Practice Area Work

With the planned expansion/renovation of the practice area next summer, we have taken the opportunity over the past two weeks to clear the trees within the construction area.  This project was done in house with the rental of an excavator.  The series of pictures below shows the stages of the clearing.  The affected area will be seeded in the spring and construction of the new practice area is slated to be begin in August. 

 

Winter Prep.

Last week we finished spraying our final fungicide application of the year.  This application is made to prevent snow mold from forming during the winter months.


We also applied a granular fertilizer application this week on all the fairways and tees.  The fertilizer was comprised of Ammonium Sulfate, Muriate of Potash, Boron and Manganese Sulfate.  We applied a similar fertilizer blend to the greens as well.

The Leaf Monster is here....

Over the past two weeks leaves have started falling and this past Thursday the leaves were raining down. 

A New Fountain?

Last week we finished aerifying the greens.  This fall we chose to deep tine the greens.  This process is performed with a machine that pounds 3/4" wide x 10" long, tines into the ground.  As the tines go into the ground the soil is displaced and a hole is left.  The hole is then filled with topdressing sand. 

Well, as we were aerifying the edge of #11 green, we hit an irrigation pipe just off the collar of the green.  The result was a geyser or fountain.  Very pretty, but not at all what we wanted. 

What is even more disturbing is that this was the second time this had happened to us.  It also happened on #1.  The pipes around the greens are way too shallow and, as we have found out in previous years, the fairways have some areas with shallow pipe also. 

Fairway Verticutting

Over the past two days we have been verticutting a few of our fairways. This process uses spinning, circular blades that are aligned along a shaft. As the shaft spins, the blades cut through the thatch/turf mat. The blades cut any grass blades that are laying over and also remove a large amount of thatch material. The end result is healthier turf and less grain (grass laying over).

Black Spots on Greens

You may have noticed the black spots on a few of our greens.  These spots are actually patches of moss that is dying.  We recently sprayed a product that will hopefully remove these eyesores.  It looks very promising so far. 

Cart Path Removal

Kaiser Landscaping has begun the process of removing the asphalt paths on the course.  As they remove the material we will come behind and grade the old path smooth.  Sometime after we will edge the old path and place a layer of pea stone down.  Viola!  Our new path. 

6 Fairway Topdressing

Last week we started the topdressing and aerification process on 6 fairway.  This fall we are trying a new approach.  We will topdress and aerify one half of the fairway one week and complete the other half of the fairway the next week.  While the process is going on you will be able to place your ball on the portion of the fairway that is not disturbed. 

We will do this process again sometime in the month of October as weather permits. 

 

 

County Drain Project

The county drain project through the back portion of the range is nearly complete. The contractors have been slowed by the hard clay and the depth at which the tile needs to be laid. They should be completed with our portion of the project by the end of the week.

Rain is here.....

After a couple of months with very little rain, the last week has produced 2.4".  This can be good and bad.  It's good for our water supply and for the grass on the course.  It is bad if we have hot days and warm nights, which we have had for the past month or two.  That type of weather pattern creates a perfect opportunity for turfgrass diseases to infect the grass plants.

Turfgrass diseases are fungal pathogens.  Just like a mushroom, they like warm, moist conditions.  So, for me, the rain is good and bad. 

Chikaming C.C. Irrigation Water 101

Chikaming C.C. is supplied irrigation water only by the precipitation that lands on the property. Both rain and snowfall are captured by our drain tiles and then retained in our ponds. The entrance pond is the last opportunity for us retain the water before it leaves the property. The pumphouse located near the 13th T pumps water up to our reservoir where it is then stored for later irrigation needs. 
All ponds and the reservoir were full this past March.  Normally we are able to replenish much of the water that we pull out of the reservoir through large rainfall events during the spring and summer.  Obviously, this has not been the case over the past few months.

Drilling a well would be a logical solution, but after a number of test wells were drilled in 1991 only one well showed signs of water. That was only 30 gallons per minute. We need ten times that amount to keep up with our irrigation needs.  

So, for now you will see the entrance pond is lower than usual.  We are in the process of drawing the entrance pond down and transferring the water to reservoir.  Other ponds will follow unless we receive substantial rainfall.  In addition, areas on the course will begin to receive less water as the drought continues.  The decision to reduce water from these areas will be made by order of importance.

