Everything old is new again 

This entry of Greener Notes marks the end for the grounds department Instagram feed and a return to a quarterly blog that focuses on the latest happenings on the course.  The IG account was created to document the construction of the new maintenance building. Since completion of the facility, there's less reason to keep it active.  For course info in a digital format, this blog, the pro shop Instagram and their weekly email remain the best sources.

Winter Review 

Over the winter the crew stayed busy on a few important projects.  About a dozen trees and stumps were removed in preparation for cartpath paving. Paving begins between the end of April and early May. Paving will be near 10 tee, 11 tee, 12 tee, and 6 tee.  When ground firms up more path work will be done near tees 3, 7, 8, and 17.  The pond was dredged to remove silt and cattail build-up. A pocket of cattails were left behind to knock down sediment and aid in nutrient absorption.  This helps keep odors down as the pond heats up over the summer. Until the pond can be remodeled, dredging will need to occur every 3-5 years to keep pace with the silt incursion from the Ag operation to our east.

A final solution for the pond is in the works and there are preliminary drawings by Barry Jordan Golf Design being considered.  We're mulling over ideas that best suit the course not only financially, but in  sustainability/maintenance, and player strategy.

 The silt that was dredged from the pond was unable to be hauled away due to deeper than expected snow pack.  I've opted to leave it in place, grass it over and keep it mowed at rough height for the summer.  It will be used as a fill source for future projects. 

The 6th tee will get a slight reshape as the cart path there gets relocated closer to 5 green.  Sod jobs and bunker work will be finished up to round out the spring work.  

Autumn Report

 Fall In

As we begin to close out another another successful season, it's time for a quick look back at 2024, then set our eyes on what adventures lay ahead.  

Before that, I want to take a minute and recognize one of the many friends of the Grounds Department as he exits from his service on the board. Ben Kilmartin has worked towards the betterment of Tuscarora GC, specifically with grounds, for the last 10 years. His love for the game, as well as the property and what makes it special is hard to match. We've had 3 greens chairs in the last 25 years with Ben being the last and I'd be remiss to not thank him publicly for the support, and for being the champion of this department whenever folks grew restless. Greens chair is a universally thankless job whether its done at Inverness, or Tuscarora. It's not an assignment for those with thin skin. Its done best by people that believe in what they're doing and know why they're doing it.  Ben is one of those people. Thanks, Ben.

Not homeless, just un-housed

   

Heat Miser

If it's hot for you, it's hot for the turf

For all the heat experienced this year, we maneuvered through it, as usual, with good results.  Heat itself isn't the big concern as much as the duration of it.  Small breaks in temperature or rainy periods help and from the end of June through the end of July, we saw none of that.  

The turf management style at Tuscarora during those types of weather patterns hinges on balancing the factors of green size, amount of play, and grass type.  It requires conservative manipulation of water, fertility, mowing height and frequency which reduces risk. There's no return whatsoever on risking the health of our greens by pushing for speed through prolonged heatwaves. Tuscarora remains a popular course to play because of its affordability and consistent conditions due to responsible management. Meeting the goals of a full membership while keeping costs reasonable is just one way to measure if that's a winning strategy. 

The Speed Demon

You might know one...heck, you might BE one.  It's only a minority of players so don't fret, we're here to help you get over this timeless ailment that afflicts the egos and minds of the slightly-better-than-average golfer.   

It takes some understanding of what goes into making that ball move the way it does, and why that can't be the same on any given day. Pull up a log and gather 'round for storytime, or, if it cuts too close to the bone, just hit this link and read an article from the USGA green section.  

Firstly, fast greens can be good times. We like them because they make golf more challenging and makes putting more maddening than it already is.  You'll get no argument from most superintendents that it's what we strive for.  Most modern practices are designed to make greens tough and push them to the highest maintainable speed that's reasonable for the property.  

The $64,000 question is: What's reasonable? with a follow-up question of: when is it reasonable?   It's often that second question that causes consternation among Superintendents.

         

Getting greens fast isn't the issue..

Anyone can have fast greens, at least for a while anyway.  

Greens are changeable because it's an outdoor game played on an ever-changing surface. Dialed-in maintenance is achievable for special events and major tournaments for a limited time. We've all played on super fast greens at a course and wonder if they're like that all the time...

