The USGA website provides a lot of useful information regarding golf course maintenance. This is a Regional update for the northeast written by Dave Oatis, USGA agronomist. I will post these now and again when there is information that our members might find useful or intersting.
I am posting this update because it will provide information about issues other courses are experiencing in the region. Thankfully I do not expect to have many of the problems discussed in the update (except for the weather issues, I have very little influence there).
USGA: The Best Laid Plans… - March 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
On your mark...get set...GOLF!
Spring does not officially arrive until Saturday, but you would not know it by looking outside. The weather has been unseasonably warm over the past two weeks, and a lot of people are ready to get out and play some golf. Slowly but surely the golf course is getting ready too, and we have decided to open most of the greens for play. The 3rd green will remain closed until it dries out and we are sure all the frost has left the ground. The 7th green will be closed to protect the sod that was laid last fall.
A number of courses opened as soon as the weather turned to take advantage of the opportunity to generate some early season revenue. While they may have realized a gain in the short term, there are significant costs associated with opening greens too early. Foot traffic and ball marks on greens that are soft and not yet growing cause damage that will take months to heal. We choose to wait a bit longer until we are confident that the greens are able to receive approach shots in order to preserve the condition of the greens for the remainder of the season. The course tends to be very wet this time of year and the greens are far from their mid season condition so we have been fairly conservative about opening them. I checked my notes from the past few years, and our opening dates have been April 9th in 2007, March 29th in 2008, and March 20th last year. We will open on the 18th this year, which I feel is quite reasonable.
We have rolled the greens once with our mowers to help firm the surface and will do so again tomorrow. The greens are still very soft and it is imperative that you fix all ball marks on every green. If this request is ignored we will have to be more conservative in the future when considering opening the golf course. Areas of the golf course are still very wet from the heavy rain last weekend so I would wear an old pair of DryJoys or other waterproof shoes. There are also remnants of various projects so please be careful when you are walking around the golf course. The area surrounding the 7th green is completely closed and you should make every effort to remain outside the ropes until the frost heaves have settled and the sod has become established.
Depending on when you last played, you may find a number of changes when you first tour the golf course. The most prominent is the work completed around the 7th green. The bunker bash funded the project that removed the bunkers from in front of the green and restored mounding that we believe was part of the original design. We have installed and upgraded the drainage in this area, and will be adding more across the approach and into the fairway in the coming weeks. The green will remain closed until the sod is established enough to walk on, and we hope to have the entire area in play in early May.
The tree on the 8th hole is finally down. I am eager to hear people’s opinion of how the hole plays now relative to past years. The health of the green will certainly improve and I am confident that people will spend a little more time thinking about how they approach the tee shot. We also removed some sick trees and brush from the area. The hollow is noticeably more attractive now, and the features across the creek are much more prominent. It is our intention to continue to reveal the character that lies hidden throughout this portion of the property, and make Clay Creek the key feature of the golf course.
Other winter projects include clearing the brush from the property line starting at the top of the hill on 3, all the way down to the field on the right side of the 4th fairway. This has enhanced the character of this area as well, and will improve your chances of finding a stray tee shot that may have wandered a bit into the woods. The view of the 4th hole has been dramatically improved and you can actually see where Clay Creek enters the property. We hope that the drainage swale that runs along the cart path can be cleaned out and serve as an outlet for future drainage projects on this hole.
A number of courses opened as soon as the weather turned to take advantage of the opportunity to generate some early season revenue. While they may have realized a gain in the short term, there are significant costs associated with opening greens too early. Foot traffic and ball marks on greens that are soft and not yet growing cause damage that will take months to heal. We choose to wait a bit longer until we are confident that the greens are able to receive approach shots in order to preserve the condition of the greens for the remainder of the season. The course tends to be very wet this time of year and the greens are far from their mid season condition so we have been fairly conservative about opening them. I checked my notes from the past few years, and our opening dates have been April 9th in 2007, March 29th in 2008, and March 20th last year. We will open on the 18th this year, which I feel is quite reasonable.
We have rolled the greens once with our mowers to help firm the surface and will do so again tomorrow. The greens are still very soft and it is imperative that you fix all ball marks on every green. If this request is ignored we will have to be more conservative in the future when considering opening the golf course. Areas of the golf course are still very wet from the heavy rain last weekend so I would wear an old pair of DryJoys or other waterproof shoes. There are also remnants of various projects so please be careful when you are walking around the golf course. The area surrounding the 7th green is completely closed and you should make every effort to remain outside the ropes until the frost heaves have settled and the sod has become established.
