Stockton Golf & CC Turf Page

True and smooth, not short and fast

2012-01-26T05:33:00.000-08:00

Here is a couple videos of some tests we performed on the greens. I first started thinking about this while stimping the greens and I was bothered when the balls did not end up in the same place. If multiple balls are rolled in the exact same direction, each ball should go to the exact same place. Simple enough, right? That would be the definition of a 'true' green.

When you hit your line with the correct speed, you did your part and the green should do it's part by keeping the ball on path. Too much thatch or puffiness or too many ball marks, old cups, and blemishes and the ball will get off line and a good putt is not rewarded with that wonderful sound at the bottom of the cup. I love that sound.

It didn't take long to discover that the stimp meter wasn't the best apparatus to check the line of a putt. Ours is a little old, and I think it's been dropped or thrown a few times. The roll out is typically the same, but direction can vary by a few inches per ball. We switched to a 2 inch PVC pipe that acts as our stimp meter's case. This worked much better.

If we see too much bobble, wiggle, or misdirection caused by the surface of the green, then we know that a light topdress, grooming, or verticut needs to be put on the schedule. The first video is of #14 green with a 15 foot putt. Assistant Superintendent, Craig Heitman is dropping the balls down the chute with some sure hands. I like how the last ball finishes with the logo up. The second was much more difficult with less than perfect results, a 26 foot putt with a 5 foot break near the front of #15 green. 3 of these lipped out and 6 went in the hole. We will probably be doing this again just for the fun of it, all in the name of science.

Dry and Cold

2012-01-17T20:58:00.000-08:00

January 17th and we still need the irrigation system. Since July 1st (the start of the precipitation calendar) we've received 1.63 inches of rain. This time of year, I'd normally be complaining about the persistent fog and cold, wet conditions. Instead, we've been blessed with the best golfing weather the Central Valley could possibly hope for with clear sunny skies and temperatures near 60 degrees, day after day.

Today's frost delay had the course on hold until nearly 11:00. Later in the afternoon we had two guys hand watering because the turf is so thirsty. Rain is coming on Thursday and the frost and irrigation will get a break and the mountains will get some much needed snow. Cross your fingers, ready the windshield wipers, and dig out your umbrella. We need some rain!!!

2011 Fungicide Review

2012-01-10T12:46:00.000-08:00

After a long winter hiatus and a brief time without Internet (it was frightening) SGCC is back on the blog trail. To start off a new year, it's always nice to look in the rear view mirror and take note of what went right and what did not. One item we can be particularly proud of is our reduced use of fungicide.

We are always striving to make the grass stronger to resist disease, handle dry conditions, and withstand low mowing heights and aggressive maintenance practices. The membership has been supportive allowing timely aerification, light topdressing, and greens flushing when necessary. The result is stronger turf that does not need as many 'plant protectants' as it used to.

On December 20th, the greens received the 7th fungicide application of 2011 after waiting to see the smallest sign of snow mold. The whole staff is trained to watch for any disease spots and having 12 sets of eyes out there sure beats one or two. Occasionally, a ball mark or a scalped plug is mistaken for disease, but rather safe than sorry.

In spring of 2011, we applied two shots of fungicide designed as a preventative for fairy ring. In late spring, waitea patch or brown ring patch popped up just before the Men's Invitational and required our third application. At the beginning of July, we put down Insignia as we have done for the past three years. Finally, at the tail end of summer, we needed two applications to rid the greens of some minor fairy ring problems.

7 applications is a big improvement from bi-weekly apps on a preventative basis. However, that is needed in many instances where disease pressure is high. Courses in the Midwest, Southeast, and pretty much any where east of the Mississippi will experience humidity levels that dictate a solid preventative fungicide plan. Waiting until you see disease is waiting too long. Stockton is blessed with a climate that allows a different strategy and employing it can make the turf stronger.

So far, ten 10 days in, we've applied zero fungicides in 2012.

Happy New Year to all the golfers out there!! Thanks for giving me and my crew our jobs, we love them. This sport needs a good year for the 2 million people it employs (directly and indirectly) and the $3.5 billion raised for charity (2005). Do your part to make 2012 the turnaround year.

Check out more stats like these at WE ARE GOLF.

Three days of class at the Syngenta Business Institute

2011-12-20T08:02:00.000-08:00

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.

The Syngenta Business Institute is held at the Gralyn International Conference Center in Winston-Salem, NC. The facility is amazing in its history, architecture, sheer size, and the staff treated us like family. As you could imagine, they also fed us pretty well.

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.

Three professors from Wake Forest University Schools of Business and another from The Ohio State University taught an energetic group of 26 superintendents principles of financial mangement, leadership, motivation, negotiation, and closing the generational gap. There was so much information, and homework before and after the event, that I haven't even finished going through the material. I have so much to share with the other managers at the club and if it ever rains, I will put together a summary for our leaders at SGCC.

If you are a superintendent, then you owe it to yourself and your course to apply for this event for all the positives that come with it. Besides all the education, I had the opportunity to learn from 25 other superintendents. Before, between, and after classes, I picked up many ideas from experienced and knowledgable peers. As usual, the networking is the most beneficial portion of the trip.

Thank you to Syngenta for hosting this phenomenal program. Stockton GCC, our staff, and I will benefit from this education immediately.

TAKE ACTION!!! Save Sharp Park

2011-12-17T12:06:00.000-08:00

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

Out with the old and in with the new

2011-12-12T20:01:00.000-08:00

Some projects remain on the to-do list for years before we get a chance to get 'er done. The 16th fairway has a sunken drain line that has been a problem for golfers, mowers, and my to-do list for a solid six years. The depression crosses the fairway at the 250 yd marker, a good spot to conclude a fantastic drive. This low spot is the location of an old concrete drain line that is slowly deteriorating. We patched small portions over the last few years and topdressed to improve lies, but it kept caving in. The bigger problem was the area this pipe used to drain would flood during rain events. Eventually, we will replace the entire pipe from 15 tee to the left rough of #6. We started with the fairway during our first closed Monday in a number of months. I like our members, but I love closed Mondays.

With five staff members, we sodcut a clearing, trenched out the old pipe, leveled and graded, installed new gravel and pipe, backfilled, and got our sod back down in about 6 hours. This was quick work for a 130 foot stretch of 10 inch concrete drain converted to 6 inch PVC perforated pipe. The trencher made quick work of the brittle concrete and we had the whole line ready for hand cleaning in 25 minutes.

Before we installed the pea gravel and pipe, we sent in our specially trained dog to check for the proper grading. Actually, she was looking for white grubs, she loves those things.

Once our pipe was in the ground and backfilled, Dante and Manuel put the sod puzzle back together. This portion of fairway is going to being smooth and uniform so your 250 yard drive will not end up in ground under repair. The drain line is now operational and will be for years to come. And six years after I wrote it down, there is an empty slot on our to-do list.

Fall Color

2011-12-06T14:25:00.001-08:00

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.

It's drainage time

2011-11-21T08:13:00.001-08:00

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.

Monster Day

2011-11-15T22:14:00.000-08:00

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.

#3 featured 3 pins with one large hole, one small hole, and one standard hole. Players were instructed to choose their pin before playing to the up-hill green. However, I heard that many groups decided, "we'll go for the big hole" instead of choosing a flag; left, right, or center. Go figure. I'd take the big hole too.

We have a lot of fun with this tournament and this year, a couple of our own guys, Bert Ryan and Charlie Cariati, played in the event. They heard a lot of playful complaints towards the brutal setup, but it was all in good fun. If you sign up for Monster Day, you know what's in store.

A Post on Cart Traffic Exit Posts

2011-11-15T08:30:00.000-08:00

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.

Bunker renovation greenside #1

2011-11-10T06:38:00.001-08:00

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.

2011 GCSAA Chapter Delegates Conference

2011-11-03T04:48:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had the privilege of joining nearly 100 golf course superintendents from across the country at the annual Chapter Delegates Conference. As a first time delegate, representing the Sierra Nevada Golf Course Superintendent Association, I traveled to Kansas City and boarded a bus to head to Lawrence, KS, home of GCSAA’s headquarters. This my second visit to the headquarters, the first being a Leadership Symposium in 2008. The facility is an impressive place with an equally impressive staff that is dedicated to serving the needs of member superintendents and the golf industry as a whole.

Here are a couple of pics of the antique maintenance equipment displayed on the first floor.

Saturday is a full day of meetings, evaluating the state of the Association through presentations, breakout sessions, and open forums. Delegates are invited to share their questions and experiences with staff members, board of directors, and most importantly, fellow superintendents.

My favorite part of all of this is meeting other superintendents. I easily made 30 new contacts during the two day conference and acquired contact information from every single attendee. This is a group of well educated, professional, and devoted managers that drive this industry and produce the conditions that benefit you, the golfer. I am still impressed by the professionalism of the men and women that make up this industry.

While Bill Murray as Carl Spackler is a great character in a hilarious movie, he does a poor job in personifying the people who are real superintendents. Notice how we all are wearing suits, not stained shirts and floppy hats. Like the machines pictured above, we’ve come a long way.

Small project, big difference

2011-11-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

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.

Cart Path Edging

2011-10-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

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.

Risk and Reward

2011-10-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

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.

Fall maintenance photos

2011-10-06T06:39:00.000-07:00

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.

What a drag

2011-09-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

Now that we are finished with greens, tees, approaches, and most green surrounds, our aerification efforts are now focused on fairways. As we have done in the past few years, we will pull cores using our Wiedenmann Terra Spike XF. We have some 10 inch tines on the machine, but we can only get a depth between 5-6 inches before the tractor bogs down.

After the cores are pulled and allowed to dry just a bit, we hit them with our new drag mat, Par Aide's Core Buster. So far, I like this one better than our usual metal drag mats. It is better, in my opinion, for a number of reasons. It is plastic and much lighter to load and unload. The individual cells are larger so plugs do not get stuck to the mat. The cells are deeper so plugs bounce up and down many times before exiting the ride. Finally, it looks like it will hold up much longer and when it does need repair, you can replace one square instead of the whole thing.

After a few passes with the drag mat, we hit the fairway with a tractor mounted blower and move on to the next one. We'd prefer to pick up all the plugs and topdress with some sand to improve drainage and fairway firmness. This year, we will skip the sanding to save on funds with hopes to get back to it in the future. The sand would be great, but pulling out the plugs is the major benefit of the practice, producing drain channels for the winter rains that are coming up in the rear view mirror. I miss summer already.

8 days of healing

2011-09-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

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:

Compared to the photos I posted yesterday, this is a major improvement and a steady progression to full health. Besides some height adjustments and reducing irrigation on the greens, we are done here and can focus on the others tasks at hand. Tees and approaches have all been aerified and seeding will finish today. Green surround aerification is 2/3 complete along with seeding. Fairway aerification has been moved to next week while we finish all the seeding.

Member response towards all of this work has been very positive although everyone is anxious to get back into good playing conditions. The greens are very close and the rest of the course will follow shortly. Once the seed in the high traffic areas germinates and establishes some roots, we can take advantage of our wonderful fall weather and get the course firm and fast.

That's it for today, as Craig and I are about to join the Thursday Ladies for the annual "Play with the Pro Tournament." As my first responsibility in this event, I will apologize to the group that draws the Superintendent instead of a near-scratch golfer.

Scary, continued

2011-09-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

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.

Tomorrow I will show you what they look like after a week to heal. This morning we mowed with the triplex riding mower at a height of .150 and tomorrow we will switch to the walking mowers. Many of the greens are 90% healed a week after the process, but they are still slow, shaggy, and wet.

So take a look at the pictures. What do you think when you see this? I've had a few comments along the lines of, "Are we going to lose those greens?". No, we probably won't lose an area the size of a cup. Turf is much stronger than we give it credit for and can survive much worse than this.

I tend to look closer, like this last picture and I see a bunch of green grass. I see the weaker portions are the intermingled blades of poa annua that is better off lost. I see most of the brown is actually leaf tips that were burned up during the sanding and brooming during a warm day with no water. When I cut a small plug, I see white roots that are happy to have more oxygen. Best of all, the next day, I see a dramatic improvement.

More to come.

Aerification, it's scary sometimes

2011-09-16T06:55:00.000-07:00

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.

The darkness is useful in keeping our nerves settled. When it gets light enough to see what we're really doing to the greens, a little bit of anxiety sets in. I've gotten used to the result of the aggressive quad tine aerification, but it was Craig's first time. I saw the look on his face on the tenth green and it said, "Uh oh, did we just ruin the greens?"

We use the Toro Procore 648 with a ten tine block, 2 rows of 5 each. The holes are very close together and the surface will be pulled upward, anywhere between a 1/4 inch and 1 inch. The greens go from being perfectly smooth to looking like a miniature mogul course. It gets even worse when we start to pick up the plugs and every footprint and tire track becomes a depression.

Here's a look at a green that has been aerified, cleaned, fertilized, and topdressed. On the left, you can really see all the footprints and tire tracks from the walk blower, fertilizer spreader, seeder, and topdresser. On the right, it looks much better after being spun with a broom and rolled down by my cart's tires.

Our closed day of aerification is an all day battle just to get finished before dark. The next few days, the work continues with hand brooming, moving around sand, and lots of rolling. Sometimes we do all these things at once in a dusty, post-aerification symphony.

New design, compliments of Turfnet

2011-09-15T05:38:00.000-07:00

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.

Aerification Time

2011-09-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

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.

Five Gallons of Good Stuff

2011-09-08T05:12:00.000-07:00

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.

Blog update

2011-09-07T09:24:00.000-07:00

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.

Cover of the Rolling Stone, almost

2011-08-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

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.

Watch your step

2011-07-31T20:03:00.000-07:00

We recently finished another set of stairs on the ninth tee box. The old ones were made of railroad ties which were sinking and separating. The last thing we want is an injury to a member or guest due to repairable problem like dangerous stairs. The crew took no time at all ripping out the old ones and prepping the ground for framing.

The day of the pour was July 11th, the first closed Monday in nearly three months. We made the most of it by fertilizing the greens and green surrounds, flushing with 2 hours of irrigation the previous night, contracting two tree crews for removal of dead and dying trees, and we aerified all the approaches. All in all, it was a very productive day.

The rear set of stairs on the ninth tee are seldom used and will be removed in the very near future. After that, we can check this project off the to-do list and move on to the next location. The next set of stairs to rebuild is the corner stairs on the 4th tee box. This will be accomplished in-house by a couple of our skilled crew members that are also accomplished carpenters.

Like most of our projects, we intend to find a long term solution for a temporary problem. These new stairs will be around for a very long time and without needing any upkeep, unlike the old ones.

Muchas hormigas en los verdes, no bueno

2011-07-17T16:53:00.000-07:00

Hormigas are ants. That is a new Spanish word for me, taught by my always helpful, bi-lingual staff. Ants on the greens have been a minor problem for a full year. The fourth green has definitely been the worst one with up to twenty small mounds built in clusters. Each day they are mowed down and rolled over, but they are reconstructed to their former glory by mid-afternoon. I teased some members that I hired these ants to perform some minor aerification, but they are now becoming a problem that is more difficult to control than I would have guessed.

We tried the common insecticides that we normally spray about two times a year for cutworms. The ants were knocked back for a few days and then started at it just like before. Recently, the number of mounds have been increasing and they are starting to show up on most of the greens, not just a couple isolated areas. I tried spot spraying, but the surface sprays would only last for two days.

My search for a cure led me to Turfnet, as is often does, and I searched The Forum to see what I could find. There has definitely been a superintendent who has seen and resolved this problem before me,so there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Sure enough, others had the same problem and went through the same process to eradicate las hormigas. I was pointed in the direction of a USGA funded study at the University of Kentucky, 'Nuisance Ants on Golf Courses' by Reid M. Maier and Daniel A. Potter.

