pinehurst.

Lead assistant Matt McNarney raking #2 bunker

The idea behind this method is to compact the top edges and faces of the bunkers to better allow balls to roll down the slope after impact.  The bottoms of the bunkers will be raked on the same schedule as before in season, and the edges will be smoothed and compacted completely 2-3 times per week with a soft roller.  Other days, the edges will be checked and only the points of any edges affected by play, maintenance, or wildlife will be smoothed to maintain the look and compaction levels.  I hope that over the course of the early season, this will help the playability of the bunkers while still contribute an aesthetically pleasing feature to the golf course.  Bear with us as this will be a learning process for staff to find the most efficient way to utilize this style.

However, please remember that the single most important factor regarding firmness in bunkers is moisture. Wet bunkers will always be firmer than dry bunkers - regardless of maintenance practices. Also, during heavy rain events, many of our bunkers in their current position and shaping will have to be re-built and raked, which will return compaction levels to square one.  The USGA has made a great video explaining bunker maintenance and consistency, which you can click here to view.  Edging, pebble removal, and checking of sand depth levels will continue this month as more staff return.  

If you have any questions or feedback, please email me at ryan@eclonacc.com or call me at the Maintenance Facility.  I hope to see you out on the golf course!

Ryan

Course Notes, 6/26/16

Elcona hosted a very successful Indiana State Amateur Championship, and we would like to congratulate Matt Christensen on his victory.  Well played!  I would also like to congratulate our staff for their efforts leading up to and during the championship.  I am very proud of them and the product they produced.  

#1 fairway bunker being pumped

17 Fairway bunker

Elcona staff moving sand back on 17

On Wednesday night, the course received 2.45" of rain, in the span of 40 minutes.  While all the playing surfaces were free of standing water when we arrived Thursday morning, all of the water had run off into the bunkers, creating washouts that were the worst I have ever seen out here. 30 out of the 50 bunkers we have on course needed to be pumped out, and all of them had silt contamination.  While we were able to repair them to get them playable for the final round, there is still work to do.  Over the next week, our staff will be removing additional contamination, checking sand depths, and sieving the rocks that washed to the surface during this rain event.  Also, we will be installing new sand on a couple of the bunkers on #3, and placing the old sand in select fairway bunkers.  

Rocks left behind on 17

Large rock in 17 fairway bunker

Many of you ask where all the rocks come from in the bunkers.  Quick hitting, large rain events like last week's is a major summertime reason.  The sand washes away, exposing the soil below.  The soil washes into the sand and mixes (contaminates) together, leaving rocks at the edges of the bunkers.  

17 fairway bunker after repairs

11 greenside bunker contamination

Chef Casey's garden

Seed to Feed garden

Finally, the Seed to Feed garden is doing well and starting to show blooms on the squash that is planted there.  Onions and zucchini are also planted there and doing great.  Chef Casey's garden was relocated to the west of the Seed to Feed garden and is thriving in its new location.  Here's hoping to a successful harvest that he can share with you in the clubhouse this summer.  

If you have any questions, please contact me at ryan@elconacc.com.  Thanks, and have a great week!

Ryan

Course Notes and Happenings, 5/12/16

While the beginning of May has been inconsistent weather wise, it has been nice to see members out and about enjoying the golf course when it is nice and sunny.  All stump holes have now been filled and seeded or sodded, and until these areas establish themselves, they will be marked as ground under repair.

Hydro leak on 4 fairway

Unfortunately, we had a hydraulic hose blowout on one of our sprayers today, along the left side of #4 fairway.  The oil line was directly behind the operator and was not noticed until it was too late.  As often as we check all of our machines for wear and tear, these things happen sometimes.  The affected sod will be cut out and replaced within the next week or so.  It is interesting to note that it is not the oil itself that kills the turf, but the high temperature that the oil is at during normal operation.  There is never a good time for this to happen!

Sand sieve tool

Rocks after one scoop, 7 fairway bunker

Many of you have asked about all the pebbles and rocks in the bunkers.  These rocks come from the subsoil base of the bunker, in one of three ways.  The first is from the multiple freeze/thaw cycles that occur during winter, where soil heaves up and down, pushing the rocks closer to the surface.  The second way these that come up is via any washout damage that occurs during a heavy rain event.  Lastly, our hand rakes and machine rake can grab rocks that are below the sand surface and bring them to the top.  

We have purchased sifting tools to lessen the impact these rocks have on the playability of the bunker.  Throughout the year, it is my goal to have our staff comb through with these tools and remove as many as possible in the top 2" of the bunker.  In April, 18 5 gallon buckets of rocks were removed.  

14 Pond

 Finally, I mentioned in the Prattler our wood duck house on #14 Pond has a resident wood duck sitting on 9 eggs.  Over the next 2 weeks or so I am hoping to capture their hatching and subsequent "jump day" when the new ducklings learn that their nest is 7 feet above the ground.  If you would like more information on wood ducks, The Wood Duck Society has a great FAQ section here.

If you have any questions, please email me at ryan@elconacc.com.  Thanks and have a great rest of your week!

Ryan

Our resident mama wood duck