Depending on when you last played, you may find a number of changes when you first tour the golf course. The most prominent is the work completed around the 7th green. The bunker bash funded the project that removed the bunkers from in front of the green and restored mounding that we believe was part of the original design. We have installed and upgraded the drainage in this area, and will be adding more across the approach and into the fairway in the coming weeks. The green will remain closed until the sod is established enough to walk on, and we hope to have the entire area in play in early May.
The tree on the 8th hole is finally down. I am eager to hear people’s opinion of how the hole plays now relative to past years. The health of the green will certainly improve and I am confident that people will spend a little more time thinking about how they approach the tee shot. We also removed some sick trees and brush from the area. The hollow is noticeably more attractive now, and the features across the creek are much more prominent. It is our intention to continue to reveal the character that lies hidden throughout this portion of the property, and make Clay Creek the key feature of the golf course.
Other winter projects include clearing the brush from the property line starting at the top of the hill on 3, all the way down to the field on the right side of the 4th fairway. This has enhanced the character of this area as well, and will improve your chances of finding a stray tee shot that may have wandered a bit into the woods. The view of the 4th hole has been dramatically improved and you can actually see where Clay Creek enters the property. We hope that the drainage swale that runs along the cart path can be cleaned out and serve as an outlet for future drainage projects on this hole.
We are very excited about the work completed at the club over the past six months and are looking forward to a great season. We hope to see you on the course in the coming weeks and encourage you to bring a friend and spread the word about the continued progress at Suffield Country Club.
Friday, March 5, 2010
If a tree falls on a golf course...
You may have heard by now, the tree on the 8th hole is finally down. The decision to remove the tree has been fairly controversial and there have been countless discussions about the issue. It is difficult to say whether there were more voices in support of or in opposition to the decision, but it seems as though I heard from an equal number on both sides. Before the season gets under way and the conversations start anew I thought I should provide a detailed account of the process that led to the removal of the tree.
First I would like to address the issues that initiated the conversations. As a golfer, I had a strong opinion about the tree and its influence on the hole, however I am not a member of the club, and therefore this opinion carries little weight. As a superintendent I have a professional opinion on the issue based on the influence the tree had on the health and playability of the green, which should be the club’s top priority.
The key issue with the tree was its location on the southwest corner of the green. The large canopy created shade on the green for a large portion of the day, which affected the competitive advantage of desired turf grass species with a weaker one. Our greens are comprised primarily of bentgrass. This perennial grass species has excellent durability with respect to maintenance practices and extreme weather conditions. It will withstand aggressive grooming and topdressing that must be performed to provide firm, smooth playing surfaces, a
nd is more reliable in the heat of summer and after long, cold winters. The weaker grass species, Poa annua, is less reliable under these conditions and presents numerous other challenges. Without going into too many scientific details, this grass is a winter annual. By nature this plant wants to complete its life cycle in one year. It germinates in the fall, and then produces copious amounts of seed in the spring before dying in the heat of the summer. Read that sentence again. The shade produced by the tree provides a competitive advantage that favors a grass population dominated by the weaker Poa annua. Now that the tree has been removed the green will be in full sun from dawn through the late afternoon. Over time the playing surface will become drier and the bentgrass will dominate the weaker annual Poa. Other issues that played a less significant role in the decision include root competition and the amount of leaves, sticks, and acorns that littered the front of the green throughout the season. While these issues were definitely a problem, the key issue was the affect of the shade on the health and playability of the turf.
The issue was discussed in detail the very first time I toured the course with the Pro, President, and reigning club champion. My comment was that it was the worst tree I had ever seen on a golf course. I was informed that the club had received recommendations to remove the tree from the previous superintendent as well as the architect hired to develop a master plan for the club. After working with this issue for a year it became clear that they were right. I obtained quotes from reliable tree companies in the range of $1800 to $2000 to drop the tree and chip the brush, but not remove the wood. The first winter it was too difficult to get their equipment in and out of the work area without creating significant damage to the golf course so we decided to wait. The second year we were concerned about the economy and the decision was made to avoid any unnecessary expenses. Finally, I could not stand the thought of waiting another year and decided to drop it myself. I purchased two wedges from the hardware store for a total of $17, tied a rope to the tractor (and said a quick Hail Mary), and laid the tree safely down in the hollow.
