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.