The decision has also been made to buy water from the township.  Currently the township is restricting us to around 25-30 gallons a minute at this point so they can also meet the needs of the homeowners and businesses in the area.  It is very little but beggars can't be choosers!  C'mon rain!

Quality of cut.....

Quality of cut is important for a number of reasons. 
1.  It looks nice!  Shaggy grass just has that "blah" look to it.  Wouldn't you agree?
2.  Better playing conditions.  Ball roll on greens is partially dependent to the quality of cut.  A more consistent cut across the surface will give a more consistent quality of roll as you putt the ball. 

3.  Disease resistance.  Yes, disease resistance.  A crisply cut turfgrass blade has less surface area for disease infection than a jagged edge.  So, as Paul Kniola (our Equipment Manager) checks the quality of cut of our mowers he is helping the plants fight off disease infection.  Paul does this quality of cut check after every mowing and he adjusts each reel to cut paper cleanly.  If the reel doesn't cut paper then the reel or bedknife or both get sharpened.  Thanks for your diligence Paul!

Water Supply Issues

Today is the 25th of June and we are currently looking at a shortage of water for the remainder of the year. Due to the dry weather over the past spring we have drawn our reservoir down by 8 feet. One week ago the water level was at the 10 feet level (see picture) and today we are 1.5 feet lower. 

The climate map below shows why our water is in such shortage.  According to this, the area surrounding the club is 4-5" below our normal rainfall for the past 90 days. 



Spring Work

After a mild winter a warm spring has given us the opportunity to work on cleaning up from our winter tree trimming project.  Stumps were ground down in early March and the result is mounds of grindings.  After the grindings are hauled to our compost area, we begin backfilling the holes with topsoil from our compost area.  The amount of material moved is large and takes a number of days.  Currently, we are in the process of finish grading and seeding these areas. 

During the winter the willows front left of 13 tee were removed and we were faced with stumps on a steep slope that could not be ground down by a conventional stump grinder.  So, we were forced to dig them out with an excavator.  As you can see a huge hole was dug and was immediately repaired to match the surrounding grade. 

Chikaming C.C. Grounds Crew

During the past weekends Men's Invitational, we took a short moment to take a crew photo. 

Front Row (r to l):  Paul Kniola (Equipment Manager), Nick Nate (1st Assistant), Ben Turner, Nathan Turner, Tim Munday, Ryan Piner, German Gonzalez, Forrest Galanda, John Maximoff (Max), Rob Lemon (Facilities Manager)
Back Row (r to l):  Derrick Walden, Ed Adams (Special), Nick Conklin (2nd Assistant), Carl Ardissono, Paul Ardissono, Kevin Kill, Austin Cross, Darrell Chitty (Big D), Scott Peters, Eric Rank (Director of Grounds)

Island Work

In late March a couple of our crew members began working on sprucing up the island.  The area had become an eyesore with overgrown shrubs and fallen branches.  After a week of work a huge improvement had been made.  Maintenance will continue through the summer. 

We Compost!

Since arriving here in 2002, we began a composting program that has grown into a mountain of topsoil.  It has been a number of years since we have been forced to buy topsoil and the money savings is significant.

Each year we add leaves, excavated soil from the course, sod, stump grindings (wood shavings) and a few grass clippings.  This mixture has produced a wonderful topsoil that we use on the course for various projects.   

We use the excavator to "turn" the compost to add air and mix the material.  If you are curious, the compost area is located left of 3 fairway behind the evergreens.   

Greens Aerification

What a spring!  I have been away from my blogger dashboard for quite some time, now.  So, I have alot to talk about in the upcoming posts.

The warm spring has given us the opportunity to aerify the greens much earlier than we normally do.  This spring we chose to deep-tine the greens with solid tines instead of core aerify.  Solid tines are simply a solid metal rod that is thrust into the ground by the machine.  This action displaces the soil and creates a cavity or channel for sand and air.  No material is removed in this process.

A step by step approach to this process is as follows:

1.  Topdress the greens with sand
2.  Deep Tine Aerify
3.  Allow the sand to dry
4.  Broom sand into aerification holes
5.  Blow off or pickup excess sand


Here Nick is brooming the sand into the aerification holes.  This will take many passes over the green to get the majority of the surface free of excess sand and all of the holes filled. 

The first mowing of the season

Spring has sprung in southwest Michigan. After a week of temperatures Ranging from 60 to 80 degrees the grass is greening up, trees are budding and flowers are blooming.

