Cruel Summer

Rocky areas on most older courses have hard fescue that simply goes dormant in extreme conditions - nothing corrective is necessary. Enjoy the color contrast!

Records are made to be broken they say and as steamy summer conditions go, 2025 was no disappointment.  Turf managers tend to have long memories on seasonal variations in terms of trends and norms. What we saw between July and August went down, for some, as one of the most difficult grass growing periods they've encountered. When it stays too hot for too long, some species just don't make it. Typical heat in the northeast comes in waves as passing cool fronts extinguish prolonged heating events.  Typical heat waves last 6 to 7 consecutive days with temps in the 90s. This year we saw 16 in a row according to our weather station.

Mainline fitting dislodged due to root encroachment from a nearby tree searching for water. When it's grass versus trees, trees win. 

Heatwaves of this length are still rare enough to be good stress tests for management programs.  The function of irrigation efficiency, fleet maintenance, fertility, labor size, growth regulators and pesticides are 'pressure tested' more than on a typical year.  Otherwise, we're fortunate to have a team of dedicated staff who know this property like their own and our older irrigation system, mostly, hung in there while operating above it's normal demand. It's a summer like this that we see the work done behind the scenes pay off. 

Asphalt Jungle 

Beat up and busted - old 8 cartpath

New 8 cartpath

Paving was finally completed near the end of July and the course escaped major paving equipment damage. Spoil (fill) from digging out the old cartpaths was used to begin the new privacy berm on 9 tee.  The biggest challenge turned out to be germiniating seed along the edges during the record heat and zero rainfall. 

Germination was slow

A little rain and patience

We've added some 'rumble strips' on the insides of turns. These cobblestones are intended to remind drivers where the edge of the path is while still allowing grass to grow inbetween. It's an attractive alternative to stakes, signs, or a wheel rut.  

Cart defense 

Subtle and effective

A small flower bed was added around the redbud tree at the Y-intersection near 3 tee. Seasonal flowers will eventually be added. 

Y not..

Shade loving plantings incoming

Cut and Dried

Assistant, Mason Wicks demoing the Eclipse - Jacobsen's lithium-ion unit. 

Despite May and June being above average for rainfall, July and August were well below. What dryness does for playing conditions is multifold with the primary benefit being increased firmness.  When we control the amount of water a surface sees, we control how well the mowers cut.  This in turn allows better consistency in ball roll and overall  conditioning.  Provided all other puzzle pieces are in position, drier summers usually yield better turf.  Under reliable irrigation, it's the preferred situation for greens quality and fairway performance. 

Due Diligence Demos

All electric greens mower - almost silent

We've been busy this summer testing the latest machinery that will eventually replace our current fleet.  We're doing this 2 years ahead of time to become familiar with the pros and cons of each unit. We have the time to shop around, explore our options and most importantly find the best machinery for the course. 

Fairway mowers are quieter, smaller, and lighter

Rollers are heavier and faster

50 hp tractor in sheeps clothing - Toro Outcross

Bobcat has entered the chat 

Of all the mowers, rollers, carts, and tractors we're looking at, the most intriguing unit is the one currently driving itself around the course.  Autonomous mowers are making a big splash nationally and have been used internationally for the last 10 years. As companies dial in their performance and jockey for position in this emerging market, we're watching the early models with great interest as their final form becomes more refined.   

Husquavarna Ceora automower

Within the next 10 years we expect all new equipment will be hybrids of conventional & autonomous technology. They'll be offered with a choice of a 'standard package' or 'autonomous package' similar to how we buy cars with different trim choices/features.  Conventional machines will have the ability to operate themselves when needed (spring and fall when staffing is lowest) and with the flip of a switch, they'll be useable by a human when staffing allows, or if there's technical or unforseen issues that take the autonomous ability offline - it will be the best of both worlds.

 **Toro is already offering a package like this which is something we'll be exploring.  

Scenarios with electrical, or network outages and overall quality,  durability/serviceability raise questions whenever new technology is introduced.  When dealing with anything that's purely autonomous, contigency plans for those times need to be worked through by manufacturers as they're experienced.  As with auto-driving vehicles, fail-safes need to be available that allow for manual operation.  With more time and investment, what's ready for market in 2 more years might be closer to what we're hoping for. Time will tell!

The current experience we're all dealing with with autonomous machinery and AI feels something akin to what might've crossed people's minds when automobiles first started replacing horses in society. There's so much promise and opportunity (and uncertainty)  on the way that will transform how business is done. We like to think it wouldn't replace employees as much as allow more work to be done with the same labor hours, similar to what the world saw at the beginning of the 20th century.    

Maintenance Happens

Re-building 2 green - 2007 

The curse of a full membership with a waiting list is favorite tee times are at a premium. Finding the perfect time to play can be frustrating if mornings are what you prefer or you have time constraints.  Complicating this, as always, is course maintenance.   

