An Interns Experience at NHCC

Communication, via word of mouth as well as pen and paper, is a key element in our jobs on the golf course.  Dylan Scattum, our intern from Luverne, Minnesota, writes this weeks blogspot about his experience this summer at NHCC.

This experience at North Hempstead Country Club has been one that I will never forget.  Some of the things that I have learned I did not ever think I would be doing in my lifetime for this profession.  Everything that I have learned in these past twelve weeks has helped me so much and I hope to continue to improve on in the years to come.  Being from Minnesota and coming all the way out to the east coast was a huge commitment for me.  I chose to do my internship in New York because I have always been curious about the golf course industry on the east coast ever since I started working at my home course back in Luverne, Minnesota.  Also, I chose to come to New York because I wanted the experience of working at a private club.

Walk mowing greens for first time.

There are a lot of things I liked about this internship at North Hempstead Country Club.  I mainly liked the interaction I was able to have between Tom, the superintendent, Keith, the first assistant, and Tom, the second assistant.  They made sure that I understood everything that was going on and why we would do what we were doing.  Another thing I liked about this internship is that I was always able to learn something new every day.  To say that I was not surprised from this internship would be an understatement, I had an idea of what was going to happen but I could not have done anything before in order to prepare me for the experience I gained.   What surprised me the most was the amount of hours that I would have to work in order to maintain championship conditions. 

There are a tremendous amount of differences between Minnesota and New York.  The biggest one I noticed was the control of poa annua grass.  In the Minnesota area we try to eliminate it as much as possible, but out here we do anything we can in order to keep it alive which is something that I have never dealt with.  I hope to work on and improve everything that I have learned this past summer.  I really hope to improve on syringing greens and in order to get better at that I will need to continue to be somewhere that does this on a regular basis like NHCC.  Another skill that I would like to improve on is water management- when and how much I need to water via hand hose and through the use of sprinklers.

Needle tine aerify on sod farm.

Everyone has been extremely nice to me and has helped me feel welcome and I could not have asked to be an intern at a better club.  I enjoyed everyday at North Hempstead Country Club and have learned a lot that will help me in my profession as a golf course superintendent.

Tom dragging fairways in order to reduce Dollar spot.

      

Sand Wasps: A Friendly Nuisance or Harmful Pest?

For a few weeks every year we have little friends make homes in our sand traps. These fast fliers are officially known as the Bembix Sand Wasp. They dig numerous burrows in soft sand (ie- bunkers) to lay their eggs. Juvenile wasps, known as larvae, emerge from the eggs where they remain in the sand and grow into adults. Adult females congregate together in large numbers when making nests to bait their prey. The higher populations of larvae in nesting sites attract flies, beetles, caterpillars and grasshopper. These insects are captured by the female sand wasp and taken back to the sand burrows to be fed to the growing larvae. 

Close up of a Sand Wasp

The existence of these critters in the bunkers is a nuisance to golfer but beneficial to the the course as they help to control the population of flies and detrimental turf beetles by preying on them. The greatest concern for golfers is that they will get stung by these wasps when entering a bunker to play a shot.   Studies have proven that this particular wasp is not aggressive and of no harm to humans.  Both male and females wasps will not sting humans unless they are stepped on or smashed between your hands.  When approached by a human the sand wasp will initially swarm, looking for food, and then go back to their burrows to protect their larvae.  It may be a distraction when trying to play a shot from a bunker but keep in mind, bunkers are hazards and populations will dissipate in September when new adults emerge from the sand.

Shown here are a few females hovering over their nests protecting their growing young

For a video demonstrating the aggression and sting capabilities of the sand wasp, click on or copy and paste the following link to a web browser- .https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB4bJkZFDhE 

What's Between 10 Green and 18 Tee?

With summer in mid swing, fall is right around the corner. Fall conditions not only bring great golfing weather but also the perfect time for projects to be done on the golf course.  In addition to continuing to renovate bunkers, we would like to expand a few of the greens to allow for added pin locations throughout the playing season. Dating back to 2009, the establishment of a sod nursery began between 18 tee and 10 green with the intended purpose of using this area for future projects such as greens expansions.

