More Winter Weather!

As I write this, the area is under a winter storm watch.  The course will obviously be closed Friday, January 29th, with the projected snow accumulation being 5 to 7 inches.  I will keep everyone updated on the course conditions until the course is reopen.  Additionally, I am going to give a detailed look into the concerns with winter weather, as it pertains to the turfgrass environment, in a post that will be available to read this weekend.  I hope that this post informs you about my concerns regarding winter play on the playing surfaces.  Thanks for stopping by and I hope that the snow does not keep golf at bay for long.

Shannon

Course Closed Today!

I hate to announce this, but the course will be closed today Sunday, January 24th.  When I inspected the course this morning, it was very wet, with casual water in most fairways and a on a few greens.  There are more showers in the area, that will add addition moisture to the already saturated playing surfaces.  The rain will most likely be out of the area by early afternoon, but conditions will not favor play.  I hope that all of you understand that a few rounds played will not help the turf.

Anyways, I am sorry and I hope all of you enjoy the NFL Title Games today.  Stop by next week for an update on the tee relocation at Hole #13.

Shannon

Grinding, Grinding, Grinding!

We are now in the grinding stage of our winter maintenance program.  Grinding is the beginning of a season long, highly intense relationship with the reel mowers.  John is grinding our 32 reels and adding new bedknives to each unit to insure that we start the season with tightly mowed playing surfaces.  He also is replacing any damaged roller and reel bearings that he runs across.

Reel mowers are used on our greens, tees, and fairways.  They offer two advantages for maintaining fine turf, and that is an exact height of cut and the best quality of cut possible.  The reel mower uses a reel and a bedknife to work its magic.  The bedknife sits below the reel and pushes against the turf, standing it up in a vertical position.  It then acts as one half of a scissor.  The reel then rotates across the edge of the bedknife, acting as the second half of the scissor.  The reel blades then gather the cut turf and discharges the clippings.  The cutting rate of each mower is different.  This rate is dependent on the diameter and number of blades in the reel, the RPM of the reel, and the forward travel speed of the mower.  The greens mowers have 11 blade reels and the cutting height is set at .115 of an inch.  The fairway and tee mowers have 7 blades on the reel and are set at a 1/2 inch.  The difference is that the 11 blade reels have a more precise cut, and cannot deal with the volume of grass that the bigger 7 blade reels can.

Anyways, the process of grinding the reels goes like this:

1. Inspect all bearings

2. Take off bedbar

3. Take off bedknife

4. Add new bedknife or grind old (depending on wear, new ones are added two times a year on greens mowers and one time a year on tee and fairway mowers)

5. Spin and relief grind reels

6. Reassemble reel and bedknife

7. Set height of cut/reel to bedknife adjustment

Spin-grinding is used because it forms a near perfect cylinder.  The relief grind is done after the spin-grinding is complete.  The relief grind is a grind along the back side of the reel, producing a very thin landing area between reel and bedknife.  This allows the reel/bedknife adjustment to be at near zero clearance (the gap is .001 to .002 of an inch).  The relief also allows the reel unit to operate with a less horsepower to drive the reels.  The reliefs grinds final benefit is that it allows us to use a compound to true up the surface of the bedknife (backlapping), thus achieving a longer life of sharpness.  The compound is added to the reels with a paint brush.  The reels are then ran backwards towards the bedknife.  The compound trues up the face of the knife.  During the season, the mowers are set after every use.  Setting the mower requires checking the height of cut and the reel to bedknife adjustment.  We use paper to make sure the reel is cutting clean during this process.  We typically regrind all units in July because once the reel and bedknife get so much wear, backlapping will not resharpen the surfaces.  Between the two seasonal grinds, we backlap the reels on a weekly basis. 

I hope that all of you have had a chance to play golf during the few days that have been nice.  I hope we have more golfing weather, to break the cabin fever. 

Thanks,

Shannon

 

So, What do you guys do in the winter?

