One of the perks of being a superintendent is all the opportunities for travel, golf, and education.  In the past six years, I'm been lucky enough (and supported by SGCC's membership) to attend the Golf Industry Show at locations around the country.  I've played some phenomenal golf courses, I traveled to Ireland, I've gone to Farmlinks, and most recently to Winston-Salem, North Carolina for the Syngenta Business Institute.  Yes, I'm a little spoiled.


This last trip was unlike any previous event I've been able to attend.  Most other educational offerings center around agronomy, chemicals, cultural practices, and basically growing turf.  The problem with this, is 80% of this job is dealing with people.  Growing turf is the easy part.  Working with a crew, club managers, a membership, the public, sales associates, the media, and regulation entities is the part of my job that keeps reminding me that I have a lot to learn.

I am asking for your help today.  Sharp Park Golf Club in Pacifica, CA is a historically significant golf course that entertains 55,000 rounds a year.  The golfers make up all walks of life, colors, and collars.  Average round price is about $35 for a resident, which is very cheap in the San Francisco Bay.

Last Tuesday, the SF Board of Supervisors voted to turn the park over to the National Park Service which is not interested in maintaining the golf course and will seek other uses for the land.  This would be a terrible blow to golf in California.

The main issue is the residency of two endangered species, the San Francisco gartersnake and the red legged frog.  Neither of these creatures could have survived in this environment prior to the construction of the golf course.  The golf course seperated the salty marsh from the ocean creating a fresh water sanctuary for the San Francisco Garter Snake and California Red-legged Frog.

I encourage to read this amazing article written by Bo Links and Richard Harris in the Golf Club Atlas: MacKenzie's Sharp Park Under Siege. This article discusses the historical significance of Alister MacKenzie's creation, the course's contribution to golf, and the environmental impact it has had.  You can also visit the Save Sharp Park website for much more information on the property.

After last Tuesday's vote, it is up to the mayor of San Francisco to veto the ordinance within the next ten days.  The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and many of the local superintendent chapters in California have been busy with an email campaign all week trying to save this golf gem.  I am asking for your help.  There is great power in numbers and a grassroots campaign can stop this mistake before it happens.

Click on the link below to send an email directly to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.  All you need to do is fill in some contact info and hit send.  One minute of your time to have your voice heard and keep one of golf's treasures active and available.  ACT NOW!!!!   GCSAA ACTION ALERT

For some reason, this year has provided the best show of color in northern California that I've seen in the nine years I've lived here.  The golf course was full of red and yellow trees which turned into a carpet of brightly colored leaves on our grounds.  On the 12 hole, during a windy day, the bunkers were filled all the way up within a couple of hours.  The green was spotless that morning and unplayable in the afternoon.



In our parking lot, the red maples put on a show for four solid weeks.  The acer rubrum 'October Glory' trees turned a bright red that stood out from the 13th fairway, provided a backdrop for the 9th green, and stirred up many questions from members.  This is a great tree for adding color and grows well in Stockton so don't hesitate to plant one of your own if you are so inclined.

Adding some much needed color to the golf course is a priority of the ongoing Tree Program.  The young pin oaks near the 5th green were a deep red and maroon, the honey locusts turned bright yellow, and the plums added a nice contrast with the ever-present dark purple.  Deciduous trees are sometimes frowned upon by golfers because of the mess in the top picture.  This one day event is worth the price to see the changing color wheel along the fairways.

Installing new drainage on a golf course that is partially below sea level is limited to few options.  If the grade is right, we can attach to an existing sump pump or tie into one of the lines that connect our lakes.  If all else fails, we dig a giant hole, fill with crushed rock, top with landscape fabric and some sand.  This type of drain will handle some wet spots and light rains, but will do little to remove water from a major winter storm.  Anything more than an inch is probably considered 'major' when we only average 16 inches per year. This place can get wet in a hurry.

This past weekend we recorded about .35" of rain and the course was CART PATH ONLY for one day.  Today we are back open and checking out our new drain lines to see what else needs to be done.  Over the last three weeks, we have installed over 300 linear feet of drains.  175 feet of this was installed on October 31st on the driving range.  We've been forced to close the range during wet periods in the winter and hope to stay open year round with some new drainage.

We went with a french drain since this is out of play and the gravel will not be visible from the tee or from the 18th fairway.  Towards the trees in the background, we have some more wet areas to attend to.  Next Monday, we will fire up the trencher and add some new lines to the ones you see here.  Our outlet is positioned at the lowest point of the range, so we can drain everything to one central point.  The water then heads to the sump pump at the back of the range and is pumped to the pond on #2.

When we installed this drain, we cut through three old drain lines.  We found a large, 10" concrete drain line that was filled will soil.  We found another clay drain tile that was heavily deteriorated.  The last one was corrugated plastic, the same material we are using and a modern marvel compared to the other pipes we encountered.