Once the tree was removed, we were able to confirm the fact that the tree was not planted until almost thirty years after the course was built, and therefore the removal is consistent with our efforts to restore the character of the golf course. After reviewing aerial photographs from the 1930’s it became clear that there were no trees near the green surface, and that golfers were challenged to hit the green or face a difficult recovery from either the left or right. I am confident that golfers will spend a little more time thinking about this shot than in the past, and that is what makes this one of the best holes on the golf course.
I was amazed by the visual impact that the removal has on the hole from the tee. The green surface looks much larger now that the key point of reference has been removed, and the bank to the left is much more intimidating. The front left hole location will be one of the best on the course, and balls heading into the hollow that were deflected by the tree will now flirt with the hazard. I am anxious to hear other people’s opinions on this affect.
First I would like to address the issues that initiated the conversations. As a golfer, I had a strong opinion about the tree and its influence on the hole, however I am not a member of the club, and therefore this opinion carries little weight. As a superintendent I have a professional opinion on the issue based on the influence the tree had on the health and playability of the green, which should be the club’s top priority.
The key issue with the tree was its location on the southwest corner of the green. The large canopy created shade on the green for a large portion of the day, which affected the competitive advantage of desired turf grass species with a weaker one. Our greens are comprised primarily of bentgrass. This perennial grass species has excellent durability with respect to maintenance practices and extreme weather conditions. It will withstand aggressive grooming and topdressing that must be performed to provide firm, smooth playing surfaces, a
nd is more reliable in the heat of summer and after long, cold winters. The weaker grass species, Poa annua, is less reliable under these conditions and presents numerous other challenges. Without going into too many scientific details, this grass is a winter annual. By nature this plant wants to complete its life cycle in one year. It germinates in the fall, and then produces copious amounts of seed in the spring before dying in the heat of the summer. Read that sentence again. The shade produced by the tree provides a competitive advantage that favors a grass population dominated by the weaker Poa annua. Now that the tree has been removed the green will be in full sun from dawn through the late afternoon. Over time the playing surface will become drier and the bentgrass will dominate the weaker annual Poa. Other issues that played a less significant role in the decision include root competition and the amount of leaves, sticks, and acorns that littered the front of the green throughout the season. While these issues were definitely a problem, the key issue was the affect of the shade on the health and playability of the turf.The issue was discussed in detail the very first time I toured the course with the Pro, President, and reigning club champion. My comment was that it was the worst tree I had ever seen on a golf course. I was informed that the club had received recommendations to remove the tree from the previous superintendent as well as the architect hired to develop a master plan for the club. After working with this issue for a year it became clear that they were right. I obtained quotes from reliable tree companies in the range of $1800 to $2000 to drop the tree and chip the brush, but not remove the wood. The first winter it was too difficult to get their equipment in and out of the work area without creating significant damage to the golf course so we decided to wait. The second year we were concerned about the economy and the decision was made to avoid any unnecessary expenses. Finally, I could not stand the thought of waiting another year and decided to drop it myself. I purchased two wedges from the hardware store for a total of $17, tied a rope to the tractor (and said a quick Hail Mary), and laid the tree safely down in the hollow.
Once the tree was removed, we were able to confirm the fact that the tree was not planted until almost thirty years after the course was built, and therefore the removal is consistent with our efforts to restore the character of the golf course. After reviewing aerial photographs from the 1930’s it became clear that there were no trees near the green surface, and that golfers were challenged to hit the green or face a difficult recovery from either the left or right. I am confident that golfers will spend a little more time thinking about this shot than in the past, and that is what makes this one of the best holes on the golf course.
I was amazed by the visual impact that the removal has on the hole from the tee. The green surface looks much larger now that the key point of reference has been removed, and the bank to the left is much more intimidating. The front left hole location will be one of the best on the course, and balls heading into the hollow that were deflected by the tree will now flirt with the hazard. I am anxious to hear other people’s opinions on this affect.
I hope this has cleared up this issue and will eliminate any misinformation that might be floating around the 19th hole. If you have any other questions or comments, please feel free to contact me, or sign up as a follower and leave your comments below.
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