Normally, our first greens mowing is usually a week or two away, but we have to mow when mother nature forces us to. Fairways and tees will be mowed next week.

Winter Work: Post #4

Our winter tree maintenance program has been shortened this year due to the unusually mild winter.  I expected to start the project in the middle of January, but with above freezing temperatures and the risk of causing considerable turf damage due to the saturated ground we pushed the start date back.  Eventually, I was forced to start the project two weeks ago and what was to be a month of pruning and tree removal was shortened to two weeks. 

For the trimming we utilize a large aerial lift that weighs in at over 20,000 pounds.  Even though the machine is on tracks, which disperses the weight better than tires, damage to the turf can be done in wet conditions.  For this reason, we are limited where we can drive and what we can trim. 
 

During the two weeks we were able to accomplish a considerable amount.  An area of focus for us was in and around the new holes.  Particularly, holes 7 & 8.  A number of trees were failing to a point where they could present a hazard during a windy day.  The decline of these trees is normal after construction is performed in there rootzone.  Whether it is damage to their roots through compaction or root pruning some trees cannot handle the shock. 

We have saved as many logs from the trees as we can.  Currently, we are getting quotes from local lumber companies for the larger logs and we hope to have the smaller logs used for firewood.  The tops and small limbs have been piled up and will eventually be burned onsite. 

Here's the view as the sun rises from 60 feet up of #4 fairway after a small snowfall.  It was even prettier in person. 

Winter Work: Post #3

The third installment of the answer to the question:  "What do you do during the winter?" is a portion of what I do.

As the winter begins, I begin thinking about next year.  Formulating a purchasing plan for fertilizer and chemicals takes a number of weeks.  It all begins with evaluating what worked over the past year and where I would make changes.  Then I research new products, if applicable, to see if they would fit into my program. 

An example of my "Greens" program is above.  Using application dates, specific products and their rates all help me build a program that is organized and easily adjusted from year to year.  I also have individual programs for tees, fairways and rough.   

Eventually, I ask my fert and chem reps to bid on the products I would like.  From there I plug in the prices on the products and make sure they fit within my budget guidelines.

Hamlet Roofing Project

Due to the unseasonably warm weather, the contractor has chosen to start re-roofing the Hamlet.  Initially, the project was to take place in mid March, but with 45-50 degree days and no rain or snow in the forecast it was an easy decision. 

The shingles on the roof are the original from when the building was built in 1984 and were in desparate need of replacement.  As you can see moss was making it's home on much of the north facing sides.

The contractor hopes to be done within two weeks and so far the underlying plywood boards have been in excellent shape, so just the shingles and the underlying tar-paper have needed to be replaced.

Winter Work: Post #1

I often get the question, "What do you do during the winter?"  So, I thought this would be a good series of posts on the blog.  So, here is one of our winter jobs.

Every winter each piece of equipment is thoroughly gone through to prepare it for the following summer.  Preventative maintenance is the focus and we need to depend on the equipment during the summer.  This very important process is headed up by our Equipment Manager Paul Kniola.  Rob Lemon (in the pic to the right) and Nick Nate are there along with him inspecting each machine and replacing parts where needed.

Below Paul (pointing his finger) and Nick are working on grinding one of the many reels that we use to maintain the course.  This particular reel is from one of our walking greens mowers.

The grinder they are standing in front of is fully automated.  While the grinding of the reel is taking place the doors are closed, so the noise and grinding dust are limited.  After the reel is sharpened, the grinder automatically turns off.  This machine limits the exposure to not only the noise, but more importantly, the harmful dust that comes with the process.

 

Winter Work: Post #2

A sharp reel is very important to the turfgrass health. Similar to a surgical cut, if the end of the grass is jagged and uneven more surface area is availabe for a disease pathogen to infect the plant. So, for this reason, we focus on being able to cut paper with each reel before it is sent out on the golf course.

In order for a reel to cut paper it must be sharpened to a similar sharpness of scissors. As you can see in the pictures, the reel works very similar to a pair of scissors. The bedknife (the flat piece of metal) stays stationary as the reel spins. Each blade of the reel collects a few grass blades and cuts them as the two edges come together. 

This work is very precise and critical to maintaining a high quality of cut. This is reflected not only in the ball roll on greens, but also in the aesthetics on the course.  Paul, our equipment manager, does an excellent job of keeping the reels in top notch cutting condition throughout the year.