Tracking Fertilizer Inputs

Since 2009 I have been tracking fertilizer applications made to the 78.5 acres of maintained turf we apply it to. At the end of the year this data provides me with a "big picture" look at what our fertility inputs really look like. I also break it down per area applied i.e. greens and approaches, tees, fairways and roughs. Fertility plays a very integral role in the performance of our turf. By having  this data it aids in determining how our fertilizer inputs have positively or negatively impacted the turfs performance.

For example. We like our greens to role at a certain speed. But we also need the turf to have the ability to recover against wear, defend against diseases and perform under environmental stresses. All these factors can be directly impacted by fertility. Too much nitrogen and the greens are lush and slow, as well susceptible to certain diseases. So on a season where I hear a lot of positive feedback regarding green speed I can look to the fertility values and correlate that data with conditions. I think that last season our greens consistently performed better than they have during my time here. One of the biggest factors was the fertility plan I had in place. It only took me 8 seasons to dial it in! Below is a graph showing the total of macro nutrients applied to the greens since 2009. Through the course of the season I believe I want to be applying around 2.75lbs - 3lbs of Nitrogen/1000ft sq (Click on graph to enlarge).

Not only is this information a good tool for the aforementioned reasons, but when you look at total quantities it makes me at least think about the environmental impact. Being located in the Lake Nepahwin watershed we have a responsibility to ensure that our inputs don't cause any undue harm to that water source. For that reason I have chosen to stop any granular applications of phosphorus on the property. There are two exceptions to the rule though. One being is if we have a phosphorus deficiency, second being if we are growing from seed. We do however apply it in very minute quantities in liquid form which is taken up readily by the plant and greatly reduces the chances of leaching. The greens and approaches and the fairways are the only areas where it is applied. The graph below shows the significant decrease in phosphorus applied to the 78.5 acres of maintained turf on our property since 2009 (Click on graph to enlarge).

Since phosphorus is always the nutrient that is the topic of contention, I will use it to put things into perspective. The average square footage of a Canadian home is 2000 square feet. If we follow our input amounts in 2016 that would be like spreading .2lbs of baking flour evenly over that area. On top of that it is being applied in the most economical and environmentally friendly way which is through our sprayer in minute quantities. For example the amounts range from .001lbs -.1lbs/1000 ft sq. I hope this gives some insight at just how much we monitor fertilizer inputs and how they impact the turf on which you play the game. I love a good graph!

Jay Sisko
Golf Course Superintendent

New Techniques

I've always said the most challenging part of being a turf manager in Northern Ontario is coming out of winter in good shape. While we don't have any control over mother nature we do have some control over altering negative conditions to the turf that she produces. Remember I said some. So I had been thinking, if I feel winter turf survival is the greatest challenge then maybe I should invest more into techniques that may increase the turfs chance of doing so. When I say turf I'm pretty much exclusively referring to the greens as their condition in the spring is the true measuring stick and really all that matters.

What we are trying to protect against is prolonged periods of ice cover. Turf continues to respire throughout the winter months so if it can't breath it dies, as simple as that. So the techniques below are trying to eliminate ice formation primarily but also provide an air layer/barrier in the event ice does form.

Surface Drainage
The single most important factor in my opinion is surface drainage. I you have positive surface drainage, water will not stay on the green and freeze. So improving that where we can without negatively comprimising the playability and intregual design characteristics I have tried to do so. In green design, drainage points are created through slope in some cases they were inadequate or have diminished through years of top dressing which is referred to as a collar dam. Below shows the changes we have made to improve this. Absent form the pictures is three green which the procedure was done to as well.




10 GRN extenuating drainage point

9 GRN extenuating drainage point

Protecting the CorwnThe crown is the growing point of the plant so protecting it is key. The plant has it's own mechanism by which it protects this. Through insulating with it's leaf blades and mat layer as well producing a natural antifreeze which prevents it from freezing. Our covers which we use are another form of protection but a heavy layer of sand was also applied before the covers to add another layer. Sands sub angular shape doesn't allow it to compact to a level where no pour space is left available so in theory maybe some air space could be created between the plant and ice where the sand is?

Another tool we tried this season is using a 5/8" bubble tarp (pool solar blanket/packaging bubble wrap that you love to pop) to cover the green. So bubbles down and then our traditional covers over top. This in theory will create a pretty substantial potential for air between the turf and ice if any forms, hopefully providing what is needed to get through those tough times.

