2 Tee Renovation Update

This past Friday, we were able to re-grade the tee box surrounds before the snow.  Our plan is to finish the grade work in late winter and have all of the area sodded by early spring.

2011 Fall Projects

The maintenance staff has been busy this fall with a few projects.  A new championship tee has been built on #2.  The railroad ties on 2 tee box have been removed as a saftey concern. Most of them were rotten and will not be replaced.  The plan is to re-grade the slope towards the tee, combine the ladies and men's tee by re-grading the bank between the two tees and expand the ladies tee towards the lake. This will double the teeing space for the ladies.

 Renovation work on 2 Tee

New cartpath and championship tee on #2

View from new championship tee on #2

"New" Ladies Tee #9

17 Ladies Tee Addition

Slight Delay

It looks like mid-week that we might be seeing some winter weather.  There will be plenty of days where we will be able to complete our fall projects as well as applying the late season fertilizer to the fairways and spraying the rough and driving range for braodleaf weeds.

Frost Delays

Understanding frost delays

Presented by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

As winter starts to give way to spring-like temperatures, the desire to hit the golf course intensifies. It also signals a change in golf course management activities that can affect one's game and the conditions found on the course.
In many regions of the country, golfers occasionally face frost delays in the spring, thus pushing back starting tee times. When frost is present golf course superintendents delay play until the frost has melted. This is done to prevent damage that affects the quality of the playing surface and could potentially be very expensive to repair.
Frost is basically frozen dew that has crystallized on the grass, making it hard and brittle. A grass blade is actually 90 percent water, therefore it also freezes. Because of the short mowing height (sometimes as low as 1/8 inch) and fragile nature of the turf, putting greens are most affected by frost. Walking on frost-covered greens causes the plant to break and cell walls to rupture, thereby losing its ability to function normally. When the membrane is broken, much like an egg, it cannot be put back together.
Golfers who ignore frost delays will not see immediate damage. The proof generally comes 48-72 hours later as the plant leaves turn brown and die. The result is a thinning of the putting surface and a weakening of the plant. The greens in turn become more susceptible to disease and weeds. While it may not appear to be much of an issue if a foursome begins play early on frost covered greens, consider the number of footprints that may occur on any given hole by one person is approximately 60. Multiply that by 18 holes with an average of 200 rounds per day and the result is 216,000 footprints on greens in a day or 6,480,000 in a month.
As golf enthusiasts superintendents do not like to delay play, but they are more concerned about turf damage and the quality if conditions for the golfer. Frost also creates a hardship on a golf facility's staff as all course preparations are put to a halt until thawing occurs. Golf carts can cause considerable damage, therefore personnel cannot maneuver around the course to mow, change cup positions, collect range balls, etc.
One technique employed to reduce possible frost damage is to raise the cutting height of mowers to create a hardier surface. It may also be possible to reroute play to holes where the frost melts more quickly. But regardless of these methods, the best medicine is for all to understand the hows and whys of the delay and in turn gain a greater appreciation for the golf course. It would also be wise to give the course a phone call before heading out to play to see if tee times have been pushed back due to frost.
For more information regarding golf course maintenance and etiquette, contact your local superintendent or the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America at 800-472-7878 or www.gcsaa.org.

Fall Golf

Here are a few photos of the club from last week. 

Changes

Have you seen the "new" #10 at KCC?  The crew has been busy clearing unwanted brush and dead trees behind 10 green.  We hope you like the new look.

Fall Lawn Tips

As fall is approaching, here are some tips concerning lawn care courtesy of Dr. Zac Reicher, Professor of Turfgrass Science from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.

Turf i

Nfo for the North Central US | University of Nebraska – Lincoln turf.unl.edu Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United States Department of Agriculture. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension education programs abide with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture. Keep mowing and don’t set the mower down September 17, 2011 Zac Reicher, Professor of Turfgrass Science, zreicher2@unl.edu
Many people ask how long to continue mowing into the fall. The answer is to keep mowing as long as the grass continues to grow, which is normally into late October or early November. Frequency of mowing can decrease, but continue to mow regularly into the fall. Avoid the urge to set the mower down and scalp your lawn for the final mowing. In years past, publications have recommended mowing low late in the fall. About the only advantage to this is that the tree leaves will blow from your lawn into the neighbor's lawn. Agronomically, mowing your lawn low in the last mowing should be avoided because photosynthesis is occurring deep into the fall, well beyond your last mowing. The higher the photosynthesis, the more energy a grass plant will store for winter and next spring, and the healthier the will be next year. Mowing off too much leaf area reduces photosynthetic capacity of a plant, reducing energy storage, and decreasing turf performance next summer. Regular mowing into the fall is also helpful to mulch tree leaves into the lawn, which research has shown to be beneficial (http://turf.unl.edu/pdfctarticles/Octmulchtreeleaves.pdf). Continue mowing at your regular height until the grass stops growing in the late fall, since unmowed tall grass can encourage snow mold in rare years.

Rough Conditions

We want to apologize for the condition of the rough the past few weeks.  Our main rough mower has been having mechanical issues this summer and the problem is still not fixed.  Normally by the middle of August, the rough has thinned out and it's not growing as much.  This summer has been an exception. 

We are doing our best to keep up with the mowing, so please bear with us.

What's this???

This patch of brown turf was spotted on the approach to 5 green.  Look closely and you will see a pair of dark green foot prints.