Spoiler alert: they aren't, because they can't be. 

What's more realistic is the greens are going to be managed with sustainability in mind and fall within a reasonable range for their needs and expectations.  Like most average golf courses of the same caliber as Tuscarora, that range is between 10' and 11'.  The reasons for that are myriad with not the least being small green size and high rounds.   

During drier cooler periods speeds may creep up to 11-12' and during the hottest most humid times it may get down to 9-10'. This is normal and is nothing to resist or change. 

 

The take home lesson is there's no wrong speed, there's just "what they're rolling today". There's never a guaranteed speed and posting a stimp number on the first tee stating what greens 'are' today is only good for the moment they were measured - not 2, 6, or 8 hours later. The only parameter we care about is whether pace of ball roll is consistent from green to green. Good Superintendents spend more time keeping that locked down than chasing how fast they can get them day to day and week to week.    

 

  

       

 

Countdown

 Over the Hump

Oh Canada!

Summer solstice, northern solstice, estival solstice, or just midsummer. At the time of this writing we're a little more than a month past the longest day of the year and we've got our eyes fixed on the coming vernal equinox in September when daylight and darkness are balanced.   We've had some smokey afternoons this summer due to wildfires north of the border making things visually interesting if not a challenge to get a gulp of air.  Rains arrived after and have been on the regular through July after being scarce in late May and June. That kind of pattern leads to healthy thick grass from tee through green unfortunately including the rough.  One downside to conditions that promote lush growth are that green speed numbers suffer and wet bunkers are harder to keep consistent.   

Nursery

Rock picking

Ready to seed

A good catch

                                   

Adding to the landscape between 7 green and 3 tee will be a new green, fairway and tee nursery. Planting was done in August to  target optimal soil temperatures.   

Grasses in the nursery will be as follows: 

• Fairways and rough: Perennial ryegrass/dwarf kentucky bluegrass  
• Tees, collars,  putting surfaces: 777 bentgrass + Poa annua

 Course conditions

Aside of minor skirmishes with disease and some early season drought conditions, the course has performed extremely well and shows no signs of stress. Our biggest challenge this year was repairing the construction trenches for the new maintenance building. The rains helped us there but with those rains came a smaller window for getting weed control measures in place. Control has been a challenge and we'll endeavor to get everything treated by fall so we're clean going into next season. 

Fairways have improved tremendously.  A new strategy was employed and we've had success. With some creative tee time adjustment we mowed 'dry' whenever we could.  Instead of killing worms with chemicals we simply mowed when they were less abundant (later in the morning). Mowing dry allows worm casts to break up instead of smear into the grass. It's a minor disruption to tee times but this small difference in turf dryness has made a huge difference in fairway quality and is one we'll keep doing in years to come. With the wet year, it's been a great test for this method.  

Greens have been healthy due to the ample rain. The other side of that coin is excess moisture contributes to inconsistent green speed.  Otherwise growth has been accelerated with regular rains helping to heal areas quickly. 2 & 4 green did their annual about-face in the hottest part of summer but with some hand holding they've turned the corner and are responding to inputs. Growth regulators course-wide have been used sparingly as their usefulness is diminished  when moisture and warmth are this plentiful. 

Venting greens midsummer to let air in

The biggest challenge continues to be cart traffic. As we removed roping ahead of men's MG, traffic patterns started taking a toll within days. This problem is a blessing and curse for popular courses that enjoy enthusiastic golfers. GPS control on carts will become affordable in the future and will give us the tool we need to keep carts from getting into trouble without having to erect a maze of rope and stakes that are visually unappealing.  Until then, we'll rely on ropes and golfer self-awareness.    

On Golden Pond

Trimming cattails is a coveted job of the summer staff

As talk is continues about developing a more up-to-date master plan to address the next 50 years at Tuscarora, a high priority of that plan will be steps to handle the pond and creek on holes 10,11,12,15.  