The troublesome ants are now much fewer in number and no longer marking up the putting greens. The turf that was thinned or scalped due to the mounding will heal up in a short time and look just like ball marks that were not repaired. Thanks to golfer etiquette, we've been pretty good in that category for a few weeks now. During his daily setup duties, Bert will keep an eye on the ant mounds and treat them as soon as they appear.

Man on a Mission

2011-07-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, our first closed day in months, we welcomed Stockton GCC Junior Champion, Anthony Madrid to play an incredible amount of golf. Anthony completed 162 holes, or 9 full rounds for his golf-a-thon benefiting the Eddie Guardado Foundation in the fight for a cure for autism.

Anthony is a phenomenal 15-year-old player with more endurance than your average man. On his 125 hole, our par 4 17th, Anthony's approach shot came to rest 4 feet from the hole. Even after cresting his goal of 150, he was still enthusiastic about each shot, barking at the ball to get up, get down, or get in.

When Anthony and his uncle Keith, finished up their day there was not a ballmark to be found on any one of these greens. I knew providing access to the course for this great cause would not do too much harm, but I didn't expect his 9 rounds to leave the greens in better shape than when they arrived.

Nice work and congratulations!!!

1/8 inch off = 10 more yards

2011-07-12T15:04:00.000-07:00

The second half of the data is in for our fairway height debate. As reported in the last post, the fairways are currently maintained at 5/8". Number 16 has been mowed down to 1/2" to test the difference in roll compared to the slightly longer cut.

Kelley Spooner and Rod Souza once again lined up on the 16th tee, this time to test the 1/2" playing surface. Rod gave me two balls to count towards the experiment, the first with a roll of 101 feet and the second with 79 for an average of 90 feet of roll. At the 5/8" height of cut, Mr. Souza averaged 57 feet of roll. With this small difference in height he picked up an average of 33 feet or 11 yards.

Kelley's results were very similar. In the first go around, Kelley averaged 81 feet of roll. Today we recorded distances of 119, 127, 130, and 97 for an average of 118.25 feet of roll or a whopping 39.4 yards. This betters her previous performance on the 5/8" cut by an average of 12.4 yards.

To keep the experiment fair, we did our best to maintain an even amount of moisture in the fairway. The turf was also cut in the same time span; both were cut the day before the test in the afternoon and the drives were recorded mid-day.

So now it's up to the membership to decide on what height of cut we move towards. Is all this extra roll worth dealing with the tighter cut? The two Pros in the experiment like the shorter height for obvious reasons, every yard of roll is 3 feet closer to the hole, assuming your ball is heading in the right direction.

We will continue to maintain the 16th hole at 1/2 inch for another week using our tee and approach mower. At that point we will make a decision on the future height and adjust our fairway mowers if a change is desired.

Fairway Height

2011-07-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

One of the many components that dictate the speed of greens is the height of cut. So, it would only be logical to assume that the height of the fairway would also impact ball roll. The fairways at Stockton Golf and Country Club have been trimmed to 5/8 inch as long as I've been there. I've attempted to lower the height of cut to a 1/2 inch two times, but both were short lived. The membership prefers a lie that allows them to "get under the ball" and 1/2 inch cut is a little too tight.

By cutting the fairways an extra 1/8 inch taller, I would think that we are sacrificing some distance. To put that to a test, I enlisted our PGA Professional Teaching Pro and member, Rod Souza and our LPGA Golf Professional, Kelley Spooner to give us some numbers. We went out to the 16th fairway which was cut at our standard height of 5/8 and measured roll distance for drives landing and finishing within the fairway.

		5/8 inch cut
Drive	Rod		Kelley
1	72		89
2	44		70
3	55		66
4			60
average	57		71.25

So far, this is already a decent amount of roll on a completely flat fairway (most of them are). Rod hits a higher ball with a bit more spin. His drive that concluded with 72 feet of roll was one exception. Kelley's drives were all nearly identical in distance and trajectory and she averaged 71.25 feet of roll after landing. The fairway was not bone dry and not soaking wet. It had, what I would consider "normal" moisture.

Later that day, Mario used our John Deere 2500 Triplex to mow the fairway down to .5 inches. In my opinion, this looks so much better than the turf cut just an 1/8 inch taller.

I will be putting some signs up near the tee and in the locker rooms to inform the membership of this change. I hope to get some feedback to determine the future height of cut. It may look intimidating at first, like the ball is too close to the ground, but the additional roll will result in fewer shots to reach the green.

In the next few days, Rod and Kelley will be back on the 16th tee to give us the second half of the data. I hope you get a chance to conduct your own test and see if you are hitting your drive a little further, lining up your approach shot a little closer, and maybe even putting for a stroke less than before.

Turf Update

2011-07-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I forget this is a "Turf Page" with all the other things we have going on. Sometimes the turf is taken for granted or at least, does not seem too interesting. All areas are growing pretty good right now, and no word is the good word.

Greens
It didn't take very long to get the greens back up to speed once our roller was back in action. Within two days, we gained a foot of distance and now we are rolling a consistent 10.5 on the stimp meter. We are using some light verticutting with our groomer attachments on a bi-weekly basis and we follow that practice with a very light topdressing. We hope to continue this work regardless of summer heat. You can see the light dusting of sand between grass blades in the second picture.

Fairways

I just finished spraying out some growth regulator, wetting agent, iron sulfate, and a nice product called Terreplex. The fairways are very green and they are taking water pretty well. The turf is fairly dense, but they don't look too tight because of the elevated height of cut at 5/8 inch. I would prefer we mow at .400 inches, but for now, we will remain a little higher. I will be conducting a test run of a shorter height on #16 fairway recording the difference in ball roll for one height of cut versus the other. All golfers will be encouraged to provide feedback on the playability of different heights and we will follow the direction of the majority.

Blog Update
Sorry for the lack of posts recently. When Rob left, I not only lost a very good assistant, I also lost my spray tech. I've assumed those responsibilities for the time being which isn't so bad, I've always liked spraying. However, something has to give and so far, it's the blog that suffers. My email still works and I check it many times a day whether I'm spraying or not. Don't hesitate to shoot me a question if you have something on your mind.

I hope everyone enjoys a patriotic weekend in the best country in the world. We have a lot to be thankful for and only a tiny portion involves golf, grass, or stimp meters. Happy Fourth of July!!

Summer is here

2011-06-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

I just read my last post which was a full two weeks ago. It seems like longer now that we just had our third straight day of near 100 degree weather. The course changes in many ways at the onset of this type of summer heat, some good and some bad.

Let's start with the bad: First off, the irrigation system better be ready to go, because it is GO TIME!! We can't afford to have problems with our control boxes, pump house, or the central control computer. Any work on these components should have been taken care of long before the thermometer hits 100 degrees. That being said, we still have the small problems that pop up at the worst possible times so we have to catch them quickly. Every crew member is encouraged to keep a watchful eye on the golf course and report wet spots, dry spots, or possible signs of disease as soon as they see them.

Second is the disease pressure and heat stress. Some grass is not going to enjoy this summer weather. Poa annua obviously is not conditioned for heat or drought. Many diseases show up after grass has been weakened by another factor like heat stress, drought, over watering, sodium, or fertility imbalance. We have to do our best to minimize these problems before they lead to larger, devastating problems.

Now the good...... what good can come of 100 degree temperatures? Well, the bermudagrass absolutely loves it. In fact, I've seen bermuda fill a void at 6 inches per day when temperatures pass the 100 degree mark. Our three bermuda fairways are starting to come around. We had some spring dead spot, but recovery is only a few more days away. The rough is also improved by the increased growth rate of the bermudagrass. Our rough is a Heinz 57 of grasses and the bermuda helps to increase density and makes the ball sit up nicely. We can also keep water times relatively low to promote dry conditions without losing too much turf.

Finally, it is my opinion that a little stress, if managed properly will result in a better playing golf course. I'm sure I've said this on the blog before, but it is a saying I really like and adopted from Billy James, Stockton GCC's previous superintendent, "If you're not killing anything, you're not trying hard enough." It's the strength of the herd theory applied to turfgrass. Let the strong grass survive and flourish while the weak species fade away.

We definitely have some annual bluegrass fading out and we try to let the bermuda fill in. Many green surrounds still have the ryegrass overseeding from last fall and dry conditions will also favor the rye over the poa. Growth regulators are being used on all the greens to manage speed and turf species populations.

The course is doing good with the warmer weather and the crew is getting used to the heat. Izzo, our course dog hates the summer because she is out of shape and is terrified of sprinklers. Sad, isn't it? Don't worry Izzo, just 91 more days until fall arrives.

Back up and rollin'

2011-06-08T13:10:00.000-07:00

You don't want to see this in your shop. Our one and only roller, held up by tow straps, covered in grease from the blown bearings, and helpless as it waits for new parts. The roller went down on the final day of the Invitational on May 21st. This is the second time this has happened, before the final round, at the exact same spot of the course, during the 2nd pass on the putting green. The damage is of the wear and tear type, so it's a mystery how it always knows when to break down at the worst time.

We try to roll the greens 3-4 times per week and more if we have the weekend staff to do so. This is an extremely important practice that does more than increase green speed. It has actually been shown to decrease some diseases and certainly puts less stress on the greens than a mower.

The final round of the Invitational, the greens had topped out at 10.5 feet on the stimp meter which is below average for our usual tournament speed. The rain was to blame for that one; we had standing water in 7 fairways the day before the practice round. Rolling the greens will only get the speed up to a certain point. You also need to consider smoothness by way of topdressing, grooming, and verticutting. Moisture management is important and can be managed when mother nature is not calling the shots. Mowing height is certainly important, but not my option when it comes to speeding up the greens.

In the 2+ weeks that the roller has been down, we've lost a full foot of green speed!! They look smooth and tight. They feel firm and healthy. We are still grooming and lightly topdressing on a regular basis and the mowing height is the same as tournament time, but we are a full foot slower sitting around 9.5.

So..... raise your glass to the glorious return of the all powerful roller. The greens will be back up to normal speed by Friday especially with this new found, spring-like weather. It feels gooooood.

Bermuda fairways, spring transition

2011-06-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that a couple of the fairways don’t look quite as green as the others. Numbers 10 (above) and 17 both have been converted to common bermuda and were sprayed with a selective herbicide six weeks ago to remove the annual grasses that came in this winter. The weather has hampered recovery and growth of the bermuda which would much rather have 100 degree temperatures compared to the unseasonably cool weather we’re dealing with.

The 11th fairway is also common bermuda and was treated with a pre-emergent product to keep the poa annua from invading the fairway. This fairway went dormant and turned brown for a very short period this winter, but provided a good playing surface the whole time. We have the same goal for both the 10th and 17th fairways once they get thick enough to handle winter play.

For now, they will be a little spotty, but quick to fill in when summer shows up. We are going to have a summer this year, aren’t we?

#8 tee renovation is complete

2011-05-31T08:04:00.000-07:00

This project started way back in October as the very first portion of the Tree Program. We dropped 6 large pine trees behind the seventh green that were crowding the 8th tee. Click here if you missed that one; those trees were huge, but definitely out of place.

From there we utilized over 100 bricks that were back at the shop to replace a railroad tie retaining wall. This was a great project and forced our hand to finish the rest.

Dante and Manuel handled the removal of the second half of railroad ties and installed the updated retaining wall.

Most of the railroad ties, including the steps, were partially rotten and fell apart as we worked to remove them.

The bottom row takes a very long time to get perfectly level and evenly compacted. Once that row is finished, it's as simple as stacking up brick after brick.

A member of our club, Stan Mathews along with his brother and father, poured our new concrete stairs. The following day, Stan went out to The Reserve at Spanos Park to tie for the low score and move through round 1 of the US Open qualifier.

We used our Provonost trailer to move the mud out to the site and let the Mathews family do the heavy lifting.

The stairs were framed, poured, and finished right before the start of our noon shotgun with minimal player disruption.

After a few finishing touches, the tee is ready for play and looking better than ever.

We hope to continue the renovation of our other railroad tie stairs using this same method.

A sad day at SGCC

2011-05-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

After a little more than a year at Stockton GCC, Rob Williams is moving on and moving up. He recently accepted the Assistant Superintendent position with our friends at Del Rio Country Club in Modesto, CA. Rob's new duties include 9 more holes to manage and double the staff. It's a good move for him and his family and puts him one step closer to getting a course of his own.

We'll miss Rob for his professional skills in managing staff, fine tuning irrigation, and communicating with the members. We'll miss his companionship in the shop and his work ethic. We'll even miss his accent and his funny little sayings.

I certainly don't regret any of the time I spent working with Rob. Nope, not a sausage.

From all of us at Stockton Golf and Country Club, ccongratulations and good luck!!

55 trees planted and one didn't make it

2011-05-10T04:48:00.000-07:00

The tree program continues to roll along with great success and positive feedback. We have now received donations for 128 trees. So far, 55 have been planted and all of them are doing well besides the cork oak that Aurelio is holding in this picture.

This tree turned brown within a couple weeks of planting. A few gophers decided to take up residence beneath our new tree and apparently, they really liked how it tasted. I had Aurelio and Geronimo go out to #10 to replace this tree and asked them to bring the bad one back and perhaps we could nurse it back to health. They returned with this stick and asked if I still wanted to keep it. Ummmm..... No.

I didn't expect any casualties due to rodents, but now I know better. We will continue to monitor soil moisture and protect the trees from the greatest source of injury--weed eaters.

First look at the young foxes

2011-05-08T19:23:00.000-07:00

The photo is a little blurry, but it was the best I could get before mamma pulled her pups back to the den. She is on the far right keeping a watchful eye on the guy with the camera. This is our third litter of foxes and the second year in a row we will have the little fellas running around.

The den is in the burm to the right of #15. There are three kits, pups, or cubs depending on what you like to call them. They come out in the evening, this photo was taken around 7:00 pm. They are not at all dangerous, but don't get too close. These are wild animals and we want to keep them that way.

Don't worry if you see Izzo playing with the foxes, she is tougher than she looks and knows when to back off.

Turf Maintenance Plan 2011

2011-05-04T07:18:00.000-07:00

Each and every year, we tweak our fertility, cultural, and irrigation programs to continue to build a better golf course. It would be much easier to sign up for the same schedule each year, but that is not the way to produce the best possible conditions. Soils change. Turf improves, hopefully, or becomes weaker. Our water source can also vary from season to season. We must adapt or become complacent with the same old strategy.

Here is a summary of the past few years and the variations in our management of the golf course:

In 2006 we had black layer throughout most of the greens. The surface was spongy and drained poorly. The goal was to maintain turf, and that was it. Even a simple goal of keeping grass alive was very difficult. We increased aerification and tried to improve the situation.
In 2007 we continued to focus on the greens with frequent aerification and topdressing. The soil reports were analyzed very closely and management of sodium and bicarbonates became a major priority. We must have balanced soil to grow healthy turf.
In 2008 the soils were improving and thatch was starting to get under control. This was the first season we used a soil moisture meter to determine the need for hand watering. The post to this one: Moisture Meter This is the most important tool I have ever purchased and I would never try to manage a golf course without one. Any staff member that was sent to water greens was given the moisture meter and a percentage for the day based on the projected high temperature. We continue to use this tool today and it's impact is very obvious.
In 2009, we had the greens under control and could maintain good conditions with less fungicides and less water. We could now turn our attention to the fairways where our irrigation uniformity had been a major problem. We were watering as little as possible and were still left with wet spots near the heads and dry spots between. A new nozzle configuration from Rain Bird was the trick and our fairways are now completely different surfaces. Here's the post: http://sgccturf.blogspot.com/2009/08/nozzle-dance.html
In 2010, we had the greens and fairways in good order and we focused extra attention on high traffic areas, tees, and approaches. A new sprayer that debuted this year was a main component to our success. Wetting agent applications were expanded from the tees, approaches, and greens to many other areas including some troubled fairways. This practice continues today (Rob is out there as I write this) and it is producing much better results. Increased aerification continues on all parts of the course and drainage in a wet winter year shows proof of the benefits.
2011-The year of the project. We are confident in the irrigation system, the soil, and the turf. While we cannot ignore the maintenance practices that keep the turf healthy and in good playing condition, we can find time to do some of the projects that golfers really notice. So far, on this year's calendar we have a new wall on the upper 8th tee, new stairs on the same tee and perhaps many others, a pond cleaning program, driving range renovations, multiple drainage projects, clubhouse landscape renovation, work on the native area, mass tree planting and removal, and ........... more ideas every day.