The damge you see is from someone spraying insect repellent on their legs.  It is best to apply the repellent while standing on a cart path or in the rough to avoid such damage.

Why are we losing turf on the tees?

The tee boxes on holes 2 & 3 have shown signs of stress the past three seasons and probably for many years before.  This year has been extremely harsh on those two tees.  We have higher amounts of rainfall this year along with high humidity and dew points.  With all of the added moisture, it is a sure bet you are going to be fighting disease.  One main concern is the lack of air flow to the effected tees.  One #2 tee box. the crew has  cleared 100 feet of underbrush and undesireable trees from the lake bank.  This has improved air flow and also is visually appealing while playing golf. Our goal is to have the entire lake bank cleared by spring of 2012.

#2 tee box



#3 tee box showing damage



Divots

To assist us in maintaining great playing conditions, we have provided sand and seed containers on all par 3 tee boxes and bottles on all of the carts.  The seed mixture contains a combination of bluegrass, ryegrass, organic fertilizer and sand.  Please use the provided sand and seed to fill in your divot after your shot from the tee or fairway.  Please see photos below.  Thank you for your cooperation.

My 3 year old son Joseph showing the proper way to fill a divot.

Rains and Floods

This spring started off extremely dry but the month of May has made up for April.  Tuesday morning we received .75 inches of rain delaying the start of Class B Boys State Golf.  That evening the flood gates opened up and by morning 5 inches of rain arrived.  Holes 5 and 15 were flooded and the tournament cancelled.  Here are a few photos of the water.

Golf Course Etiquette

One of the first things I was taught as a young golfer was golf course etiquette.  I believe over the last number of years golfers from all over the spectrum have forgotten etiquette or have not been taught golf course etiquette.

Thanks to the USGA, here is an article worth reading.

http://turf.lib.msu.edu/2000s/2008/081118.pdf

BALL MARKS

As the golf season is starting, we would like to remind our members and guest to remember to repair your ball marks.  The greens are just starting to come alive from their winter sleep and are very susceptible to ball mark damage.

I have added a link from the USGA regarding ball marks.  The video is very informative and will help instruct you on the proper repair of ball marks.

http://www.usga.org/turf/articles/video/repairingballmarks.html

Enjoy the season!!

Winter Play

Spring Fever In February

By Ty McClellan, agronomist, Mid-Continent Region
February 17, 2011

Courses are most vulnerable to traffic damage when snowmelt is occurring.  Play should never be allowed during wet soil conditions because of the increased risk of compaction and rutting.

Only a week ago a whopping 49 of the 50 U.S. states had snow cover.  This was the after-effects of one of the worst winter storms on record that hammered much of the country with ice, snow and sub-zero temperatures.  In the upper Mid-Continent region, some were buried beneath nearly 28 inches of snow. 
Fast forward to this week, and temperatures climbed into the 50’s and 60’s.  In fact, a few parts of the region have experienced record daily temperature highs for February.  It’s hard to imagine it, but areas in the Great Plains that saw temperatures dip to -35°F last week, reached close to 65°F this week.  That’s a 100-degree turnaround in a week!  
Keep in mind that it is times like these where golf courses are most vulnerable to traffic damage.  Even when air temperatures rise to a comfortable level to play golf, soils may thaw near the surface but will remain frozen several inches below.  Subsurface drainage is impeded, which causes water to dam at the surface.  Soft and wet soils are extremely prone to compaction damage from any sort of traffic, and rutting is possible with heavy-tire traffic.  Either will require significantly more aeration in the spring and summer to correct the damage that has been done, and spring green-up will be slowed considerably.  Play should never be allowed during such conditions! 
It is likely that much of the snow and ice covering putting greens has melted.  For superintendents, it is important that water can freely exit the green so that it does not puddle and refreeze on the surface.  It takes just a few freeze-thaw cycles and there is sure to be winter injury by way of crown hydration injury.  The common question of whether to remove snow and ice from greens, or not, is never easily answered and it depends on many variables, including site conditions and weather forecasts.  Regardless of the decisions made, there is sure to be some degree of second-guessing involved.  Even the best laid plans may fail.  To a large extent, winter injury remains one of the unsolved mysteries in our industry.
For golf enthusiasts and anyone experiencing the winter blues, the recent warm-up is only temporary.  Another winter storm is expected in a few days.  In fact, winter is still some six weeks or so from being over.  So, continue utilizing all-season driving ranges to keep your swing sharp and rely on your superintendent and knowledgeable course officials for the green light as to when it is safe to tee it up for real. 

If you would like more information about a Turf Advisory Service visit, do not hesitate to contact either of the Mid-Continent regional offices: Ty McClellan at tmcclellan@usga.org or (630) 340-5853, or Bud White at budwhite@usga.org or (972) 662-1138.

Course Conditions

Due to the freezing and thawing the past few days and the excessive moisture on the course, the golf course will be closed to players until further notice.

Please check back for further updates.

Off Season Duties

We are always asked, "What do you do in the winter?"  After a season of mowing, the equipment fleet is in need of a break and some preventative maintenance.  The mower reels are dismantled and checked for any repair such as bearings and seals.  The reels and bedknives are ground and are ready for the first spring mowing.  We also start all of the equipment with fresh oil and filters for the upcomming season.

Ken Daily grinding a fairway reel.