I'm falling behind with some of these posts, but Craig keeps snapping pictures to remind me that we have plenty to share.  On October 30th, the club hosted it's annual Monster Day to punish participants with a brutal course setup.  A member of ours, Dr. Weldon Hess, has assisted with torturing the field for the last three years and for the second year in a row, I skipped town during the event to visit GCSAA and avoid the backlash from unsuspecting participants.  This is the only day that Bert is encouraged to place the pins in the toughest location he can find, legal or not.  Every year we come up with some new ideas of tee locations, course routing, and unusual obstacles.

New additions to this year's tournament included a flop shot over our 'Big Break Wall' on the par 3 11th hole.


Most holes had pin locations on slopes such as the worst of the worst, the false front of #8 green.  There is a maximum number of strokes on this hole to keep things moving along.

For traffic control, we've tried our fair share of options.  We've roped off all the approaches.  We've pulled those ropes and tried signs.  Some people did not like the signs because they were too close to the ground so we elevated them on green stakes.  We then pulled those signs due to more complaints and since then, we've had very little traffic control anywhere on the course.

My attitude towards this problem is...... or maybe was, "They aren't going to follow it anyways, so we might as well keep it clean."  I hate ropes and stakes mucking up the golf course.  Do you ever see a golf calendar with a shot of a beautifully manicured green complex surrounded by plastic stake, rope, signs, and other traffic control garbage?

To combat the compaction near the greens we started to aerify more, fertilize more, and use wetting agents.  This micro-management worked well, but we still have our trouble spots.

With the encouragement and direction of the Green Committee and Senior Men Board of Directors, I made some cheap exit posts and placed them in the fairway just before the approach.  I really didn't think people would pay any mind to these things, but it was worth a try at little expense, time, or effort.  To my surprise, most people are observing the slight restriction.


Traffic control is similar to insect control on the golf course.  The goal is not to eradicate all possibility of cart traffic, because that would require way too much rope and cause problems with aesthetics.  Eradicating all insect activity would require way too much pesticide and hurt populations of beneficial organisms. So just like we handle insects we are trying to limit traffic to the damage threshold.  As long as all the golfers are not driving up to the edge of the green, the turf will be fine and I will not go crazy.  85% of our members are trying to follow the new exit posts, that is pretty good control. 

Thank you to those of you who are trying to keep this course in good shape.  Those who choose to ingnore our traffic control are not reading this website and hopefully will not complain that I compared them to nuisance insects.

I'll be the first to admit to this problem: our bunkers are bad.  The sand is contaminated with silt and other fines creating a hard pan in most of the hazards.  Others have small rocks or pea gravel and many are not graded properly to keep balls away from the edges.  Finally, and most importantly, most bunkers do not have drainage and you'll never have a good bunker without it.  We want good bunkers, but bad bunkers make sense to me (they are hazards after all) and we have bigger fish to fry with limited funds, staff, and time. However, there is a plan in place.


The Green Committee recently created a priority list of bunkers which need work. We will attempt to renovate some of the worst bunkers, in-house, one at a time. It is not the best way to renovate bunkers, leading to inconsistency, but it is a viable option at this time.

To start with, we are renovating the green side bunker on #1 for the following reasons:

• The bunker has existing drainage that works-- so less time and money
•  This is the only bunker for this green complex, one and done.
•  The bunker is void of sand, pretty much hard pan.
•  Pea gravel from original drain lines has contaminated what little sand there is
•  Not good for your clubs
•  Not good for the green mowers

The next targets are both bunkers on #9, right side of #13, and the front left bunker on #7. It was pretty easy to agree on these few, but there are many more that need work.

Here are a couple of pics of the project:



Charlie is digging away the odd lobe which is too severe and out of place

We spent about 4 hours hand grading and removing the old material from the bunker



New shape and clean drain lines.



A local red fox was kind enough to check the depth the night after installing the sand.  We cleaned up the pea gravel and dirty sand and repacked this hole.  Luckily, the fox left it alone after the first excursion.



I hesitate to post this one because the renovation is not quite complete.  The exterior of the restroom adjacent to the 7th tee box has improved drastically over the last two years.  I couldn't find a photo of the original, I take enough pictures of ugly stuff, so I must have skipped that one.




The remodel was completed at the same time as the snack shack, which really improved first impressions when entering the property.  Here is a link to that post, snack shack facelift.  The landscape was renovated later that year and has matured very well.

Craig Heitman, our Assistant Superintendent, has joined our team full of ideas.  My favorites are the low cost, simple projects that can be completed quickly as a side job.  During aerification and overseeding, we don't have staff and time to commit to a large project so the smaller jobs not only fit our budget, but fit our timeline utilizing one or two afternoons with a couple of experienced staff members.