Everyone that works in the golf course management industry has been asked the question, What do you guys do in the winter?  If I had a dollar for everytime I have been asked this question, I would not have to work anymore.  I think it is important for the golfer to understand that the golfing season does not begin with the onset of Spring, but with the beginning of winter.  The winter months are when we are doing all the ground work to make the next golfing season a success.  I thought that I would share with you what is done during this critical time of the year, and dispell the myth that there is a long vacation for my staff and I during the winter months.

In October and November, we get the course ready to put to bed for the winter.  This includes cleaning up all leaf debris, and applying the last of the fungicide/fertilizer applications to the greens.  After Thanksgiving, we then go to work inside.  The following is a list of the activites that we will accomplish over the next two and a half months:

1. Servicing the golf cart fleet (60 total): This includes changing oil, filters, fueling, greasing the clutch, airing up or replacing tires, replacing sandholders, scorecard holders, roof drains, and fixing anything major such as the clutch and rear end

2. Winterizing the irrigation system

3. Winterizing the course restrooms

4. Refinishing and Painting: Tees, Ballwashers, Cups, Flags, Benches, Trashcan enclosures, Birdhouses

5. Servicing all machinery: Check antifreeze, Change oil/filters, Hydraulic oil/filters, Grease all fittings (some mowers have 60 fittings to grease), Number of units to service: Mowers (14 total), Sprayer, Tractors (4 total), Maintenance golf carts (7 total), Topdresser

6. Overhauling any of these machines that have major problems (engine or hydraulic) from the previous seasons use

7. Grinding all reels/new bedknives: (32 total)

8. Ordering and planning all pesticide/fertilizer/Plant growth regulator applications for the new year

9. Developing the maintenance budget (operating and capital expenditures)

This is the typical list of items we are in charge of during the winter months.  The items that are completed in these months, insures that the next golfing season is a success for both you the golfer and the maintenance staff at COGC.  The next post will cover grinding of the reel mowers and how critical it is for turfgrass health.

Shannon

Update: Why the Course is Closed?

The snow has melted, but there is still no golf?  This is the question that I am sure that all of you have asked yourself, so I am going to answer the why.  Though the snow has melted, the playing surfaces have only thawed to about 2 to 3 inches.  There are other golf courses in the area that are open, and I want to explain why?  Hickory Ridge and Franklin County have greens that probably are thawed.  Hickory Ridge has 18 greens and Franklin County has 9 greens that are comprised of predominately sand particles in the rootzone.  Sand rootzones tend to drain water and thaw more quickly than the modified push up or soil greens that we have at Crab Orchard.  Our greens have a fair amount of silt and clay.  These soil constituents help the profile hold more water than a rootzone made of 100% sand.  If we remember, we had a large amount of rain in December, and the greens froze due to sub normal temperatures after this rain event.  The water from these previous rains, plus the water from the melting snow, have made the greens very wet.  Earlier, I stated that our greens have thawed about 3 inches.  Under the thawed layer, the surface is still frozen, and there is no place for the extra water from the thaw to go.  The extra water is making each and every step on the greens bring significant amounts of water to the surface.  This is especially true on Green #5.  This green has no drainage and an adjacent underground drainage line that has collapsed.  This situation is allowing the green to be so saturated that the cup is completely full of water.  This situation is why when the course opens, there is a possibility that the course will be limited to nine holes.  So, you can imagine the frozen layer being like a concrete surface and the thawed layer being like a wet piece of bread.  The traffic from footsteps on the greens would be compacting the thawed layer and shearing the root length of the bentgrass.  It is important to remember that as a golfer walks across a green, the amount he weighs is distributed in # per square inch of his shoe size.  I weigh 226#, so that is 226 # per square inch of each of my foot steps.

This is why we as Superintendents, often have to make play calls that are beneficial for the turf, but not for the membership.  I have posted a link below that I feel will explain in detail by a USGA agronomist, why winter play is of a critical nature when talking about the health of the turf in the following growing season.