Regular trimming is required for playability

Pond history: 

• Average depth of pond is 3' with a bottom of solid limestone.
• Pond is part of a 'Karst topography' formation that terminates on hole 15. 
• Pond was originally a wetland and fed primarily from residential and agricultural runoff with some minor seepage coming from the larger ponds across Howlett hill road (11 green area).
• Army Corps of Engineers were consulted in 2009 to help re-shape a smaller pond in front of the willow on 10 into the winding creek that it is today.
• Pond and waterway was studied by ESF in 2017 to determine whether it could generate enough water to be used to supply an irrigation pond. The verdict: Not feasible or affordable at this time.
• Pond on 12 was dredged twice after 2 silt incursion events  created by ag/land management decisions across Munro road on land leased by the Hourigan Family Dairy. The DEC was notified after the second incident.
• The current condition of the pond/water is healthy and odor-free as compared to past years when there was no vegetation allowed.  Wetland plants and naturalization act as a filter for nutrients and silt, lessening the decomposition smell that used to plague that area when it was mowed closely.
• A decision on what the pond should and can be needs further discussion and consideration.  New DEC guidelines and laws pertaining to New York state waterways and wetlands are in play which is a new wrinkle to deal with.  A good regional golf course architect or waterway consultant will be able to guide the club through those regulatory 'waters' when the time comes.          

Where the water goes on #15 and why treating the pond with chemicals is a sensitive issue

Great potential here for something special

      

Fall/Winter Projects

Another beautiful sunrise 

We'll be returning to our roots of bunker, tee, and tree work for this winter.  The success of  5 new 'capcon' bunkers on 11 and 18 proves we can fix our bunkers in-house.  It may take longer than a contractor could do it, but eventually we'll get to all of them. The target is to complete 1-2 holes a year depending on the severity of the reconstruction.  30 bunkers remain to be restored and the order they are taken will be guided by the greens committee.   

#4 narrowing as trees get bigger.

Arbor day was a good idea for anywhere that wasn't a golf course. Hundreds of courses across the country are reclaiming their courses from the overplanting craze it wrought from the 60s through the 80s.  Problems growing grass dissolve when sun gets through and tree roots aren't robbing resources. As we witness improvements in areas that had this work performed, the need for future removals becomes obvious and less controversial.  

Overseeding is coming

It's time to return to our tried and true practice of slit-seeding fairways.  We backed off for a few years around Covid because seed was scarce but supply chains have loosened up and we'll be starting this process again after Labor day. We'll also be adding an aerification to 10 and 12 fairways in September to reduce the thatch build up. These fairways are the wettest and as a result, most infested with bentgrass.  The dirty secret of keeping good bentgrass fairways is the religious devotion required for thatch control.  It just has to happen if quality is expected. 

Greener Notes - Centennial Edition

 Year of the Rabbit

To honor the 100th anniversary through this season, I'll include a little visual history with every post.  Back before digital cameras and cell phones, I documented course improvements with real film.  I still have some paper pictures from the early 2000's as well as hundreds of digital photos from the following years to current day.  Many of the course changes made over the last 20+ years have been long forgotten. Some where good ideas and others less so.  Along with the usual course updates and reports, expect a short stroll through memory lane, from a property improvement perspective.  

1990's

2015-16

Present day

Maintenance Facility Progress

1999-2022

March 2023 makes it 5 months since we broke ground on the new building.  Progress continues at a brisk pace as we close in on occupancy in April. 

2023

New Electric, phone and data, and a permanent municipal water supply have all been installed.  If you've been following along on Instagram you've seen the process unfolding.  

New 3-phase power

Permanent water and septic at the shop will be a treat.

Course Work

The crew has been split between our usual winter season maintenance, repair and sharpening and helping contractors with trenching, conduit, and water line installation. With the mild winter and absence of frost in the ground, getting heavy equipment on the course for tree work has been limited.  The exception has been a contracted logging of the woods between holes 4, 5, and 6.  About an acre of Scotch and Austrian Pine were thinned out to increase air circulation, light, and improve playability for those 3 holes.  50-60  trees were left in the area to create a more aesthetically pleasing parkland setting similar to the rest of the course.  All the snags,  underbrush and stumps have been ground out and grass will be planted throughout the new space.  Finding errant shots will be easier and maybe even playable. The area will be a work in progress through the season as we transition it from wood lot to parkland. I expect it to be fully in play by mid to late summer. 

Aspect from #4 

  

Rotary Axe

Trench Warfare

As play starts returning to the course, golfers will be met with 2  major trenches that cross three holes.  The new municipal water line crosses 7 fairway and the new electric service crosses 16 and 17 fairways and rough.  As ground dries up and weather cooperates, trenches will be raked, seeded and sodded.  The target for these areas to be completely back in play is by Memorial Day. Cart crossings and routing through these areas will be regulated. 