Our goal is to keep encounters pleasant and brief if they can't be avoided.  Although it may look like we're unaware of your presence, it's more likely we know you're there, how full the tee sheet is, what time you tee'd off, where you should be, how many are in your group/league, and if you can reach us with the club in your hand.  If we're unaware of you, it's our fault and our responsibility. 

If you come upon a maintenance operation that's ongoing like handwatering, or mowing rough or fairways, it's likely going to last as long as you're on that hole. Golfers are entitled not to be interrupted by the same operation more than once. Although it can seem it, we make a point to not follow groups.  To help with this, we work in reverse order when possible so as not to bother the same group twice.  In return, we expect a wave or eye contact and a 'fore' if paths do cross.  In the event a maintenance operation can't wait for you (handwatering a troubled green is a common one),  you'll have to figure a way through that's both safe for us and for you. Stopping for each and every group can turn a 15 minute job into a 2 hour one and we just can't do that.  When conditions warrant and something is time sensitive, we ask for some deference and empathy when a grounds employee has no choice but to be in the way in order to get their job done.    

It's a June-gle out there

 Drying out and moving on

Average rainfall for May is between 3 and 4 inches.  Syracuse logged over 5 inches in May alone this year and it always seemed to fall on cold weekends. The course remained playable, if not lush, but golf cart usage was limited. Finishing up projects before Memorial day is something we care about and push hard for. Unfortunately work stoppage due to weather caused a delay in completing projects. 

                                  

Most affected among spring work was paving.  Upstate Paving was in early to prep the worst paths on the course around tees and greens in hopes to be ready to pave when asphalt plants opened in early May. Plans were to tackle the paths close to access roads so their equipment   didn't rut the course. As the rains conitnued, we watched our window for spring paving disappear.

The biggest continuous path will be the sections from 7 through to 9 tee.  These areas were orignally going to be paved later in the summer when ground firmed up enough to support heavy trucks. As it became clearer the weather wasn't going to cooperate we decided to get the project ready to be completed in one visit from Upstate.  

The cartpath on the right will be retired and moved to the left as planned. Trees were removed last winter prior to this work to make way for the new cart route.  The access to 8 green will now be from the left and rear of the green. The path was stopped before it crossed shallow irrigation lines in that vicinity. Access to 9 tee will be from the left of the tee where the incline is gentle. 

The old path will be grassed over and a privacy berm will be added at 9 tee beginning just west of Frank Gay Rd. This will shield the tee from what's going on along howlett Hill road similar to other holes on the frontage roads. The upper tee deck will be expanded and total usable teeing space will remain unchanged.  This project kicks off more work to come this winter dressing up and landscaping from the corner of Munro and Howlett Hill to the clubhouse entry road.

With so much construction happening around Syracuse,  and with the sloppy weather, the soonest date we could book was the week after Men's MG. Paving will take 2 days and the paths should be open for use soon after.  Look for more updates in July as we get closer to finishing this improvement to the course.   

Moving on up

Getting started on 5 tee

Directing traffic

Final form

The 5th tee got an upgrade this spring to make getting up the tee bank less of a challenge. Thanks to Dave Lazars and Otey Marshall for guidance and Kyle Wenzel on our grounds crew for helping us improve a unique part of the course. We like the way it came out!

Ponderous

Looking west. Photot was taken several years ago (possibly 2017) before letting it turn into a marsh.  With nothing to shade or cool the water and filter the nutrients the algae that year was worse than ever. Expect a version of this to return this year.

Discussion continues on the fate of the pond on 12. Both solutions share the downside of being expensive to implement. What was a well-intentioned pond 100 years ago has become unsustainable due to land development, agricultural land use, and a better awareness about  managing water within a Karst topography.  The green committee will continue to weigh both options (deep pond or creek) and hope to have a recommendation for the board by the end of the season. And for those that ask, because it's a natural question; If it were as easy as putting a pond fountain in, we'd have done it already..

Filamentous Algae bloom due to shallow depth allowing light to penetrate to the pond floor teamed with elevated nutrient levels from farming runoff

The bots are coming

Autonomous fairway mowing  

Autonomous machinery is hot this year.  The technology is more-or-less reliable and clubs universities and municipalities are giving them a try. I expect they're here to stay and will only get better and more affordable (as we saw with drones).  I've scheduled demos this summer and so far we've seen a rough mower and ball picker by the company Echo.  While jury's still out on cost/benefit versus durability, this technology will likely become more a part of the business for golf, residential and commercial turf managers. 

Squirrels beware!

The course has been in great condition in spite of damp conditions. Tee through green, all areas are coming along nicely. The new sodded approaches are knitting-in and we feel they were a success.  Greens health and ball roll are good.  As the ground tightens and skies dry up we expect the course to get take on it's typical firm and fast summer character. Deedee apologizes in advance for messing up your trousers or blouses with her 'hellos'.  Next blog entry will be in July after paving..See you out there.  

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 shot 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.