Post Aerification

One week after aerification, we were mowing the greens (at a higher height of cut) and picking up minimal sand.  Although many golfers complain about the sand, it is the key to a smooth, firm surface.  The Bentgrass will grow through the sand layer in week two and by week three, the current concerns will be forgotten.  


The surface will not be back to it's exceptional condition for about five weeks, weather dependent.  Next season, we scheduled to core aerify the second week in April.  The day length will be longer and the weather should be warmer and more conducive to re-establishment.  Additional light topdressings will be required to perfect and smooth the surface for the remaining forty seven weeks of the season.

One Week Post Aerification & Topdressing

Five weeks after Aerification & Sanding- back to exceptional conditioning

Putting Green Tree Root Pruning

The photos below illustrate the roots present and encroaching into the Practice Putting green.  With the removal of the Sycamores, additional severing of the roots via root pruning, and stump grinding complete, the undersized putting surface will be better capable of handling the high volumes of traffic.  The turfgrass will now have adequate sunlight, air movement, and lack of root competition for water and nutrients.  By eliminating these compounding stresses and correcting the irrigation layout, the Bentgrass will sustain density and discourage poa annua establishment.

Root Pruning Time Again

Every two years we prune the roots of trees that reside within close proximity to greens.  The tree roots compete with the high profile turf for water and nutrients.  Since tree removal is a sensitive and emotional issue, it is necessary to utilize alternative measures to limit their impact on the turfgrass.

Green Waste Stockpiling

The volume of tree debris that is generated from storm clean-up, annual pruning, strategic/dead tree removal is hard to accurately quantify.  This green waste is gathered and stockpiled throughout the season within the "Nursery Area" (located between Hole #16 and Hole #18).  The debris will eventually be ground into wood chips via a large Tub Grinder and recycled.  The stockpile requires monthly management throughout the year and when it expands to a point where it presents a fire concern to the overhead lines that provide power to our well motor, it must be consolidated and compacted.  This past month, we rented an excavator with a thumb for a day to perform the consolidation work.  Fifteen months worth of collected material was addressed in four hours.  I was pleased with the results and optimistic that by building the pile vertically we can prolong the time between grinding.  Tub grinding can be a costly expense, but with the volume we generate, it is much more economical than filling and hauling off 30 yard dumpsters.

Spring 2011 Flowers

Another Pump Station Upgrade

If you haven't gathered from my multiple posts regarding irrigation, it is a very important component to golf courses located in the South West Region.  The programming of the central computer and field satellites are only useful if a water source, electricity, a pump station capable of supplying the demand, and field piping infrastructure are present.


A pump station typically contains primary components including a CPU panel (with it's own software), high horse power motors, pump bowls, and intake and discharge pipes.  At certain points in an irrigation cycle the demand will exceed the performance of a motor/pump and a second motor/pump will be called upon to account for this demand.  In this situation, a high pressure window can occur (especially in our circumstances here where we do not have a VFD to operate our motors).  The newest addition to ACC's Irrigation pump station is a 3" High Pressure Relief Cla-Val.  This apparatus discharges water/pressure from the mainline pipe within the pump station when the pressure reaches a set "high pressure" point.  This is a safety mechanism in place to protect over pressurization of our old piping system and limit the pipe breakage that can result from repeated high pressure situations.

Tree Roots

After removing key Sycamore Trees from strategic locations adjacent to the practice putting green, we now must address the "quirky" irrigation layout.  In the photos below, Alejandro is relocating a full circle irrigation head to the outside edge of the chipping green.  Running irrigation piping under golf features is a sign of poor design and installation.  (See post identifying pipe running through the bunker on Hole #3 green surround).  In the coming weeks, the entire irrigation layout surrounding the practice putting greens will be renovated.  

As you can see in the image below, tree roots are definitely present in the green profile and love to follow irrigation pipes.  The bottom picture shows how a large tree root was encircling the irrigation pipe as it navigated deeper into the green profile.

Core Aerification Process

This past Monday, the Greens were core aerified and heavily topdressed with sand.  The photos below illustrate the process, which takes a full twelve hours to accomplish.  We core aerify the greens once per growing season.  This cultural practice is scheduled in the spring to improve water infiltration and increase field capacity of the profile.  The benefits are reaped in the upcoming heat of the summer.  Aerification is a "mandatory" surface disruption that allows for the exceptional surfaces that the membership experience throughout the other forty seven weeks of the season.  I say forty seven weeks, because the healing process will take approximately five weeks from coring to re-established perfection.  Improvement will be noted daily.  Soil temperature and weather can impact the recovery period.  If it is cold the recovery process is slower.  The idea of delaying core aerification until April (when both air and soil temperatures are higher and day length is longer) has been discussed by the Green Committee and will be decided upon in the next few months. 

Process:


1.  Coring the greens via walk behind machine with 5/8" O.D. (Outside Diameter) tines to a depth of 4".
2.  Hand removal of cores.
3.  Blowing the greens to remove excess debris.
4.  Rolling the greens to achieve a smooth surface for sand applications.
5.  Applying sand via a topdressing machine to a volume enough to fill the holes and blanket the surface.
6.  After the sand is allowed to dry, the sand is brushed into the holes via a drag brush attached to a utility cart.  Subsequent hand brushing is utilized to address sand depth consistency.
7.  Water is then applied to assist in the settling of the sand and to adequately hydrate the plant for recovery.
8.  Nightly watering assists in sand settling.
9.  Roll the surface and mow when Bentgrass growth peaks through the sand.  (Roughly one week after Sand application)