October Superintendent Report
Dear members
October saw a return to some much needed drier weather, albeit temperatures for the most part were well down on average.These cooler temperatures have enabled us to ease into the middle of spring with a little less stress, as the pressures of grass growth (particularly on fairways) and disease are yet to hit their peak due to the cooler weather. It took until the 25th day of the month to record our only day over 30 this October which is well done on the norm.
GREENS
The greens are now fully recovered from renovations last month and Im really happy with their current health as we head into the warmer months. I wanted to ensure that fertiliser applications (especiially nitrogen) were kept to a minimum following the coring to ensure we didn't create too much build up of organic matter (thatch) This meant that the recovery took a little longer than desired, but the greens should see the benefit heading into summer as a result.
Instead we have put a strong emphasis on organic products such as seaweed, humic/fulvic acids and amino acids which are not only better for the environment, but also help with detoxifying other chemicals (fungicides, herbicides) while having a greater impact on the overall health of the plant. We also verti cut our greens on the 21st which helps with breaking up thatch and promoting a more dense surface by enhancing vertical and horizontal growth.
I fully expect the greens to be a little slower than perhaps some would like over the next few weeks. The two new holes have already been a demanding task for our small crew of staff, and to relieve some pressure we have decided to raise the height of the mower slightly to help relieve some stress on the plant and the staff. Along with raising the height, I will be looking to back off the amount of times we cut/roll during the week to help with the above reasons.. Its no secret that cutting grass at low heights and up to 5 times a week isn't recommended to grow healthy grass. You certainly wouldn't apply such a program to your own yard to promote a great looking lawn. However since golf demands such practices, golf greens become very susceptible to disease and heat stress when this is done excessively. By cutting/rolling less, and raising the height slightly, it will give the grass a better chance to stay healthy during a period when the staffs attention is split between the existing 18 holes and the two new holes.
FAIRWAYS
As usual our santa ana fairways have come out of dormancy well, and the cooler weather has insured that they haven't been growing too quickly just yet. Due to the cooler temperatures we have found ourselves only needing to cut fairways once a fortnight, but this will soon become a weekly job as the weather heats up.
We finally applied a broadleaf herbicide to eradicate the weeds this week and you will begin to see the weeds stick up and "shrivel" over the coming days as they begin the process of dying.
ROUGH
Its normally this time of year when we often hear comments about how long the rough is from the members, especially now that preferred lies have been removed and we all now have to play the ball as it lies. Keeping up with the excessive growth of the rough is a very demanding job for our staff this time of year. For those not aware, it takes a full three days to cover the area of rough around our course. This means that by the time you have finished covering all 18 holes, the rough that you cut three days prior already needs cutting again. On top of having to maintain the rest of the course, the rough is always a near impossible task to keep up with.
Id like to thank Phil Adams who continues to volunteer his time to cut the rough, along with a host of other jobs around the course for us. And while Im thanking volunteers, Id also like to thank Kevin O'brien, Vin Bibby, Ian Hemphill and Ian Irquhart who have assisted greatly in supporting the staff and our club with jobs around the course.
NEW HOLE PROGRESS
Last month i reported that the sprigging of the fairways would take place in early October. Unfortunately due to the weather gods not being on our side, it wasnt until Wednesday 23rd when this job was eventually done. The sprigging process went without a hitch, and after a couple of back to back 14 hour days by yours truly, I was certainly relieved to see some rain fall last weekend. The process now is to apply enough water to keep the soil damp, however being that the area is 2.5 hectare is size, this is a little easier said then done. Once the spriggs begin to take and grow, then a whole host of fertilisers will begin to be applied to try and speed up the growing faze.
The greens are coming along well, albeit slowly due to rather cold weather for this time of year. With soil temperatures only around the 13 degree mark, this has made it difficult for this grass type to grow at any rapid rate.
We can only now hope for a mix of heat and rain over the next couple of months to speed up the process and catch up on the delays that have taken place.
I hope to see you all out enjoying the course in the near future.
Ryan Hammond
DG&CC Course superintendent.
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