18 GRN Heavy Top Dress




5/8" bubble tarp

1 GRN Bubbles Down getting ready to put on traditioanl tarp over top (10 GRN was done the same)

OxygenJust like us plants need oxygen. When ice forms on the turf it seals off any potential of the plant being able to access more oxygen once what is there is depleted. So this year I tried using a system where by I can blow air under the covers if needed. Not only will we be able to that but it provides the potential for us to elevate the tarp/ice from the surface if needed. I tried two different methods. One is whereby we created a stand for 3" pvc pipe to sit in elevating the pipe thus tarp. The pvc pipe also had holes drilled into it and day lighted to allow for ventilation if deemed necessary. So not only can we get some air circulation happening but were eliminating a low spot and creating positive drainage. The second method is whereby every 5-10' a poly tubing with holes in it is laid the length of the green and daylights to 4" drainage tile where we can blow air in expanding the tube and venting the green. It's all about getting that air space between the turf and tarp if ice forms.



12 GRN Elevated PVC with vent holes

12 GRN PVC through low spot

12 GRN vent access

3 GRN poly vent tubing

3 GRN poly vent tubing

9 GRN vent access



 These techniques are not meant to be the silver bullet but they are meant to give the turf a greater chance at survival. If were not trying new things were not evolving and getting better.

Jay Sisko
Golf Course Superintendent

Growing through what winter left behind

Now that most have been out to play the golf course you have seen just how unfavourable winter weather can have a negative impact on conditions. What else is also very visible out there is some of our deficiencies and the one that I think is the most visible is surface drainage. Clearly any area that collected water suffered damage. For now I’m just going to focus on the greens because of course they are our bread and butter. Here's a couple of points of interest regarding those damaged greens that I believe are some of the underlining reasons why they suffered through this particular winter.

·         1 Green – Back right section was elevated to increase pinnable area redirecting surface drainage through the middle right of the green instead of the original back right run off area

·         3 Green – Re contoured and resurface however middle right and back left run off location were never graded to allow water to exit the green

·         6 Green – This isn't the first time a green has been killed because of harsh winters. It happens

·         9 Green – Re contoured and resurface however the green has no surface drainage. It’s essentially a bowl.

·         14 Green – Middle left section was elevated to increase pinnable area eliminating one of it’s vital surface drainage locations.

·         15 Green – Recontured and resurfaced to increase surface drainage just not aggressive enough

·         16 Green – Middle left section was elevated to increase pinnable area eliminating one of it’s vital surface drainage locations.

·         17 & 18 – In my time here these greens have wintered well however 17 if you look all it drains to the front but this area is higher and could be improved through regrading.

Surface drainage is key to our winter survival here because the ground is almost always frozen thus stopping all possibility of surface water moving through infiltration. As the season wined's down this year two musts for me is to address the surface drainage on 3 and 9 greens. I’m pretty confident that I can resolve the damaging conditions.

1 Green this April drainage path

So what’s up with the recovery of the greens. I think we can all be happy with the results on 6 and can even see the light at the end of the tunnel, 1 and 9 are a slightly different story. Those two greens clearly show just how by having a poor growing medium can stunt recovery. The exact same techniques were used on those greens as were used on 6. The key difference in my eyes is the soil that is under those greens. While all three are native “push up” greens the material on six is sandy and the other is a heavy silt/clay high organic combination which has terrible draining capabilities (There’s that talk about drainage again).

 The outlook

·         1 Green – A few days of plugging out areas slower to recovery and the green will be back in play in no time

·         6 Green – A couple of top dressing’s and patience is all that’s needed for this one.

·         9 Green – The reality is this green will not be one of our strongest for sometime. We have slit seeded it again in two directions and will see results in a week. The right side that was sodded last year is not allowing seed to establish so I have just enough sod from our nursery to repair that. Continuous plugging will also be employed. When the green does open there still will be damage but at least this green has spots for pinning.

·         Practice Greens – Once night time temperatures start to hover around 13C (55F) we will seed these greens and have them ready for the end of June.

     

      Below are a couple pictures to show that things will recover, remember how 10 green turned out last year.

1 Green May 15, 2015

10 Green May 20, 2014

Yes the golf course is not in the condition that we all would like at the moment but I’m confident that sooner than later it will be back to meeting expectations. Just like how the phoenix rose from the ashes the greener grass will grow through the death of winter.

Jay Sisko

Golf Course Superintendent

The dust has settled

Did that seem like a long winter? Well here are a couple of number that would say it was. The greens were under a tarp (essentially a sheet of thick plastic) for 154 days. Also anywhere that ice had formed I have it calculated at 104 days. To say the least it was a tough winter and a few areas visibly struggled. I wasn’t able to get this information into the newsletter because I simply didn’t know exactly what was going on with every location for the submission deadline. The following is what I would consider I know at this point:

·       Yes the greens have suffered some winter kill. The green that has been hit the hardest is #6. We are estimating that 90% is damaged. My initial thought of action to repair it will be to do exactly what we did with 10 green last spring. I’ve learned many things over the years that I believe will contribute greatly to its successful recovery. This was completed on April 16^th

·       Greens 1, 3, 9, 15, 18 will also require the above action to repair them however the level of damage is much less severe.

