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.