We'll be busy and the future looks bright. There is no possibility that we will run out of things to do. Stay tuned for more updates on these projects, the tree program, and our general turf conditions. I have a lot of news to share, it's just a matter of sitting down in front of a computer for long enough to write a post or two.

Sierra Nevada GCSA at the Haggin Oaks Golf Expo

2011-04-30T06:35:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post this morning before I get back to work. We are busy this morning mowing, rolling, raking, setting new cups, and cleaning up after the wind. I am working irrigation, putting a minute or two of water on the greens to help our mowers see their lines and provide a little lubrication (the wind has really dried things out). I also have a stuck valve to contend with; clams are giving us some problems.

After a few hours at the course this morning, it's off to Haggin Oaks to work the Sierra Nevada Golf Course Superintendent Association booth. Try to stop by, here's the main web page: 2011 Haggin Oaks Golf Expo

We are there to promote the game of golf and the environmental benefits it provides. This is a great opportunity to talk to a bunch of avid golfers with 25,000 expected to come through the gate. Yesterday, we met golfers from throughout Northern California, most of whom play on the course managed by one of our superintendent members.

We'll be giving away bags (the nicest ones I've seen at the show) to attendees that sign up to become a Green Golfer by taking the Audubon Pledge. You'll commit to respecting environmentally sensitive areas, fixing you're ball marks, and filling divots, among many other items. Every golfer should read this: The Audubon Green Golfer Pledge

Happy green golfing!!

Long Divot Line

2011-04-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

G'day everyone.

In the golf course maintenance department, we are always on the lookout for anything that may help us in preparing and maintaining the turf to the highest quality and condition. The condition of the practice areas turf is just as important to you as they are to the member that steps up to the triangle of balls after you.

It is frustrating to try to hit golf balls on a range with holes the size of several dinner plates, or divots scattered over the entire station prevent you from consistently being able to place the ball on turf or take a level stance when addressing the ball.

The following video, posted by the director of agronomy at the Philadelphia Cricket Club,is a great illustration on how we can enjoy a productive range session and in the process leave the station in great shape for the next person to practice on.

The resulting divot pattern not only creates a smaller area of wear allowing more members to use the station, it also allows us to prepare and maintain a higher quality surface that will germinate and fill in faster.

The video is wide screen. You Tube link below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTRwmEexg6Y&feature=player_embedded

With our mowers, we create stripes that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye. We now invite you to make a few stripes of your own on the practice tee, long divot stripes.

Enjoy the rest of your Easter weekend.

Rob Williams.

Tree Program: Cheap, efficient irrigation

2011-04-21T06:15:00.000-07:00

Mass plantings in a arid environment can pose a few problems. In the past, we've had some trouble maintaining newly planted trees when the heat of summer arrives. Since we try to get the turf as dry as possible, our irrigation in the rough or fairways do not provide enough water to wet the root zone of trees. The established trees have no problem tapping into our shallow ground water, but these new ones will struggle without a little help.

Running around with a hose is labor intensive and much of the water will runoff if you're in a hurry. There are some well designed drip containers that can be found at forestry supply companies or your local hardware store, but the price kept me away. I am pretty cheap. So, to save a little green in the wallet and on the trees, we gathered up a bunch of five gallon buckets.

Jan, our Equipment Manager, dressed them up with a little spray paint and drilled one or two 1/16 inch holes in the bottom. The slow drip of water takes about 2 hours to empty the bucket straight to the soil. It only takes a few minutes to move the buckets to the next batch of trees which we've been doing daily. Right now we have 10 buckets and 50 trees so they all get a shot of water in a week's time.

We will continue this practice through the bulk of summer until the trees are firmly rooted and can find water on their own. We may be able to skip a few, here and there, when we start to water the turf on a regular basis. At this time, we are irrigating very irregularly to keep the course dry and to transition out some of the poa that grew in the fairways over the winter.

Post Punch Update

2011-04-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

The greens were aerified on the 4th of April and are still healing up. Hopefully, we will be ninety percent healed by the middle of next week. Comments from members and guest have been mostly positive, "they're not that bad" is about the best I can hope for. As usual, spring aerification takes a much longer time to heal up than fall aerification, mainly due to soil temperatures. The recent daytime highs in the low 70s have not been that great, but it could be worse.

From a little distance away the greens look like they are completely healed, but a lot of things look good from a long ways away. Upon closer inspection, or when rolling a putt, the greens still need some time to recover from this aggressive, invasive process.

The keys are in the photo for a size reference (not sure what half of them go to, but always been afraid to throw them away). The density and smoothness is no where near what we want or what we had on April 3rd. However, drainage has been improved, the greens can breathe, and they are ready to take on the heat of summer. We just need a few more days to get back in shape.

Bentgrass populations continue to improve due to our growth regulator practices during the winter. We still have plenty of poa annua so we will manage both to maintain a good putting surface. Thatch is enemy number one and aerification is the main way to combat the problem. We are set up really nice for the next few months, so thank you for your patience and giving the maintenance department the time needed to care for your greens. The payoff is far greater than the price.

Disease Profile: Spring Dead Spot

2011-04-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

Spring dead spot is one of the more mysterious turf diseases. It is hard to predict from year to year. Locations are different and severity is also inconsistent. To treat the disease with a fungicide, applications must be made in fall even though damage is not seen until spring, hence the name.

We have never treated for this disease even though we may have experienced it for years. Now that we have a fairway that is solid bermuda year round, the damage is obvious and treatment may become necessary. Other bermuda areas that are damaged have been hidden by overseeded rye grass or poa annua that has come in during the winter months. By the time these are burned out by the weather, the disease looks more like transition struggles than disease.

The photos below are more obvious than transition problems. This first one was taken back on the 3rd of March.

This next one was taken last week, and obviously, the bermuda has had some better weather to green up and the bad spots are beginning to fill in, slowly.

One more, a little closer this time to show the brown, yet playable surface.

We'll keep an eye on this and decide if we want to spray a fungicide to control the problem in the fall. At this point, especially on the par 3 11th hole, I would not be a fan of spending money to clean this up. A few more warm days and the surrounding turf will quickly fill the thin spots.

The 11th hole looks sweet right now and the 10th and 17th fairways are starting to transition on their own. We will help them out with a selective herbicide in the near future and will be on our way to firm, lush, tight fairways. Irrigation will once again, favor the drier side to encourage a little turf to fade out in the heat of the summer, making way for some more common bermuda. I welcome questions on this or any of our maintenance practices, so if you see something out there that you don't like or don't understand, please shoot over an email and I'll be happy to discuss our work.

The greens are healing up, tomorrow's post will show you how close we are. Thanks for reading.

Oh, and the Asparagus Festival starts today, so get your tickets and go enjoy the beautiful weather if you can fit some other recreation around your tee times.

We still need to fix those ball marks

2011-04-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

The greens were aerified earlier this week during a long Sunday evening and a very long Monday. Everything went very well and the staff worked their tails off to finish the task in one closed day. Now we have to patiently wait for the greens to heal and do all we can to assist in that process.

You, as the golfer, have your responsibilities as well. As usual we are asking you to fix all of your ball marks and a couple extra so the greens can get back to fast and firm. We always have a problem with ball mark repair after we aerify. Some people think it is unnecessary because the greens are "torn up anyway." Other people tell me it is hard to find a ball mark with all that sand on the greens. In my opinion, this is the most important time to fix your ball marks because the greens are so delicate after the aerification process. We are watering nightly to encourage bentgrass seed germination and to keep the greens from drying out and suffering drought stress. This results in soft greens and very large ball marks.

You cannot honestly tell me that this ball mark is hard to find. Yesterday, I walked out on the 18th green and could count over a dozen ball marks without walking anywhere. The sand splashes away from the impact area and the dark green circle is very easy to locate. The small holes, 3/8 inch, will heal pretty quick and we'll be back to good playing conditions. Please do your part by touching up your ball marks and we'll have some really good greens thanks to this team effort.

Time to open them up

2011-04-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, starting at 4:00 pm, we will begin our spring aerification. We've been getting a lot of compliments about the greens from our guests and new members and I know it may seem counterproductive to put a bunch of holes in a surface that seems just fine. In order to keep the greens in the best shape possible we have to do some things that are not so pleasant. Aerification is the most obvious and disruptive practice, and the most important. We also, from time to time, verticut, topdress, flush, and of course, fertilize. All these can impact play, but they are worth the trouble.

To maintain the firm, yet receptive surface you've come to expect, we need to remove some of the old and put in some new. As we've done for the past few years, we'll be using smaller tines and closer spacing. So, we will have many small holes that heal a bit quicker while impacting a greater amount of surface area. The greens should heal up within two weeks. Recovery time in the spring is much longer than fall due to soil temps. Last September we were healed up in less than a week.

If you missed it last time, here is a post from spring, 2010 that details the aerification process we will be following the next few days.

By the end of the week

2011-03-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

Hopefully, we will have this place back to normal when the weekend rolls around. Since the 16th of March, when all this rain first showed up, we've accumulated 2.79 inches of precipitation at our weather station. That is a lot of rain to move through this soil or pump off the property. Last Friday, for example, the back of the range was knee high water, fairways 2, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, and 18 were all partially covered with standing water and curious water fowl. Surprisingly, one week later, we may be back to good playing conditions.

The improvement, compared to past winters, is mainly due to aerification practices and a few new drains. We will continue to aerify the fairways at least 3 times per year and hopefully, fill some of the holes with sand when we have the funds to do so. It is a slow, gradual improvement, but after a few years the results are obvious.

In the next few days, we will be mowing, blowing, raking, and sweeping as we try to chop down the tall grass and clean up the mess at the same time. Izzo and I just finished a course tour in an effort to find locations that were ready for the weight of a mower. We are in better shape than I expected. Izzo spent most of her time chasing geese off the course because the flood is over, we are going to be a golf course again.

We may look like a patchwork quilt as we mow the dry spots and skip the wet. Today we will mow the far left rough of #2 and leave the rest to another day. Please be patient while we jump around, we'll get it all finished soon enough.

Storm Report

2011-03-21T15:42:00.000-07:00

I really don't want to follow a post about too much growth with a post about too much rain, but that is what we got. Since last Wednesday, we've picked up 1.24 inches of rain according to the weather station located in the right rough of the 14th hole. This might not be much rain for some golf courses, but it sure is for us. Stockton's average rainfall is 13.95 inches so we picked up nearly 9 % of that in 4 days with much more to come.

There isn't anywhere for the rain to go with the ground water pushing closer to the surface. Reservoirs are releasing at a feverish pace and the deep water channel is as high as I've seen for some time. When the storm finally breaks, the turf is going to take off with excessive growth. We will not be able to mow until the surface firms up for the equipment.

The staff was worried last week that they would not have any work to do and paychecks would suffer. No need to worry, the wind provided days of work and took care of some trees that were scheduled for removal. Two trees were lost completely; a eucalyptus near #12 approach and an old, overgrown bush of a tree near the path on #1. I won't miss either of these. Multiple redwoods were damaged in the storm with the tops breaking off of a few. Of course, the entire property is littered with large branches, twigs, and leaves.

#13 next to maintenance road, making for easy cleanup.

Cleanup of Euc near the 12th approach, the rest will come down soon.

In a storm of this magnitude, at this time of year, everybody suffers together. The golfers can't play in decent conditions, the golf course takes on more water than it can handle, the trees get smashed, the maintenance staff is wet and cold, and even the poor fox has to leave it's flooded den. I am really looking forward to summer, aren't you?

The Grass is Growing, way too fast

2011-03-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

Spring is a beautiful time at every golf course. The grass greens up all by itself without a boat load of fertilizer, the trees are in bloom, and everything looks a little brighter when the temps pop up by a few degrees. On the flip side, we can barely keep up with all the growth, especially the rough. We have yet to ramp up to a full staff and have been short a few employees since the first of December. They are scheduled to return towards the end of this month and I am sure they will be busy from the very start.

We currently are mowing down the rough as often as possible. During the regular growing season, 2 staff members dedicating a total of 80 hours of labor can keep the rough maintained at a reasonable height. We currently mow the rough at 2 inches as decided within the Green Committee in our Golf Course Standards and Objectives. This is a good height and offers the best compromise between playability, penalty, and health of the turf. However, between rain days, tournaments, and time constraints, the height of rough can vary between 2 inches and 5 inches.

This time of year, all the stored energy in a grass plant's root zone is releasing directly to leaf and eventually seed growth. The "Spring Green Up" ads you'll start seeing on television any time now are best ignored. The plant is going to grow whether you fertilize or not. Crabgrass control is another issue and should be conducted in the next 3-4 weeks.

We will do our best during the spring flush to keep the course in top playing condition. You will find varied heights of the rough here or there, so stay in the fairway. See, it's just that simple.

To keep the clippings under control we utilize backpack blowers, walk behind blowers, and our big, tractor-mounted blower. Not only does this help to maintain a manicured appearance, it also prevents clumps of grass from matting down and killing turf. Another practice you'll see is two employees dragging a hose to disperse morning dew and clippings on the fairways.

These growing conditions will persist for the next month and then we'll get back to normal. I often tease our Assistant Superintendent, Rob Williams, that this place is "too damn green," as if it's all his fault. I like a little brown, a little blue, and a little stress. Were months away from attaining the lean, mean, firm summer conditions that we are most proud of. But if you're going to be super green, then this is the day to do it. We even dyed a few flags green and fly them for St. Patrick's Day.

Tree Program, Phase I Update

2011-03-03T06:43:00.000-08:00

It sure is nice to have a major project to latch on to during the slow growing months of winter. Whenever we have a spare moment, our attention is directed towards the Tree Program. To date, we have planted over 50 trees and removed close to the same number. Feedback from the membership has been positive and most people share the excitement the crew and I have for improving this course.

If you've played the course in the last couple of months, you've probably noticed the new additions to our Forest. In case you were wondering about the species of trees we've selected, here is a short rundown of what we've planted so far.

The cork oak has become one of my favorite trees for it's strength, structure, and attractive bark. We have many of these growing very well throughout the golf course, so it was an easy choice to add to the program. They seem to do fine with the high water table and like many oaks, they are tolerant of saline soils.

A mature cork oak in the left rough of No. 16

All of the trees we are planting come in 15 gallon containers. There is some data that shows smaller container trees to catch up and surpass the larger (24-48"box) in three years. The reason is that the smaller tree is introduced to it's new soil at a younger age and can adjust while the large tree has been growing in the nursery's soil for a number of years.

That being said, it comes as no surprise that the trees we've installed are pretty small. Be patient because there is a price to pay with instant gratification. Landscape design involves the same principal of patiently letting your plants grow into their space.

Here is some additional info on the cork oak if you are interested in planting one yourself or if you have a bunch of wine bottles to plug:
Cork Oak Wikipedia page

The 6th hole received the greatest influx of new trees of anywhere on the course. The goal is to frame the hole and buffer the fence line, street, and houses. Here, we tried to select species that would not limit the very important, morning sunlight from reaching the fairway. One species, newly introduced to the club is the goldenrain tree. These, like all of the trees we are using, are saline soil tolerant and grow well in our area, as proven by a couple of sites just down the street. Goldenrain trees do not get very large, so once the sun is above the houses, it will most likely be shining on the fairway. Also, as the name suggests, the trees have a burst of yellow in late summer to give the course some much needed color. Here is a link to learn more: Goldenrain Tree, NC State Plant Fact Sheet

I'll run through a couple of more tree profiles in the upcoming post including 'Shademaster' honey locust, plum, and sycamore.

