Annual Reminder: Off-Season Deep Tine and Vertical Mowing Has Begun

One of our top golf course maintenance goals is to provide firm fairway surfaces throughout the growing season. To accomplish this goal, there are many "behind the scenes" practices that must be consistently executed. Two of theses practices that are key to our fairway conditioning is deep tine aeration and vertical mowing. Before we get into a description of these practices, let's address a question that may be going through your mind as you read this blog.

1. With 2+ weeks of course closure for aeration (spring and fall) why do we disturb the playing surfaces while open?

Following the Thanksgiving Holiday, daily play at KGC slows tremendously. So, although disturbing the surfaces, this pocket of time represents the best balance between slow play and actively growing (albeit much slower) grass. Secondly, the disruption is mostly aesthetic and not functional. In other words, the shot off of the fairway is not terribly compromised during these processes. And finally, but most importantly, we do not have the time to get these practices done in March and its too hot in mid-to late August. During our March aeration, we hollow-core aerate and top dress the entire property and that alone takes all of our efforts during Spring Aeration.

So, as you read the description and benefits of these practices, please understand that we are cognizant of the disruption and will pace ourselves so that only 1-2 fairways will be disturbed at a time. As always, we appreciate your support as we try to make KGC better each season.

Deep Tine Aeration 

This process is a form of solid tine aeration. There are no plugs or cores; only a "punched hole." What makes this operation unique and crucial is the depth of the hole. This particular machine is able to puncture the turf to a depth of 6-8" at a diameter of 3/4". Furthermore, the machine is designed to "kick" as the tines go in and out of the soil. This "kicking" fractures the soil creating additional pore space between the visible holes. The end result is that we are able to promote deeper, denser rooting. Deeper, denser rooting allows the plant to survive drier conditions. So in the summer months, the plant requires less irrigation to make it through the hot days. This in turn allows us to promote firmness throughout the driest stretches of summer. 

Vertical Mowing 

This process is designed to remove thatch. Thatch is the by-product of growing grass and is comprised of dead and decaying plant material. Although soil microbes help to decompose thatch, there is a plant protein called lignin that is very difficult for "bugs" to digest. Over time, this lignous material builds upon itself until you are left with a soft, spongy layer called thatch. Aside from creating a sponge effect on the surface, thatch can be a breeding ground for insects and disease. Vertical mowing uses special blades to go down into the canopy at a depth of 1/2" and mechanically pull-out and remove thatch. The aftermath is continuous channels 1.5" apart that are 1/2" deep. As we beat back back the thatch through vertical mowing, core aeration and sand top-dressing, we increase water and nutrient efficiency while reducing the sponginess of thatch itself.

Summer Aeration - 2015

Now that we have re-opened the golf course, it is time to recap our 2015 summer aeration. We will cover each playing surface and discuss: What we did, Where we are and What is next. I hope this information helps you understand our process and gives you some clarity with regards to course conditions and the ongoing recovery.

I. Greens 

What we did.... Every green was deep tine aerated on 3" centers at a depth of 7". We used 1/2" tines to punch the hole. Our deep tine process creates deep channels which encourage drainage, air porosity and ultimately, deeper rooting. Following the deep tine, we core aerated on 1.5" centers at a depth of 2.5". We used 3/8" hollow tines to pull the core. Our core aeration is designed to remove organic material, firm the surface and provide much needed gas exchange within the rootzone. Once deep-tined and cored, the greens were top dressed with 35 tons of sand. To put that in perspective, 35 tons equals 400 lbs. of sand per 1000 square feet of putting surface. After dragging the sand evenly into the open holes, we rolled the greens in 3 different directions to correct the heaving brought on by the process. Once relatively smooth, we applied Gypsum, Potassium and Magnesium to the greens and then watered those products into the rootzone. Each of these products were selected based on soil testing that was conducted just prior to the process.

Where we are.... Following several additional rollings, we began mowing the greens at .125". The greens look great and recovery is going well.

What is next.... Although pleased with the process and looking forward to to the long term benefits, our next objective is returning to championship play-ability. The single, greatest limiting factor to aggressive maintenance is the presence of sand near and around the canopy. The stress from abrasion is a major concern and with potential heat in September, we must be careful not to push the greens too hard, too fast. So throughout the first 4-5 days after reopening, we will single cut the greens each morning at a relatively conservative height of cut. Once the turf has sufficiently grown through the sand and the risk of abrasion has abated, we will lower heights and begin our more traditional practices such as rolling, double-cutting, grooming and brushing. I would rather not give a specific time-table for the transition between recovery and performance, but I am comfortable saying that we will move as fast as the putting surfaces allow.

