San Bernardino County Water Conference 2011

This past Thursday I was invited to participate as a speaker and panelist at the San Bernardino County Water Conference in Ontario.  It was an opportunity to inform the community of our water conservation efforts on the golf course.  By introducing perpetual, comprehensive auditing to our conservation planning, we have conserved a volume of water equal to a 25% reduction from previous seasons (2006 versus 2010).  That equates to 60 acre foot of water per season.  Multiple additional components contribute to our conservation efforts including:  diligence in moisture monitoring, amended programming, hand watering versus overhead sprinkler operation, nozzle upgrades, and managing environmentally adapative species of turfgrass for our region. 

To visit the conference site, please click the link below:

 http://www.sbcwater.com

Soil & Water Testing

Every season we collect samples of the irrigation water and soil from select greens.  The samples are sent to accredited laboratories and processed for elemental properties.  It is wise to utilize the same laboratory from year to year because extraction methods can differ between the labs.  This is beneficial when it comes to accurately comparing data and determining if the agronomic plan needs to be amended to account for an alteration in characteristics.  Dissimilar from industry standard, we do not attempt to address all imbalances within the soil.  Since we have no interest in yield and strive to produce and manage a surface, wasting monies incorporating non-beneficial nutrients to balance the soil is not required.

(Several soil sample locations on #17 Green)

Divot Repair

When filling your divots, please fill the divot level to grade and do not leave it mounded.  If excess material is applied, disperse the mound with your shoe.  Raised divot mix can dull the reel mowers utilized to cut the surface thus causing more stress to the turfgrass and additional maintenance.


As always- Thank you for your dedication to your course and it's upkeep, presentation, and playability.  

Incorrect divot repair (mounding) 

Correct divot repair (smooth and level to grade)

A Helpful Tool

If any of you are planning a project or just looking to verify a quantity or square footage, visit:

www.acme.com/planimeter

I recently utilized the application to verify the surface acreage of the lakes present on the course.

Removal of Trees Surrounding the Putting Greens

For those of you that have expressed interest in why specific Sycamore trees were removed adjacent to the putting and chipping greens, below is an informative video that for the most part reiterates my comments:

Reducing Expenses

"Black Friday"

The photos below depict the physical evidence of damage resulting from foot and golf cart traffic on previously frosted turf.  The "black markings" are the signs of damaged plant cells within the leaf tissue.  When the temperatures are low enough to freeze the intercellular liquids within the plant, the plant is vulnerable to piercing damage when traffic is present.  Please respect your golf course and remain off of turgrass when frost is present.