·       Greens 2, 16, 17 are candidates for repairing the damage with our green height sod from the nursery on hole 8, with 17 being the largest. Completed April 17^th & 18^th

·       I would anticipate we will have some temporary greens to start the season, it’s just too early to say exactly how many but no more than 4. What’s the upside? BIG CUPS!!  We’ve gone from our usual 6” to 8” for added enjoyment. ;-)

·       Tees are all in good shape including the newly constructed tee on 15.

·       Fairway damage is increased from last spring and if you are familiar with the property you know the “spots”. It’s more of a short term inconvenience though as they always make a decent recovery.

What’s next and what needs to happen to get our golf season started?

·       There is still an incredible amount of frost in the ground and many of the drain lines are still frozen which is hindering drainage on the course. From the greens to the fairways to bunkers the frost needs to subside so the drain lines can do their job and the course can start to dry out.

·       The week of April 20^th we will begin the cleanup process. It’s the usual suspects that require the most work 1,2,3,4,5. Winter came upon us so quickly we didn’t get to cleaning up our normal amount of debris. This will not delay the opening however, it’s just standard business.

·       Then of course the final details. Mowing of all areas and getting all the hardware out to turn this place into a golf course.

·       We are right on schedule to open when we historically do.

Winter kill is always a disappointment but during my tenure here I would have to say it’s just a reality of our property and winters. I have a plan in place which I’m confident will lead to success and in turn some great golf course conditions before we know it. Once again some patience will be required because as I’ve come to realize it’s not how you overwinter it’s how come back. Don’t let this information concern you we have it all under control. I just want to keep you in the loop so you know what to expect when you come out and play your first round. After the conditions that we endured here on our property this winter by the time we open I feel we all will be pleased with where the condition of the golf course is at including myself (and I’m our hardest critic). Plus we have a very exciting project taking place this spring that I truly believe will enhance holes 6, 7 and 8 through the sale of the land to the hospital.

Perpetual Waves

I find the work load of the golfing season comes in multiple waves. In the spring after snow melt there is always a pretty decent “set” of waves that roll through because of what Mother Nature has dealt us. We in the north can say that more often than not we have to repair turf damaged from the winter conditions. Five out of my six seasons with the club 10 green has suffered damaged, three of those seasons the damage has been significant (temporary green required). I would bet on those stats, 83% of the time that green is going to have some form of damage. Moving forward that stat is going to change if it’s the last thing I do!! So anyways back to these “workload waves”. It seems as though there is almost always a little break in the action mid-June but this season the set just kept on rolling. Because of all the damaged areas on the course that required attention we weren’t able to get to the projects that we had left unfinished from the fall. Where the number of projects ongoing and complete normally would be were not so there was no break in the “set” and we just had to keep rolling full steam ahead.

All of a sudden here comes the next set of waves, The Ladies open and the Men’s Invitational. This season to me just seemed like it was tough to get our heads above the water. Thankfully Mother Nature has made things so much more manageable because of the temperate climate and timely rains. Now we are into those maintenance waves for the remainder of July up to the greens aeration. Two more sets and that’s a season which means pretty smooth waters. Don’t get me wrong I’ve enjoyed the challenge and pace of work that has been set so far this season it just seemed to me like it was a little more difficult to get our heads above water and breath. From getting all the greens back into shape, repairing major damaged areas in the fairways and roughs, adding almost 1000’ feet of drainage, the Audubon initiative, grinding 160 stumps, the endless tree work that we have, rebuilding a chipping green, filling a ditch, improving your chances of finding an errant shot on 11/12 and ultimately the need to improve upon what we have and not just repair damage. Without a doubt my turf team has been incredible and everything that we have achieved to date would never have been possible without them. My turf management mottoes sure have rang true so far this season, “No pain, no gain” and “you can’t make hay when it’s raining”.

Have you noticed that the collar around green #1 is much smaller than the rest of the greens? As a test trial I converted this collar to a smaller one to see if it would be possible to do this to all of our greens thus increasing the amount of putting surface. On #1 we gained 650ft² of putting surface and on average we stand to gain a total 17 500ft² of putting surface if we do it to all 18. Do you like it? You can express your thoughts on the Idy Turf Department Facebook page, on Twitter @IdyTurf or you can email me at jsisko@idylwylde.com .