We have a ProGator, prepare to be topdressed

2011-02-20T14:32:00.000-08:00

Towards the end of last summer, our John Deere ProGator started to make some noises that made us uncomfortable. There was a little grinding, some jumping, and a clunk here and there. Our Equipment Manager said the transmission was going out and we'd be better off parking it until we could get it fixed.

So the heavy duty utility vehicle sat there for months. With fall aerification just around the corner, it was too late to get the unit repaired or to find a replacement whether new or used. We borrowed a demo and another vehicle from our friends at Woodbridge Golf and Country Club who are always willing to help out a neighboring course.

Our plan was to explore replacement options and eventually rip the machine apart in-house to see what degree of repair was needed. The ProGator is 15 years old so spending a bunch of money on the tranny was out of the question. Just sending the unit in for repair would result in a labor bill of roughly $2000 and if a new transmission was needed.......... well let's forget that.

I haven't found anything that our Equipment Manager, Jan cannot fix, but a repair of this magnitude requires some special knowledge. Our friend Jim with 25 years experience with John Deere and some time on his hands offered to help us out with the repair and it started with fingers crossed this past Monday.

First, they pulled the transmission filter screen and here is what they found:

All the gunk on that filter is tiny shavings of metal. In case you are not sure, that is a very bad sign.

Next we pulled apart the transmission and as we did, we could hear ball bearings and bits of metal falling inside the case. Once again, not a good sign. I couldn't stand any more bad news and I don't have anything to offer in the way of equipment repair so I left Jan and Jim to do what they do.

When I was called back for a short education on transmissions, they had some good news to share. A bearing had fallen apart and was causing all the racket we'd been hearing. Somehow, all the bits of metal stayed away from the gears and did no further damage.

You can see the gears in this photo and all of them are in very good condition with no wear, no play, no chips, dents, or cracks. They went through each one individually, tooth by tooth, to make sure to replace any damaged portion of the transmission. If you look to the left of the bearing with the orange collar, you will see the problem atop the center shaft. Half of this bearing is missing.

I took this photo today with the old bearing on the left and the new on the right:

So, Monday they tore this thing apart, went through every piece and ordered everything that needed to be replaced. The unit was back up and running by 2:00 pm on Tuesday. The final price tag including all of the labor, parts, and fluids was just over $1000 and that included a new lift cylinder for $387.

We have so many jobs that were waiting for this unit to be brought back to life. In a time of year that every course struggles financially, this is a major success story. With the help of some friends, the know-how of a talented Equipment Manager, and a bunch of luck, we just saved the club a major expense.

Disappearing Duckweed 2

2011-02-07T18:15:00.000-08:00

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G'day everybody.

In response to requests for a closer look at the "Nuts & Bolts "of the DuckWeedSuckInator. I clicked a few pics to give a closer view.

Here is a view with the top cut off, the side section cut out to allow the Duckweed to be drawn towards the inlet (2" Slip-Fix).

This view from above shows the green hose that we attach to the trash pump. Jan secured the pvc fittings to the bottom of the container using a bed knife and hose clamps. This enables the inlet to stay level and not lean to one side, which causes air bubbles and loss of the prime.

The Slip-Fix in this picture is attached directly to 2" elbow, allowing for adjustment and a slightly larger inlet. We have also utilized a length of 2" pipe into the elbow and then into the Slip-Fix, this allows you to raise the inlet even higher but unfortunately gives you a smaller inlet.

While nestled on the bottom of the pond, this simple design can be modified to adapt to daily pond levels, thickness of the Duckweed, and many other conditions.

The Duckweed on the pond we are working on is noticeably thinner, which is very encouraging.

With the temperatures around 70deg over the last two days, and the golf course drenched in sunshine, the course is playing and looking great.

I look forward to seeing you on the course.

Rob Williams

Pond Update

2011-02-05T06:28:00.000-08:00

I hope you enjoyed Rob's post of our contraption which we've named many times including my favorite, 'The DuckWeedSuckInator'. This was a great team effort and we are still trying to improve on the original model. Our Equipment Manager, Jan Landreth has been especially helpful with her background in mechanical engineering and the ability to problem solve any obstacle in a unique way.

I'm lucky to have people like Jan and Rob who devote a portion of their free time researching our course problems instead of reading what their friends had for dinner on Facebook. These two are constantly coming in with new ideas and solutions that begin with, "Last night, I was looking at ......" We fuel off of each other's passion for our work and it feels good.

Our pond skimming device has been working pretty well, but we're pulling it back into the shop to make some minor adjustments. Rob, our staff cameraman, will snap some photos and get them up on the blog in case anyone is having a similar problem and would like to make a SuckInator of their own. Of course, we would like you to share any improvements you make to the simple design.

You may be wondering, how does a pond get that bad in the first place. Well, our main problem is a lack of depth. The two ponds on the course that are deeper than two feet are in very good condition with no algae or duckweed over the last two years. We've improved our algae control by reducing organic inputs into the ponds. Our main way of doing this was to grow up a buffer strip between the water's edge and maintained turf. Check out this post back in August, 2009 on lake buffer strips.

Duckweed reproduces at an alarming rate and can fill a pond very quickly. We have some pesticides that are similar to Round Up, but labeled for aquatics which we use to help control the floating weed. However, since our volume of water is so low, the decomposition of duckweed results in an oxygen loss and a potential fish kill. The pesticide is not responsible for killing fish, it's the loss of oxygen that does that. So, we are not comfortable spraying until we get the population of duckweed much lower than the blanket you currently see on a few of the holes. Winter time is the perfect opportunity while the weed is not growing or reproducing. Our skimmer can reduce the population to a manageable range and we can get these ponds looking like water again. More updates coming soon.

Disappearing Duckweed

2011-01-30T10:17:00.000-08:00

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G’day everyone,

I would like to introduce myself, as this will be my first post on the blog.My name is Rob Williams, Assistant Golf Course Superintendent here at Stockton Golf & CC. I am the person with the Aussie accent you see and hear on the golf course or in the clubhouse/pro shop each day. You can view a little more on me here http://sgccturf.blogspot.com/2010/06/sgcc-staff-profiles-nico-and-rob.html

Common Duckweed- Lemna minor

Last week while I was researching a few products, I discovered a pond skimmer that removes duckweed from ponds. Hooked up to the pond skimmer, which floated on the surface of the water, was a trash pump with hoses attached that aided in the removal of the water and duckweed mixture. Filtered into a receptacle, the duckweed is then dumped elsewhere. Price tag = $6500. Ouch!

In an effort to be fiscally responsible, we decided to take up the challenge of making our own duckweed skimmer in house.

Sections cut from the side of an empty thirty-gallon plastic drum would allow the water/duckweed mix to be drawn into the 2” pvc pipe riser; the attached hoses and trash pump would extract the fluid mixture. A 2” slip-fix added to the top of the riser would aid in adjustments for variation in the pond level.

I was standing next to the trash pump when these videos were taken. Please excuse the noise of the pump.

We filter the duckweed from the water that’s been removed from the pond in the native area behind the maintenance facility.

The duckweed remains in the native area, while the water finds its way back into the pond.

Our duckweed problem will not disappear overnight, but we are confident that we are moving in the right direction.

I will see you on the golf course. Happy golfing everyone.

Winter Update

2011-01-24T07:52:00.000-08:00

TURF
The last few weeks have been pretty slow around here with nothing much to report. The fog is finally breaking up in the afternoons and the golf course is getting some much needed sunlight. We even are able to mow all of the fairways which is a luxury this time of year. Also, cart path restrictions can be pulled this week to get some more golfers out here to enjoy this beautiful weather.

The fog prolongs wetness, keeps the carts on the paths, forces the mowers to stay in the shop, and increases the possibility of disease. The extended leaf moisture (all day when the fog is around) can lead to a disease called pink snow mold. We apply products on the greens to prevent this disease, but other areas are left open to attack. The small amount of disease in the fairways does not justify the cost of fungicides. Here is the result in the worst areas:

If you would like to know more about this disease, check out last year's post, 'Disease Profile: Pink Snow Mold.'

TREES

I'm still amazed by the support and generosity shown by our members as they make contributions to the Tree Program. We have received well over 100 tree donations and keep getting more every week. During our last break in the rains, we planted 7 trees in a couple of hours using two employees. Obviously, the planting process will go pretty quick when the weather will allow us to plant.

The photograph above shows two cork oaks that are to the right of the first green. These trees grow very well in our climate and soil conditions and will be a nice addition to the green complex. We also planted a couple of sycamores just into the right rough, 75 yards from the green. These will fill in for the failing Modesto ash and force a shot over or around trees if your tee shot lands right of the fairway.

Once we get our mowing finished today, we will dive into some more tree planting. Our second order, thirty trees this time, will arrive today including honey locust, plums, and golden rain trees. Many of these will be planted along the left rough of number 6 to buffer the fence line. We will also attempt to transplant a weeping willow which will be moved from #10 to reshape the hole. More on that later.

Another Brick in the Wall

2011-01-05T08:11:00.000-08:00

Roughly, there are 120 bricks in our new wall as we continue to renovate the 8th tee box. Over the last two months, we've removed 7 pine trees, some oleanders, and a bunch of old and dangerous railroad ties. Our latest work utilized some recycled, stackable blocks that were pulled from a tree well that no longer had a tree on #12. These are very easy to install, especially after finishing the lowest row of blocks.

We started by excavating along the cart path and removing any leftover roots from the oleanders. A trench was prepared where we wanted the blocks to go and we picked the lowest point to begin the foundation. We used some pea gravel we had on site to set the blocks and spent a lot of time getting each one perfectly level.

As we continued up the path, the row of blocks would sink below the level of the cart path and we would discontinue that row and start the next one up. Once we had a couple of levels complete, we poured some gravel behind the wall and laid down a perforated drainage pipe. The pipe was backfilled with gravel within 10 inches of the surface and topped with soil.

We intentionally positioned the wall away from the cart path to expand the driving width. To fill in the gap, we used one of my favorite materials, decomposed granite. It will pack down nearly as hard as concrete while still providing adequate drainage.

My favorite part of this little project is the use of old bricks which have some character. There are shades of green, brown, red and a few that still look like the original gray. The brand new wall looks like it's been there for awhile.

Everything we used on this project we already had on property, so the cost was labor only. The rest of this tee complex will need some work including the stairs, the other side of the retaining wall, landscaping, and tee leveling. With the Green Committee's approval, we decided this was a good place to start, especially when there was no added cost.

The staff loves a project like this to break the monotony of raking up leaves, mowing around wet spots, and waiting for frost delays. Five days in and we've completed our first project for 2011 with many more to come. Happy New Year!!!!

The Beauty of Dormant Turf

2010-12-22T08:04:00.000-08:00

On this dreary winter day, the light brown bermuda on the 11th fairway is the brightest part of the course. This is the first year we've kept the poa annua from filling in this fairway and so far, so good. I have heard a few positive comments and no complaints on this new look. As far as playability, the brown turf offers just as good of a lie as the green stuff. By the end of the winter, worm castings and traffic might increase the percentage of mud to grass, but the thatch mat should keep some turf above the soil line.

The photo to the right was taken just yesterday after we recorded over 2 inches of the rain during this past winter storm. There is still the slightest tinge of green from a distance and individual green blades here and there if you look very closely. Last year, we had some areas greening up as early as February as I reported in a 2/23/10 entry. If that is the case this year, then we only have two months of dormancy to go.

Next year we will expand the program to include season long dormant turf on #10 and possibly #17. Each year it will get a little better as we increase the bermuda population and improve the drainage. The real benefit of warm season turf is the summer months when keeping ryegrass and annual bluegrass in top condition is extremely difficult and time consuming. The bermuda will welcome 100 degree heat and provide a consistent and dry playing surface with no thin or diseased portions.

Tree Program: One Week Tally

2010-12-16T06:39:00.000-08:00

The Green Committee introduced our new tree program only one week ago and already, we have received 89 donations for a total of $13,350. I am truly amazed at the rapid and complete support of the membership. With these funds, a new account will be formed to be put directly towards the Tree Program. Our first load of trees has arrived and planting will begin whenever the rain subsides.

While each member was not able to pick out a specific tree to donate, each tree will be assigned to the sponsoring party. I will send each contributor a letter with a photo of your tree and a map of where it is located. Please be patient during this random drawing because it will take a while to plant so many trees.

Congratulations to the Green Committee and Dr. Weldon Hess for this great idea. I think it is very obvious that SGCC's members are more than happy to contribute their time, effort, and dollars to the good of the golf course. As I've said before, these changes will impact the aesthetics and playability of Stockton GCC for many, many years and we could not have done it without you.

Soft and soggy winter conditions

2010-12-15T12:26:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's that time of year. 'Cart paths only' is a common term and ball roll in the fairways has screeched to a halt. This winter is predicted to be drier than average, but so far, we are in line for the wettest winter on record. Take a look at this link showing a graph of the current year precipitation compared to previous wet/dry/average years.

The effect on the golf course is constant wet conditions because the tight soils and proximity to ground water limits the ability to firm up. We worked on a drain yesterday and our connection point had ground water just 18 inches below the surface. However, this is just part of the problem.

The other limiting factor is the fog. If it isn't raining it is usually fogging. I doubt that is a correct term, but it should be. We've actually been recording precipitation at our weather station on foggy days. Take a look at this cart path which was fogged on while we prepared the course in the morning.

The staff has been busy cleaning up the leaves without use of the larger equipment like tractor mounted blowers or our tow-behind sweeper. The process is slow and time consuming, but it has to end eventually, doesn't it? The sycamores are finished dropping leaves, the beech and zelkova are nearly done, and the ash and nut trees are about halfway there, with the fruitless pear (in the photo above) dropping all of their leaves within the last few days.

With a substantial amount of rain expected over the next week, we are biting the bullet and mowing turf that should be left to dry. This will result in some tire streaks and smearing of worm castings. However, if we don't get the turf cut today and tomorrow, then we may not get our next opportunity for two weeks or more.

On lighter and drier note, the greens are still rolling fine. There is a lot to be said for proper drainage which our greens have. So battle your way to the putting surface through the soft and the wet. Once you're there, you'll have some solid ground to roll towards the hole.

Tree Program: Trees for sale and going fast

2010-12-11T06:22:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, December 7th, Stockton Golf and Country Club held their Annual Election Meeting and introduced the Tree Removal and Planting Program to the membership. Maps for both Phase I and Phase II were on display for members' review and a sign up sheet for tree donations was also available. After the Tree Program was described in detail, the floor was open to donations and WOW!!! The members came forward quickly, racking up the total to 33 trees within 15 minutes.

Cost per tree is $150 which includes tree cost plus delivery, tree removal, stump grinding, staking, and architectural fees. Other costs (non-replanting removals and labor) will be absorbed in the Maintenance Department's tree budget. The first load of trees is on the way and hopefully, if Mother Nature cooperates, we will begin some plantings next week.

The goal of the program is obviously to improve and maintain the forested look of the golf course with mature and viable trees. We also aim to recoup expenses with member donations and it looks like the program will be a huge success. All of the members are part owners of the property and what better way to take ownership than sponsoring a tree that will be part of the club for many, many years.

A huge thanks to the membership for stepping up and paying for this major improvement. To date, we are up to 45 tree donations and more keep rolling in daily. If you have any questions about the program, don't hesitate to send an email or call the office.

