Coming out of the Invitational which featured 36 holes of golf accompanied by 4.5" of rain, I thought briefly explaining what we do on Mondays when the course is closed would be appropriate. Following the Invitational this past Monday we had the fortune of closing the course for the entire day. This allowed for us to do some disruptive procedures to some of the immediate playing surfaces and well needed scouting for turf pests.
On the greens and approaches we groomed to reduce the density of the surface- this reduces surface friction which in turn promotes better ball roll, needletined for compaction relief/gas exchange and topdressed.
Video of needletine process:
Groomer mowers above, traditional mower below. The groomer mowers penetrate just below the surface, stand up and slightly thin out the turf. As Johnny Miller would call it, we're "taking out the grain"
Topdressing application to 4 approach
Some of you who played in the Invitational commented that the rough held up well with cart traffic predominantly in the rough all day Saturday. A cool spring, aggressive overseeding and dense rooting as a result have helped but the investment that was made last fall into the Vertiquake was also a big reason why. The attached videos explain and show the Vertiquake in action.
On days when the course is closed, we are also afforded the opportunity to closely inspect all areas of the golf course for pests and diseases. As I have touched upon briefly in prior blogs, our biggest nemesis is the annual bluegrass and we are on high alert for the most damaging stage of their life cycle to turf, the larval stage. The larvae feed by chewing through the crown of poa annua plants instantly killing the turf.
Larvae chewing through the crown
Visual damage in a fairway (not NHCC)
Due to their complex life cycles and having only a handful of products that kill the adults and larvae, spray timings are critical. We rely on visual scouting, soapy water flushes for adults, salt flushing plugs for larvae and work with a retired extension agent from Cornell University, Ron Ferrentino in scouting populations and timing sprays to best control them and the damage they cause. In a one year golf season there will be anywhere from 2-3 generations that are targeted. It appears right now that we are coming to the end of the first generation and our control has been excellent to date! Ron is instrumental in helping us properly time sprays and scout via vacuuming and salt water flushing. Let's hope the control continues this well throughout the rest of the summer.
One larvae found in 5 fairway, the "Bug Guy"- Ron Ferrentino and plugs being pulled for salt flushes
Having the course closed on a Monday following Invitatioinal is a rarity but the "behind the scenes" work that accompanies a course closure is what sets the stage for success during play!
On a side note if you cannot directly click on the youtube links attached right click and click of "go to copied address"
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