 

16 fairway

7 fairway

The Final Countdown

As this gets posted it's now March 29 and opening day is around the corner. Whatever weather may come Tuscarora always opens on  either side of Masters week and this year's no exception.   This year we're shooting for April 5th for opening for walkers.  Carts will be allowed when drier conditions prevail.  Some late breaking news - after a years wait, the new practice mat system is on site and ready to be installed. The mats will be in use until we see soil temps in the 50s. Welcome back!

La Nina in Control

Making Hay

With the amazing weather pattern we've enjoyed for over a month we're seeing another year of extended golfing conditions and excellent working weather.  Leaf drop is almost over as we wait for the oaks and some of the maples to let go. We appreciate you bearing with us as we try to keep up with leaf work - it seems never-ending and an extra challenge working temporarily short-handed.   

Not all that glitters is green

Although mild weather is great for your game and mental health, the jury is out on how it affects winter hardiness of Poa annua on greens. As the picture above reminds us (9 green in April 2022), Poa annua does poorly when it's 'woken up' mid-winter and then rapidly refrozen.  This isn't a new phenomena, it's well-known for the species.  What's new for our latitude is trying to gauge how much a delayed dormancy (warmer autumns) might help or hurt the plants winter hardiness.  In a perfect world the plants harden off slowly as cold weather arrives in October/November (in our region) and enter a state of suspended animation for the remainder of the winter. Since 2014 that's not been the case. 

Last year we got lucky as many courses in our region suffered extensive winter damage through no fault of their own and some escaped without a scratch, again, through primarily good luck.  There's some correlation with how high greens were mowed going into winter (too low-too late increases damage) but it's anecdotal evidence for now.  Unfortunately without a real crystal ball we get to wait to see what's in store and hope for a colder than normal, no-thaw winter. 

New Digs

It's been there a while...judging from aerial photography from the 1930's the original shop looks like it's been standing on or near the same foundation for around 85+ years.  It's served its purpose dutifully and was adequate for what was required of it. 

Tuscarora's history is rich in character and lore. As the club was finally able to purchase the land and have a hand in their destiny, improvements flourished, and they still do. The latest of these 'upgrades' coming on-line in spring 2023 is a turf care facility that can truly be called state-of-the-art.  

The plan for this facility has been a work in progress since 1999.  It was never a secret the golf club needed a new maintenance facility.  We knew there'd be a time and place for it given the aspirations of the members.  As we bring it up out of the ground and into reality I'll be doing more posts on the benefits and features it adds to the property and how those things improve the golfing experience and the clubs place in the community. Not only will our maintenance staff have a home they can be proud of but they'll have a place that is truly able to provide the technical support and safety a workplace should provide.

Still Waiting

 

 Remember those awesome practice mats for the range we ordered in February?    It's been an experience this year dealing with it and trying not to blame the company for things out of their control.  If you're in manufacturing, or a distributor for a manufacturer who's dealing with supply chain and labor issues - hats off to you. It's supremely frustrating to have folks  completely prepared only to have to tell them there's yet another delay.  Our latest update from this company was 'before Christmas' after postponing three separate times through the season.  Hope is we'll have them by opening day in 2023. Fingers crossed. 

A Wormy Situation

It's far and away the worst attribute of the property. Of any disease, weed, insect, or winter injury - worm casts are the final boss.  It's sparked debate over grass type, mowing schedules, height of cut, and management acumen. The list of remedies from the course across town, or the self-proclaimed turf expert who likes to give their opinion seems never-ending and it's all well intentioned. What I've settled on for the time being is a solution that I'm certain works and works universally.  Namely it's mowing when the turf is dry. It's the way forward. 

To accomplish this we've added a third fairway mower to our fleet and will be coordinating with the Pro Shop to fit our fairway crew in during slower times of the week. What that may look like from the outside is fairways being mowed during early afternoons. We won't be making golfers wait and will schedule this to minimize contact with play. 

