Bermudagrass scalping

With the greens aerification now complete and warmer temperatures , the bentgrass greens have started showing signs of growth.  The next couple of weeks should be all it takes for the greens to be healed in from spring aerification. 
As temperatures continue to get warmer, the maintenance department will start scalping down the Bermuda grass.  These areas will be the fairways, tee boxes, collars, and approaches.  Scalping is the act of lowering the mower height down to a point that the dead and dormant leaf tissue from the winter is removed, exposing the plant crowns and soil to more direct sunlight.  The direct sunlight warms the soil and plant canopy producing shoot growth.  You may notice that fairways and tee boxes that have been scalped are more green than the roughs that have not been scalped. 

Greens Aerification March 10-12, 2014

It is the time of year across the country when golfers are hearing their favorite word, "Aerification".  I am always asked by golfers, "Why do you aerify perfectly good greens?"  The answer can be quite involved as there are many benefits associated with the agronomic practice of core aerification.  Here are just a few reasons why aerification is so important to putting greens:

1. Oxygen:  A turf grass plant needs oxygen just like we do.  Without it, it simply can not survive.  Aerating allows us to supply oxygen to the root system.  When aerating is complete, we then topdress with sand to fill the open holes.  Filling the holes with course sand allows oxygen to travel through the pore space which is created between sand particles.

2.  Soil Compaction:  Throughout the golfing season the soil structure on putting greens becomes compacted from mowing, rolling, heavy equipment, and foot traffic.  Compaction can cause the pore space between sand particles to be compromised, therefore significantly reducing oxygen transfer.  Imagine having to breathe through a cocktail straw.

3.  Thatch removal:  Thatch is an organic layer that is formed by dead stems, leaves and roots decomposing.  Like everything else in life its good in moderation.  An excessive thatch layer can result in disease, insects, and soft greens.

Teeing area improvements

One area that the maintenance department will be working on this winter is the teebox areas.  Due to cart traffic and daily wear and tear from mowing equipment some edges along cart paths next to the teeboxes have become void of grass.  In those areas we will be extending the cart path out with either mossrock or pouring concrete.  Some teebox areas, such as #8, we will be extending the cart path out with mossrock and also building a new flowerbed.  In those flowerbeds we will be planting perrinial plants that offer beautiful flowers and foilage all thru the growing season.  Look on The Trails Golf Clubs blog page to see the progress of these projects.

Ball Mark Repair

The basis for ball mark repair and divot replacement is for competitive and agronomic reasons. Balls

that land in unrepaired divots place a golfer at a disadvantage, just as having to putt over a ball mark. By leaving turf damaged (unrepaired), it becomes susceptible to disease and/or infestation of weeds, resulting in lower quality of playing surface. As a general rule, a ball mark repaired within 10 minutes will heal with a smooth surface within 2-3 days. An un repaired ball mark may take as long as 3 weeks to heal, but the result will be an uneven surface. Please take time and repair ball marks on the greens.

Winter Bunker Renovation

This winter the maintenance department will be renovating all the bunkers on the golf course. We will remove all the old sand, replace all drainage, and add the new sand. The new bunker sand will then be compacted with the sand-pro and raked. The new bunker sand was tested by the USGA and meets the standards for bunker sand. When completed all bunkers will be consistant and look very nice.

Trails Golf Club Turf Departments new Blog Site!

December 28, 2011

Welcome to The Trails Golf Club Turf Departments new Blog Site! On this site we will post what the maintenance department is doing on the golf course and also post any future projects that we may be doing on the golf course. I will try to post to the blog weekly and sometimes more than once a week. We will also explain why certain maintenance procedures are done and the effects on playability they may have. Pictures of the numerous wildlife and birds that make The Trails home will also be posted periodically. I hope that everyone will visit the site often and enjoys the pictures and the educational opportunity that it offers.

Chris Randolph, CGCS