Sunday, August 28, 2011

Back to the Blog

August is a busy month for us at the grounds department, and for me personally as a father and husband.  We've had a great year for golf with the dryness and resulting ability to take the greens anywhere we'd like (in terms of speed and ball roll). That's a good place to be for us and we're proud of the work we've done.

As we get ready to aerify greens and overseed fairways this September, the blog will return to it's normal schedule.  Thanks for your patience and support.  It's always appreciated.

You might've heard that Gracie, my 8 year old Labradoodle, has been convalescing at home for the last couple of weeks.  It seems she injured herself, somehow, running after a rabbit or squirrel and suffered some soft-tissue damage in her hindquarter.  She's been examined and was put on rest and anti-inflammatory meds and is on the mend.  She'll be back in a week or so.  She's going stir-crazy staying at home.




Comparing Apples to Apples

Greenkeeping, like most professions, tries to measure everything. We do this to make adjustments, when needed, and to take advantage of opportunities when we can afford it.
In looking back to 2010 to understand that season, and to better see patterns that would explain the challenging conditions courses encountered, I found some data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association that told me what I already knew.  


2010                                                            2011
Avg temp: 49.7                                           42.9 (so far)
Avg rain: 41.47"                                         21.29" (so far)         

Course conditions are directly related to moisture levels; heat, not so much. 

The more frequent and heavier rain the course encounters, the worse overall playing condition will be experienced.  (Hence drying practices are encouraged like aerifying, drainage, topdressing, etc.)
More data will come out in years to come, not only contrasting these two years, but data that will allow us a better understanding of our warming and wetter planet and what we can expect as it relates to golf.
What I know for certain is we've seen no significant rain this season during the hottest parts of the year. 
The difference that makes in turf quality and playing conditions is like comparing night to day.   

12 Fairway

Historically, fairways 10, 11, and 12 have suffered from slow draining soil due to being such a flat part of the property.  Drain tile does exist in these fairways but many areas need better lateral drain lines installed.  The bare areas you see in these fairways are from water that 'steeps' the grass like you would with  tea.  In the worst case scenario, like on 12,  we're seeing a massive build-up of thatch due to the constantly wet conditions.  Thatch adds to the problem by acting like a sponge laying over the top of the soil.  It absorbs, and stops water from getting to the roots which forces heavier watering and a continuation of the cycle.
A major drainage project is being planned for these holes to alleviate the problem.

The above machine is called a slit seeder.  It cuts a groove into the turf and lays seed in behind.  Similar to a corn planter, it allows us to get seed down into the soil where it's protected and can germinate without drying out.  We have slit seeded the worst areas on 12 fairway using this process.  Grass has already germinated in these areas and is starting to fill in.  The fix is temporary until we address the bigger issues of installing sufficient drainage across all three fairways and discuss the future of the pond and it's effect on the drainage of that area.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Ballmark Repair

This is a great topic because it affects everyone equally.  Instead of getting into the mystery of why ballmarks don't get fixed, I'd like focus on how to fix ballmarks properly.  If we can get everyone who is trying to fix them, to fix them correctly, it would be a cost-free step up in greens quality.  The player that doesn't fix their mark needs to be helped to understand that they're hurting the fun for everyone else by not taking care. Even if you can't find your own mark, fix two others you do find.   And they're there to find -- the average number of marks repaired, per green, by our greens mowing crew is 10-15.  That's daily, and that's too many.  Recovery time for a properly fixed ballmark is about 3 days. Improperly fixed marks last for weeks.

There are a few different ways to fix a ballmark.  The method I recommend is the one that promotes the quickest recovery. Sometimes learning to do something a new way after years of thinking you were doing it correctly is tough. So, in lieu of not being able to go out and explain the hows-and-whys to all 300+ members, I've harnessed the powers of youtube and ask only that you watch and listen.  If there's anything you take away from these videos, let it be that even if you still do it wrong, at least fix your mark and one other.  





Sunday, June 26, 2011

After remaining rain-free for the better part of June, this last week of rain has been a welcome sight.  We had a few greens surprise us by suffering badly through last weekend's low humidity and high temperatures. We made some adjustments to them and with this cool wet week we've had, I expect them to be back to normal soon.  These are greens we'll be keeping a close eye on for the rest of the summer.

All greens and green surrounds have been fertilized prior to the rain this week. This was done partly for recovery but mostly to keep them thick and dense through the summer.  The color difference you'll see is primarily from the fertilizer.

Bunker edging on the back 9 is almost complete.  The crew will move on to the front 9 this week.