Check back often as I will update our progress on the tree program quite frequently. Future posts will include profiles on the trees being planted, updates on current course work, and explanations of design strategies. Finally, for those of you checking the blog for the first time; take a look at the archive that includes over 120 short articles about golf course maintenance and Stockton GCC.

Burrrrr!!!

2010-12-03T07:16:00.000-08:00

Tis the season for frost delays, yet another necessary evil in golf course management. Last week, including a very busy Black Friday, the course was hit with long frost delays day after day with play starting at 8:30 or later. Your understanding is much appreciated as we monitor the conditions and try to get you golfing as soon as possible.

Occasionally, we will work through the frost in the areas that have not been deeply frozen. The greens are always the last portion to frost and also, the last to thaw out. The maintenance staff might be working on changing cups or even mowing greens during a frost delay. They've been trained to examine the turf before entering an area to avoid damage.

Last week, I think I encouraged working through the frost more than I should have. We had a recap of the degrees of frost during our morning meeting. The temperature continued to drop from that point on and the course had some hard frost here, some soft frost there, and no frost in many spots. Eventually, we had to redirect our mowers to the portions of turf that were still workable.

Here is what happens when traffic meets frosted turf:

Notice how the tee is not damaged, however, the surrounding turf is black with tire tracks. The taller turf, mowed at 1.5 inches will freeze well before the 1/2 inch turf on the tee. The cold air surrounds each blade in a looser canopy and the cells freeze. When feet or vehicles compress the turf, it breaks instead of bending. That is the crunch you hear on frosted turf and the reason we have to wait to release play on a very cold morning.

This occurred back on November 24th and we were back to all green turf by the 27th. The individual plants were not frozen all the way to the crown. The tips were killed, but the grass grew out of the damage with no lasting effects.

The begonias were not so lucky:

Adopt a Hole

2010-11-29T08:17:00.000-08:00

To improve course conditions and relieve the Turf Care Department of some burden, we are implementing a program to encourage golfers to take ownership of a single hole. The tasks are simple; fix ball marks, fill divots, rake bunkers, and pick up stray garbage. Holes are assigned on an alphabetical basis and divided amongst the membership.

The main two items with the program are ball marks and divots. The greens have been rolling really well since we healed up from aerification at the end of September. Any bounce or bump your ball encounters on the way to the hole is a blemish caused by a ball mark that was not repaired. After our frost delay last Friday, I blew off all the greens with a backpack blower and I could not believe how many ball marks were on these greens. If I had stopped to fix each one, I would have to forget about cleaning off the leaves.

There is currently one sign in the Proshop and there will be signs posted in each locker room with your hole assignments. Know which hole is yours and take pride in making it the best hole on the course. Encourage your playing partners to care for their tee, green, and fairway. Complain to that person when your ball veers off course because of an ball mark. Let them know, "This would not have happened on my hole."

We appreciate the help with course maintenance and it goes a long way in increasing our productivity. When our greens mowers are not stopping to fix 20 ball marks per green, they finish much sooner and move on to the next job. Besides, a ball mark that is not repaired immediately will take weeks longer to heal than one that is properly tended to.

As a final reminder, here is a picture of number 4 green with a flag on every ball mark that is not repaired. This is from a few years ago and its been used on the blog a couple of times. It does not take long for a green to get riddled with pock marks, so please do your part to keep the course at its best.

The new look 8th tee

2010-11-19T05:39:00.000-08:00

One at a time, we dropped these 30 ft pines with no trouble at all. Using a winch and a 5/8" bull rope, the trees went down exactly where we wanted them and landed very soft. Cutting up and hauling away the wood and debris was very time consuming. By day's end we had a couple tree trunks and stump grindings remaining on the slope. The chainsaws were spent and so were our backs, so we packed it up to finish the following morning.

After dropping the first couple of trees, it was obvious how this project would affect the 7th green. The primary reason for removing these trees was to open up the 8th tee and turn it back into a golf hole. The trees had grown to crowd in the right side, just off of the tee. Players were limited to using only the far left portion of the tee and a draw was still impossible. The new view includes the entire green complex and sets up well from all parts of the tee. More sunlight to the 7th green was a bonus in this renovation. The green received limited morning sun and frost was a problem in the heart of winter. Morning sun is major factor in the overall health and root density of turf and probably any plant. Other on-course projects have proven this without a doubt. Two "trouble greens," #6 and #13 both have improved greatly after tree trimming increased exposure to morning sunlight. These greens went from being trouble spots that needed daily supervision to being the solid variety that you can count on to make it through tough conditions.

Before tree removal

After tree removal

Doesn't this look like a much easier shot now that the trees are gone? For some reason, it's not. The expanded view must get in a player's head because I've seen so many shots end up far right, almost in the lake that is behind the bushes and pump house. Before the tree removal, these shots would have been knocked down by the pines and end up behind the 7th green. Another change is the reduction of shots going left of the cart path and out of bounds.

After the trees were out, we aerified the entire slope and back half of the green surround. We had saved some ryegrass seed for projects just like this and used a couple of bags on spots that had not seen the sun for years. Yesterday, we started to remove railroad ties that border the cart path on the 7 green side. Golfers exiting their carts would occasionally slip on the wood, risking serious injury. We are half way done, replacing the safety hazard with turf.

Further renovations will include moving the ball washer to the other side of the stairs, planting a short hedge to block toed shots from reaching 7 green, and eventually levelling the tee. A few oleanders will need to be removed and the pittosporum bushes trimmed back just a bit. As with anything, the 8th tee is a work in progress, but we took some big steps this week and created a better golf hole.

Tree Program: Phase I

2010-11-12T09:37:00.000-08:00

The other night I took a shower and was surrounded by the scent of cedar. It was pretty nice compared to how I sometimes smell after a full day of work at the golf course. Poultry manure is an occasional scent, especially around aerification, and iron sulfate is a frustrating odor that lasts for days. This time was soothing, but I'm not in it for the aromatherapy.

We have embarked on a major tree renovation throughout the golf course and the chainsaws have been buzzing for days. We completed a hole-by-hole analysis of our current trees and devised a plan for future plantings and removals. There are many species growing here that will not fare well with changes in the environment. Sodium building in the soil is the main culprit and trees that can tolerate saline soil will be chosen to replace those that cannot.

With any program of this nature, removal is step one in a long process. In the five years I've worked here we have cut down or removed over 160 trees. Nearly every one of these was dead, dying, or had fallen in a storm. The new plan calls for removal of over 350 trees. You might need a moment for that to soak in, yes, 350 trees. Replacements are roughly estimated at 275, resulting in a reduction in total trees of 75. Don't worry, we are not going to go cut down all 350 in a couple of weeks or even a couple of years. The plan is comprehensive to cover every tree which may have a limited number of years to remain on the golf course. The large redwoods throughout the property will all fail eventually, as they submit to the sodium in the soil. We will wait to remove those trees until they have died which could be years down the road.

We are starting to remove other trees in order to clear space for the new species to be introduced and to mature. Planting will begin today on the left side of #4 where valley oaks will take the place of small and struggling incense cedars. All dead trees will be removed by the end of the year, which is in the neighborhood of 30 trees. Most of these are small redwoods, not-so-giant sequoias, incense cedars, and a variety of pines. Stump grinding will follow closely behind to complete the process ASAP.

Other trees are being removed for the sake of playability. A major renovation will take place next Monday, November 15th. The upper tee box on #8 has been compromised for years by pine trees growing behind the seventh green. About 15 years ago, these pines were planted to replace other trees that were removed for the same reason. A right-to-left shot into the eighth green is nearly impossible from this tee box. The tee is also being destroyed on the left side and untouched on the right. Have you ever noticed how that tee is not level and much lower on the left than the right? I believe this has more to do with over use than any sinking or settling on the levee.

Once we remove the pines, the entire tee can be utilized by a player whether they typically draw, fade, hook, or slice. Turf conditions will improve on the eighth tee, the seventh green, and the rough on the slope near the cartpath.

It is sad to see healthy trees removed and I regret having to do so. Therefore, the new plantings will be carefully planned to mature on the golf course without impeding a fair shot. I have researched the tree species that grow well in our unique environment and calculated the height and spread of each one.

Be sure to check back for frequent updates and explanations of current and future projects. If you missed any of the past Tree Program posts, they are linked below:

Eucalyptus pests
Say Goodbye to the Redwoods
Introduction

Lots O' Updates

2010-11-11T11:06:00.000-08:00

Seeding Update

Nearly all the seeding is done and our new plants are doing very well. The seed on the tees, approaches, and green surrounds has been down for 2 weeks and all of it has been cut multiple times. We are currently mowing the tees and approaches at an increased height of cut of 3/4 inch. We will go down to 5/8 tomorrow and drop in down to 1/2" by the end of next week.

As of last week, the seedlings have everything they need. Immediately after the first cut, we sprayed Primo and iron to darken it up and improve the growth habit. All these years of overseeding have taught me that growth regulator is just as important, if not more important, than fertility. This product will reduce upright growth and send the turf sideways and down to increase density and rooting. The benefits are huge and the cost is reasonable and worth it.

We are still running around with the seeder, both the walker and tractor-mounted unit to improve thin and compacted areas. As long as this weather continues and the fog stays away, we can make the most of the opportunity and improve winter playing conditions.

Red Fox Update

I haven't mentioned these little fellas for quite a while, but there are still roaming the grounds early in the morning. This morning, Marvin was mowing greens and pulled off his hat to cool off his head. He dropped it by the flagstick at the side of the green and minutes later, a fox was heading down the 10th fairway with Marvin's hat in his mouth.

Bert came to the rescue and chased the fox until it was startled enough to drop the hat. Lucky for Marvin, Bert got there before the fox marked his prize with a trademark scent. Every lost glove or clubhead cover that spends the night on the grounds will get marked by the fox and the odor is pretty powerful. Nice work Bert!!

Fairways and Approach Expansions

This is a great time of year to adjust some of the cuts and contours of the turf. We've fixed up the tee lines, adjusted the collar widths, and expanded multiple areas. The most noticeable changes will the fairway on #2, the fairway on #14, and the approach on #9. #2 is similar to our work on the first hole a couple of summers ago. The forward tee on #2 was moved up for a short duration, but did not last because of safety concerns (from the range), and a renovation to the underlying septic fields. Until we devise a plan for a new forward tee, the fairway is being drawn back towards the tee. A 70 yard carry over rough will be more like 40 which will make a difference for those first couple of shots.

The 14th fairway is known for a single hated or loved tree; a leaning cedar that is propped up with a metal "T". This tree is a major penalty and so is the fairway on the other side of the fairway. That is why we decided to trim down the rough beneath this leaning tree to fairway height. If you manage to hit a drive this long and avoid both the tree and the bunker, then I think you deserve a nice lie for your next shot.

Finally, the approach on #9 has always been a strange angle, entering the hole from a severe right to left turn. We widened the approach well to the left for aesthetics and playability. A ball landing on this slope could trickle down to a more level ground or bounce up to the green. We will be aerifying this area today and topdressing to even up the firmness with the original approach. In this picture the turf is only at 1 inch, so it still looks like rough. By next week it will be down to a 1/2".

Tree Program

There is more to come by tomorrow on this topic. We are in full swing and have started in on a major tree renovation. Many trees that are dead or dying are being removed and new ones will take their place. Yesterday we cut down 12-15 trees that have stopped serving a purpose on the course. An outside company came in and ground 25 stumps to finish the removal process. The first of many plantings will take place tomorrow when we plant the beginnings of a beautiful grove of valley oaks to the left of #4. I will post an extensive update tomorrow that will tell you where we are and where we're going.

Haunted House 2010

2010-11-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

The F & B staff outdid themselves once again with this year's Haunted House. The Turf Care Department helped out with supplies and a few implements of terror including a chain-free chainsaw. The walls are constructed out of PVC pipe and 4ml black plastic to form multiple hallways and rooms in a rather small portion of the banquet room.

The graveyard scene was improved from last year. This time the tour went down a narrow path weaving around graves while the wait staff, dressed up to fit the part, jumped out to scare the members they normally treat with a little more respect. The small coffin in the foreground did not make it through the night. A startled young lady sat on it when a staff member caught her by surprise.

Ron and Shelby worked really hard on making this successful. As soon as it was over, all of these decorations had to be broken down and moved out of the banquet room to prepare for the next event. Next year we are considering a Haunted Golf Course with tractor drawn hayrides. Helping out with this setup is a nice change of pace for everyone involved and each year it gets a little better.

Happy Halloween!!

The USGA Green Section Record

2010-11-04T06:13:00.000-07:00

I have a hard time keeping my desk clean because of bills, paperwork, and most of all, magazines. I must get 10 to 15 turf related publications each month and I usually do not find the time to read more than a couple articles. There is one that I look forward to, and have since college when I would grab a copy outside of the Turf Science office at Purdue. If you read the title, you already know that I'm speaking of the USGA Green Section Record.

Just a few months ago, the USGA sent out a notice that they would discontinue printing the Record and begin to offer it online. I was very disappointed because I knew I'd forget to check the website and would no longer have the luxury of holding the magazine in my hand and taking it where I please. They proved me wrong very quickly. Instead of a size constrained paper edition that only arrives monthly, they've gone to weekly email updates with more content and an updated, professional look. The new format includes regional updates from around the country, a searchable archive of past issues, links to webcasts, and very interesting stories. For example, the October 12 issue included a story about Superintendent Paul Chojnacky and the crew at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, California using goats to clear vegetation on the severe slopes of the golf course. Everyone should know about the work of great courses and great superintendents like Paul who is solving a problem in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner.

I encourage all of you to sign up to receive the USGA Green Section Record. It does not cost a penny and it will not clog up your inbox with ads and solicitations. Just go to the first link on this post, scroll to the bottom and click on the icon. No personal information is needed, just your email. Enjoy.

Overseeding Methods

2010-10-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

Our yearly overseeding program has drastically decreased from what it was a couple of years ago. We used to put out over 20,000 pounds of seed and spend about $35,000 on the practice including the fertrilizer, growth regulators, and amendments to make it work. The last two years, we've stopped seeding the fairways and primary rough. The ryegrass we put out is limited to the tees, approaches, green surrounds, and a few lawns near the clubhouse. Besides that, we let the poa annua come in and provide a playing surface for the golfers. With a monthly application of iron sulfate, we keep the turf fairly green and most people can't tell the difference. The real appeal of this change in turf management is a financial savings of $30,000 plus a reduction in course down time. Rounds are up and so are outside tournaments. From an agronomic standpoint, I prefer to battle poa annua rather than ryegrass when we attempt to burn it out and promote our bermudagrass. It's been a win-win so far, and I think it's here to stay.

There are many different ways to get your ryegrass going and it can be as simple or as complicated as you like. My favorite is the simple broadcast method that takes no time and little effort while producing great results. The crew at Stockton Golf and Country Club taught me this simple technique of blasting out ryegrass through a fertilizer spreader and dragging it in with a metal fence. We open up the spreader all the way and spread seed from the green collar to the rough to spruce up the green surrounds. This is also a great method for your homelawn and is really as simple as spreading some seed and keeping enough moisture on it to germinate.

I took the above picture last weekend on #10 green surround. This area is primarily common bermuda and would be brown once the first frost shows up. Two weeks after broadcasting the seed, we have some thin, yellowish leaves emerging. After a shot of fertilizer and some more time, we will have dark green turf around all the greens.

For the tees, we used a walk-behind seeder called a Mataway. Marvin and Richard stopped going to the gym for a few weeks and got their excercise seeding the tees in three directions. This is a lot of work and a lot time, but the results are worth it.

The approaches endured a much more aggressive treatment with a tractor-mounted slit seeder going in 3 directions. This ripped out a tremendous amount of thatch and bermuda stolons. This work should firm up the approaches and improve the drainage. The seed will take a little while to fill in, so please be patient.

