2016 Greens Aerification

Early Monday morning we began our summer aerification of the greens and other areas on the golf course.  Aerification is one of the most important cultural practices we do to the greens as explained in this Course Care from USGA Why Aerate?.  This year we chose to use a 1/2" side eject coring tine set on a 1/5" x 1.5" spacing.   Using this spacing we affected 10.91% of the green and removed close to 30 cubic feet of material from the green per 1000 sq ft.

The organic matter content of our greens has increased considerably over the years to over 6%.  The recommended limit for greens is 3% so this year we had to remove the cores and since we don't have the proper equipment to do this, it was left up to the agronomy team to do this manually.  It was a tremendous effort by our staff over two days to remove close to 3,900 cubic feet of material from the greens surface by hand.

Here is a plug taken from the putting green which if you remember was devastated by nematode damage coming out of dormancy this spring, Greens Update.  Two things to take from this picture 1) We have reduced the impact of the nematodes and the damage they caused, and have grown some very nice roots.  2) We have a considerable amount of organic matter (roots, thatch, live tissue) in the top 1.5" of the greens surface.  Ideally we should be closer to 3/4" of this organic layer. This layer is a haven for disease, nematodes, and holds excessive moisture making the greens soft and slower.  Removing this material will only make the greens perform and play better.

After all the cores were picked up and hauled away (to be used to fill in low areas, tree stump holes, and drainage lines around the course later) the greens were blown off leaving a clean surface.  The holes created by the aerifier were open and ready for sand.

After the greens were cleaned off they were double rolled and heavily topdressed with AS45 damp sand from Golf Agronomics.  Over the entire golf course we applied close to 35 tons of sand to the greens.  The sand was allowed to dry, actually a couple of times as we had a few stray showers pass through which got the sand wet again, and then drug in twice using a circle pattern.  After the second dragging the greens were heavily watered to relieve some of the stress from all the abuse to the surface and to work the sand into the surface.

The next step of the process was to perform a vertical mowing of the greens surface.  This year our intent was to remove as much organic matter from the greens as possible so we set the blades at 0.200" below zero and made passes up and back in two directions.  This process removes a lot of the dead and decaying leaf and stem tissue from the green.  It also pulls the stolons to the surface so they can be removed which will make the greens healthier and roll smoother.

In between each direction the greens were blown off to remove the debris from the green and allow for a cleaner and more consistent cut with the verticuttters on the next pass.

We verticut following aerification rather than prior to pulling the core because experience, and advice from our friends at East Lake Golf Club, has shown that this process helps to work the sand into the holes and reduce the size of the surface opening of the aerification hole.  The vertical mowing process will actually pull the leaf blades over the hole reducing the visual affect of the aerification process and will aid in helping the grass to grow over the opening faster which will help make the golfer happier, quicker.

The next step was to remove the leaf surface that was stood up by the vertical mowing process.  We set our sand reel cutting units at 0.150" and mowed up and back in one direction.  The greens were then blown off again and heavily watered again.

On Thursday the greens received another 35 tons of sand to continue filling in the aerification holes.  The sand will help to dilute the organic matter in the top of the greens profile, will help water and air exchange compared to the heavy thatch layer which was present in the top two inches of the green, and help smooth the surface out for better putting.  The greens were drug multiple directions and in circles after each mowing and topdressing.

After all the coring, topdressing, verticutting, mowing and dragging there is only one step left and that is to roll the greens with a 1.25 ton street roller.  The heavy roller will remove the majority of the tire tracks from the greens and start the greens along the path to recovery. Several different fertilizers and soil amendments were applied to the greens and after one final drag and after one more heavy irrigation cycle Greens Aerification 2016 was in the books.

So yes this has been a lengthy blog post but it has been a very long week and all the work done by your agronomy team will pay off tremendous benefits from here on.  I have to thank Robin and our upper management in Nashville for allowing us the time to perform all these tasks properly and not rushing through them as we normally have to.  We usually have only two days to accomplish all the tasks we performed over these five days but this way we got to take our time, slow down, and do the job better which will allow the course to recover quicker and perform better.

I can not thank our agronomy staff enough for their dedication and hard work.  After all the long hours for the TGA Match Play Championships last week to come right behind that with aerification was a lot to ask.  They performed flawlessly and had a great attitude the entire week doing all the hard work in the baking sun to make your golf course better.  If you see the agronomy staff out on the course let them know how much their commitment to the conditioning of the course means to you.  They deserve the recognition for all their efforts.

Utilizing Native Plants

In the winter of 2007 we renovated the area between our first tee complex and the driving range removing the unsightly landscaping and crumbling cartpath which did not give our guests a good first impression of our golf course.  Through the aid of the Iris Fund, a program designed to provide funding to Tennessee State Parks for the protection and planting of native plants, as well as the removal of invasive exotic plants through the purchase of Tennessee State Park specialty license plates, we were able to build a raised planting bed which would be planted solely with plants native to Tennessee.  Many years have past and the plants have grown to a mature state now providing our guests with a wonderful showing of color and texture. 