Clover that was small enough, at the time of our first herbicide application to avoid our sprayer, is now popping through in some places.  We are going after it daily and should have it all cleaned up within the week.

I want to take a minute to mention what is and isn't possible when the course is rain-soaked and moist, since its fresh in everyone's mind.  Sometimes what we deal with regarding weather, and it's effect on conditions, isn't so obvious to the untrained eye.  
 So, here's a quick primer on how soaking rains affect the course. 

Ballmarks: Soaking rain has a positive effect on ballmark fixing.  This is due to golfers actually being able to see their mark instead of not finding it at all.  When they can see it, they usually fix it. 
Cup edges:  When greens are saturated, fresh-cut cup edges will only look that way for about 12 foursomes.  By then, the edge has been physically damaged by a combination of  ball, flagstick, putter, suction cup ball retriever, hands, etc..
I know nobody intends to damage a cup edge -- it's purely accidental. But when it's done, it's done.  The rest of the players that day get to look at a crushed cup edge and wonder about the aptitude of the cup cutting guy.  If you play later in the day, and it's soft, expect the cup edge to show the scars from the wars of the day.  When it's firmer, obviously the edge holds together longer under the same abuse.  On the days the cups are cut, they're left, by us, in perfect condition and most of the players that play early will tell you this.  All it takes is one slip of the wrist, or arm, or puff of wind to cause a misjudgement when replacing a flagstick to damage a cup edge for the rest of the players that day.  Please do your best to preserve the cup edge at all the times, but especially when its wet.
Green speed: Soft, wet greens will putt slower than hard, dry greens.  Expect drops in green speeds by at least 1 foot when the greens feel soft under your feet, especially if we're getting rain everyday.  
Water in Bunkers: The bunkers at Tuscarora drain naturally through cracks in the rock.  With chronic rain, this draining can take some time.
Maintenance Schedules: Depending on when the rain hits and how much we get, the days scheduled maintenance can change by the minute.  Greens may not be mowed, cups may not be cut, and bunkers may be partially raked.  It's the nature of the business that the weather dictates our day -- not dissimilar to farming.  Point being, if you expect cups to be cut and they're not,  chances are we've changed the schedule due to rain or some other factor that puts the health of the course over a time table.
To be sure, it's easier to not change our schedule and barge ahead to mow or rake regardless of conditions -- but that leads to muddy bunkers, scalped-down greens, and cup plugs that take longer than normal to heal because they're too wet to handle.

A change in the weather

After remaining rain-free for the better part of June, this last week of rain has been a welcome sight.  We had a few greens surprise us by suffering badly through last weekend's low humidity and high temperatures. We made some adjustments to them and with this cool wet week we've had, I expect them to be back to normal soon.  These are greens we'll be keeping a close eye on for the rest of the summer.

All greens and green surrounds have been fertilized prior to the rain this week. This was done partly for recovery but mostly to keep them thick and dense through the summer.  The color difference you'll see is primarily from the fertilizer.

Bunker edging on the back 9 is almost complete.  The crew will move on to the front 9 this week.

Clover that was small enough, at the time of our first herbicide application to avoid our sprayer, is now popping through in some places.  We are going after it daily and should have it all cleaned up within the week.

I want to take a minute to mention what is and isn't possible when the course is rain-soaked and moist, since it's fresh in everyone's mind.  Sometimes what we deal with regarding weather and it's effect on conditions isn't so obvious to the untrained eye.  So, here's a review on how soaking rains affect the course. 
Ballmarks: Soaking rain has a positive effect on ballmark fixing.  This is due to golfers actually being able to see their mark instead of not finding it at all.  When they can see it, they usually fix it. 
Cup edges:  When greens are saturated, fresh-cut cup edges will only look that way for about 12 foursomes.  By then, the edge has been physically damaged by a combination of  ball, flagstick, putter, suction cup ball retriever, hands, etc.. 
I know nobody intends to damage a cup edge -- it's purely accidental. But when it's done, it's done.  The rest of the players that day get to look at a crushed cup edge and wonder about the aptitude of the cup cutting guy.  If you play later in the day, and it's soft, expect the cup edge to show the scars from the wars of the day.  When it's firmer, obviously the edge holds together longer under the same abuse.  On the days the cups are cut, they're left, by us, in perfect condition and most of the players that play early will tell you this.  All it takes is one slip of the wrist, or arm, or puff of wind to cause a misjudgement when replacing a flagstick to damage a cup edge for the rest of the players that day.  Please do your best to preserve the cup edge at all the times, but especially when its wet.
Green speed: Soft, wet greens will putt slower than hard, dry greens.  Expect drops in green speeds by at least 1 foot when the greens feel soft under your feet, especially if we're getting rain everyday.  
Water in Bunkers: The bunkers at Tuscarora drain naturally through cracks in the rock.  With chronic rain, this draining can take some time.
Maintenance Schedules: Depending on when the rain hits and how much we get, the days scheduled maintenance can change by the minute.  Greens may not be mowed, cups may not be cut, and bunkers may be partially raked.  It's the nature of the business that the weather dictates your day -- not dissimilar to farming.  Point being, if you expect cups to be cut and they're not,  chances are we've changed the schedule due to rain or some other factor that puts the health of the course over a time table.
To be sure, it's easier to not change our schedule and barge ahead to mow or rake regardless of conditions -- but that leads to muddy bunkers, scalped-down greens, and cup plugs that take longer than normal to heal because they're too wet to handle.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Practice Range