Assistant Superintendent, Rob Williams seeding on #7 approach.

Here is the result on a bermuda approach.

Geronimo, Mario, and Ricardo cleaning up the mess and chasing after Rob.

On all the tees and approaches we follow up the slit seeding with an additional broadcast seeding and a layer of sand. Once the sand is in place, we drag the area with a steel mat to work in the sand and smooth the surface. Finally we hit it with some fertilizer and water it all in. Irrigation is handled differently during germination. Normally we will water deep and infrequent. The seed requires the exact opposite so we will water multiple times for just a couple of minutes.

Here is #13 approach after it is all said and done. 2 weeks from now should look better.

More updates to come in the near future. Other projects going on include flower beds and landscape work, manually cleaning duckweed out of the ponds, renovating the native area on #2, and getting ready to embark on the new tree program which will be fun. Stay tuned.

2010 Ladies Invitational

2010-10-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

This tournament is always a nice change of pace because priorities for the condition of the course are much different than most male dominated events. Nobody is expecting or wants greens to be rolling 12 on the stimp meter. They don't expect the course to be so dry, it is near death, making playing conditions more difficult. They want an enjoyable round on a well kept and well decorated course.

I learned this lesson the hard way during my first Ladies Invitational. I double cut and rolled the greens and spent more time on creating tough conditions than polishing the place for all the guests. Next time around, I understood what was expected. We focused on presentation and tried to make a few special spots throughout the course. The members really are the ones who deserve the credit, spending many hours decorating the course to match the event's theme.

This year, the tournament followed a nautical theme with small sailboats as tee markers, the proshop looking like some kind of fancy golf marina, and even hand-sewn flags strung onto the flagsticks.

I really wanted to get a few sailboats to float in the lakes and maybe one to park on the driving range tee, but I never got it done. However, we were able to make our own with halfway decent results.

The tournament went very well in every aspect and I think the members were proud of the course, clubhouse, staff, and their own hard work to make everything excellent. Down in the maintenance department, we're looking forward to next time. I wonder what the theme will be?

Chasing the seasonal wet spot

2010-10-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

When I first arrived at SGCC in 2005, I remember a comment at a Green Committee meeting about the irrigation system. It was something to the effect, that the system should be pretty well dialed in since it has been in operation for three years. Now that it is 2010, I can honestly say that it still is not dialed in and never will be for a sustained period of time. Irrigation is a constant battle with adjustments being made on a daily basis and we only stop tweaking the times when we can turn the whole thing off. We are about 2 months away from that exciting transition when we'll finally record some consistent rain.

We are lucky to have single-head control with our Rain Bird irrigation system. That means that every one of our 2500+ irrigation sprinklers and valves can be set with a tailored percentage. This is an incredibly valuable feature that helps us manage variables on the course such as soil type, slopes, shade, elevation, and wind. The most difficult variable at our location is shade, by far. The shade pattern is constantly changing and so is the wet and dry spots below the trees. An east to west fairway will be much wetter on the south side if we watered the whole area equally. Of course we don’t, and slowly adjust times to keep moisture and firmness consistent from one side to the next.

The thought of saving last year's settings for each month and loading them as the temperatures and seasons change is always tempting, but I’ve never had it work. Every spring, summer, and fall is different from the previous and from the next. This summer was much cooler than last, so loading last year’s percentages would have produced a wet course. Also, we frequently renovate the system to improve efficiency. Full circle heads become part, some out-of-play areas are turned off, and new stations are added for landscaped locations. All of these changes to the system must be reflected in the central control and redoing them every time you load last year’s data seems counterproductive.

Many of the wet spots we have this time of the year are near cartpaths, especially near tees and green surrounds. These areas have a high percentage of sand in the profile and must be watered frequently. Some of that irrigation hits the cartpath or runs off slopes to accumulate in traffic-compacted areas. Cart tires are extremely attracted to these wet pockets so we try to rope them off, although very reluctantly. I hate rope, stakes, and signs that clutter a beautiful view, but sometimes they are necessary.

We continue to reduce wet spots on the course with a new nozzle design and will move on to some primary rough after completing fairways this season. We will get back to raising heads that are sitting a little low and trim some tree branches that interfere with proper coverage. We identified a few more low spots along the cartpaths and will install drains to catch the misplaced irrigation. We have the technology to catch it, so we just need to find the time to chase the wet spot.

A few pics, fall maintenance

2010-10-05T08:36:00.000-07:00

This is some pretty dense stuff, so we'll take a little out to loosen things up. When this soil dries, it is hard enough to break glass. I've demonstrated in the shop once or twice, but glass shards are not worth the entertainment.

The process gets a little smoother each year and so do the fairways. Have you noticed the reduction of bumps and bounces? Our fairway mowers have and so have their lower backs.

Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better. This hydrophobic area lost some turf shortly after aerfication, but it will get better now that water can penetrate the soil. Please be patient, improvement is a process.

Any guesses? Yes, this is an obliterated cup that was painted the day before we punched the greens. Nice pic, Rob.

Once again we used small tines and close spacing which we've been doing for three years now. Great change for the greens and the membership. We pull out more material and heal in a fraction of the time.

We finished in one closed day, Tuesday, after punching a few greens on Monday night after a tournament. Long days this time of year are to be expected and the payoff is well worth the effort.

Here is Ricardo going out for the first morning mow on Monday, 6 days after punchin' the holes. We mowed up some sand during the weekend and now we're cutting some shaggy turf.

Fairway fertilizer going out with Bert on the tractor and Ricardo flagging. This is an organic source of fertilizer that will smell unpleasant for one short day. A little water and the smell is gone.

Here is Richard manning the irrigation control box and putting out a small shot of water right behind the fertilizer application.

September brings quick healing and we can start to lower the mowers to get back up to speed. This pic was 6 days after aerification, the same day as our first morning cut.

With all this behind us we are still finishing up aerification on the approaches and some spots in the rough. Seeding should have already been done, but a heavy dose of tournaments have filled our maintenance days and we'll have to finish things little by little. The weather still looks good, so our limited overseeding should germinate and fill in before it gets too cool.

As you can see, we've been busy and the blog has been quiet. We'll keep the camera with us because there is still plenty more to share.

Time to Fertilize

2010-09-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

If you only fertilize once a year, then this is the time to do it. The plant starts to grow differently because the days have shortened up, the sun is losing its angle, and temperatures have started to slide. Energy is sent to the roots to strengthen the system for the upcoming winter. I was always taught that 2/3 of your nitrogen should be applied during fall applications. However, that was in Indiana with a 8-9 month growing season, so the numbers may be a little different in California.

The basic principal holds true that creating a stronger plant this time of year will result in better turf in spring and even in summer. I hate the "Spring Green Up" campaigns that flood tv's just when the turf starts to release it's stored energy. If you build a strong plant right now, you will not have to throw out fertilizer to promote more topgrowth. Just like any other plant, turf is trying to get as much leaf tissue as possible in the spring. More fertilizer during spring months means more mowing. I hate mowing. You should see my lawn right now.

So fertilize now and benefit later. That's what we are doing today, now that aerification is wrapping up and we can rotate machines on the tractors. We've been very busy, but everything is going really well and the course will be back up to speed and rejuvenated in a few short weeks.

Logistics of GC Maintenance

2010-09-19T05:03:00.000-07:00

Each and every day at the golf course, we stand in front of the dry erase board and determine how we will accomplish the most with what we have to work with. The first thing we take into consideration is the schedule of play for that day. What time does play start? Is it a shotgun or tee times? Front 9 or back 9? Who's on first? All these are pretty easy to answer and have been sorted out days in advance so we know how to instruct our staff.

The next thing to consider is, 'what do we want to accomplish today.' What needs to be mowed? We mow certain items on certain days alternating most of the time. We always mow greens when there is play and we've been rolling every day for the last two months. The collars will need to be mowed at least twice a week, the green surrounds 2 or 3 times, the tees and approaches 3 times also. Other jobs that are assigned every day include sand bunkers, course setup, irrigation duties, tee divots, and leaf blowing. After the initial course setup we will assign second jobs that include weedeating, mowing collars, tree work, cleaning restrooms, dragging fairways, and many more.

There is a slew of jobs on the list every day and we have to pick and choose which we will do while keeping our priorities in check.

Another factor is the personnel we have to work with. If someone is off on vacation or calls in sick, we need to re-arrange our pieces to accomplish our highest priorities. Obviously, we need to mow greens, change the cups, and complete our basic setup. Many of our employees can handle all of the tasks here. Some of the newer guys can only rake bunkers and mow greens. If we have any special projects or cultural practices like fertilizer applications, that will take Rob or I off of irrigation so Richard will have to check the greens. Somebody will have to fill in for Richard on a greens mower and that might take a person off of rough.

Does any of this make sense? Sometimes when I stare at the board and cross off the staff I won't have or the machines that are down for repair or the split tee tee times with play before hand, I can't make much sense of it either. It sure is fun though, and keeps things interesting.

Equipment is a major limiting factor for us especially without a mechanic. We are accepting applications if you know anyone with golf course experience in Northern California. We currently are down to one rough unit so we change the height on our green surround mower on the off days. The hydraulic pump blew it's seal and was finished being repaired Friday so it will be nice to get that back in action.

Every day at the course is a small logistical battle to make the most of what we have. The upcoming weeks leave little room for error to maximize our efficiency. We will start aerifying greens on Monday night and finish all of them on Tuesday, opening for play on Wednesday. I was on the phone a lot this past week making sure everything would be here like fertilizer, aerification tines, sand, seed, repair parts, and staff to do all the hard work. We also will coordinate the rest of aerification on fairways, tees, approaches and many areas in the rough. Tees, green surrounds and approaches will need to be seeded. Everything will get a shot of fertilizer. Flower beds need to be cleaned, amended, rototilled, and planted. The tree program will be put into action once I finish identifying which trees can be removed in-house and provide prices and plant selections to the committee. The native area on #2 must be renovated and ..............

Well there's more, but you get the picture. This is one of the best parts of this job. There is so much to manage and a never ending list of work that you're always busy and so is the crew. We'll work very hard, have a bunch of fun, and have a great cookout when we get a chance to relax. A month or two from now, when you're lining up your putt on 15 green and you smell the sweet scent of BBQ drifting out of the maintenance yard, swing in to say hello, there's always extra food.

Thank you for your understanding during these few weeks that interfere with play. We would not do any of this aerifying, sanding, or seeding if it was not completely necessary to achieve a better golf course. Conditions will be back to normal quicker than you expect.

Aerification 2010

2010-09-13T07:26:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. Time to open up the soil and rejuvenate the plants we've abused all summer long. This year was good to us and we encountered very little disease or stress on the greens. While the rest of the country suffered through brutal weather conditions, we enjoyed the coolest August in 20 years. I would prefer a little more heat to help with growing the bermuda fairways, but a summer like this one has to be appreciated, it sure has been nice.

The fall aerification is essential to next year's conditions. As summer winds down, the salt in our irrigation water continues to accumulate in the soil. It's been months since we had some decent rain and flushing the greens with dirty water does not provide a long term solution. The surface begins to seal, compaction increases, and localized dry spots pop up along with a little fairy ring. The greens do not drain as well as they had been, so it's time to open them up.

This year, green aerfication will take place on Tuesday, September 21st. The course will re-open to play on Wednesday and the greens will be healed up in about a week's time.

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, we've all been on the course tearing things up to improve conditions. Fairway aerification is in full swing and 60% completed. We are waiting for a repair part and will finish within the next couple of weeks doing our best not to interfere with play. I'll post some pics and explain this year's process and future plans for fairway improvements.

After all this aerification is finished up, we will move on to the task of overseeding tees, approaches, collars, and green surrounds. We only use 25% of the seed we used in 2008 when we seeded all the fairways. The savings in seed cost and fertilizer combined with 7 additional outside tournaments will have a very positive swing on the bottom line. We'll also be able to keep the course in top condition since we're not growing in a new crop of seed. Expect a very enjoyable fall season as we say goodbye to an extremely comfortable summer.

Green Report-Consistency Part II

2010-09-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, the Turf Care Department verticut greens for the first time in a couple of months. This practice uses vertical blades to cut lines in the surface of the green. As this occurs, thatch is removed and sideways growth is reduced to produce a smoother surface. The blades can vary in spacing and depth. Currently, we've set ours at 5/8" apart and a depth of 1/8 inch for a verticut that isn't too aggressive.

We micro-manage this process and plan how to attack each green on an individual basis. For Monday's event, we skipped the putting green and double cut #'s 8, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18. The putting green has very little thatch and we would not want to remove what we have because of constant traffic. Thatch is not always a bad thing as it helps to protect and cushion the plant against the weight of golfers and equipment. The other greens listed have more thatch and need to be thinned and smoothed out. Many also have more poa annua, especially 8 and 9. As with any of our work, we are trying to even the playing field and true-up the greens to the same conditions.

Much of the differences between these greens can be attributed to the micro-climates in which they each grow. Micro-climates throughout every golf course complicate management techniques and keep the staff on their toes. Our 4th green sits back in a corner of the golf course that has restricted air movement and poor surrounding drainage. No matter how many times we roll it, this green is usually slower than the others . The higher humidity in this location causes the turf to puff up and slows ball roll. However, just put this little bit of info in the back of your mind and you'll have a slight advantage over visiting competition. Besides the 4th, most other greens roll very close to each other on the stimp meter. Firmness is another matter and this recent verticut aims to combat the variations between greens.

Irrigation is another micro-managed practice to promote consistent playing conditions. Overhead irrigation greatly limits our control of water placement. There has never been a perfect irrigation system unless you count rain, and we won't see that until October. Hand watering is a daily chore and we all know which spots to check on and what percent of moisture each green and turf type needs for the expected high temperature. The task is made simpler with soil probes and moisture meters and each year we reduce wet spots and manage the dry ones.

In golf course management, aerification is the mother of consistency. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I think it's true. Our fall aerification will take place on September 21st and it will be one of the most important days of the year. Out with the bad and in with the good as we remove thatch and open the surface. The "good" is fresh sand, fertilizer, and amendments to improve soil fertility and structure. This day of work will go a long way in maintaining the health of the greens and bring us closer to our goal of consistency.

Pink Flag Sticks for a Special Day

2010-08-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

Just a few weeks ago, Stockton Golf and Country Club hosted over 100 pink clad golfers for the Susan G. Komen Rally for the Cure Tournament. This year's event was a great success in raising donations towards the fight against breast cancer. Congratulations and thank you to all the attendees, volunteers, staff, and contributors. What a great day!!

The Turf Care department (I'm tired of calling us maintenance) found a new way to add some color to the setup. Last year we simply dyed some white flags to pink and put them on our striped green/white sticks. It wasn't the best color combination so this year we went all pink.

Flagsticks are not cheap and spending a bunch of money on a one-day-a-year tournament doesn't make sense, at least not financially. However, converting old, borderline useless sticks into brand new with little time, effort, or money sounds great. While visiting Turfnet, a very useful website every superintendent should belong to, I saw an ad for a product called VinylGuard.

I gathered up some very old flagsticks that were worn out, chipped up, and pretty darn ugly. All I had to do was cut a length of the tubing, slide it on the old stick, and warm it up with the heat gun. It took about 7-10 minutes per flagstick and worked exactly as advertised. Next time we will try this stuff on our bunker rakes when the handles begin to fade or splinter. Fiberglass slivers don't feel too good after you blade a shot out of a bunker. Of course, green might look better than pink, so we'll have to re-order.

On a side note, the tee markers for the event were also a special item designed by some of the women at the course. Our assistant, Rob Williams, suggested we place potted pink flowers as the tee markers, but they beat us to the punch with pink golf shoes, complete with sequins, ribbons, and bows. It turns out they were too attractive to resist and one of our resident red foxes stole a shoe from the 5th tee minutes before the morning shotgun.