Existing Collars

Proposed and #1 Collar

 

What about how we are cutting our fairways. We call it the “classic cut”. That was the most practical way to cut the grass when a horse pulled the mower. Since we have started this we have also been collecting the grass clippings instead of going back out and breaking the clippings up with a rope being dragged. It does add one more employee to the task but this position has proven to be invaluable. While the fairway units are mowing the “clippings trailer” person is filling literally thousands of divots and on some days manually pulling hundreds of plantain weeds from the fairways. Efficiency is a beautiful thing! I cannot help but to improve the condition of our landing areas.
 

Look no clippings!

One final thing that I wanted to mention because I hear it every year, “Oh you’re really doing a lot of work to get ready for the Men’s Invitational.” Please believe me when I say even if we didn’t have that tournament the exact same amount of work and improvements would be done to the golf course. The conditions are always going to peak right around the third week of July because of timing, weather, the improvement in the staffs quality of workmanship as well our earlier improvements are back in play. The few things that we do alter however are the mowing heights of the greens and really just cranking up our mowing regime. We plan work projects and make improvements with the best interest of the entire Idylwylde Golf & Country membership in mind that I promise you.

 

Sorry for taking so long to get my next post up but thanks for your interest. See you on the course, play well and if you’re not enjoy the walk and scenery.

It has begun.

Boy it sure was a slow start to the season but with how long that winter had been it wasn't too shocking. Even with the cool spring, precipitation and lack of sunlight we were able to achieve some pretty good success with seeding 10 green. Whenever you have winter damage to that extent you have to know it's going to be a long road to recovery. We slit seeded and dimple seeded again on May 17 & 18 to get some more grass into the "gaps". When the green is finally ready for play it may still be a little bumpy and slower than the others but won't be far behind. The main message though is that the green will be what we remember it to be in time. Look how far we have come with little help from mother nature.


With regards to the other greens, the speed will come and so will a smoother surface. The late season deep tine aerification is one of the main culprits with regards to how bumpy they are. Thar is only one of the many reasons why we really should be doing this earlier in the season. A solid top dressing will take care of that and improve things exponentially.

I can remember during my interview for the Superintendents position here, one of the questions that was asked to me is "do you have any goals during your time here?" One of them was to have our golf course recognized by becoming certified as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. Idylwylde Golf and Country Club is a proud member of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, created and administered by Audubon international. Under the program we are striving to implement best management practices in environmental planning, wildlife and habitat management, chemical use reduction and safety, water conservation, water quality management, and outreach and education. With the support from the Board of Directors, membership and my love of the environment I believe we can achieve this prestigious designation. As we move along through this you will see some changes on how we maintain the golf course as well as many initiatives that will only enhance our properties relationship with the natural environment. In time I will have a page on our website that documents all of our efforts and inform you in detail of the requirements. I'm very excited about the challenge and you can already see the benefits from just a few things that we have done like the added bird houses and turtle log in the pond on 15.

We have a lot of work to do to repair winter damage throughout the golf course as well finish off a couple of projects which will be our primary focus. Here is a list of what we will be working on in the immediate future.

1. Top soil and seed filled ditch on 4
2. Top soil and seed expanded area on 12
3. Finish shaping, fill with bunker sand and sod 11 fairway bunker
4. Top soil and sod drainage on 8 tee
5. Regrade and grass 13 fairway through a seeding renovation technique
6. Drainage and re grass rough close to green on 10
7. Drainage and re grass rough close to 12 green
8. Drainage between 10 & 12 greens

I'm excited about the season especially now that the weather is improving and in couple more weeks things should really be in good shape. Looking forward to seeing you all out on the course, play well!

Jay Sisko

Golf Course Superintendent

Out of the winter and into the green!

With one of the worst winters on record I would have been naive to think we could have possibly escaped unscathed, but there was a time where I thought that may be reality. It was with great disappointment when we pulled back the tarp on 10 green and saw damage that could be described as apocalyptic but really that would be if it were all 18 greens so lets say devastating damage. Considering the widespread damage and severity that the golf industry has suffered from the winter as sad as it is we could consider ourselves lucky.

10 Green - Cause of death anoxia

Yup that's how bad it is. Other greens that suffered lets say minor damage as we will not need the use of a temporary green to regenerate the areas. In order of severity they are as follows 12 (same locations as last season), 9 (middle right), 4 (back left), and 6 (middle right). So what the heck happened to 10 and why is it so bad? I'm fairly confident that the cause of death was from anoxia. Anoxia is low oxygen levels resulting from extended ice encasement or heavy layers of ice and snow lying above an impermeable cover. The telltale “smell of death” is another indicator that anoxia was responsible for turf loss. Under the right
circumstances, a dense layer of ice directly encasing the turf or heavy snow load above an impermeable cover can begin to create anoxic
conditions within a 40-day period. Jim Skorulski, senior agronomist, Northeast Region 2013. Under that definition it describes 10 green condition(s) exactly. One other factor that may have exacerbated the problem is shade. Shade can decrease or limit the amount of carbohydrates that a grass plant is able to produce. Carbohydrate reserves (roots) is a key factor in overwintering success of turf as it is used for keeping the plant cold temperature hardy as well as energy for it's continuing metabolic processes. A picture says a thousand words so...