II. Fairways/Approaches/Tees

What we did...Due to the heat of August and the length of our March aeration, we decided not to pull a core on any surface other than greens. However, the top-dressing program that was started here, long before my time, remains one of the best management practices for this golf course. Knowing that we want to top-dress during this closure, it is imperative that we introduce the sand to the rootzone so that air-filled pockets are created. These pockets lead to vigorous rooting and the long-term sustainability of our fairways while not relying on so much irrigation. To incorporate the sand, the fairways and approaches were solid tined on 2.5" centers to a depth of 3". We punched these holes with 5/8" solid tines. Once the holes were created we top dressed over 600 tons of sand. This volume of sand translates to 500 lbs. of sand per 1000 square feet of playing surface. Once the sand was swept into the holes, we applied over 60 tons of gypsum to the entire property. Aside from providing calcium to the plant, gypsum does wonders in loosening tight soils so that over time, your rootzone becomes more and more permeable. Permeability leads to rooting which in turn leads to sustainability. Following some irrigation to wash in the gypsum, all surfaces were mowed in two directions and any left over debris was blown into the roughs.

One caveat on what was done, although nearly identical processes, the tee boxes were verti-cut prior to punching and sanding. The tees have a susceptibility to thatch and due to their flat orientation, we can verti-cut these surfaces safely while helping to promote firmness.

Where we are.... On the tees, approaches and fairways, conditions are returning to normal pretty quickly. Most of the sand has migrated beneath the canopy and regular mowing will resume next week.

What is next.... The big objective with these surfaces is getting back to our spring-time heights of cut. We will step these grasses down over the next 3-4 weeks with our target being the Member-Member in late September. Other than the holes needing to fully recover, these surfaces should be very playable right now and only improve as fall weather moves in.

III. Roughs and Intermediates 

What we did.... Similar to the other playing surfaces, we choose to disrupt these areas as little as possible during the heat of summer. We did spread gypsum on all of these areas and we solid tined the entire intermediate cut of rough. We did some solid tining in the roughs, but only in areas where we wanted good seed to soil contact. Following the punching and gypsum, we over-seeded any thin areas throughout the course.

Where we are... All of the seed is down and we will now water as much as possible to bring on germination. I would expect some unusually squishy areas throughout the course as we are trying to promote seedling development. Overall, though, we are mowing these surfaces on a normal rotation and they shouldn't seem much different than before the process started.

What is next.... After the new seed emerges, the roughs should look really nice by the third week in September. In late fall, we will apply some organic fertilizer to "feed the soil."

IV. Summary

The overall process was fantastic and we are hopeful that the fruits of our labor will be evidenced by a fantastic fall season. As always, I'd like to thank the membership for their support of these much needed practices. Play-ability is at the top of our list and we will do our best to get you back to traditional conditions sooner than later.

Mid-Summer Update

August 4th marks the 45th day of summer which means that as I write this update on August 5th, we are on the downhill side of summer. Of course, as I write this, it is 93 degrees and fairly humid so it certainly doesn't feel like fall weather is upon us. Aside from the illusion that plant stresses are fading away, the middle of summer does provide the opportunity for a golf course update.

I. Putting Surfaces - As of now, the putting surfaces are in solid condition. (knock on wood) We have good density and performance has been acceptable. We will continue to keep the greens as dry and lean as possible so that they can withstand the stresses related to heat, humidity and compaction. Since the 1st of May, we have rolled the greens on a daily basis and are pleased that they have withstood the traffic. Once fall weather truly returns, we will begin programs aimed at conditioning the texture of the turf. We must continue to promote more upright growth, thinner leaf blades and a firm surface. All of these things not only contribute to long-term plant health, but allow for great putting performance on a daily basis.

II. Tee Boxes - Similar to the greens, the tee boxes are holding up fairly well. We do have some stressed turf on 2 or 3 tee boxes, but by and large, the tees remain dense and tight. The challenge with the tees is moisture management. Because our tees are built on a sand profile, their receptivity to saturation is fairly high. Although the easy answer would be to limit the irrigation on the tees, the issue is a bit more complicated because the sprinkler heads that water the tees also water the surrounding roughs. We cannot allow the roughs to get too dry or we will begin losing turf to drought stress. So, we water the tees in a way to balance the needs of both the bent grass surfaces and the surrounding fescue/blue-grass.