As we've done a few times before, we removed the railroad ties that border the planter and replaced with some stackable Basalite bricks.  We will add some new plants to the landscape in the near future, combining the order with trees to continue work on the Tree Program.

The staff made quick work of this one during tournaments that prevented much work on the golf course.  The landscape will be finished up a little later this month to put this project to rest and move on to the next.

Our detail work has taken a back seat to the rest of our fall maintenance practices.  Trees are not weedeated as well as usual, planter beds contain a few weeds, shoe spike brushes need cleaning or replacement, and the cart paths need a hair cut.  Now that all the heavy lifting is done, we are turning focus to the detail work that gives a course that 'manicured' look that we've been lacking for the past few weeks.

In the photo above is Izzo acting as the pilot car for Bert on the Toro sand rake.  This old unit has been converted into a cart path edger with a small hydraulic arm and a plow disc called "Edge-It."  I don't know if these are still in production, but it does a wonderful job.  Ours had been worked over pretty hard and needing some welding repairs to keep going.  The last time we edged all the paths was back in August when the unit cracked under the pressure.

To make this a quicker job using less people, Bert has used some ingenuity to make the edging process a one man show.  He has fashioned an old rake handle to be a scraper and runs that adjacent to the edging disk.  Behind him, a Lesco blower removes the debris from the path.  It isn't turned on in this particular photo because we don't want the debris in the fairway and will pick it up off the path.  When he turns the corner, he will blow the spoils into the rough to be picked up by our sweeper.

The whole process takes three or four afternoons following the usual morning assignments.

The tenth hole has gone through its fair share of changes over the years, and it's time for another one.  So far, we've grown in a lake buffer zone, transitioned to an all-bermuda fairway, removed a few trees, and planted a few more.  Now the contour of fairway/rough will change slightly to make the hole a little more interesting.

During our planning phase of the Tree Program, John Harbottle met with a few members of the Green Committee and club staff on a hole-by-hole tour.  The tenth tee offered a "classic risk vs. reward opportunity," which we were not taking full advantage of.  In the distant left of the photo, you can see the green and left and right bunkers.  When we first met, the green was not visible due to some small trees that were growing near the lake.  Golfers were encouraged to hit the ball out to the middle of the fairway and then over to the green.  Pretty boring.

Today, you still have that option, but the better line is straight for the green, right along the water's edge.  To encourage the risky shot, we've removed the trees that used to block the view of the green, we expanded the fairway on the left, and now we are bringing in the rough on the right side.


For now, the fairway will shrink by 15 yards near the 150 yard marker.  We've also planted 3 cork oak trees to penalize the safe shots that go a little too far to the right.  These changes are intended to make this hole more interesting and thought provoking.  Think twice next time you take aim at the palm tree and shoot for safety.  It's not as safe as it used to be.



This is the first time we've aerfied all of the green surrounds.  This helps with compaction issues and gives the seed a little soil to bind to.  We also can smooth out some wavy turf that's been folded over from frequent mowing in the same direction.  This is most commonly seen just outside the green collar where the mower can only go parallel with the green's border.

Dante just finished mowing greens and has a lot of clippings to show for it. This was our first cut with the walk mowers, 7 days after aerification. We jumped back on the growth regulators to improve density, slow down top growth, and lighten Dante's work load.



Bert is seeding the approaches with Izzo keeping a watchful eye.  We slit seeded the tees and approaches in two directions and then broadcast more seed to be brushed into the canopy.



Seven days after seeding, we already have some corn rows popping up.  We are now about two weeks post-seeding and we will cut the tees at 3/4 inch with a rotary mower.  More growth regulator will thicken up the new seedlings and we are well on our way to a solid stand of ryegrass for the the winter season.



The greens are healing up very nicely.  Very few holes remain and after yesterday's application of wetting agent, fertilizer, and growth regulator, the density will improve quickly.  We cut the greens this morning with our walk mowers and the speed and roll is doubled from yesterday.  That's not saying much because we were probably a 4 on the stimp meter and now closer to an 8.  I haven't actually stimped the greens, but that's my estimate.

This is what #6 looks like this morning:

A few days after aerification, we started to see some of the stress caused by the process.  Pictured below is the sixth green, one of 5 greens that had a little damage.  We aerfied all of these on Monday evening and did not finish up and irrigate until 7:00 pm the next day.  This is our standard operating procedure which gets the job done in one closed day. 

These spots dried up and stressed out during all the horrible things we did to the greens.  This is never fun to see, but I expect a few stressed out locations every time we aerify.  Day by day, they improve and rarely do we lose any turf.  These pictures were taken on Saturday, four days after the holes were punched.

We started aerifying on Monday after a 75 person tournament.  Assistant Superintendent, Craig Heitman and I started punching around 4:30 pm and finished up eight greens by the time it was getting dark.  The next morning, Sal took over and punched the greens using a headlamp to see his lines.  In the above picture, he is on #8, his fourth green of the day and the sun is just starting to light up the sky.