Our range is woefully small.  We all know this and try to do everything we can to grow replacement turf as quickly as possible.  With this in mind, just a quick reminder about our practice tee 'mats versus grass' schedule.  Mondays and Thursdays, the practice tee hits off the mats. The rest of the week you should hit from in between the painted lines

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Speed Demons

What is "green speed" and how is it measured?  What affects it?  What's the right green speed for you?  They're simple questions for sure, but they play a big part in understanding why greens can be variable from month to month as well as from course to course.  The USGA and GCSAA (Golf Course Superintendents Association of America) have written extensively on the subject.  I'll try to condense what I know about it here and share how I apply that knowledge to our greens at Tuscarora. 

Superintendents measure green speed with a device called a  'stimp meter'.  It allows for the precise and repeatable rolling of a ball across a green.  The distance is measured in opposite directions, averaged, and is the green's 'stimp reading' that you might hear mentioned on television during golf tournaments.
With this number the Superintendent can compare greens on the course for consistency and monitor the effect his management programs have on ball roll.
 While I won't get into a debate over what's a good green speed, I will list what increases ball roll distance as well as it's corresponding down-side:

Cause and Effect - What Speeds Them Up                              
Not watering/No rainfall = Greens are hard, shots don't hold, grass wilts and dies in heat
Low mowing = Scalps/wounds the green, increases disease, shortens roots
Low fertility = weak grass, weeds/disease moves in, inefficient respiration, traffic and wear problems
Sand topdressing = No observable downside besides cost of sand
Rolling = No observable downside

...And What Slows Them Down
Rain
High humidity
High fertility, fast growth
Dull mower blades
High height
No weekly topdressing or rolling program


What the latest studies show us is that most golfers can't determine a 12 inch difference in ball roll.  This means that for the average player, a 10.5 foot reading may as well be 11.5, and vice-versa.  The speeds we aim for at Tuscarora, for daily play, are in the 10 foot range.  These are speeds I'm comfortable providing, given our conditions, and are speeds that are comparable with other clubs in the area.  I believe green speeds higher than 11 at Tuscarora would be penal and would be a major contributor to slow play and frustrated golfers.  It's not that you never see 11 feet here, you do, but that with the slope on our greens, it's a speed that causes more frustration than good times.

There's a Superintendent's saying that: "Greens are their fastest just before they die"  This is something we endeavor not to test.  There's a fun green speed out there for everyone without letting things get ridiculous.  Nobody likes to 3-putt because the greens are too fast.  It's unfair and can ruin a beautiful day of golf.
We'll keep on aiming toward what the USGA describes as 'fast' greens for U.S. Open tournament play -- excerpted from above wikipedia link:

The USGA stimpmetered putting greens across the country to produce the following recommendations:[1]
  • Slow greens: 4.5 feet
  • Medium greens: 6.5 feet
  • Fast greens: 8.5 feet
For the U.S. Open, they recommend:[1]
  • Slow greens: 6.5 feet
  • Medium greens: 8.5 feet
  • Fast greens: 10.5 feet

Monday, May 30, 2011

1st Tee Landscaping.

 As we’re all aware, the Arborvitae hedge to the right of the first tee was removed this spring due to severe damage from heavy snow over the winter.  As Jim and Nick have mentioned, we’ll not be immediately replacing the hedge until it’s determined that a hedge is needed there in the first place.  At it's size (over 12 feet), the hedge was weakening the south edge of the putting green from shade and root competition. Although it's sad to see a plant outgrow its 'spot', we're hopeful that what we have in store for the area instead, will be as functional as it is attractive and unique. 