Coincidence? I think not.

The plan of attack is to bring it back through series of cultural practices and seeding. I feel in the long term it is the best option. I know you may wonder why not sod since we sodded 1 green last year. A few reasons are we do not have green height sod on sight as well if we did using small roles on an area that size would almost be impossible. Purchasing sod off sight means using a grass plant that is not acclimatized to our hardiness zone and could prove detrimental in the future. Sodding also creates layering in the root zone which will create a zone that would inhibited rooting depth. Furthermore the type of sod that we would be getting is estimated at 6-8 weeks before it could be played upon and I believe I can achieve a comparable putting surface in the same time frame as well a healthier one moving forward. One last thing among others is that the sod we laid on 10 green last season also suffered significant damage. Moving forward I believe I can minimize winter damage through a couple practices that I will discuss at the end of the season. Here are a couple pictures to show you that we can bring the green back through seeding we just need time (sod or not).

 

12 green April 16/13(left), May 21/13 (right)

14 green April 15/13(left), May 13/13 (right)



 

I'm setting a goal for the last weekend in May to have the green open for play. I think its lofty but I think its better to have lofty goals than not! Remember the condition we were in last season? We had 4 temporary greens and more damage just spread out. If there ever was a turf team to bring 10 back to life it's this as every employee we have on staff this season has golf course experience and all but 2 are returnees. I'm looking forward to the challenge and seeing everyone out here sooner than later. Remember to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep an eye on what we are up to. I will leave you on a positive thought.

 

14 green April 21/14

 

 

Jay Sisko

Golf Course Superintendent

 

 

 



When is it going to be over?

It just wouldn't make sense to not start off by asking "is it over yet?" It all started on November 27 when we received our first blanket of snow and since then it has only accumulated. As I write this, it's the first day of spring which puts our golf course at 114 days of consecutive snow cover. What we as turf managers use number of days of snow cover for is to estimate the severity of snow mould pressure and in turn the possibility of damage. Generally snow moulds become active after 40-60 days of snow cover with mild severity where as severe pressure occurs when snow cover is prolonged for 90 days and over which is where we are at. Because historically 90 days of snow cover is the norm, we do use the highest plant protection methods available of preventative control to our greens, approaches, tees, and fairways. So with all that being said the possibility of damage from snow moulds are a secondary concern of mine compared to the ice damage like we saw last season.

So just a little background on ice and the types of damage I'm concerned with this season. Once again keeping track of the number of days of cover is used to help estimate the severity of damage and aid in deciding whether or not to take action to alleviate detrimental conditions (if even possible). Our greens are predominantly Annual bluegrass which can tolerate 45-60 days of ice cover. In comparison our other grass species, Creeping bentgrass can withstand 90 - 120 days of ice cover. Under ice turf death occurs through the depletion of oxygen which is referred to anoxia. Even through the winter months the turf and soil microbes are active there bye utilizing the available oxygen through their metabolic processes. With not sufficient levels of oxygen available turf and microbe death occurs
So here's the hard data. On December 5, 2013 we received just over a .5" of rain which created a layer of ice on areas of our greens. Then through the period of January 11-13, 2014 we received 1.25" of rain which increased the ice thickness as well as the surface area covered with ice. Susceptible areas have had detrimental ice cover for a period of 106 days and others where ice formed from the January rain event have been covered for 67 days. Compared to last winter we have had snow cover to this point 14 days more and ice cover 12 days more. Either way not ideal but it leaves me thinking, if there is damage we can repair it. We really won't know for sure until the tarps are removed and all you can do at this point is speculate.

Once the low temperatures show signs of rising we will begin to remove the bulk of snow off the greens to aid with the melt and hopefully reduce the potential of turf damage through "crown hydration". In general, annual bluegrass greens and fairways are the most susceptible to crown hydration injury. During the warm days of late winter, annual bluegrass plants start to take up water (hydrate). Potential for injury exists when a day or two of warm daytime temperatures in late winter is followed by a rapid freeze. The most common time for winter kill associated with crown hydration and refreezing to occur is during the late winter and early spring when there is snow melt or rainfall and then refreezing of the water that has not drained away. Crown hydration is a problem during these events because ice crystal can form in the crown of the plant, rupture the plant cells and ultimately cause the plant to die.

