Course Notes, 4/7/18

While the calendar says Spring, Mother Nature has had other plans for us at Elcona.  Although this weather has not been very conducive for golf, the staff and I have enjoyed working on other projects around the property so that when the weather turns for the better, we can turn our focus more onto the 2018 golf season.

When conditions have allowed, we have mowed and maintained on the golf course.  All fine playing surfaces have been mowed at least one time.  They just haven't had temperatures to grow since!  One of the ways we have maintained putting surfaces during these times of very low growth is by rolling. If you have ever wondered why we roll greens, the USGA has produced a nice short video on that very subject.  You may view it here. 

The picture on the right shows an area of desiccation injury on 18 that I am monitoring.  Desiccation is a drying out of leaf blades and occurs most often on open semi-dormant turf exposed to windy, low humidity conditions. Think of this as when we get chapped lips in the winter.  There is new green tissue coming from these plants, so I am fairly confident that the turf will grow through its injury (when warmer weather comes), but have pulled a couple of plugs to make sure my assessment is correct.  The right front of #9 has a bit of desiccation injury as well. 

The timing also came for our first seedhead suppression application.  As great as Poa annua is as a putting surface, one drawback is its annual seedhead production.  Poa annua is a winter annual, meaning it germinates in the fall, overwinters, and produces seeds in the spring for its next generation.  Think of Poa as backwards from an annual flower you would plant in your landscape.

Using a temperature based schedule, three total applications of growth regulator will be applied to suppress, not eliminate, these seedheads from impacting ball roll.  As the picture to the left shows, I left 6 areas on the course untreated, as a check plot, to assess the success of this year's applications. These plots are located on the large Practice Green, 1, 3, 10, 13, and 16 and marked with white dots.  I utilize these areas to gauge the effectiveness of this year's treatments and encourage you to keep an eye on them as well as you are out and about on the golf course. 

The bulk of our time has been spent on the poolside hardscaping project.  The terrain of the area has kept us on our toes thinking of the best way to store materials close while getting them down a 12 foot high embankment.  The key process to build a wall, as you can imagine, is installing and compacting a level base layer of stone utilizing a plate compactor.  Precise measurements are taken with some surveyor's tools to ensure the wall is at the correct depth compared to other features in the area.  After the base is installed, stone is laid one at a time and leveled and plumbed. 


Please enjoy some of the pictures I have taken throughout the process.  I will continue to keep you updated on its process.  If you have any questions, please email me at ryan@elconacc.com.  I am more than willing to answer or find more information for you.  Have a great day, wish for Spring to finally arrive, and I hope to see you out on the golf course!

Ryan

Grades are marked for stone layer

5th grade math at its finest!

Greg Stump compacting stone layer

Finished base layer

The process of laying the first course

The old staircase transformed

Course Opening, Conditions and Happenings- 3-19-15

I appreciate your patience while the staff and I continue to get conditions where you expect them.  There is still some areas of frost in the soil profile, mainly in more wooded areas where there is less sun exposure this time of year (mainly holes 4, 6, 12, and 13). Other areas are too soft for traffic, and a couple greens have not firmed up to the point where they can successfully accept approach shots.  Rest assured the golf season is very close! 

 

Almost all of our playing surfaces have fared  well through the harsh, historic winter we experienced.  The pictures below depict some crown hydration injury that occurred during the melting period experienced last week.  There is a good amount of green leaf tissue deep in the crown area of the green profile, so while it may look brown for a while, I am anticipating these areas to fully recover with more consistent warmer weather.  As with some of the winter injury areas we experienced last year,  it will take some additional time for these areas to heal. 

Small Practice Green winter injury

Crown hydration damage on 4 green

 

18 green came out of winter in fantastic shape!  Root growth was dramatic and the sod matured well heading into the winter.  Since we removed and re-used the existing sod to keep the green surface consistent with the others on the course, we will soon begin the process of getting it ready for daily play, which involves multiple topdressings and aerifications to further smooth the surface out.  We will also begin mowing the green at a higher height of cut (.225") and gradually lower it to the same height of cut that all other putting surfaces are mown at (.120").  There will inevitably be some scalped areas that we will have to plug out with our nursery, and there will be lots of rolling as well. Stay tuned to the blog for further updates! 

 

The picture on the right depicts one of our busiest spring time projects each year.  Stump removal and clean up from our annual winter tree work involves cleaning all shavings left behind from the grinder, getting the area matched as close with the surrounding slope as possible, and then filling the hole with topsoil.  We will be either seeding or sodding the area depending on their proximity to normal play when warmer weather comes our way.  These areas are to be played as ground under repair.  I posted a more in-depth post on this process, viewed here. 

Thanks again for your patience and understanding while the staff and I get the course ready for the upcoming season.  In the meantime, come out and enjoy March Madness in the newly renovated bar room and the specials that Chef Casey and Anne have prepared for you.  See you out on the course very soon! 

Ryan