Did you notice the new header and the updated design?  My friends at Turfnet, a website dedicated to golf course maintenance, provided this service free of charge.  I've been a member of Turfnet for all six years I've been superintendent at Stockton Golf and Country Club and I use the resource often as an educational tool.  The work on the blog was a nice bonus and an improvement that was long overdue.  Now if I can just get them to write up a post or two when I'm too busy, I'd really be impressed.

Starting tomorrow evening, Monday, September 12th, we will begin our fall aerification.  As usual, we will use smaller tines at closer spacing to pull out more and heal up faster.  The holes will be 3/8 inch in width and we will try to get four inches in depth.  I will be taking plenty of pictures during the next two days to share some of the work with you.

I pulled this core Friday on the first green.  The pencil next to the plug is 4 inches long and we have a couple of roots reaching just beyond that length.  This is not too exciting, but it is an improvement from previous years and definitely good to see in early September with great growing conditions just ahead.

Also in this photo, you can see the result of our Trimmit applications to suppress the poa annua and give the bentgrass a competitive advantage.  The poa patch is just right of the pencil and noticeably yellowed and sunken.  Next month, we will put all of the greens on the same Trimmit regime and continue until next spring.  We've done this the past 2 years with great success.

I've heard a few comments, as usual, that we are aerifying the greens when they are in great condition.  I guarantee, there is a direct correlation between the two.  I appreciate your patience while we work to keep the greens playing their best by giving them the attention they need.

We rarely spray anything without a little premix in a five gallon bucket.  Some of the typical additions are iron sulfate, manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, ammonium sulfate, calcium nitrate, potassium nitrate, mono potassium phosphate, and a product called UFLEXX.  To these, we always add some other ingredients to get the final mix we are looking for.

There are many phenomenal products that are ready to go in a 2.5 gallon jug.  They already contain a good ratio of N-P-K plus additions like amino acids, kelps, and minors like iron, boron, copper, and magnesium.  Of course, all that convenience comes with a price tag that we've decided to avoid a majority of the time.

The trade off is some labor intensive mixing that takes patience and time.  It also tends to ruin clothes and cheap drills.  However, the greens are very happy with what we've been doing.  We have dense turf, little thatch, and a few more inches of roots than before.   

Someday, we might trade in the iron stained drill for a fancy mix tank or even build one in-house.  I would certainly enjoy that luxury and it would make for a good blog post.  Until then, we will continue to shuttle five gallon buckets filled with hot water out of the shop and towards the fertilizer storage area.

Maintenance tip:  If you happen to be working with the same strategy, here is a tip that might help with the process.  The UFLEXX fertilizer is sometimes contaminated with a few prills of Polyon.  These do not break down and will clog a nozzle as soon as they leave the boom.  We now pour all of our granular-turned-liquid products through a tea towel to catch any solids.  Jan, our mechanic, brought in an old one she used for dishes and it has been a very useful time saver. 

It's been much too long since I've updated the blog and here are the reasons (excuses) why posts have been infrequent.

1. There is very little to talk about.

We've been dealing with regular maintenance without much time for projects of any sort.  Also, the turf is growing well in pretty much all locations.  No word is the good word and I haven't had any disease or problems to share.  The good stuff doesn't stand out as much so it's been pretty quiet around here.

2. I lost my photographer.

When Rob left, he took his camera and all of the daily photos he used to snap.  I am getting back into the practice of documenting our work and course conditions, both the good and the bad to share in future posts.  It may sound silly, but posts like this one look bare without a picture to break up the text.

3. Burned out, it happens

Towards the end of August, the long days and constant work starts to wear on an individual.  Two months without an assistant or a spray tech leaves little time to write blogs and the end of the day is better spent forgetting about work than writing about it.  The blog suffers, my lawn suffers, and my hair has a few more sprinkles of gray.  However, a couple of days off, a couple good conversations with other superintendents, and some new staff gets the juices pumping again.

So, no more excuses, it's time to blog it up.  We have the camera in use and plenty to discuss.  Please come back in the next few days to read some new posts that are long overdue.  Upcoming topics include; bunkers: what's wrong and how to fix it, what to do with our shallow lakes, money saving fertilizer strategy, and a new segment that starts with a photo and the question, "what happened there?"

I am also working to combine a Facebook fan page and Twitter to the blog in case you prefer your social media in another form.  More info to come soon.

Your maintenace staff just received a little attention on the cover of The Golf Course Trades.  Here is a link to the website where you can click your way to the article:  Key to our success

The crew was pretty happy to see themselves on the cover of one of the many turf magazines that litter the breakroom.  They certainly deserve the attention and appreciation for making this course so good, day in and day out.  To all our members, thank you for showing your appreciation as often as you do, in a variety of ways.