Finally!

Here is the weather we have all been waiting for.  The temperatures have finally hit the 20's and things are really starting to grow.  We have just finished spraying all the fairways for weeds and are moving on to the rough.  Over the next few weeks we will be doing a few different practices to the golf course, we will be fertilizing the rough and fairways, tees are going to be solid tine aerated, and we will be spiking the greens to help water infiltration and oxygen exchange to the roots.  This is a very pivotal time for the course as we have shifted gears from very wet to very dry in the matter of a few weeks.  The greens have started to firm up, and with this the greens will need to be doctored along with a few extra cultural practices.  Spiking is a non invasive form of aeration to aid with water getting into the rootzone and allow for oxygen in so the roots can breathe.

Winter in Southern Ontario

Wow, what a crazy winter.  This past 6 months has been a roller coaster of weather events.  We have seen 20 degree swings in temperature overnight, we have had record low temps, and record high snow falls.  Torrents of rain followed by 2 days well below freezing, and the spring still hasn't arrived.

On the plus side of the coin, our golf course handled the winter very well, with turf loss limited to fairways and the odd tee, and very little issues with the greens.  Heat and sun is all we lack now, but I am sure that is coming soon.  If I can judge Mother Nature from the last few months she is going to go from 0-60 in one fell swoop.

On another note, I just want to share a few things with you here.  There have been some of my counterparts in Ontario this winter who have seen the absolute worst that Mother Nature has to offer.  On older greens consisting of poa annua turf grass the winter was not good at all.  The cause was non preventable, as the heavy ice layers under insulation of snow caused this type of turf to suffocate and perish.  I have linked an article I hope you will read to understand the frailty of our turf in certain situations and have a little bit of understanding towards what the golf course itself goes through in an extreme winter such as this past one.

http://canadiangolfer.com/g4g/2014/04/25/ontario-courses-with-poa-greens-struggle-to-deal-with-cold-weather-carnage/

Winter Blues for to Long!

What can you say about the winter of 2013-14?  Lots of snow?  Heavy winds?  Freezing temperatures?  To sum it up...Unbelievable!  This winter is the worst on record since 1977-78, with no end in sight.  Now I know what the golf community is thinking, "The superintendent is loving the fact that he gets a little more time off."  Quite to the contrary, I am wishing and hoping for good weather just like the rest of you.  I would be much happier out on the grass just as you, the golfer would.  I want to see green grass just as much as the next guy, that way I would put all my worries of winter's wrath to bed.

The reason I have winter worries is that the grass is a living, breathing, entity that requires air to breath.  Try to imagine yourself being covered in an avalanche for 130+ days...What are your chances of survival after that period of time?  Not great.  That is what the greens have gone through this year.  With Mother Nature bearing down on us in November and not letting up until...well...the next few weeks maybe.  The key to coming out of winter free and clear of problems is a sound fall program of aeration, top dress, properly timed fungicide application, and properly applied fertilizer at the perfect time.

In October, as many of the members will recall, I managed to aerate the greens with a hollow core tine, which means that we pulled a plug out of the green.  We also filled the holes as best we could with an off site sand top dress.  This sand is a medium/course sand that allows the holes to fill up, while allowing great air circulation in and out of the holes, so the root zone has good respiration.  As well the removal of this core allows us to get rid of thatch that snow mould fungus lives in for most of the year, lessening the severity in which it will attack the turf.  Application of a fall fungicide is then applied in early to mid November, this has to be done at an ambient air temperature of 6 degrees C or higher with no rain in the forecast for at least 2 days.  This ensures that the plant will readily uptake the fungicide through its leaf blades, and get it into it's system.  Imagine, having to take penicillin by spray on like spray sun block for an internal infection.  Then the most important of all, the food.  Winter feeding is done, believe it or not, in mid October with a granular product.  This product needs to break down in the soil and release food to the roots to uptake and transport to the rest of the plant.  Trees do the very similar thing, that's how we get maple syrup, by tapping into the tree's food source, anyone for turf grass syrup...In fact the sap inside the grass is very saccharine like sap of a tree, and full of carbohydrates, that's why we carbo-load the turf in the fall, while it is still actively growing, so it will be able to feed all winter long.  As well I add a little boost when I spray my winter fungicide application by mixing in a soluble food source with a growth regulator to slow the turf down, and slow the growth cycle.