Other plans are using some new growth regulators during the wormy seasons to reduce the need to mow as often. This lessens the smearing that the mowers do which is where the  cycle of damage starts.  It also gives the fairways a tighter denser canopy that can improve the ball lie in spite of the castings. Notice the difference in the picture below of turf treated from 200 yards in on #5.  It has a slightly different color and texture than turf from 200+

 

We're going to find a solution for this problem without resorting to measures that are unsustainable if not vaguely illegal.  The talk of bentgrass fairways isn't dead, but there's much more to be discussed and prepared for before we embark on that voyage. 

In the interim, there's a mechanical fix here that will be explored.  It's affordable, safe, and sustainable without resorting to chemically nuking the worms from orbit.

Platform Change

The grounds department doesn't have a big social media footprint by design. We keep it impersonal and drama-free because nobody needs that. We try to provide information on all things turf and golf course adjacent, especially relating to Tuscarora.  As twitter goes through whatever its going through I decided to take the account over to Instagram for good.  The sharing and production tools are better and I hope the engagement and usability is too.  As the curator of the account I wanted something that's more attractive to use and experience. 

Without opining on twitters latest foibles it's enough said that we have a new social media home for the Tuscarora Grounds Dept. on Instagram @tuscaroragroundsdept 

https://instagram.com/tuscaroragroundsdept?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Please visit us, interact, and don't hesitate to DM us for any burning questions about why greens are slow, omg who cut the pins, why people won't fix ballmarks, and whether DeeDee ever gets tired.

     

    

 Half-way There

Just a quick midsummer update on the condition of the course as we come to the end of some short-lived drought and heat .

High and dry the way we like it - up to a point. 

Management of golf course turf generally hinges on two things - the schedule for the season and weather.  Ultimately if weather conditions aren't conducive for intensive maintenance, then the informed decision is to manage conservatively and return to more aggressive management when the weather allows for it. We can 'peak' the course for events only so many times and for a limited amount of time as weather allows.  Prolonged heat and drought are not ideal and will always eclipse sustaining 'tournament conditions'.    

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

The 2nd green looking healthy and full in late July is no accident. Time has taught us conservative management through adverse conditions pays dividends over the course of the season.

Without diving too deeply into what goes into making agronomic decisions through challenging weather, it's enough to know these basics; When there's unusual risk from prolonged high heat and drought - greens especially will be put into a safer mode of management.  The things we do to attain and sustain ball roll distance is turned down a notch in order to lessen risk of injuring turf from mechanical and physiological damage.  This allows the plants to hunker down, grow, and cool themselves and as they become more freely growing they become a little more lush than we normally keep them which noticeably affects ball roll.  

As more moderate conditions return we can safely 'turn the screws down' and start back into our more intensive management practices.  It's a little give and take as conditions warrant as is the nature of the game.   A little caution with the greens through hard conditions is normal and expected and keeps them predictable and healthy as we approach late summer and early fall golf.  

   

 

     

 

SUMMER SESSION

SUMMERY

After a nail-biter of a spring where it seemed like a dice roll for whether you had dead greens or not, temperatures finally started to climb and the grass started to move out and catch up.  It's times like this where patience is your friend.  If you have the room and support to let nature take its course the grass generally does what you expect. Hats off to  course managers in the region that had more severe damage and a less understanding clientele or impatient people and still managed to pull through and recover.  Unfortunately the likelihood of it happening again is increasing.  Growing Poa annua on greens in the northeast is an adventure for sure.

Winter injury on 10 green in April 

10 green in June  

SANDY

11 green capcon with pro-angle

Bunker lining and new sand was taken care of in April and May.  Although it was a stretch for the maintenance crew, it gave us what we were looking for which was the knowledge that it will work in our rocky soils, and that the drainage problems in our worst bunkers is surmountable.  These test bunkers were done to demonstrate the procedure, cost, and to give the membership an idea of what's to come if the board decides to pursue the rest. 

SEATED

New benches going out

Plaque sample

The new (memorial) benches are all in and are being placed on the course this week.  If interested in sponsoring a bench for your family or loved one, contact the Pro Shop to get on the list for the next batch.  Plaques are still on order and will be mounted as they arrive - said another way: If a plaque isn't on your bench, it's because it hasn't arrived yet. 

Since the new benches are longer than the old ones some course equipment had to be temporarily removed. It will be replaced in time.  This means there will be a missing ballwasher or garbage can on occasion.  Please plan accordingly for the rest of the season.