Annual bluegrass is more susceptible to crown hydration injury than creeping bentgrass because it emerges from dormancy and begins taking up water. Creeping bentgrass remains dormant longer and, therefore, does not take up water and is not as susceptible to crown hydration injury during the late winter.



7 Green 3' of snow over .5" of ice cover
(Typical of conditions throughout the golf course)

9 Green 3' of snow over 1.5" of ice
(Typical conditions of susceptible spots throughout the Golf Course)

                                           

With the sun throughout the winter being lower in the sky, green sights with neighbouring trees produce shade on the green which can exacerbate the conditions that cause winter kill, mainly crown hydration. One of the greens that continually struggles from the winter months is 10. Always the same location, and it's right side always is one of the last areas to loose snow cover. I have this app on my phone which is called "Sunseeker" and it shows you the suns path in real time and it helped in the decision to remove some trees from the right of 10 green to decrease shade and increase the amount of time that sunlight is on the green. I'm not saying this is the silver bullet but should aid greatly to minimize the severity of crown hydration conditions.

Sunseeker App for iPhone
I took this screen shot while standing in the middle of 10 green

 You can see on the above screen shot of the App how the green only receives sun from the back but mostly the right side where all the trees are blocking it. Essentially from 12pm - 5pm the trees were limiting the available sunlight.

 

Pictures taken at the same time of day 

10 green before tree removal
 

10 Green after tree removal

If you happened to see this weeks newsletter you be asking yourself why would they put trees on top of the ice in a pond? This is just one of many projects that we will be working on as we attempt to achieve certification through Audubon International. The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses has been developed to allow golf courses to demonstrate their commitment to environmental stewardship. The large Silver maple on the corner of hole 11 was removed this winter in accordance with the recommendation made through the long range plan created by Doug Carrick, golf course architect. We essentially kept two large portions of the tree and placed one on top of the ice in the pond between 3 and 9, and  15 as well. Once the snow and ice melt a portion of the logs will sink into the water leaving some exposed on the bank of the pond. These will provide habitat in the water for things like frogs, snakes, turtles, and muskrats to name a few, and the portion above the water line will give the turtles somewhere to sunbath and provide a perch for birds.




Loading the tree for transport

 

Placing the tree on top of the ice in the pond on 3 

3 pond habitat tree



15 habitat tree

 

I will update our progress with regards to the condition of the golf course and will let you know through the weekly news letter when I have done so. Enjoy the beginning of Spring ;-)!

Jay Sisko
Golf Course Superintendent

Another one in the books!

Another season in the books but so many more preparations for the long winter months will be continuing over the next few weeks. I would definitely say the most challenging part of our job here in the turf department is insuring that the golf course survives the winter. With that being said there is no silver bullet to guarantee that because ultimately we are at the mercy of the weather. However there are many strategies that we implement to increase the chances that the golf course successfully survives the winter, which is why this part of the season is so crucial. A few strategies that I believe to play key roles in the success of turf in a northern climate are late season fertilization, plant protection applications and the installation of impermeable turf covers on our greens. With all three of these strategies there is one constant theme that comes up every season no matter what and that's timing of application. Watching the weather, soil temperatures, past records (dates of applications) and the feeling in your gut are some of the things we use to help hit the timing on the mark.

The fall fertilization has been completed and was done when soil temperatures reached 55 - 60F. Just an FYI we have 3 wireless soil sensors in the ground here and they are located in 1 fairway, 18 green, and the middle putting green. Not only do they monitor temperature but soil moisture and salinity as well. By the end of the week I'm anticipating having the plant protection applications completed but as of now the greens and tees remain. As for the tarps it's all about forecasting but would anticipate them going down the week of November 25th, however that could be sooner. Once the tarps are down the final task is to put up all the fencing and signage to keep unwanted traffic off of some areas.

While we are waiting for the right moment to complete our winter preparations a couple of things that we will be working on are the annual deep tine aerification to the greens (completed this week), completing the renovation of 11 fairway sand trap, final grading of the landing area to the left of the cart path on 12, filling the remaining part of the ditch on 4, and hopefully installing drainage in 4 fairway. This of course is all weather permitting. The weather turning to the point in which that type of work can't be completed is the time when we start the never ending tree work. We have already started doing some of that on the frosty mornings but will continue with more when the snow is here to stay.

2013 was year for me in which I realized no matter what you do, mother nature rules but I have to believe without any of the strategies that we implement to survive winter the condition of the golf course would be so much worse. Thanks must go out to the membership for the constant support of our turf management plan and allowing us to implement it as best we see fit. The difficult start once again proved to me that I have a great team of dedicated and hard working individuals. The condition that the golf course was in would never be possible without their contributions so I say thank you to them. Success can be measured in many ways but I like to use improvement as a measuring stick. I think we can confidently say that the product produced this season was better than the last even with that difficult start that required so much time. I look forward to the challenge of 2014 and I'm dedicated to insuring that the product we produce is improved over this seasons. The philosophy in our department is not to meet your expectations but to exceed them and I relish that challenge.