III. Fairways and Approaches - The fairways and approaches are in excellent condition for early August. Density and play-ability remain very good and although fairly firm, we have had very little turf loss due to wilting. Our hand-watering crews have been outstanding this summer and their efforts have allowed us to forego large quantities of over-head irrigation while maintaining plant health. We do have some patchy wilt damage on a few fairways, but overall, our playing surfaces are in great shape. (knock on wood again)

IV. Roughs - There is no question that our roughs have been and continue to be our biggest challenge through this point of the summer. On a scale of 1-10, I might give us a 6.5-7 on the condition of our roughs. Between disease (brown patch and summer patch), drought and insect damage (BTA Grubs), we are battling our roughs. We irrigate the roughs as much as we can and we are constantly spraying pesticides to deal with the various issues. Most of the damage in our roughs will heal on its own as better weather moves in. For the areas that do not recover, we will be over-seeding selected areas during our fall aeration. (Aug 17-26) Either way, we expect that our roughs will be in excellent condition by the 2nd week of September.

V. Intermediate Cuts - Similar to the roughs, our intermediate cuts have been challenging this summer. Although I remain a fan of the perennial Rye-grass due to its color, texture and density, there is no question that it is one of the weakest cool season grasses for our climate. Having said that, this fall, we will be inter-seeding tall fescue and blue-grass into our intermediates. We will do this seeding in late August and after a month or so of germination, will come back with another dose of perennial rye-grass seed. The concept is to have all 3 grasses growing in these areas and that over-time, this blend will give us a balance between aesthetics and plant health. The rye is just too good for 9 months out of the year to go in a different direction. However, our goal will be to create a hybrid stand of grasses that give us color, definition and more sustainability in late June - early September.

VI. Summary - I am always hesitant to be happy with our performance. Things can change in a matter of days so I prefer to remain focused on what we could do to get better. Having said that, the golf course is handling the summer well and if we can maintain our current conditions, I do believe that we are in a great position for a spectacular fall.

Hand Watering Season is Here

"You can't come back from wet, you can come back from dry, but not wet." A very good agronomist and trusted consultant, Joel Simmons, gave me this advice last fall. Not only do I believe in this principle, but I think it may be the most important principle with respect to managing low-cut bent-grass through hot/humid conditions.

USGA greens are built on sand so that the green will: (1) drain well; (2) resist compaction and (3) provide a nice balance between air and water porosity. In other words, USGA greens are designed o hold just enough water to achieve field capacity, but not enough water to remain saturated for extended periods.

Saturated soil adversely affects grass by increasing heat retention, reducing gas exchange and most importantly, by minimizing the amount of oxygen that otherwise may reside in the pore space of the profile.

Heat retention occurs because water is denser than air so when it heats up, it stays hotter longer. When wet soil stays hot for an extended period of time, scald occurs. In putting greens, you typically do not see the scald damage at the canopy/crown level because infiltration rates help water get past the surface. However, in profiles that hold moisture, or in areas of greens that remain wet (low-lying areas), the scald occurs within the root-zone. Once the roots go, the leafy tissue above ground is sure to follow suit.

Although scald is a major concern, the deprivation of oxygen may be tantamount to a green's failure/survival during hot/humid stretches of the summer. Oxygen assists the plant in metabolizing food. For example, in the absence of oxygen, the plant struggles to trans-locate magnesium. As an essential component of chlorophyll, the reduction in usable magnesium leads to a decrease in photosynthesis which in turn results in a reduction of structural carbohydrates. Without carbohydrates, the plant can't build parts and decline ensues.

So, between heat retention and the deprivation of oxygen, water management becomes extremely important to the success of bent grass putting greens. Although, irrigation systems have become even more sophisticated, they remain fairly indiscriminate in terms of where water is or is not applied. For example, say that I have a green that stays very dry on the front crown, but very wet in a low-lying swale. Over-head irrigation may be ideal for the dry crown area, but may lead to over-saturation in the back of the green. Going back to the opening quote, "we can always come back from dry." In other words, in this situation, we choose to manage the green with daily hand-watering so that the crown stays hydrated while the low-lying area can dry down properly. In this way, we micro-manage the surface so that no area stays too wet.

This management style is widely adopted by the turf industry and although strides have been made in areas like wetting agents, irrigation control, fans and sub-air, I am not sure we will ever see the day that hand-watering is not an integral part of any successful turf management program.

Typically, we spend the morning checking the moisture levels of the greens. We have established thresholds and if the moisture is below those thresholds, we water those specific areas. We prefer the morning hours because the heat of the day isn't on top of us and by mid-afternoon, the applied water has had a chance to drain off. In the afternoon, we check the greens for active wilt and apply water where obvious wilt symptoms are occurring.

The last sentence brings us to the main point of this post. We recognize that employees hand-watering in the middle of the day can be a nuisance. As such, we try very hard to stay out of the way, work in backwards rotations and appreciate the golf experience of every member and guest. However, to maintain the greens as dry as possible, in an attempt to enhance play ability and  practice good agronomy, we must hand water throughout the day. It is a necessary evil for the summer months.