Area between 18 Tee and 10 Green mowed at rough height as of 2011

First cut following spring aeration May 2014

In order to take the area from rough height down to greens height we needed both time and aggressive cultural practices.Taking the area from rough height to fairway height was fairly simple- the difficult and time consuming change has been taking the nursery from fairway height down to greens height. In 2011, we began dropping the height of the nursery closer and closer to greens height without killing the bent/poa mixture that we had established in the prior two years.  In addition to beginning the height descent from .5" to .105", we became more intensive with the agronomic practices on this green so that its upper profile will best match the existing greens. As of the start of this season, the green has been managed at greens height and will be suitable for use in the future.

Top: Plug from #10 Green
Bottom: Plug from sod nursery
Soil profile in the top 2" shows that the sod nursery is beginning to have similar characteristics as regular greens

Sod Nursery ready for action!

8th Green Expansion and Pin Placements

Every spring, before aeration, we evaluate the greens to see if there are small expansions we can do with a goal of increasing the number of pin locations. The benefits of increased hole locations are two-fold.  From a golfing standpoint these expansions create a greater diversity of pin placements by recapturing parts of the greens lost over time as the greens became slightly smaller and more rounded for what was most likely maintenance purposes.

Original size of 14 green as evident by existing rough contour

From a maintenance perspective, the expansions are just as beneficial. With the maintenance practices performed to achieve speeds in excess of 10.5, having an adequate number of hole locations on a green is as important as any other agronomic practice performed on the green.  The greater the number of pin locations that can be achieved, the better foot traffic can be dispersed throughout the green.

Throughout the past 5 years, we have received a great deal of feedback, mostly very positive, on our pin locations.  This feedback has been very helpful in selecting pin locations, particularly for member functions.  Additionally, many have asked who determines the pin locations.  A majority of the time our assistants and I will determine hole locations and for special events the locations will be jointly determined by Greg and myself.  We employ 4 dry erase books that the general pin location for the green is drawn onto each day.

Example of a drawn out pin location (tees are done is a similar fashion)

These pin locations are looked at for 3 days after a location is selected so that in a 4 day cycle we can rotate to 4 different areas of the green. We routinely try to achieve 6 forward, 6 middle and 6 back pin locations each day with an equally proportional number of left, right and center locations. A number of factors are considered when determining the exact hole location's severity. This includes the event for the day, the amount of play the course is going to get, the speed and firmness of the greens and the expected weather conditions for the day.  During the most stressful parts of the summer, July and August, we will evaluate stressed parts of the greens and keep pins away from these areas on days where there is going to be a great deal of play.  Similarly after heavy rain events we may choose locations on the drier part of a green. Ultimately, we try to create a healthy balance of rewarding, challenging and fun pin locations.

Since aerating the greens 2 weeks ago, we have expanded the green on hole 8 to encompass the whole approach.  The expansion on 8 will eventually yield some great front pin placements between the 2nd and 3rd bunker on the green.

8th green expanded

Because the agronomic practices on the approaches are identical to the greens, the ability to expand the green is possible.  Expanding just after aeration is ideal because the crown, the growing point of the plant, is still protected by the sand applied during aeration.    

On Monday, a new approach will be created that will enhance the green complex.  There is a flat area that exists above the 1st and 2nd bunker where there was most certainly an approach that existed at one time. The addition of the approach will better frame out the bunkers and green. The approach will be playable within 2 weeks.

8th green expansion and new approach line

For our maintenance staff, selecting hole locations and cutting cups is just as rewarding as a golfer making a big putt.  We take a great deal of pride in it the process involved, appreciate the feedback and will continue to explore areas for future pins.

 

Aeration Update, Wednesday, 4/16

With the rain yesterday and the snow and ice that blanketed the course this morning, aeration of the fairways and tees could not take place as scheduled yesterday and for the first part of this morning. As a result of being delayed a full day and one-half, aeration will have to be finished on some areas tomorrow.

The greens and approaches are finished- they look great and will heal quickly with the 1/4" tines we used this spring. We will begin rolling the greens tomorrow and may cut them on Friday as a great deal of the sand dissipated with yesterdays rain.

The tees were aerified today, cleaned off and have just started being topdressed. The tee markers will remain off tomorrow so that they can finish being topdressed, seeded and dragged in.  Please play from anywhere on the tee.

Fairway aeration began this morning.  The front nine fairways are aerified. Other than hole fourteen, the back nine is not.  As a result we will close the back nine tomorrow to aerify, drag and clean up the cores.  As the back nine is finished, it will be opened for play. In addition, we will begin topdressing the fairways tomorrow. Other than some sand on your golf ball, disruption to play will be minimal.