Remember the golf course is a great place to get and walk around throughout the winter months so don't forget to use the best piece of property in Sudbury. Have a great winter and see you all in the spring.


Best regards,

Jay Sisko
Golf Course Superintendent

Ebb and flow of a golfing season

I was just looking over some stats the other day to help me put into perspective just how much this seasons weather differs from the last. I had a pretty good feeling that there was more rain this season and that it was much cooler but was shocked to see how much these variables have impacted our water usage. All the information that I'm going to share with you I would believe to be very accurate to our location, due to the fact we have a weather station at the Turf Care Center. The weather data has been taken from the date range of April 1 - July 31. In 2012 we received 142ml(5.6inches) of rain, and in 2013 we received 370ml(14.6inches). On average the temperature during this time period in 2012 was 15.4C, and in 2013 it was 13C. Now to the data that I have found to be the most interesting. To today's date we have used a total of 4.8 million gallons of irrigation water. Last year in the month of July alone we used 5.6 million gallons of irrigation water. Over the course of the season in 2012 it totalled 17 million gallons of water. That's quite the difference, but hey that's the ebb and flow of weather.

I'm sure a lot of you have been wondering whats going on between 3 and 9? Well the first year of my arrival at Idylwylde I said "it's imperative that a golf course has a green height sod bed." so we built one and boy did that pay off this season. So now that the one on 8 has been exhausted, what if we need more next season? That's why another one is being built (bottom of picture). We will now have two and can alternate, as the sod is not usable until at least a year after seeding. A tee/fairway height sod bed is also being constructed (top of the picture) to repair damaged areas as well possibly construct a tee? It's almost guaranteed that we will have some damage in our fairways after winter so moving forward we can be more self sustaining.

Sod beds between 3 & 9

Over the past couple of weeks I hope you have noticed some change to the condition of a significant majority of the sand traps. For the most part a lot of our sand traps have sand in them, it's just in the wrong part of the trap (low areas). To deal with this we have gone in and shoveled sand from those spots into utility vehicles and redistributed it to the areas of the traps that require it. This not only provides a more consistent distribution of sand but creates a more preferable shape to the trap. Ideally when a ball is hit into a trap it should end up in the bottom or flatter part of the trap. We're not always going to be able to produce that result but will definitely increase the potential for that to happen continuing with this process. Due to the condition of the sand trap on 14 and timing we have decided to rebuild it as you may have noticed. I'm hoping we can have it completed by weeks end?

Once again for all you horticulturalist out there, my favorite garden on the golf course is blooming with one of my favorite perennials. The purple spike like flower that is most showy in the garden is Liatris spicata "Liatris". Check it out next time on your way by, what a beauty.

Have you ever seen a Peregrine falcon before? The last couple of season we have had one hanging around the property. This picture was taken last week form the bunker on 14 that is being renovated.

Remember we will be aerating the greens on August 26th and 27th. I know this is disappointing to many but it is a crucial cultural practise to the success of the greens. Fear not we will be removing half the amount of holes this season as I'm making some changes to the way we manage the thatch and compaction. They will be back in no time.

Don't forget to check us out on Facebook and Twitter as well for more pictures and updates on what were up to.

Jay Sisko
Golf Course Superintendent

Night & Day

What a drastic change in temperature were experiencing compared to last weeks intense stretch of heat. With temperatures soaring above 35 C it put quite the strain on the staff and the turf. A shout out has to go to my crew for enduring those tough conditions all while preparing the course for our biggest event of the season. As for the turf, overall we came through pretty good despite the green surrounds that perennially suffer due to the lack of coverage and control the irrigation system provides. Roughs and fairways burning up are one thing, but it's just so disappointing to see the green surrounds suffer to the point that playability is affected. Not to mention that the overall level of conditioning is lower. The potential is incredible!

 5 green surrounds are ones to suffer the worst

As many of you may have noticed aesthetically #1 green isn't going to win any awards, so let me explain. I always new that this green would prove to be difficult to manage at a level comparable to the rest due to the fact that we sodded it, and to be honest with you it has the worst soil composition on the property. There are never roots on this particular green, it's a water loving green, and it's inadequate size for the traffic at times has me perplexed. The definite strip that you see is a piece of the existing surface that I chose to leave behind when we sodded the green and in hindsight it wasn't the right choice. The damage that you see on this is a combination of a few things. One being the dreaded annual bluegrass weevil. This is a white grub that we do treat for however only the area where the green meets the collar as this is the typical location where damage occurs. It's amazing how this little grub only goes after annual bluegrass and how destructive it can be. In the picture you can see that the bentgrass sod on either side was not touched.