Springtime is coming, and we will do our very best to get the course in great shape for the upcoming golf season.  Just remember that the grass doesn't come out of hibernation right away, and we need to prep the turf like any other day in the summer.  The crew of guys I have need to cut, fertilize, top dress again, and again to help fill in the aeration holes from the fall.  We also will roll out the minor bumps of being frozen and thawed.  Just as you would be coming out that avalanche after 130+ days, the turf will need to be put through an intensive care unit of management, so please be patient, Mother Nature will hit us with spring soon, and I assure you that myself and my crew will hit the ground running to make sure that your experience at The Link's of Piper's Glen is the best one possible.   

Turf? Not right now!

I managed to get out for a walk on the course today, whew, what a workout.  Right now, with warmer temps last week, and sun during the last few days, there is a crust of ice over the snow, some places the snow under the ice is 2-3ft deep.  However the great news is that the snow is fluffy underneath.  This means that the snow has open air space and breathing is possible for the turf.  Unfortunately that is a lot of snow, and with the temps dipping down around -15 C, this means a realistic opening is more in the April-May timeline again.  Have faith in the power of Mother Nature, and the fact that early March is sometimes good to us.  Let's hope we have this issue this year.

Happy warm thoughts.

February blahs!

Here we are, February 2014, amidst the largest amount of snow since 1978 in this area.  Wow...I have been looking at the weather over and over again, and just as it seems we are getting ahead...bam! Mother Nature hits us again.  We are prepared to deal with 150 days snow cover, but that time is slowly ticking down on the golf course.  We need to soon start clearing greens to give them a chance to breathe, hopefully they have over wintered well, as I have not seen them since late November.  

I remain cautiously optimistic that we can have the course in great shape again this year, I know that when push comes to shove my team and I can make Piper's the best links course around.  Please a golfers, be patient as we will be dealing with large amounts of moisture again this year, same ad last spring.

Hope to see you soon out enjoying the course, keep warm thoughts and sunshine in your minds, and before you know it we will be out hitting the "Links" in no time.

Cultural Practices

Why We Aerate:

We aerate to alleviate compaction, facilitate oxygen and nutrient exchange, improve drainage and to control organic matter levels. Aeration is varied in method. Hole size, hole depth and spacing are determined depending on the effect desired. Aeration is a very important tool in turf management even though it is frowned upon by golfers and staff alike. It can be disruptive and is labour intensive if a core is removed. However, the long term positive benefits to the health of our turfgrass

Why We Topdress:

Light frequent topdressing of greens has several important functions. Putting surfaces are kept smoother, drainage can be modified and organic matter levels are controlled by the abrasive nature of the sand. In conjunction with microorganisms in the soil profile organic matter levels can then be maintained within a certain percentage to ensure a healthier, firmer putting surface. Very low mowing heights are determined in part by controlling organic matter.

Why We Verticut:

Instead of a scissor like action these specific cutting heads cut down into the profile and help remove excess turf and organic matter. The depth is adjustable and results can be varied. The turf is then mowed as usual to remove the material. 

Wet Start

Well the season surely has been a slow one to start. With all of Mother Nature's rain and nowhere for it to go, we are having one very damp welcome to spring.

The golf course is still very wet, as many of the areas that have been affected are still very unplayable. We are trying our very best to cut all areas of the course, as well as repair the washed out sections of cartpath that we lost in the rains of only a few weeks ago. As you can imagine we cannot put our large, imposing equipment into the wet areas as they will cause more damage than good.

I have made the decision to allow the carts to roll, however on May 1. If you are a carter please just pay attention to the wet areas and the rules that will be made available to you at the proshop before your round. We are inciting a 90 degree rule in the fairways and a rough and cartpath where available rule until we are able to open the course completely.

I personally thank you for your patience in this long spring and hope we have great weather for you to enjoy right on through until late November.

Enjoy your round.