One of the biggest challenges when managing cool season grass in an area like RIC is saturated turf during hot and humid stretches in the summer months. Aside from play-ability concerns, saturated turf can become dead turf as temperatures heat the soil water and directly kill the crown of the plant. If not direct injury from scald, saturated turf can die indirectly from anaerobic conditions (wet wilt) and disease. Not to mention, saturated turf cannot support mower traffic without the risk of rutting and tearing.

Below are some examples of that damage:

Over the years, Kinloch's maintenance team has prided itself on identifying wet areas and installing sub-surface drainage during the off-season. This off-season is no different. We have targeted areas on 3 and 8 fairways and the roughs near 16 tee. Below are some pictures of our most current drainage project at the bottom of 3 fairway.

So we start by lifting the sod. Then we locate our low areas with a transit. From there we trench our lines. Once the lines are trenched and cleaned up, we add a layer of gravel, followed by 4" slit pipe, followed by some more gravel and then the trench is capped with porous sand. The idea is that as the water begins to rush toward the lows, these subsurface lines capture the flow and direct the water off of the fairway and into the adjacent native area. The goal is to keep the area from ever saturating thus leading to more playable and healthy turf. 

Thatch Management on Kinloch Greens

The putting quality at Kinloch is highly correlated with our thatch management. As grass plants progress through their natural life-cycle, older leaf and root material dies and new plant components emerge. An organic build-up of these materials leads to a thatch/organic layer just below the turf canopy. This layer can become soft and "spongy." Aside from the agronomic problems that are presented by an over-accumulation of thatch, play-ability suffers as well. When you think of it intuitively, imagine rolling a golf ball across a sponge. The friction of the ball "sitting" in the sponge layer will reduce speeds much more than lets say, that same golf ball rolling across a firm pool table. So, as long as grass is growing, thatch will try to accumulate. In response to this natural phenomenon, we have implemented a frequent, but light topdressing program. This program is not to be confused with our bi-annual top-dressings during each aeration. Think of those applications as modifications and think of this program as routine maintenance. By applying light doses of sand in conjunction with the plant's growth rate, we always stay one step ahead of thatch accumulations. We apply this sand through push spreaders as to avoid inconsistent rates and the weight of bigger machines.

Aside from the ball roll and thatch reduction benefits, this routine incorporation of sand will always maintain our air-filled porosity in the root zone. We also know that these routine applications will not adversely affect ball roll on the day of an application. Although often negatively stereotyped, a light and frequent topdressing program is a major key to surface quality.  

Incorporation of New Sand in the Tees

Over the next few years, the maintenance staff at Kinloch will be incorporating new sand into the tee and fairway surfaces.  The course was originally built and subsequently amended with a gray sand.  While this sand provided firm conditions and great nutrient retention, it has become increasingly fine and we have decided to discontinue use.  Therefore, the management team researched new sands that will blend well with the current rootzone.  After finding a sand with the right particle size and uniformity, we began the process of amending the current tee surfaces.

Rather than just applying the new sand on top of the older sand layer, which could cause water bridging, we wanted to incorporate it into the current rootzone. To do this, we begin by poking holes in the tee surface with solid tines.  These half inch holes will allow the new sand to penetrate into the existing sand mixture. Shown below is the process.

The surface is then topdressed with the new sand and, using our new Sweep-and-Fill, swept into the holes.  This new equipment has provided us the ability to incorporate the new sand without disrupting playing conditions.

The above process allows the sand to be incorporated into the existing surface, rather than just layered on top of the current rootzone.  This process, along with yearly aerifications, will allow us to completely amend the tees and fairways with the new sand.  Golfers can expect to see firmer conditions and healthier turf due to better surface drainage.

Verticutting of Tees

Over the course of the last few days, the Kinloch maintenance staff has completed the verticutting of all the tee boxes.  This is a necessary cultural practice that should be completed at least once a year.  Throughout the golfing season, the tees are mowed in the same pattern in order to produce the definitive lines Kinloch is known for.  The process, however, can cause the grass to continuously be pushed and grow in one direction, a term we call grain.  Excessive grain in turf can cause scalping and irregular growth.  In order to correct this grain, we verticut the turf perpendicular to the mowing pattern.  This allows the plant to stand upright, correcting the growing direction.  The process of verticutting also allows the lateral growth of the plant to be cut, which causes the plant to grow in a tighter, denser pattern.  By competing this process, we can ensure that the turf is healthy and beautiful for the year to come.

Shown below is a close up of the turf surface after verticutting is complete.  Notice the small lines going away from the camera.  These are the slits that were cut into the surface.  They will heal quickly and not cause any effect on playability.