Photo of the #1 teeing complex prior to the renovation.

The #1 teeing complex after the renovation.
Drainage was placed in the cartpath to remove rainfall and irrigation and the golf car path was regraded and paved by TDOT.

Some of the native plants we chose for the planting

Flame Azalea

Rhododendron austrimum

Columbine
Aquilegia canandensis

Threadleaf Blue Star
Amsonia hubrictii

Fothergilla  /  Witch-Alder
Fothergilla gardenia



Our native areas around the golf course, which we began renovation of last summer, are also beginning to show promise with the growth and bloom of some native wildflowers in the areas.  The native areas will not only provide color and beauty to the golf course but will also provide food and shelter for birds, butterflies, and small animals.  Foot traffic is allowed but we do ask that you please keep the golf cars out of these areas.

2011 Is In the Rearview Mirror

As 2011 comes to an end and I look back at a very successful year at Harrison Bay I have to say I am very pleased with all that we have accomplished this year.  It has been a little over a year since I started this blog and it has been fun to show you what is going on at the golf course.  Our golf course maintenance staff has made several improvements to the golf course this year including the renovation of the front nine greenside bunkers, providing better putting surfaces with the addition of John Deere Walking Greens Mowers to our fleet, irrigation renovation to some of the greens, beginning the renovation process of the native grass areas on the course, and improving and expanding our environmental stewardship activites.  My crew is very dedicated to the golf course and I have to express my pride in thier work.

T

2012 looks to be another exciting year at Harrison Bay.  Our Eagle Cam Project should be up and running soon, the renovation project of the back nine greenside bunkers is in full swing, we will continue renovating the irrigation around some of the greens, renovation of the native grass areas will take place during the summer, and we are going to add some mallard duck nesting tubes to our environmental conservation program in the next few months.  All in all 2012 should be an exciting and busy time at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay.  We hope everyone enjoys the improvements that we are making to the golf course and if you have any questions or comments about what we are trying to accomplish here just let us know.  Hope to see everyone at the Trace in 2012.  Happy New Year!!!

 

What can you see on a morning ride

Fall weather is definitely moving into Harrison Bay.  Crisp mornings are now a thing of the norm and the wildlife are more active than they have been in the past few months.  It is real treat to see all the activity on the course early in the morning so I thought I would share what I see on a normal morning ride around the golf course.   Our bald eagles are back and making additions to the nest.  Hopefully we will have some more eaglets arriving this spring as well.

The deer population is growing every year and they are so great to see running around the golf course.  One guest ask an employee the other day if they were trained pets since they did not seem to be nervous when the golfers came near.

Love seems to be in the air all around the golf course as these two bucks were not at all concerned about me but rather fixated on a herd of does.  I guess our population will continue to grow.

I topped the hill on #16 to be greeted by a flock of 27 wild turkey. Our feeding program has really paid off as the turkey have been hanging around the golf course all year.  Give it a few more weeks and the toms will start strutting their stuff trying to impress the ladies.

Although we were extremely busy this summer the golf course has held up very well and we are ready for our normal heavy traffic during the fall golfing season.  Keeping the golf course clear of leaves is an ongoing battle that we will fight for the next couple of months.  I apologize in advance if the noise from the blowers disturb any of your rounds.  Only a few projects planned for this winter including the bunkers on the back nine, some irrigation renovations, and lowering of runoff areas around the greens which restrict the surface water from exiting the greens. 

Nationwide Tour Qualifier

Yesterday we hosted an open qualifier round for the 2011 Nationwide Tour Children's Hospital Classic which is being held at Black Creek Golf Club this week.  The weather was perfect with a slight autumn chill in the air in the morning and then turning into a beautiful day in the afternoon.   My staff did a great job in getting the golf course prepared for the outing and we received numerous compliments from the players saying that it was one of the nicer courses they had played on all year.  Two years ago Webb Simpson qualified for the tournament at Harrison Bay so it will be interesting to see where some of these guys wind up in a few years.

Putting green being mowed early in the morning.  Light towers were put up so the players with early tee times could see to warm up on the putting green and driving range.

Misty morning on the Tennessee River looking over #4 green.

Tennessee Golf Association Tournament Director David Olinger enjoying the day and some down time.

Tuesday, July 27, 2011

The summer heat is definately here in Chattanooga.  As one local meteorologist said "It is air you can wear."  99 degrees with 70% humidity.  Thank God for Champion ultradwarf bermudagrass is all I can say.

For those who follow our blog but are not in the golf course industry I want to introduce you to a great website calledTurfNet.  This website has loads of valuable information for golf course superintendents but can also provide information for people in other turf and landscape related industries.  One of the best parts of TurfNet is the comidic videos which are produce by Mr. Randy Wilson.  Almost all of his videos are poking fun at the golf course industry and some of the things golf course superintendents have to put up with. Mr. Wilson's latest contibution is a video about the upcoming 93rd PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club.  I thoroughly enjoyed it but maybe that is because I know exacly where he is coming from. Bent vs. bermudagrass in the south.

