Winter Projects

A snowy view of the Terrace

 

As tame and mild as December was, winter has definitely made its presence known for the last six weeks.  Winter 2015 has quickly become known as the Winter of Clipper Systems this year, at least we have not heard much from the "Polar Vortex"!  Indoor projects and annual equipment maintenance is going strong currently. 

 

Outdoor projects have been temporarily put on hold until the weather improves.  The retaining walls along #1 green tee and #8 tees are on schedule for completion before the course opens.  Phase 2 of the Terrace Project, which involves continuing stamped concrete along the clubhouse's perimeter, new paver stones and construction of a fire pit outside of the Fireside room, has some work that will be started later this month.  Removal of the old pavers and demo of the existing concrete is work that can be done, but until the frost is gone from the soil below, new materials cannot be constructed structurally sound. 

 

Kyle attaching box ends

One project that we completed last week was construction of new wood duck boxes to be placed along the pond shores on #3 and #14.  These boxes were constructed from cedar boards, which naturally resist weathering and rotting. 

 

Tools used and the final look of the "ladder"

Inside view of the completed box

 

One feature that is necessary for any new ducklings that nest in this box is a "ladder" that we had to plunge cut with a circular saw.  These notches serve as places that the ducklings can grab onto to climb out.  The entry/exit hole is another feature that is important to machine correctly.  The hole has to be near 4.5" x 3.5" at its widest/highest points.  This size prevents any predators, such as raccoons, from entering the nest and having a snack.  The post that the box will be mounted to will have a predator guard made from sheet metal attached to serve as a secondary protectant. 

The finished product

 

 The boxes will look similar to the picture below, will hopefully attract these ducks to the property, and serve as a safe habitat for their well being. 

 

 

 



If anyone is interested in the biology of wood ducks, constructing a wood duck box for their property, the plans and more, information can be found here. 

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

What to Expect, Mid-October Edition

Hole 3's beautiful backdrop

The view of 6 green

Thanks to warmer fall temperatures and moist soils, the fall colors at Elcona are quite vibrant and beautiful this year.  The maples, sassafras, and burning bushes on property have an especially showy red this year.  Even the tulip trees have gotten into the act, showing a vibrant yellow this year.  They also have begun dropping at a frequent pace thanks to a couple of hard frosts and freezes.  Our blowers and mulching mowers will continue this never ending battle until mid-November, and we will do our best to clear main playing surfaces as the weather will allow us to.




Aerification holes in the rough

As our schedule allows, we have been solid-tining the rough around the greens and the entrance/exit areas around cart paths.  These 1/2" holes serve to relieve compaction from foot and machine traffic, and allow for new growth for both roots and shoots.  This is another step in our goal of improving the density around the greens, providing better playability.  These holes should not impede your play, but you may notice them in thinner areas around the green. 

Like it or not, winter is rapidly approaching.  With the forecast models mixed on if the winter will be like 2012 (mild and dry) or 2013 (really cold and snowy), we will be planning on maximizing turf health for whatever the winter of 2014/15 brings.  For the greens, that entails the following:

• Raising mower heights.  When the weather forecasts dictate a prolonged cold snap, I will raise the height of cut on greens from the normal height of .120" to .135".  Raising height of cut allows more leaf surface for the turf to maximize their photosynthetic capabilities and carbohydrate storage.  Raising height will also lessen stress to the plant and create a deeper root system going into winter.  To keep green speed at an acceptable level when this is done, we will be rolling more frequently.  While raising heights may not create the speeds that summer brings, it is best for the long term health of the greens going into winter. 

Deep tine aerification holes open March 2014

• Aerification.  On November 3rd, we have a contractor coming in to perform solid tine aerification to a depth of 12" on all greens.  These extra holes create three advantages:  additional channels for spring root growth, aid in relieving any deeper compaction within the rootzone soil profile, and extra drainage capabilities for ice/snow melt to prevent ice formation on the plant surfaces.  As the picture shows, having these holes open going into winter were instrumental in our success last winter limiting damage on greens from a potential catastrophe.

• Fertility.  While we limit nutrients on finely maintained turf during the season to provide great playing conditions, the fall is the best time to feed the turf to maximize carbohydrate storage going into winter.  The more carbs the plant stores, the quicker it will break dormancy when temperatures warm up in the spring.     

Sand protecting the crowns of the turf

Topdressing.  When growth has ceased for the year, we will apply a thick coating of sand topdressing to bury the crowns and as much leaf tissue as possible.  This sand helps protect and insulate the crown of the plant from any extreme cold temperatures.  This practice was another way more damage was prevented from last winter's ice layer. 




So what if the winter of 2014/15 is the same as last year?  My plan is much more defined than it was when I started here, with as much research and real world experience I gained from my first few weeks here at Elcona.  We know our process for snow and ice removal should it become necessary, and we know that the most important practice is to constantly monitor the green for melting after removal, to prevent any crown hydration injury from water re-freezing.  If any significant ice layers form, we will implement our removal program if the layer is still present after 30 days of formation.  This gives us plenty of time before the 45 day threshold is reached and toxic gas levels start to become detrimental to the Poa. 

My apologies for such a long post, but I wanted to clearly outline our plan going into winter for the greens, to prepare them the best we can for whatever Mother Nature throws our way. 

Ryan

18 Green: What now?

Seams filled with topdressing, starting to heal in!

As I have mentioned in a previous post, there is much work to do on 18 green before the snow starts flying.  What we do this fall has a profound impact on how early the green can open next spring.  We have rolled and top-dressed regularly to smooth the putting surface and fill in the seams.  Depending on growth rates and how successful we are at smoothing the surface, we may mow the turf at a much higher height than normal to keep the plant growth from getting out of hand.  Fertilizer and other soil amendments were added before laying the sod to give it the nutrients it needs to root into the profile and heal in the seams.  An couple additional applications will be necessary to further help the plants maximize their carbohydrate reserves going into the winter.  Finally, I would like to have a deep tine aerifier poke holes 12" below the surface to further smooth the surface and create additional channels for new root growth this fall and next spring.  My goal is to have the sod rooted down by November 3rd, when all other greens are deep tined.  All in all, the green is healing and smoothing on schedule currently, and will only get better with time.  I will have more later on this winter on what we will need to do in the Spring to get the green open for business!

Ryan

The view outside of the green fence