By Adam Moeller, Agronomist
December 16, 2008Many golfers will argue that winter play has virtually no impact on putting green health and that greens should be available for use throughout the year. This is an argument that superintendents and course officials often face this time of year as the pressure builds to keep the greens open. Putting green damage from traffic stress may occur when frost is present, and often results in tee time delays in the autumn/spring. Traffic on frozen greens has less potential for significant permanent damage (i.e. compaction, severe foot rutting), but it is important to remember that turf thinning is common because recovery at this time of year is unlikely, so damage is cumulative until growth resumes in the spring. If frozen greens thaw during the day, however, golfer traffic may cause shearing of the upper profile (the thawed layer) from the still frozen soil below, which could severely compromise turf health and future playability. As such, closing the greens on days when thawing is possible is recommended. Unfortunately, the moderate temperatures needed for thawing frozen greens are enticing for winter play by golfers, which obviously compounds the pressure to keep the greens open. This leaves us at a crossroad. Do what's best for the turf or what's best for the golfers? The answer is undeniably do what is best for the turf!

If winter play is a controversial topic at your facility I urge you to ask the following question. What is the purpose of winter play? I doubt golfers want to compromise turf health or future playability. Instead, winter play allows golfers to work on their swing, get outdoors, and stay active and exercise. It is nearly impossible for the maintenance staff to prepare the course, much less the greens, to a high quality level with smooth, consistent surfaces during the winter months, which most golfers (hopefully) understand. That being said, it is unlikely that golfers are trying to shoot their low round of the year or fine tune their putting stroke. In the Northeast, scores are not posted for handicap purposes in the winter. Therefore, well planned temporary greens can accommodate equal playability for golfers while providing them all of the previously mentioned benefits. More importantly, temporary greens virtually eliminate the potential for traffic stress on the putting greens, so eliminating winter traffic on greens leaves them in better shape for the prime season when conditions count most.

The argument for closing the greens during the winter months is the same for every course in the Northeast. The decision is ultimately up to superintendent and course officials. Nonetheless, ask yourself the following question. What is the purpose of winter play at our course and can we accommodate those golfers without compromising putting green health and future playability with temporary greens? My hope is the answer is YES!

Northeast Region Green Section- Dave Oatis, Director doatis@usga.org ; Adam Moeller, Agronomist amoeller@usga.org ; Jim Skorulski, Senior Agronomist jskorulski@usga.org .

Thanks and I hope you have a better understanding of why we can't allow play during certain times of the winter, and how it will affect the turf quality in the Spring of the year!  Again, if there are any questions, put a comment in the comment box below.

Shannon

Remodeling the Bluebird and Purple Martin houses

In the wake of the storm on May 8th of 2009, we lost several bluebird and martin houses on the course.  With Spring approaching, we have begun to rebuild these homes to insure we have a population of these valuable birds on the course.

The bluebird houses were completely destroyed, so we have rebuilt 13 houses for the birds to have shelter for reproducing.  The Eastern Bluebird's population declined from about 1800-1980.  The reason for the population decline of this songbird was due to unsuitable nesting sites for the birds to reproduce.  The decline in nesting sites was due to urbanization and competition for the remaining nesting sites with sparrows and starlings.  The houses that we and others build are helping this species make a comeback.  The houses will be placed in wide open areas along wood lines and natural areas.  These locations will allow the birds to be able to hunt insects and spiders for food.  We will also feed the birds mill worms to lessen the burden of hunting, thus increasing the clutches ability to survive and reproduce.  Once the bluebirds find the new houses here at the course, they will produce two clutches of juveniles.  I hope that we are able to keep a sound record on the number of juveniles we are able to harvest.  Their nest is built by the female and is made primarily of twigs and pine needles.  The females lay their eggs (usually 3 to 7) from early April to mid August.  The female incubates the eggs, and it usually takes about 14 days after they are laid before they hatch.  This process is of course temperature dependent. 