Randy Wilson's Latest Video

If you get the time check out some of Randy's other videos.  They are hilarious.

Collection of Randy Wilson Videos

Mr. Casey Neal brought by some of his students from the Chattanooga State Community College Landscape and Turfgrass Management Program today for a field trip.  This has become an annual event and it is nice to see the next batch of turfgrass and landscape professionals coming along.

We have some new additions to The Bear Trace that I wanted to show off to you.

 This family likes to stay out near #13 green.  The little ones stumble alot when the try to run but they sure are nice to look at.

This osprey is building a nest near #4 green overlooking a channel on the river.  Flies over every morning.  Guess he or she wants to get some publicity like the bald eagles have.

I had someone ask about what Ms. Diane and Ms. Angie were looking at in this picture of them monitoring the bluebird nesting box.  They are using a Ridgid hand held inspection camera to look into the nesting box without disturbing the birds or the nest.  The inspection camera has a 3 foot flexible wand and has a lighted tip so that you can see into the box.  Using this tool allows the monitors to look into the box, monitor activity, and never have to open the nesting box which could potentially harm the babies.  The other good thing about using the inspeciton camera is that you don't get surprised by snakes or wasps who are not supposed to be in there but sometimes are.

Tools of the Trade



#18 green


I am thrilled at how the greens and the golf course for that matter are looking right now and I hope everyone who plays the course is happy with it also.

Helping us in getting the golf course in this condition are three of my favorite "Tools of the Trade" that many of you may have seen us out on the golf course using.

My favorite tool, and one I think every golf course superintendent should own and use, is the Spectrum Technologies TDR 300 moisture meter.  I first saw this tool being used last year when I volunteered at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, GA for the 2010 PGA Tour Championship.  The moisture meter measures the Volumetric Water Content in the soil in a percentage form allowing for a definitive value to be measured.  There are many different ways to test the moisture level in the soil such as with a knife or a soil probe but both of these methods leaves the determination what is wet or dry to the discretion of the individual.  The TDR 300 gives a value that can not be questioned.  We have found that our greens perform best when the volumetric water content is between 30-35%.  It is surprising how the green surface can look fine but right under the surface drought and stress conditions are possible.  If you can purchase a TDR 300 you will not be sorry.

Another favorite tool is the Check Signature, Inc.  prism gauge.  It is important to know what the greens are actually being cut at compared to what they are set at by Steve Bloom, my mechanic.  Steve will set our greens mowers using an AccuGauge at 0.160" but with the aggressive nature and the use of grooved front rollers and groomers the prism gauge shows that we are actually cutting the greens at 0.100".  Without the prism gauge I can not tell exactly what height of cut the greens are being maintained at and too low is just as bad as too high.

My favorite environmental tool that we have at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay is ourWatchDog 2900ET Weather Station which provides us with on-site weather information which is relayed wirelessly to the computer in the golf course maintenance building.  It is better to have an on-site weather station so we can determine what is happening on our golf course and not relying on a weather station miles away.  The best feature of the weather station is the evapotranspiration rates which it records for the day.  The evapotranspiration rate is the amount of moisture lost by the plant during the day to evaporation, respiration, and transpiration.  Using this value I can conserve water by only applying enough water back to the golf course through the irrigation system to return the plant to a predetermined percentage.  That means that I may only need to apply 5 minutes of water instead of 8 or 10 thus saving water and electricity and reducing the opportunities for diseases to affect the turfgrass.

Environmental Outreach and Education

I'm happy to announce the completion of our new "environmental education center" which is located in the clubhouse.  Education and outreach about environmental activities taking place on the golf course as well as how others can incorporate environmental stewardship activities into their lives and their businesses is a cornerstone of being environmentally conscious.  I hope the board will encourage others to seek out ways of being more environmentally conscious.

On the board we have tried to promote our environmental stewardship activities and display our Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award we received from The State of Tennessee and list our certifications with Audubon International and The Groundwater Foundation.  We have "take home" printouts which will be changed out from month to month to provide people with information about how they can be environmentally aware.  This month we started with a couple of Fact Sheets from Audubon International about The Business Value of Environmental Stewardship and Golf and the Environment.  Our Blogger address and our Facebook address are listed on the board so interested parties can follow our activities and easily contact us if they would like.  The best feature of the board is the PixiModo digital photo frame which runs photos of wildlife, golf course photos, and people involved in environmental activities on the golf course on a continuous loop.  The movement of the photos helps to draw peoples attention and hopefully peak their interest about the information found on the board.  I am really pleased with how the board turned out and I hope it will serve its purpose and encourage and educate people to be more environmentally conscious and to realize that the golf course can be a wonderful habitat for wildlife.

I have had several inquires into the well being of the eagles since the tornadoes rolled through our area.  The eagles are alive and doing well.  We have been able to see two eaglets in the nest.  One is already jumping up on the edge of the nest and flapping his or her wings.  It shouldn't be long before he or she is hopping from tree to tree learning how to fly.