What we’ve decided on, in the interim, is a gradual slope connecting the tee to the practice green.  This slope will be mowed at collar height (0.5”)and will look similar to the size and slope that goes down to the chipping green/practice bunker area.

The monument rock shall remain in position and will have perennial flowers and shrubs surrounding it.  The small boxwood hedge opposite the monument rock, although finally filling in, looks out of place now that it’s big-sister hedge is gone.  They'll likely be removed at some point this year and replaced with a low-rise curb of some type. The boxwoods were put in to guide foot traffic and give the tee a more traditional looking design. 

We think the new look of the tee is unique and reminiscent of traditional golf courses that had a more open and communal feel to their first tee/clubhouse area instead of a ‘cordoned-off’ feel. The  slope was planted to creeping bentgrass and is coming along nicely.  It should be completely filled in a week or two now that the heat and humidity are here and we can rely on warmer temperatures.  Comments about it have been varied but seem to be tipping in the positive column as players get used to it.         

My Romance with Annual Bluegrass

Of the courses I've worked on, I've never seen such variability in one species of grass as I have with 'Poa' (also known, incorrectly, as 'po' by Johnny Miller).  Tuscarora is dominated by Poa  annua, subspecies 'reptans', which is grass geek-speak for what's being more commonly called "creeping bluegrass".

The plants pictured above are the same genus and species - Poa annua.  One, I pried out of some gravel -- the other, I cut out of our seventh green. The physical differences between them are due to their 'biotype' and culture (i.e. mowing height, topdressing, fertilizer, aerifying) and is what makes Poa annua a versatile grass and strong competitor.  But, it's not a grass you can buy.  This is a wild species native to Europe, distributed worldwide, and is normally considered a weed.

Why I bring this to your attention is that most every 'Poa' plant shares one terrible trait -- they're prolific seed producers in May.  It's this production that's caused such great courses, like Oak Hill in Rochester, to choose the sterilize/kill all of their greens in the early 90's in attempt to improve the surface.  They wanted it gone because it was considered a 'weed' and a weak grass, but I would argue it's neither.

In May, Poa physically changes.  It swells up and gets 'puffy' as it pushes out seed.  It gives a terrible ball-roll only a few hours after it's mowed and becomes even bumpier and slower the later it gets in the day.  Think of how hard it is to roll out of a water bed compared to a futon and you get a good picture of how a ball reacts as it rolls across a 90% Poa green in May.  The only defense against this physical change, and it's a great one, is topdressing every week.

Seed production is it's primary mode establishment and the reason courses like Oak Hill try to eradicate it in favor of planting bentgrass, a species that propagates itself more vegetatively.  Courses that enjoy bentgrass don't suffer the issues Poa has in May as the bents don't go to seed.  They grow in an orderly fashion and putt almost no differently than they do in July.

Within 10 years, much of the Poa had returned to Oak Hill and they're back to where they started -- namely, trying to control seedhead production with chemicals like the rest of us.  The only true way to eradicate Poa annua is to strip the area, fumigate, reseed, and begin a never-ending regime of specialty  herbicides that don't let the plant get a foothold.  Even then, your chances are only 60/40 you'll keep it at bay.  It's like rust -- it never sleeps.
To be sure, replacing Poa with creeping bentgrass lends a great ball roll in May and more consistent appearance through the year.  For this reason, hundreds of courses still spend big dollars on conversion attempts.

Unfortunately we had a rainy and cool spring which made timing the application for seedhead control tricky this year.  At Tuscarora, we normally apply on fairways and greens for seedhead control in attempts to remediate the speed reduction and fairway cutting quality.  Although we were partly successful on greens in between rain events, we were only able to apply on 4/18 fairways.  To date, cutting fairways and rough is like cutting bailing wire.  It literally stops mower reels from spinning if let to grow more than two days.  We're having to re-sharpen blades weekly which is normally a monthly routine.

As the weather heats up, Poa goes into summer survival mode which is largely one of conservation -- this is when it shines and why Tuscarora has great greens.  We are over 95% Poa annua on greens here.  At that percentage, bentgrass is now the weed.
Poa boasts higher shoot density than the most expensive bentgrasses, it can be mowed shorter than many bentgrasses, it's ultimately smoother and faster than bentgrasses, it doesn't produce as much thatch as bentgrass, and it's pesticide and water requirements are similar if not edging out bentgrass.

