Golf Course Update July 3rd, 2012

Golf Course Update

July 1^st, 2012

I wanted to provide an update and golf course conditions and agronomics practices that we have accomplished to survive the current drought and extreme heat situation.  I want to first provide a few facts about this year and the level of extreme stress the golf course is experiencing currently.  We have had over 22 90 degree days so far and it is not even July 4^th yet.  The average for a summer in Indiana is 18.  The 10 day forecast shows that we will experience at least another 7-8 days in the 90’s without relief.  On June 28^th, we recorded a temperature of 105 degrees with only 22% humidity and 15-20 mph winds.  These types of days are a true test in golf course management.

The other factor that has been a challenge is the lack of rainfall.  We have only recorded 2.3” of rain since May 1^st with 1” of that on May 1^st and the other 1” on June 29^th.  We went over 58 days with no rainfall and relied on irrigation as a water source.  One other point that I would like to point out is something that we watch very carefully that not many people are concerned about unless you are growing grass for a living.  We watch a value called Et or evapotranspiration rates which is how much water is lost to the atmosphere on a given day. On low humidity, windy days we lose more water to the atmosphere and on humid, calm days we lose less.  There were several days that we would lose almost .25” of water to the atmosphere and were only able to replace with less than .1” of irrigation water.  This creates a huge deficit especially when this happens for long periods of time.   Since May 1, we have lost over 12” and have only received 2.3” of rainfall.  In summary, we need lots of rain to overcome this deficit. 

The last thing I wanted to point out is some things that have help us through these conditions and things that we are doing to insure we have an adequate water supply.  Here is some key agronomic practices that we have accomplished:

Ø  Applied wetting agents to greens, tees, and fairways  to help conserve water

Ø  Lots of handwatering of greens, tees, and fairways to place water where needed

Ø  Applied a new sunscreen product to greens to reduce surface temperatures

Ø  Vented greens, tees, and fairways to help get moisture deeper in the profile and to help with oxygen exchange.

Ø  Went cart paths only on extreme days

Ø  Reduced mowing frequency to reduce stress

There are also several things we are working on to insure we have adequate water supply during these conditions and for the future.  We had our large well pump evaluated for proper output and found that it was only producing half the supply it should.  We are in the process of having this pump repaired and a new pump installed this week.  This will supply is with more recharge into the irrigation lake to help keep up with our irrigation needs.  We are also getting the well pump behind #11 green repaired and looking at the possibility of repairing the other well pumps around the course.  These repairs should provide us with enough water to get through these extreme conditions.  Our last resort will be the purchasing of city water but we are looking at all other avenues before resorting to this.

Thank you for your support during these extreme conditions and we are doing are best to provide exceptional conditions during these times.

Gary Myers, CGCS

Course Opens Today at 11:00!! What are the expectatations!!!

The Sagamore Club will be opening today at 11:00 due to the wonderful weather we have been experiencing this past week. Today will be almost 27 degrees above the normal high for the year and possibly a record high. Our staff has already mowed greens, tees, and fairways and will be mowing greens again this morning. We have spent most of our time prepping and repairing bunkers from the winter. We have been fixing several liner issues and sand depth issues has we place them back. We finished the front nine yesterday and will continue to the back nine today. There are still several bunkers on the front that we have left that need extensive work and will come back to them. I have included an article about allowing winter play on the golf course. Enjoy the wonderful day!!!!



Bumpy and Bedraggled Greens
By Clark Throssell, Ph.D.
Does bumpy and bedraggled describe the condition of your greens today? If it does, you are not alone. Many rounds of golf were played this winter on greens that are normally not in play because of a layer of snow. The good news is increased revenue; the bad news is bumpy greens that need some attention.
Keep in mind it is still early March. Avoid the temptation to jump full speed into your greens management program. It is highly likely that your course will receive another round or two of cold temperatures and more snow is not out of the question in many locations. And don't forget, spring in northern locations is usually marked by dramatic swings in temperature.
For now, rely on rolling to smooth the putting surface and increase green speed. Don't go overboard with rolling; be as gentle as possible while making the improvements to the greens that are necessary. I am not a fan of mowing early in the spring. The reason is that mowing stimulates leaf growth. It is far too early in many northern locations to encourage leaf growth.
And keep the fertilizer spreaders parked in the maintenance facility. Warm temperatures, not fertilizer, will stimulate the creeping bentgrass/annual bluegrass to grow. Wait and see what happens with the weather before fertilizing. Be certain the soil temperatures are consistently near 50° F before considering a fertilizer application. Roots are not very efficient at taking up nutrients when soils are cold.
Hopefully the weather will return to a spring-like pattern so you can enjoy March Madness in relative peace and cheer for your favorite team.

Course Update 8/9/2011

We received almost 2" of rain since last night.  The rain was very welcomed to the grass but unfortunately the bunkers have washed and we will be cart path only all day today.  We are currently working on pumping water out of the bunkers and restoring them.  We hope to back on the fairways tomorrow.

Much needed relief!!!

The golf course is finally receiving a much needed break from the hot weather.  Seems to be another year of breaking records, with 19 consecutive days in the 90's.  We did several key agronomic changes during this hot spell that help us manage and survive.  These items included:

• Raising mowing heights on the greens
• Raising rough heights
• Venting greens and solid tining fairways
• Limiting cart traffic during certain days
• Syringing greens, tees, and fairways constantly
• Controlling water usage

All these factors help us survive the heat and maintain the best playing conditions as possible.  We will be lowering greens heights back down today and begin rolling again.  This will help us regain green speed back and to get greens back to pre-heat conditions.

June 16th, 2011 Golf Course Conditions

We received almost another 1" of rain yesterday from the storms that rolled in mid morning and lasted into the afternoon.  We will be off paths today and are in the process of mowing greens and bunker restoration.  Forecast showing highs in the lower 80's with plenty of sunshine with a small chance of rain late tonight.  Have a great day of golf!!!!