                      No Roots                                                   Annual  bluegrass weevil



You may also have noticed the small patches throughout the sodded area that have been caused by the mower scalping. These are small areas in the sod that are ever so slightly higher than rest and scalping is the result. The solution is more top dressing which I know I'm guilty for not doing enough the beginning. With that all being said though, I don't believe you can complain about the ball roll and next to the survival of the green that's the most important thing. So here's the plan to get this thing back into a healthier state. First I will pull cores from the area affected by the weevil. Core aeration always stimulates new growth. Second, heavily top dress the entire surface. This will fill the holes as well help to true up the surface. Thirdly, vent the entire surface with solid spikes to increase oxygen levels in the root zone improving growing conditions as well open holes for seed to enter. Finally seed and brush the green. I did put some granular fertilizer on it today to help stimulate growth and recovery.

Over the next couple of weeks I have two things that we will be focusing on. The first being sod bed prep and seeding on hole 8 and construction of two new sod beds between 3 and 9. Secondly is to use up the bunker sand we have in stock to make room for more.

Finally for you horticulturalists out there check out the beebalm "Monarda didyma" that is blooming in various gardens throughout the property but my favorite spot to enjoy it is the garden on 6. This is part of the Mint family of plants and a distinct characteristic is the square stem that all these plants have, check it out. If your lucky you will see the hummingbird feeding from these as they so often do considering its one of there favorite sources of food. Until next time, play well!

 

beebalm "Monarda didyma"

Red flower

 

 

Jay Sisko

Golf Course Superintendent

Stop & smell the peonies

I would imagine a lot of people have a feeling that the weather this season is much different than what we have experienced in years past. The cooler temperatures in the spring were one thing but what's been so persistent is the rain. For example from April 1, 2012 - June 25, 2012 we received a total of 130mm in precipitation. Where as for 2013 the total precipitation is 316mm. One other statistic that confirms that feeling is the total amount of irrigation water used until this point. Last season the total was 7,600,000 gallons, where as this seasons total is 1,040,000 gallons. Those are some pretty significant differences. The constant rain plays havoc on green speed, mowing frequencies, sand trap conditioning, ability to preform cultural practices and project completion to name a few. I'm looking forward to seeing the golf course firm up moving ahead!

One thing that the rain has done for sure is show us where we have drainage deficiencies. Areas that we have installed drainage over the last couple of weeks are before the pond on hole 1, and from the turn around to the capped ditch on 14. Tying in to some existing drainage and adding a catch basin should substantially improve the conditions on 1 but is not complete. Hole 14 required 275' of drainage to solve the issues. There were 3 existing drain lines installed which all succumb to the same fate, Canadian shield. With a little help form the transit we were able to establish a slope that would work with the rock and serve it's purpose. This will be a nice improvement as that area has always been wet. The next area that I see tackling is 100 yards in on 18 fairway as it hasn't been maintainable all season.

14 Drainage

So as everyone has probably noticed we built a new forward tee on hole 6. This will be the new location for the red tee blocks. The forward tee on hole 14 also received a face lift. It was expanded to add yardage to the hole as well manage the amount of traffic that the red tees see. Forward tee construction, as well as tee expansions will be an ongoing initiative. Hole 7 will most likely see its teeing ground improved.

6 Red Tee Deck

As your making your way around the golf course have a look for these couple of things that have been catching our eyes on a daily basis. The peonies in the front garden, putting green and the show stopper at the garden by the irrigation pump house. I dare you to smell them. Not to be forgotten are the foxgloves on the lower patio and the putting green gardens. Both are very showy this time of year enjoy, I know I do.

                   Peonies in the front garden                                                 Foxglove Hole 6

Over the previous couple of years we have been increasing the number of birdhouses that we have installed on the golf course. This season as it stands we have 15 nest boxes, 11 utilized, 35 hatch lings and 15 eggs unhatched. All of the birds inhabiting the nest boxes are tree swallows, however this season we are seeing are first eastern bluebird which has 4 hatch lings. You can see the female a top her nest box to the right of six green throughout the days.

Eastern Blue Bird Hole 6

Effective Friday the "Turf Hotline" will no longer be active. Daily golf course information regarding cart rulings, cultural practises, and any special maintenance practise will be posted daily via twitter. This can be viewed on this blog as well as the men's and ladies section of the Idylwylde website. When viewing the blog click the compatibility view button (looks like a page ripped in half) to the left of the refresh button in address bar to view the page as I intended it to be viewed. This is required when the browser I created the blog in is not compatible with the one you are using. Click it and see what looks best.

Jay Sisko
Golf Course Superintendent