Rob radioed in the news and I forwarded it to the tournament coordinators who personally set the tees that morning. Expecting disappointment, I instead received laughter and approval of a great little story. If you see a red fox donning a hip, pink shoe, now you'll know she's just trying support the cause.

Green Report-Consistency

2010-08-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

Every Green Committee meeting, I update the members with the current condition of the greens. Our highest priority at the club is the greens and most would agree that a good putting surface is the centerpiece of a great course. So I will begin to write regular updates on green conditions to the blog to keep readers informed.

Consistency of greens from the putting green, to number 1, to number 18 should be pretty close in speed, firmness, and condition. That is a goal here that we have yet to achieve, but we keep working towards year after year. The problems we are working to correct involve different turf species, different soils, and varying levels of thatch. Our maintenance practices are specifically tailored toward each green's specific needs.

To start with, the practice putting green is a massive headache which throbs year round without rest. I think most superintendents would agree that their practice greens are some of the most difficult to manage. Our main problem is limited space, and like a family in a studio apartment, this green is less than 3000 square feet. Tournaments with over 100 people mark up this green quickly and a putting contest, with two hundred feet wiggling into alignment in the same spot will result in two yellow foot prints in the morning.

To speed up construction and open sooner, the green was sodded and we are still trying to encourage roots to move past the sod layer. The turf species of the putting green is Dominant Plus bentgrass, which is the same as the 1st green. I am not overly thrilled with this variety in this climate because it shuts down in winter and is not very competitive against poa annua.

Both the putting green and the first green have little poa, so we are treating them with a growth regulator that gives bentgrass a competitive advantage. Last winter, we used this product on all the greens with great success and will continue that practice starting in October. For now, only the putting green and #1 will receive this treatment because the other greens have much more annual bluegrass and it's way too risky to try this time of year.

The growth regulators we use on the poa annua cause it to sink slightly and result in an uneven, sometimes bumpy green. The bentgrass can out-grow the sunken spot and get us closer to solid bentgrass greens. Patience. It takes some time.

So how's that for consistency? I've only mentioned two greens and they're already very different compared to the rest and they can play differently too. On that note, the first green is much firmer than any other green on the course because it has 9% silt in it's structural makeup. This has improved over the six years since construction, but changing the makeup of soil is extremely slow when aerification only takes out 5% of the surface at one time.

So that does it for the first Green Report and it gets the two odd-ball greens out of the way. Both have been healthy and growing well this year with no disease or major stress. Next time, I will share some of the other inconsistencies around the course on the other 17 greens and describe what we are doing to get the speed of each one as close to the next as we possibly can.

Tree Program: Eucalyptus pests

2010-08-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

Have you seen these little plastic capsules protruding from the base of many eucalyptus trees around the course? These are used to treat the lerp psyllid which have been a chronic problem at SGCC for many, many years. The insects cause leave drop, dying back of leading shoots, and a sticky, wax coating which can lead to mold on the leaves.

We do not treat these trees regularly because of very high costs and only moderate effectiveness of the pesticide. We did have a case saved up in the shop, so we treated the trees that were most important to aesthetics and playability. We will continue to monitor the problem and care for the trees the best we can.

The trees throughout the golf course are going through a major transition. The redwoods are fading out, other trees are growing too old, and some are not adjusting to the sodium in the soil. I am pleased to announce that John Harbottle has been hired as the designer of a tree master plan and will begin work in early September. Golf course architects are an integral part of any construction or renovation project. They see things that superintendents, golf pros or members would not consider. I am excited about the possibilities and look forward to playing a role in improving an important part of this fine club.

Let me grab a jacket

2010-08-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

That's something you don't normally hear during August in Stockton. However, most of us have probably been saying that lately. While the majority of the country is sweltering with hot weather these last few weeks, the unseasonably cool conditions in Northern California will continue for the next seven days at the very least.

Normal highs this time of year are around 93 degrees with multiple triple digit afternoons to be expected. Instead, we can barely hit 90 and evening temps are below sixty. We've been lowering irrigation times and shutting off heads to prevent wet spots which is exactly the opposite of what we've been programmed to do in mid-August.

The greens only received one night of overhead irrigation with spot watering by hand getting us by. This gets the greens a little quicker, but the sodium in the soil wicks up the profile and interferes with the health of the turf. Tonight, we've scheduled what I'd call a mini-flush of the greens with about an hour of irrigation for each sprinkler head. We turn off 1 to 3 heads for a few greens if they overlap a bunker or if they put too much water on the rough or approach. The heads run for a portion of the total time and then stop to let it soak in. When the green can handle more, it comes back on for the next cycle.

Washing sodium through the profile is made easier with wetting agents. Simply put, wetting agents are glorified soap that helps soil get wet. There are a ton of these on the market and they all work a little differently than each other. I tried 10 or so before I found the best one for Stockton's greens.

When I hand watered greens on Saturday, I noticed the water infiltration had really slowed down. The greens were not draining as well as they did just a few days ago. So Sunday, I came in dark and early and sprayed a wetting agent before the mowers and roller prepared the greens for play. The golf course is a really interesting place at 3:30 am, but please don't come see it for yourself at that time, just take my word for it.

The application went fine and I have yet to receive any complaints from the few homeowners who live adjacent to the 1st and 3rd greens. The morning was very still. It was dark, misty and very cool so I'm glad I grabbed my jacket. Tonight the heads will be turning more than usual and sodium will be one less thing to worry about for a few weeks.

Oil + bentgrass = bad morning

2010-08-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

This is the first oil leak on the greens in a very long time, at least five years. We've been lucky and also took some of the potential leaks off of the greens by going to walk mowers every day. Streaks of oil on the rough and fairway seem to happen 3-4 times a year when hoses burst under pressure. Our fairway units have over 30 different hydraulic hoses to keep track of. Owner's manuals suggest replacement of hoses every two years, but that is cost and time prohibitive.

In this instance, the broken hose was on our Salsco Greens Roller. The operator did not see the oil in the morning dew until multiple stripes were laid down on the green. Rob called Richard over immediately to wash the oil off of the leaf blade to minimize injury. He used some wetting agents and a bunch of water to try to wash away the damage.

So far, we've been happy with the limited damage in the four days since the event occurred. There is some yellowing and we'll probably have some turf loss, but nothing too major.

The staff handled this problem very well while I was enjoying the start of a three day weekend. The oil was watered to minimize injury almost immediately. The roller was taken back to the shop, repaired and out rolling again in no time. The Proshop was informed promptly with the location, description, and projected damage to pass on to our golfing members. The day continued like any other after this small disaster took place.

So a big pat on the back to Rob and the staff for all of their hard work. Sometimes the most important work a maintenance staff does is not evident by beautiful conditions, instead it's the lack of horrible conditions that were avoided.

Cup O' Bermuda

2010-07-29T07:40:00.000-07:00

Last week, we closed out the Junior Camp for 2010 with our final class. Most of the participants in this group had seen us talk once or twice before so we did our best in showing them something new. Richard and Rob helped out in our lesson plan which included green construction, fertilizer composition, seed types, irrigation, and drainage.

This is really an intelligent group of young people. They easily remembered the number of sprinkler heads from last year's talk, one young man correctly identified fertilizer analysis numbers, and they all had a basic understanding of what we do and how they can help us keep the course looking good.

During the fertilizer portion, we offered the attendees the chance to use a spreader across the driving range tee with a little gypsum. Most of the time, the handle bars were above the operator's head, but they seemed to enjoy it. A usual favorite is the radio controlled irrigation and they all cheered when the heads popped up one fairway away.

Rob took care of the seed exhibit with some ryegrass, bentgrass, and blue-coated Yukon bermuda. Of course, the blue seed was the favorite and I really enjoyed the question, "Will the grass be blue when it grows?"

Each student was given a small plastic cup and instructed to fill it with sand, add some of the organic fertilizer we had showed them, and sprinkle in a few bermuda seeds. We watered each pot heavily and watched them drain before our eyes avoiding contact with clothes to keep mom and dad happy.

We sent them home with their seeded soil sample and encouraged frequent watering until the seed popped. When they have a nice patch of grass peaking over the rim of the cup, they can bring it back to the course and plant it in a fairway divot. They liked the idea of their own project being part of the golf course and so do I; one less divot to fill.

Tree Program: Say goodbye to the redwoods

2010-07-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

I would like to be more optimistic about the condition of SGCC's many redwoods, but the realist in me refuses to ignore the signs of decline. Redwoods seemed to be the tree to plant as they are fast growing, evergreen, and fairly durable. They are not native to this region, but driving around town, you'd never know as they've become a favorite for homeowner landscapes and street borders. In fact, I will be planting a few in my yard just 30 minutes north and they will do just fine.

So why are the redwoods that line the fairways and dot the rough slowly fading into firewood? Two reasons: sodium buildup in the soil and a high water table.

Our water source isn't the worst water out there, but it isn't the best either. Coupled with our dense clay soils and high water table, the sodium present in our water builds to levels toxic to redwoods. We've tried to flush the soil surrounding these trees using gypsum and heavy irrigation just as we would the greens. A flush on the greens requires nearly 6 inches of irrigation to drop the sodium by 50% in a sand green. This is with water flowing through the profile at a decent rate. That kind of drainage is not possible around the redwoods.

Another factor is the climate itself which is not favorable to redwoods for 8 months of the year. Stockton is too hot and dry for redwoods which prefer large amounts of rain, well drained soil, and moist, foggy air. The morning fog in Big Basin Redwoods State Park is just what the massive trees need to make it through a warm day. Some studies estimate that redwoods take up 30-40% of water straight through the needles, although the real benefit is the reduction of water loss, not water uptake. Stockton can be a very foggy place in the winter, but summer air is dry with humidity levels below 50% on average, 20-30% by mid-day.

The slow decline of the redwoods roughly occur in 3 years upon the first symptoms by my estimates. A tree will turn brown coming out of winter and drop many needles. New growth fills in the thin spots and it looks back to normal for the first season. Here is a picture of some redwoods left of #13 fairway which just started to show some stress this spring. They recovered fairly well, but next year will be worse.

The next two years repeat the cycle, but the rebound is not as good. Density and color are obviously compromised and the limbs begin to shrink inward and droop toward the ground. By the fourth season, removal needs to be scheduled. This last pic is a tree left of #10 green. There will be little to no green needles when summer 2011 rolls around.

So that explains the problem and next time I will share some of the solutions and plans to rebuild the forest. The main component of this plan is selecting trees that are well suited to our micro-climate including saline soil, high water tables, and hot, dry summers. There are plenty of trees that will grow very well in Stockton and we have many to observe right here on the course.

Share Buttons

2010-07-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

Just added, below each post is a group of tabs to link up an article to your favorite social network. So if you're really hurting for material on your Facebook page, simply click on the Facebook icon and up it loads. Shortest post ever.

Flex Your Power

2010-07-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

I don't remember hearing a "Flex Your Power" alert for quite some time, but we could have used one in Stockton a few days ago. Friday morning, the irrigation control computer reported our nightly output of water per each station. All the numbers looked good, so we headed out to check the areas that we had turned off and any hot spots on the course.

Richard tried to pop some heads on #13, which looked especially dry and called on the radio to relay the problem. We had no pressure and no water, so the pump must have shut down that night.

As I made my way to the pump station, the day was getting a little brighter and it became obvious that nothing received water that night. The bunkers were bone dry, the occasional puddle on the cartpath was absent, and divot sand was just like kiln dried.

The pump station is smart enough to recognize a problem and will shut down to prevent catastrophic failure. In this instance it suffered three faults in a row, resulting in a hard fault that ends the re-boot process. It is much, much better to lose one night of irrigation than to destroy a pump.

When I made it to the pump station, I simply pushed the reset button and we were back up and running. Richard turned on his hose to give parts of the putting green a drink while I scrambled back to the shop to run any programs I still had time to complete before play or our crew got soaked in the process.

At 6:00 AM there were a whole lot of sprinklers spinning circles just like the opening scene of Caddyshack. We were able to give most tees and green surrounds their normal prescription of H2O, but much of the rough and fairways would have to wait until later. Greens and approaches were supposed to be off and we checked those by hand watering.

At one point, Richard told me that this is kinda fun. I prefer to get my kicks in other fashions and would take a long string of dull, 'unfun' days for the rest of the summer.

In the afternoon, I gave all the fairways a little syringe by turning them on for two minutes each. A stretch of four, near-triple-digit days kept some of the golfers from venturing onto the tee, so a quick shot of water was easy to accomplish. By the next morning, most of everything looked fine and the pump was going strong.

Each summer this happens a few times, especially during a string of hot days. All the ACs are turned up through the night and the grid wears down. So next time you roll into the course and hear I'm Alright playing in your head, you'll know why all that water is misting up the morning.

No word is the good word

2010-07-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

All is quiet on the maintenance front. It's the middle of summer and there isn't a whole lot going on. The greens are doing well besides a couple of salty spots stressing out the turf. We've treated those with gypsum and hand-flushed with a hose to avoid soaking the entire green. Below is a sample of this problem on #18 green.

We've done well this year keeping our bicarbonates in check with proper monitoring and irrigation to clean out the soil profile. Only 4 greens are currently experiencing these pockets of sodium and we walk and probe them daily to keep the fire below a smolder.

If the soil gets out of balance with sodium topping potassium and many other nutrient ratios out of whack, bad things will happen. Back in 2006, my first summer as Superintendent (lucky it wasn't my last), the instrument I use to test bicarbonates in the soil was not calibrated correctly and the stuff hit the fan.

It's hard to keep down your lunch when a few of the greens look like this:

Today that green looks great and contains a much higher percentage of bentgrass since much of the poa did not survive that summer four years ago. Many aerifications later and amending of the soil have improved drainage and the sodium is not holding on like it used to. The roots have some air to breath and there is some pore space for water movement and additional growth.

Now the greens look like this and lunch is easy to enjoy once again.

The staff has done a great job this year and each and every day they continue to improve the conditions we offer the membership. There is still a ton of work to do and we have a massive list to prove it. One item was: write a positive blog today. Check. Done. What's next?

Junior Camp 2010

2010-07-07T18:07:00.001-07:00

Last week, Rob, Bert, Richard, and myself participated in Stockton Golf and Country Club's Junior Program as instructors. None of us are qualified to teach these children how to hit a golf ball, but we can show them a thing or two about fancy machines, soil, turf, sprinklers, seed, fertilizer, and of course, aerification.

This year, (our third as part of the program) I assigned each participating staff member a section of our lesson plan. Richard handled irrigation and amazed the students when he told them he is in charge of 2500 sprinkler heads.

Bert just finished aerifying fairways an hour before our time slot, so he explained the function and purpose of our Wiedenmann unit. He then operated the machine for a short distance so they could see what it really does. Comments from the gallery included, "That's really loud." "I don't like it." and "It looks like dog doo."

Rob was up next and he demonstrated our soil moisture meter, showed off some purple coated bermudagrass, and shared examples of turf maintenance in England and Australia.

We truly look forward to our small part of this camp each year. The goal is to educate these young golfers on the expense, time, and maintenance practices required to keep the golf course looking its best. We encourage them to help us by fixing ball marks, filling divots, and raking out their foot prints. This particular group of students was commended for walking properly on the greens and leaving no drag marks; a nice change from the last two years.

Last year we demonstrated aerification on the driving range tee and one young man really took an interest in this process. We told him that the grass needs oxygen, just like we do, so we make holes to improve drainage, porosity, and root growth.

Director of Golf, Rich Howarth, accompanied this boy on his round of golf that afternoon and was a little puzzled when he hit his ball, pulled out his tee, and repeatedly put it back in the ground. He was down on his hands and knees jamming this tee into the turf while everyone else started to head down the fairway to their balls.

