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