Double Aerification Extravaganza

Being a resort style course, revenue is correlated directly to the number of rounds played per golf season. In order to avoid losing potential rounds due to decreased quality of the playing surface, referring to fall aerification, the greens at the Straits course are double aerified. It is how it sounds, the greens are first aerified once, topdressed, dragged, then blown by buffalo blowers, and finally rolled. Those steps in that order are conducted prior to the second round of aerification, and then it is done all over again. Four aerifiers were used, two Ryan greensaire 24, a Jacobsen greensaire 24, and a Toro 648 procore. Each aerifier was set at two inch on center spacing, and the rationale here is that by double aerifying we will remove a great deal of thatch and organic matter deposition, thus substituting for the fall aerification. Our operation was delayed each day due to frost, as well as in one case the greens being frozen. Following punching, the cores were removed by a crew of approximately 12, snow shovels were used to remove the cores from the greens, and two individuals were also designated to backpack blowers in order to blow any remnants off the green prior to topdressing. The greens were topdressed using a Dakota spreader, and the topdressing sand matched spec with that used to construct the USGA spec greens. The greens were then dragged using a hydraulicly controlled brush, and then blown into the holes using buffalo blowers. In my mind the blowers were overkill, because you essentially are blowing sand off the green more so than into the holes, thus wasting your investment. I supposes it is all personal preference, but in this economy, and with budgets being tight at times, I would look to find a more proficient method of filling the aerification holes. The greens were then rolled using Smithco rollers in order to true the surface. Our approach was to aerify in a way that the greens would be playable without any adverse affects the next day. We have the luxury of opening later though, so it's not a big issue. We do not overseed following aerifications though, because we believe that the creeping bent on the greens is a vigorous lateral grower that will fill the voids without the addition of seed. Also, we manage fescue fairways, and with the wind dispersal via air is not uncommon. So we are also fending off the spread of bentgrass into the fairways by not topdressing. When you have a management program set for chewings fescue, it is set to allow that species to flourish, so if we have to manage for bent as well it becomes difficult and more intensive. Bentgrass enjoys a more moist environment, whereas chewings fescue does not like wet feet, and throughout the year we water infrequently due to the chewings great drought tolerance, so it will appear healthy, whereas the bentgrass will be losing pigmentation and yellowing out creating inconsistency in the uniformity. Lastly, during aerification we experienced the presence of black layer on number 11 on the Straits course at approximately two inches of depth. It was only located in a depression of the green where water filtered to drain tiles, and with the heavy soils in the region created a saturated soil, thus producing anaerobic conditions. In order to remedy the problem, I was told that for now all that is done in aerification and the implementation of topdressing sand. I apologize for the belated posts, but in my defense I must travel to a bar in order to get wireless service.

Poa Control Measures

Today was the first full day of work on the Straits course, and with the present weather conditions we have been relegated to removing Poa annua from the greens. Poa is quite dense in the fairways ranging in populations from 30 to 60 percent depending on the fairway. What is believed to take place is that golfers track seed from the fairway onto the greens where Poa will take advantage of weak or diseased turf in it's opportunistic nature. The program for controlling Poa is primarily physical removal via knives. Paclobutrazol is sprayed thoughout the summer every two weeks to aid in suppressing it, however actual removal seems to have greater results. Poa removal is done prior to aerification, in which case the greens are double aerified. They are double aerified due to the nature of the course; it's a resort style course thus revenue is very dependent on the number of rounds played, and with aerified greens in the fall, rounds will drop and cost the course revenue. Thus we double aerify prior to opening the course, and do not aerify in the fall. Picking Poa is done green by green, and there are anywhere from 12 to 15 employees on their hands and knees plucking Poa. Typically Poa can be differentiated from bent by its vernation, it is folded where as bent is rolled. However in this case, following looking at vernation, the Poa is quite distinct from the bent. Being cold and very windy, the poa is either flourishing with adequate moisture as a lime green, otherwise it can be identified by it's flat blades that are much whiter/tan in color than the bent. After the poa is removed the holes created are smoothed by any means necessary, foot, knife, etc. This was done for a few greens and will continue to be conducted until all greens are completed. Until then...think Poa control.

Anticipation mounting prior to Internship

It is now but a week and a half prior to my start at Whistiling Straits, and in all seriousness I am very excited for this opportunity to learn on such a unique course. There was a bit of turbulence during the final week of classes, as I found out the superintendent who hired me, had left in pursuit of a job nearer his home further west. Needless to say I was quite thrown, because I had many conversations with Dave Swift, and he seemed incredibly passionate as well as insightful. However, in fine style my feelings on the matter were resurrected after I had talked to the new superintendent, Chris Zugel, he was Dave's assistant for a few years, and has worked at all four courses at the Kohler resort. So i'm quite sure he will have extensive knowledge to pass on to me, which will in turn help me greatly both during my internship as well as in future years to come. I was reassured by Chris and a few people in the human resources department that Whistling offers a very extensive internship program that is incrediblly fruitful and offers the broad spectrum of jobs and responsibility. My first day will be the 30th of March, when the snow has finally given way, and spring commences into full swing. I find myself so excited, I can only relate it to something incredibly profound, or perhaps a christmas morning during my youth, or an open bowl with waist deep powder that has yet to be tainted by fellow skiers, anyway, you get the point. And until next time i'll leave you with this; The wetter and wetter it gets the more it dries.