Thanks for your cooperation and patience- Happy Easter to all!

Business in the Sun (and a bit of fun)

With the ample snowfall we have received already this winter at NHCC, the annual Golf Course Superintendents of America educational conference and trade show could not have come at a better time this year. Our assistant, Keith Wetzel, and I were able to beat the snow out of New York last and spend last Monday thru Friday attending educational classes and a trade show in warm, sunny Orlando.  The conference and trade show seemed particularly beneficial this year given the amount of work we still had left from Hurricane Sandy last year and the cold, snowy weather we were able to escape for a few days this year.

The conference and trade show serves as a summit of sorts for golf course superintendents from around the world.  The conference consists of two main parts that we actively participate in- educational seminars and the trade show.  The educational seminars are led by professors from the top turf and business programs in the country and can range from topics as broad as social media and its place in our profession (ie- blogging!) to leadership/staff management topics to topics as specific as, "Strategies for Managing Poa Annua in Creeping Bentgrass." The classes that we participated in greatly help us as leaders, managers and scientists on the golf course.  They also serve as a tremendous vehicle for meeting superintendents from around the world, sharing and listening to new ideas and concepts.

Seminar involving plant/soil interaction

The real fun for me at these shows is the trade show- each year it reminds me of going to Toys R Us before Christmas as a kid!  There are rows and rows of products, supplies and equipment pertinent to golf course maintenance. If you do not go in with a plan you can be easily overwhelmed by all of the stuff that engulfs you.  Each year that I attend I make a list up of things I want to see that I believe would benefit our golf course.  Given another few inches of snow this morning and much more to possibly come Thursday, I figured I would share with you 3 things I focused on for this year.  

The first product I researched was a fan that could produce artificial wind to push air across a green similar to the one we implemented on one green this past year.  Air movement is just as vital to the success of the turf as sunlight and as noted this past year the barrier that is Port Washington Boulevard inhibits any air movement on one green.  In contrast to the one we used, the fan I looked at this year is darker in color and blends into the background much better, it is electrically powered making it much quieter in the absence of a generator as its power source and it is a mounted to a fixed pole that appears much less intrusive than the trailer mounted fan we utilized.  

Turf Fan

With the dramatic improvements that we have made in amending the top 2.5" of the greens surfaces over the past five years, we have begun researching equipment that will allow us to be less invasive on the surface of the greens but help the subsoil continue to drain by accelerating downward water movement. Thus, we looked at some machines capable of performing deep tine aeration, chiefly in the spring and fall.  Below is an example of such a machine.  It is tractor mounted and allows for a great deal of flexibility when it comes to deep tine aeration.  Such a machine could also be implemented on fairways, tees and approaches.  In a winter like the one we are experiencing right now, deep tine aeration prior to a winter freeze and snowfall can prove very beneficial in the spring, expediting snow melt and surface drainage. 

Deep Tine Aerator

Just as the technology that is used on the golf course to hit a golf ball, the golf club, constantly evolves, so has the equipment used to quantitatively measure the quality of course conditions.  Over the past few years, the firmness of a green has become just as much a hot button topic as it's speed.  And although benchmark numbers have not been established and openly talked about on television like green speed, equipment is now being developed to quantify firmness just like speed.  At the show, we purchased a device, the TruFirm, which measures the firmness of a surface.  

TruFirm in action

The mechanics by which this device operates are pretty simple. A lead ball attached to a poll is essentially dropped from a fixed point above the surface inside a protected sleeve and the depth at which the ball impacts and penetrates into the ground is measured.  The less impact, the firmer the surface.  A tool such as this will benefit us in the same way that moisture meters and the stimpmeter does, helping us find a happy medium between speed, firmness, health and ultimately, consistency. The TruFirm can also be used to evaluate bunker sands, fairway landing areas and approaches- areas we try to keep relatively firm.  

The conference and show again proved very beneficial for us this year.  It is extremely refreshing to be able to visit a sunny location in the middle of the winter, learn some new things and really take the time to look at and research equipment without the worries of the grass needing water or being fed on by some insects that never want to go away! And yes, I did get to play a round of golf, Sarasota National, a fantastic course worth playing if in the Sarasota area and enjoyed a bit of rest and relaxation.  Now if only the snow would melt because I'm refreshed and ready to go!