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
Thursday, December 1, 2011
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.
Monday, October 31, 2011
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.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Frost Delays
Understanding frost delays
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.
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.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
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.
Monday, September 19, 2011
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.
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
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.
We are doing our best to keep up with the mowing, so please bear with us.
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