Practice Area Upgrade

If you have been to the practice area lately, you have probably noticed the chipping green has been renovated. For quite some time the chipping green has been lackluster to say the least. The green was not a good representation of the golf course.

A few weeks ago we stripped the old sod off of the chipping green and re-graded the sand underneath. We enlarged the green in hopes to make use of some of the area on the course if needed. We are also trying to create more of a variety of chip and pitch shots to practice.

This season we also tried to make the driving range a little more interesting with better targets. We mowed out several areas that were most likely previously used for target greens. We also added some flags at short intervals to hone in your wedges. I think this has worked since the amount of debris left on the range tee has increased quite a bit since we mowed out these areas.

Stay tuned for more improvements over the winter and next spring. We have a laundry list of things to do. Don't forget to talk up the club to your friends. It is a pretty exciting time to join the club.

Also, don't forget to fill out your survey. The survey is important to help get your opinion heard on what you like about the club and what we can do to make your membership more valuable.

If you have any question please contact me.

Justin Ruiz, CGCS, MG

justinr@indiansummergolf.com

 

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Black Sand Experiment

We are trying an application of black sand to #5 and #10 greens. I listened to a presentation from a club that was using black sand to help the greens go through a snow covered winter.  Their main idea was that the sand would heat up quicker in the spring and help the green up process in the spring.

Root Rot Pythium Spores in the Root of the Turf Plant.

I wanted to see if we could get results from the black sand on our greens that have shade issues.  My hopes are that any light that these greens get, the black sand will help utilize that light to the fullest and give those greens just a fraction more heat at the surface to make the turf healthy enough to combat root rot pythium. This disease has become a reoccurring problem over the past couple years.

Results of the Sapling Removal.

Now with the saplings removed to the left side of the green, we are hoping that we can get this green through the winter a little more easily.

If you have any questions about the Pythium or anything regarding the course maintenance please contact me.

Justin Ruiz, CGCS, MG

Fall Aerification 2011

This week is aerification week.  Yes, it is that time of year again.  The course will have the nine holes that we are not punching open for play.  On Tuesday the 20^th, we will aerify the front nine.  On Wednesday the 21^st the back nine will be our focus.  Weather depending we should have all the greens aerified and sanded.

The spring aerification consisted of a slightly different process then what was completed in the past.  We used seven inch long tines, three inches longer than the standard aerification tines.  We were able to get below the thatch layer and increase the ability for deeper roots and healthier turf.  This also resulted in softer conditions during aerification.

The USGA recommends a 20% removal of organic matter each year.  This is a good number for maintenance purposes.  This does not take in account if you already have a little extra thatch.  It is important for us to reduce thatch to increase drainage and avoid turf problems in the future.  If you would like to read in more detail about aerification, click here.



This fall we will be using another process that is unique to this property.  We will use ½” quad tines to remove a little extra organic matter.  These tines will be the usual four inch depth.  The change in depth is to also avoid any plow pan that may occur from continuous aerification at the same depth.  Plow pan is when the roots reach the depth of the aerification tines, but cannot penetrate any deeper.  If we can keep changing it up hopefully we will eventually get roots down deeper.

If there are any questions about aerification or the science behind the process feel free to contact me.

Justin Ruiz, CGCS
justinr@indiansummergolf.com

Topdressing Greens

Topdressing the greens is an important and necessary practice on a golf course. The frequent incorporation of sand ensures that the putting surface remains true and healthy. Sand continually applied to the green also keeps thatch manageable.

If you have any questions about topdressing or any other questions regarding maintenance feel free to contact me.

Justin Ruiz, CGCS
justinr@indiansummergolf.com