Rich asked him what he was doing and he said, "Rich, the grass needs air just like us." Rich responded, "That's great buddy, but we need to play some golf." Rich and I have this same conversation every time we put aerification on the calendar.

Just kidding.

Bad Dog

2010-07-06T17:02:00.001-07:00

Izzo decided to try her hand at gardening and Rob was there with his camera to capture the moment. It's hard to get angry at such a mournful face, so a firm "bad dog," will have to do.

Finishing Up

2010-06-29T06:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the high temperature in Stockton was 103 degrees which translates to 97 degrees at the golf course, according to our weather station. We always remain a few degrees cooler than the asphalt jungle of the city. Even so, 97 felt pretty hot.

A couple of things you normally do not want to do when it is that hot is aerify and fertilize. We decided to go ahead and do both of those and came out alright. The main reason for not skipping these jobs was the closed Monday we had to work with. We get so much work done having the course to ourselves and it's just too good to pass up.

We sure were anxious to tear things up like this:

Since we've been aerifying the fairways on a regular schedule, each time out is slightly improved from the last. Some holes are still a little rough like number 5 and 16 which have very tight clay soils. Monday afternoon, six of us were out on 16 replacing divots pulled up by the aerifier. It took us about 45 minutes to finish the whole fairway, but it looked great the next day and should heal just fine.

Summer Fairway Aerification

2010-06-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday Bert called me on the radio and requested a cup of coffee because he was about to fall asleep on the tractor. Do you think all that noise would lull you to sleep? Regardless, somebody got him some coffee because I could only imagine what would happen if he did doze off.

Each time we aerify fairways the results improve partly due to the modern technology we're using and partly because of our previous efforts. The ground is getting a little looser and the tines can enter and pull out and only remove the core, not a baseball-sized chunk of earth.

People sometimes get nervous that we're tearing up the course in the middle of the year when it looked fine before we started. Those worries are few and far between now that the finished product is in good shape and back to playing condition the same day we started. The video below was shot on Tuesday and the picture was taken Thursday. Two days after pulling these plugs, you hardly know we did anything.

Needle Tines

2010-06-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

I sure do like these things. It only takes a couple of days to finish all of the greens and there truly is no disruption to ball roll. Usually we'll get comments about the greens being faster after this practice and that is caused by rolling multiple times behind the aerifier.

Here is a short video to give you a better look and listen. The process is so smooth, quick, and quiet that we plan to do it monthly to improve rooting and to keep some oxygen in the upper soil profile.

Next Monday we will start fairway aerification which will include pulling some plugs and dragging the surface with a steel mat to break them up. We will blow the remaining mess into the rough and use the spoils to smooth out the dips and bumps just like we use sand on the greens, which will also be completed on Monday.

More posts to come, thanks for reading.

June Drought Update

2010-06-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

Quickly, I just wanted to pass this on. The waterworks out here is looking better than years past and most farmers are going to get their water which is good for everyone. If you have any interest in California's water situation, this Drought Update is the best source of information. http://www.water.ca.gov/drought/docs/DroughtUpdate-052810.pdf

I finally got the internet back up in the office and it is faster than ever with the phone line repaired on AT&T's side of the line. I was losing my mind without the best tool in my bag, and now I'm filtering through 190 emails that came in the last 10 days.

We needle-tined the greens the last two days and it went very well. Rob took a bunch of pictures and I will post those and describe the process and results once we upload from his new, fancy camera. He's not talking to me right now because the Cubs just took the series from his Oakland A's. Cubs Win!!! Cubs Win!!! Cubs Win!!!

Fairy Ring Follow-up

2010-06-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

The fairways are starting to look good as some summer heat is finally kicking in. Our summer-long slow release fertilizer has been applied, all of the sprinklers have a new nozzle configuration, and the few diseases the fairways experience are under control.

The first disease we battled this year was fairy ring and the battle rages on. Most of the spots we treated are no longer active and have healed very well. If the ryegrass was able to survive the disease it came back to life and quickly filled the sunken ring. Other spots remained bare and had to wait for bermuda to fill the void. We tried to seed a few spots, but the pre-emergent crabgrass control took care of the seedlings as they emerged.

Back in May I mentioned how fairy ring can be a bermuda conversion tool and the picture below illustrates this point.

The lighter colored portion is common bermuda that grew in from the sides of the disease pattern. Of course, we have better ways to convert to bermuda and the results of this ugly ring is not part of the best option.

One other disease we control this time of year is Southern Blight which was the first disease profile for this blog. http://sgccturf.blogspot.com/2009/06/disease-profile-southern-blight.html

We have our timing and locations dialed in so we just wait for the heat to control this pest. Rob is probably spraying it right now.

Stay tuned for more updates on course conditions and maintenance practices. We have some busy days ahead with a light topdress (dusting) of the greens this week, fairway aerification starting next Monday, and a verticut of our collars, tees, and approaches.

One less aerification

2010-06-10T06:45:00.000-07:00

Does that title sound backwards to anyone else? For nearly five years I've been telling everyone, "We need to aerify one more time." A couple of months later I would say it again.

I'm happy to announce the first cancelled aerification in a very long time. We've turned a corner and the greens really do not need to be opened up before the heat of the summer. The calendar was set for a 1/4 inch hollow tine aerification next Monday following an outside event. We have used this practice the last three years, to get some oxygen into the upper profile and relieve some of the stress associated with the widespread black layer that was choking the greens.

This time around, during our inspections of the greens, we realized that this additional aerification was not necessary. The greens are draining very well, the roots are as deep as they've ever been, the thatch is just thick enough to handle traffic, sodium levels are in the acceptable range, and black layer is difficult to find.

The 1/4 inch aerification did not mess up the putting surface too much, usually healing in two to three days. However, it did cost time and money which we will put to other uses while keeping the greens in great playing condition. Part of that time is being redirected to places that may have never seen aeration.

This photo is a little blurry, (taken with my scratched iPhone) and shows aerification on the green surround of #18 green. We are using up the tines that punched the greens back in April. After they are completely spent, we will switch the tine holders to the needle tine attachment for use on the greens.

"Wait a minute, I thought you said you weren't going to aerify the greens?" Well, we are, and we're not. I guarantee that this is not noticeable. Needle tines are solid and the size of pencil leads. We follow the process with a roller and normally finish in less than two days. Let's call this process "venting."

As the greens continue to improve in health and consistency, we can switch cultural methods to become less disruptive to play. The needle tines fit this job description very well. The plan is to complete the process early next week, so I'll put up a few pictures of the tines and their result.

Finally, I've been a little technologically-limited the last few days as the DSL line that services the maintenance facility is out-of-order. I'm embarrassed to admit how dependent I am to computers and I'm feeling guilty for not posting an update for a full week. Right now, I'm borrowing a main office computer before the staff arrives and hope to get mine fixed ASAP. The grass outside will continue to grow regardless of my emails, blogs, Excel files, or Adobe Photoshop, so the work goes on.

Have a great day and thanks for reading.

SGCC Staff Profiles: Nico and Rob

2010-06-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

Profiles of our staff members are way past due, so I will get them going this week with a twofor. First off, I would like to acknowledge a very important person from another department. Stockton Golf and Country Club's Executive Chef, Nicolas Sanchez, puts more smiles on faces with his food and personality than you could possibly imagine. It doesn't matter whether he's cooking for a tournament, a wedding party, or just a lunch in the Spanos Grill, each and every time you get his best, and it is GOOD!! In fact, it's so good that the recent issue of PGA Magazine included Nico as one of the "Faces of Golf."

The work of Nico and his staff makes him very deserving of the honor and everyone here at the club is proud of this recognition. Take a look for yourself and try not to smile back at the grin on his face. I'm pretty sure it's permanent.
http://www.pgamagazine-digital.com/pgamagazine-preview/pga_201005#pg59

Next up, I’m happy to announce a new addition to the Turf Department at Stockton Golf and Country Club, Assistant Superintendent Rob Williams. Rob is native to Australia and has lived in the United States since 2001. His work experience includes courses in Australia, England, and most recently, the Reno and Truckee regions.

I’ve teased Rob about joining the staff and bringing so much extra work to our department. He is full of ideas of course improvements and is doing a splendid job in supporting and managing the staff with the increased work load. His personal skills and attention to detail leave me to wonder why he doesn’t have a course of his own as a head superintendent. I’m sure it is not too far off, so let’s enjoy him while we can and make him feel welcome at his new home. Rob even has his own web page shamelessly promoting his hard work in the golf profession. Maybe I'm foolish to encourage other employers to look at my right-hand-man, but it doesn't make sense for him to stay an assistant much longer. Take a look at http://www.robwilliamsresume.com/.

Tree Program: Introduction

2010-06-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

On a course with a back tee yardage of just 6500 yards, there needs to be some challenge other than distance. For Stockton Golf and Country Club, that defense of low scores is made of wood and leaves. Come here and try to spray the ball and you will be in for a long day of punching out of the woods and struggling to save double bogey. Trust me, I know from experience and I am now a fantastic player out of the trees. Somehow my ball gets going over there and I get more practice than the average player.

Over the last few years, the walls of trees that line our fairways have become thinner as we lose a tree here and there. A replacement program is in the works and will be carefully planned before officially starting. While trees are an important part of SGCC’s playability and aesthetic beauty, we still have to grow turf to play on so any new tree must serve a purpose besides taking up room.

Many courses go overboard with tree planting, with trees being spaced just a few feet apart. The goal is probably a thick stand of trees, but overcrowding is not the way to get there. It is much better to plant well-suited trees with plenty of room to grow into mature specimens. That is the current goal of the tree program. We will determine the best trees for our location and plant them in the best possible position with consideration of the mature height and spread. The last thing we want to do is plant a bunch of trees that will require removal when they are full grown.

I could probably write fifteen pages on this topic, so I’ll have to break it up into bits and pieces. So that’s the introduction and next time I'll go into the explanation of tree decline at our location. Until we really get this tree program going, please refrain from hitting any trees with your ball to reduce injury or limb breakage. Thank you for your understanding.

Invitational Pics

2010-05-28T07:27:00.000-07:00

Remember looking at a book when you were in grade school and putting it down after realizing there were no pictures inside? Sometimes I still feel that way. So, here are a bunch of pictures to satisfy that visual craving:

The practice round included a "Big Break" like skills challenge to ramp up the competitive spirit.

After the practice round, Stag Night is the real kickoff to the event. Nestled under the shade of an Ash tree, the members and guest gather for great food, fun, and a few rolls of the bocce ball. I thoroughly enjoy helping set up the court, which is in the right portion of this picture.

Each year, we are thrilled to have the Garibaldi Band as the musical entertainment for Stag Night. Bocce ball is more fun with Italian music in the background. Plenty of guys were tired of rolling balls all day long and sought some TLC at the massage tables set up in the background.

If all this was not enough, there was also a scotch tasting table and hand rolled cigars.

The scoreboard was looking good after round 1.

Hopefully, nobody gets upset with me for posting their scores on the Internet. After all the fun on Thursday night, the players had to ready themselves for the the official rounds the next two days. Of course the fun was not over as Big Valley Ford offered up a $1000 gift certificate for a post round 1 shootout on the 18th. The horse race followed and what a spectacle it was.

Congratulations to the overall champion, Claude Ourthiague and his partner Mark Casey.

Each year we get a couple new members due to their experience at the tournament and that trend appears to be continuing. Thanks to everyone who participated and a special thanks to my staff and all the departments for the hard work and long hours. This year's tournament was a very enjoyable event for members, guests, and staff and we can't wait until next year.

Irrigation Update

2010-05-26T05:39:00.000-07:00

Even though the recent weather patterns have provided some unseasonal temperatures and precipitation, we are still looking ahead to warmer days and preparing the irrigation system for the long, dry summer months. Richard, our irrigation tech, has been diligently replacing the intermediate nozzle on all of our Rainbird Eagle 700's, starting with the fairways and primary rough.

We first discovered this new nozzle configuration in mid-summer 2009. After testing a couple of fairways, we are nearly finished with the replacement. Click on this link to check out the original post "The Nozzle Dance."

Another problem, one that is far more common than you would imagine, is clams clogging up the irrigation system. Somehow they get through the intake screen and grow in the pipes until they block the passage of water, reducing pressure and uniformity. I am still researching potential solutions, but this has been going on for years and I only know one effective method of treatment: blow out the lines. To do this, we simply dig up and unscrew the sprinkler head, open up a valve and send the clams skyward. This process is very time consuming, but necessary. Don't worry, if you come out for dinner, Chef Nico has declined my generous offer of free clams, so your seafood linguine will not be home grown.

There are some acidic products on the market designed to break up the shells so they can be flushed out. However, from what I've heard, the smaller particles clog up the screens in the heads and block up the nozzles creating a more difficult problem to deal with.

Preventative maintenance plays a part in everything we do, and irrigation is near the top of the list. When it does stop raining, it won't start again for months and we are as ready as we've ever been. So PLEASE, bring on the heat, we have grass to grow.

Disease Profile: Fairy Ring

2010-05-21T05:46:00.000-07:00

This unsightly problem may be the most early recorded turfgrass disease in history. Stories in ancient mythology mention strange rings caused by a gathering of fairies who danced around a fire causing a dead pattern in fields of grass. I can assure you that we no longer believe fairies are the cause of the damage and that’s good news because they would be protected as a migratory species in California. Check out the Wikipedia fairy ring article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_ring to read about all the folklore and myths surrounding the strange rings.

Fairy ring is caused by a ring of mushrooms. Feeding on organic matter, decomposing tree roots, and thatch, the fungi causes the soil to become hydrophobic, repelling water away from the infected zone. The border of the ring is usually greener than the surrounding turf as nitrogen is released from the digestion of organics. The rings start small and grow outward in a sometimes, perfect circle. The turf within the ring normally recovers from the short lived drought.

When I arrived at Stockton Golf and Country Club nearly five years ago, the greens were a hotbed of fairy ring activity. This specific variety resulted in puff ball mushrooms that would stick out of the surface interfering with ball roll and ruining the aesthetics of the green. It took us two years to get this problem under control with increased aerification, regular topdressing, and verticutting to help reduce thatch. The greens have been fairy ring free for three years, but the rest of the course still needs work.

We are currently combating fairy ring in the fairway and rough starting with highly visible areas and landing zones. The funds we used to spend on managing disease on the greens have been redirected to improve other areas that need attention. The same strategy of wetting agents, fungicides, aerification, and topdressing are being employed to manage the disease.
These photos were taken 2 months apart, the second one was taken yesterday. The improvement is obvious as the soil is holding some more water and keeping the turf green. The trees also look a little greener (I thought I had the wrong hole for a minute). We will monitor these areas closely to keep the upper hand on the disease.

If temperatures ever warm up to get the bermuda growing, the fairy ring will become a turf conversion tool of its own. Bermudagrass tolerates the drying out as the cool season grass fades away. The 10 day forecast shows no sign of approaching our normal average high of 82 degrees, so we'll wait patiently for the arrival of summer.

Fox Pups

2010-05-17T05:43:00.001-07:00

Right next to the maintenance shop and right of # 15 fairway, we have four new additions to our red fox population. These little guys were first spotted a couple of weeks ago and we've been regularly entertained ever since. Our Equipment Manager, and sports photographer for the Ripon Record, Gary Jensen took this great photo.

Izzo, as usual, has been making her rounds and doesn't seem to understand why the parent foxes have become more aggressive. She's got nipped on the tail a couple of times, but no harm, no foul.

Friday, after the first round of the invitational, I was heading back to the shop after an exhausting day. We started at 5:00 am to get the course prepared and finished around 6:30 pm after an afternoon mowing of fairways, tees, approaches, collars, and some rough. I was worn out, but I ended up sitting in my cart on and watching these playful characters for 30 minutes. Here is a good example of their behavior shot by Assistant Superintendent, Rob Williams.