Prepping for the Winter

Each year around Thanksgiving we "put the course to bed" so to speak.  The top growth has stopped and the ground is still unfrozen.  This is when we begin our pre-winter fungicide applications.  Primarily we spray for pink and gray snowmold.  All of the tees, fairways and greens are meticulously cleaned of debris and leaves and then sprayed with the chosen fungicide. 

If an area is left unsprayed or skipped, it may have snowmold in the spring.  Each year is different and the severity of the disease pressure is dependent upon the weather conditions and the condition of the grass.  Many variables are involved and the one we focus to control is the condition of the grass.  Preferably we try to make sure the grass has not been fertilized in the last month and a half.  This is so the grass is not lush and green.

The picture to the left is an example of grass that had gone into the winter lush and green.  This picture was taken in the spring of 2010 on one of the new holes.  Lush and green is hard to avoid during a grow-in, but fortunately after some verticutting and seeding these areas were back into play promptly.

Native Burning

Every year we burn our our Native areas.  Burning native areas is an essential part of their maintenance.  The burn removes undesirables such as "weeds", cool season grasses, and small saplings. 

Root Pruning

In the middle of November we began a week long root pruning program. 

Tree roots compete with grass for nutrients and water.  In most cases, the grass is the eventual loser.  The result is weak or thin turf.  The back of 15 green is an excellent example of this.  The huge oak tree between the green and the road has roots stretching well into the playing surface.  So, this fall we decided to trench between the green and the oak (see the pic below).  We then stapled a root barrier called Biobarrier to the wall of the trench.  The Biobarrier is a geotextile fabric that has herbicides nodules on it.  When the roots come in contact with herbicide they are forced away from the fabric.  The fabric is guaranteed for 15 years. 

While we used the trencher in a few key areas, the vibratory plow was used the most to accomplish the root pruning.  The plow is basically a long blade that is vibrated rapidly as the machine pulls it through the ground.  The tree roots the plow comes in contact with are then severed.  With little surface disruption, compared to trenching, we were able to move quickly throughout the course.   

Areas without the the root barrier will need to be root pruned again within 2 to 4 years.

Reservoir Screen

If you were unaware we have had problems in the recent past with getting fish sucked into the irrigation pumps. After being minced by the pumps the fish puree flows through the irrigation lines and ultimately clogs our sprinkler heads on the course. The end result can be a stuck head that drowns a single location with water or poor water volume which leads to dry areas.

To combat the fish problem we recently lowered the reservoir and installed a new self-cleaning strainer intake. The holes in the screen are 1/8" in diameter. As water flows in any debris that collects is washed off by a series of high pressure nozzles that causes the screen to turn.