So, take heart in May on 'pokey' Poa greens.  It's a normal condition of a very hardy species of grass that makes up 70% of our course.

New Batteries

Just wanted to give a couple of facts and figures on our latest project down at the shop.  We tasked our faithful Mechanic, Mike Forell, with the job of changing out 300 6-volt golf car batteries last week (14 pallets).  As you might know, our fleet of EZ-GO's needed a complete battery swap due to normal wear and tear. 
There's been normal scuttlebutt about this, and contrary to any of it, I know of no evidence to indicate chargers malfunctioned or that the battery swap was somehow avoidable.  Battery life in electric golf cars, in the northeast, is 4-5 years at best, and that's with heated storage.  We got a little more than four years out of the original batteries.  Top battery life is 6 years in the best case scenario (in Arizona with air-conditioned cart storage).

Looking forward, we'll be talking with the manufacturer of these batteries (Deka) to get their recommendation on winter storage and maintenance.  Deka batteries are a high quality American battery and are the battery of choice for ClubCar.

At 50 pounds per battery, Mike lifted a total of 7.5 tons over the entire week.  After he steam cleaned each cart, he then scraped, wirebrushed, and painted the battery trays. 
I gave him the holiday weekend off.  He deserved it. Thanks, Mike     

Cup Cutting

Three days per week we rotate the cup location on the greens.  The primary reason for this is to spread the wear from golf spikes out so the greens surface stays uniform.  Secondarily, it gives the player a different shot, and putt, at the hole. 


Our schedule for changing cups is based on the amount of play we expect to see that day as well as the concentration of play we've experienced prior to that day.  Our normal weekly changing schedule falls on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.  We've learned that changing cups more frequently, due to the small size of our greens, causes problems due to insufficient time for old plugs to heal-in. They end up interfering with putts as we run out of 'un-plugged' cupping area.  It takes, on average, 5 days for a plug to heal to a point that you don't notice it.

Cup edges should look crisp and clean the day they are cut -- after a day of play, less so.  What we notice in wet weather is the soil tends to fall apart more easily and leaves the cup edge less than perfect.  This is usually the challenge whenever the soil is saturated - it's been an interesting April and May in this regard.     

Unfortunately, even with a fresh and cleanly cut cup, it's easy to damage a new cup edge while replacing the flagstick, picking your ball up, or fishing your ball out with a suction cup or putter head. We all try to be careful, but sometimes we misjudge and mash the edge - it happens.

When we leave the hole for play, provided our tools are sharp (freshly sharpened above) and working properly, we ensure the cup is perfect and ready to receive a ball.  Sadly, we can't guarantee what that cup will look like 15 minutes later, let alone 6 hours later. 
We will make every effort to leave that days cupping area as perfect as the weather, and our abilities, allow us.     

Sunday, May 22, 2011

The Flowering Trees of Tuscarora

This is just a quick few shots of some of the best flowering trees on the course.  We have some great ones but the weather has been so rainy and miserable that it's been hard to see them in bloom. Here's some shots if you've missed them.
Flowering Crab Apple between 7 green and 3 tee
Flowering Crab Apple 'Sugar Tyme'  behind the red tee on 4

Flowering Crab Apple near the red tee on 13

 More a flowering shrub: Creeping Phlox on the red tee on 4

I'll add the Eastern Redbuds on 2 tomorrow.  They were fantastic this year.
 And here they are..

Divots

Just wanted to add a quick observation on replacing fairway divots.  What we see happening on the course is that most people (over 80%) are replacing or filling the divot they make. We thank you and encourage even more of this.
One problem we do hear is when to replace the pelt.  I like to advise people to only replace a pelt if you see and feel at least a quarter inch of soil still attached to it.   We find that without the soil the divot is likely to dry  out and die before it grows back in.
When you have an irreplaceable pelt,  toss it aside -- they'll either be mowed up  or picked up by our divot crew.  Fill the divot with sand/seed mix. (pelt: strip of grass removed by a golf club)
Replaced pelts without enough soil after 1 week

Replaced pelt with enough soil after 1 week

Beyond this, our crew will be filling divots with sand and picking up unrepairable pelts through the week.  When in doubt, fill it with divot mix.  More on tee divots next week.