The Purple Martin houses have been fixed, but need new poles installed to elevate the houses to their requirement of 12 feet.  Purple Martins are the largest member of the swallow family.  These birds spend the non-breeding season in Brazil and then migrate to North America to reproduce.  The scouts typically arrive around mid-March to scope out a place to nest.  Our houses are located around the pond at #10.  This location provides a wide open area, close to water, and is near no trees that are taller than the Martin houses.  This is what you are looking for if you want to put a Martin house on your property.  The pond and overflow ditch are ideal areas for insects to culminate.  This is the food source for the Martins.  These birds are a natural way of controlling mosquitoes.  I have yet to be bit by a mosquito while at work.  Like the bluebird, Martins are in competition with sparrows and starlings.  I have witnessed some really good bird fights between these three species.  Like the bluebird, Purple Martins are also monogamous.  The male and female both build the nest and the female will lay 2 to 7 eggs.  The female then incubates the eggs and the juveniles will hatch about 15 days after they are laid.  The fledgling stage of these birds is around 30 days.  After this stage, the young birds still depend on their parents for food for an additional two weeks.

I hope you enjoyed the post and if you have any questions on how to build or where to put one of these houses on your own property, feel free to contact me.

Shannon

The first snow has fallen!

The first snow of the year has fallen! The total precipitation for this event was small, but with the temperatures being so low, I do not think it will be leaving any time soon.

I thought that with this event, I would talk about how the turf prepares itself for winter and why some winter weather actually has positive effects on the dormant turfgrass environment. During the fall, the warm and cool season grasses go through a process called hardening.  Hardening allows the turf plant to become adjusted to the cold temperatures of winter.  This process is brought on in the fall when a certain critical temperature is reached.  This critical temperature is different for the different turf types on the course.  The zoysia and bermuda grasses start to go through hardening in September, as a response to the change in temperature and photoperiod.  The bentgrass on the other hand will start to harden itself by the same factors, but usually during the late part of October.  As the plant starts to harden off for winter, it increases its sugar content, alters its cell membrane, and experiences a change in gene expression.  This is why the bentgrass on the putting surfaces will lack uniformity in color and the warm season grasses turn straw color.  Snow cover insulates the turfgrass plants from the damaging effects of low temperature and dry north winds, by keeping the the soil surface several degrees higher than the air temperature.  Snow allows oxygen to pass through and reach the plants, thus letting the turf still respire in its state of dormancy.  As the snow melts and the ground thaws, the water will give the soil profile added moisture to combat the winter dessication that occurs from the north winds.

I hope you all see that the natural mechanisms of the turfgrass plant and snow provide mother natures way of insulating and protecting the turf until spring arrives.

Shannon 

Storm Damage in Review

Greetings,


I hope to find everyone is staying warm!  The temperatures have been the coldest that I can remember.  It looks like we have our first significant snowfall of the New Year moving in as well!  This will make everyone happy, because if the temperatures stay low, the new fallen snow will be going nowhere anytime soon.


After the New Year, I started to reflect on 2009 and the many challenges that the year brought to us as a club.  The 'Inland Hurricane' on May 8th devastated the whole region.  It was very unkind to COGC.  After getting my wife and kids to my inlaws at Lake of Egypt,  I remember walking the course and seeing the amount of devastation and feeling completely helpless.  I had seen Hurricane damage to courses in trade magazines, but never understood the magnitude until May 8th.  That evening the game plan on how to attack the restoration at hand was being planned.  The details to how we started to restore the course are too great to write about in this blog, but it would not have been accomplished without a tireless effort by my staff, the Pro Shop and Restaurant staffs, the City of Carterville, and the membership volunteers.  I have put a slide show of storm pictures below, and I hope that this gives some reflection on what a great place COGC is, because if we can make it through a catastrophe like this, we will be here a long time into the future.


I want to thank all the people that gave their all to insure that COGC remained a Golf Course and did not go quietly into the night.


Shannon   

Crab Orchard Golf Clubs New Maintenance Blog!

Greetings to the Membership and Happy New Year,

My staff and I would like to welcome the membership to our new Golf Course Management Blog! My hope is that this site will enhance communication between the membership and the Grounds Department.


This site will provide information on course conditions, construction projects, and any cultural practices that might affect play. I also hope to create pictures and slide shows that depict the amount of work that goes into producing the playing conditions we have at Crab Orchard. I will also provide posts on "when" and "why" we perform maintenance tasks to produce the quality of these conditions.


I hope all of you will enjoy this site and will list any questions you have by using the "comments" link below.

Stay Warm,
Shannon