Shop Area Facelift

You might have noticed a few trees and a lot of brush missing between the right of 16 fairway and left of 7 green.  This is a clearing project that we've started to make way for a bit of free fill we've been able to locate, thanks to Jim Wheeler and Nick Masterpole. The total amount is around 5000 cubic yards in volume which will supply us for any projects the Greens Advisory Committee can dream up for years to come.  The best part is, the material is free -- and thanks to Jeff Hanlon's generosity, so was temporary use of his bulldozer.
What you'll see replacing the brush is a grassy berm.  It will be tall enough to completely block out the shop from 16 and 7.  If we need extra room for more fill, we'll start the same process down the left of 6.
Ideally, the shop will be hidden behind a berm on 3 sides.  This will eliminate the noise and sights that emanate from our work area, which at times, can be loud and disruptive.  When fill is needed we'll be able to mine out what we need from the shop side of the berm without disturbing the look of the 'course-side' of it.
As the project develops, I'll update with details and pictures here.

1 Fairway Bunker Update


The bunker on 1 fairway continues to wait for soil.  Deliveries of topsoil were unavailable from our supplier due to the almost 3 inches of rain we had last week.  Soil generally needs dry out before they can process or load it from their site.  Otherwise, it sticks to machinery and is impractical to work with.  Farmers don't work their fields until it's dry enough to support equipment and we operate on the same principle.
I expect delivery by Monday as we've finally had a couple days of dry weather. We'll also be able to finish repairing stump hole on 10 fairway that's been waiting for dry soil.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

#1 Fairway Bunker

As of the May board meeting,  the fairway bunker on the1st fairway has been slated for removal.  This bunker was seen as too penal for the higher handicapper as well as creating a double hazard for the low handicapper playing down the 9th hole.


We've removed the sand and filled the bunker with the dried pond dredging from two years ago. The old sand from the fairway bunker was recycled and placed in greenside bunkers that needed it on 6, 13, and 1.

Our next steps will be to cap with topsoil and sod the area.  Play this area as ground under repair until the sod knits together.
Thanks for your patience.

Topdressing: What's to gain?


When a turf manager applies "topdressing" to a field of play, they're applying a layer of sand or soil over the turf to smooth unevenness.  Benefits of topdressing are crown insulation, thatch dilution, and increased drainage and firmness.  From baseball fields to grass tennis courts, where smoothness or surface repair is desired, you're sure to see topdressing employed as a standard practice. 
For golf greens, firm and smooth surfaces equal increased ball roll, or 'fast greens'.  This is good.

Topdressing is done by hand on our tee boxes due to the damage being so concentrated.  Seed is applied first followed with straight sand directly laid onto the divoted areas. This is quickly worked into the turf with a special tool called a 'Levelawn' (pictured below).  This procedure not only reseeds the tee, but helps slow down the unevenness older tees can suffer due to excessive traffic and unfilled divots.
Greens are topdressed with straight sand every Monday, weather permitting.  The primary reason we topdress greens at Tuscarora is to increase ball roll and dilute thatch.  Over time, sand fills the voids between leaf blades and old ball marks, and, in turn, lends a truer putting surface.  This contributes to the ball seeing less 'interference' as it goes to the hole.  With regular topdressing, putts stay on line more often, friction is reduced, and the ball maintains it's velocity (or speed) for a longer period - all positive things. 


This also gives some insight to why greens are noticeably slower after a rain or irrigation -- the same goes for freshly fertilized greens. Anything that makes the plant more lush, or the surface less firm, decreases ball roll.  This is why green speed can vary from spring to summer, week to week, and from morning to afternoon.  The plant responds to environmental changes as well as chemical ones that are, sometimes, beyond our control.
Topdressing can smooth much of that uncertainty out...  

At the end of 2010 we found a great deal on a low hour demo topdressing machine. It's computer controlled and allows us to topdress all 18 greens in under two hours, opposed to 5 hours with our old unit. It also let's us apply at such light rates that the sand rarely needs to be brushed in.  We've kept the older unit to fill practice tee divots and apply stone to cart paths.

Welcome!

This post kicks off the Tuscarora Grounds Maintenance blog.  What I'll be doing is giving the reader a Superintendent's perspective of what's happening on the course from week to week.  I'll cover projects that are underway, new programs that affect play, hot-button issues such as green speed and bunker firmness, general agronomy, and a 'how-to' section regarding turf-related issues such as preferred ballmark repair and divot replacement. I'll also address concerns or comments that have been passed on by the Pro Shop or Greens Committee members regarding the course.

Why do this?
Getting progress reports and course news to over 300 members regarding their property is something Nick and I think is important.  We feel the more information people have available to them, the easier it is to do our jobs and look ahead.  Considering the variety and scope of work that goes on during a week, I think a blog format works well as a resource for updating members as to what's happening to their golf course and more importantly, why it's happening.