Lake Bank work on Bear #11 and #12

Please see the before and after photos below from the lake bank work that was recently completed along the 11th and 12th holes of the Bear golf course.  We used the geotube method to create a gradual slope down to the water's edge.  This is a long term repair that will create a safer, more aesthetically pleasing and more playable area.

BEFORE:

 



 

 

DURING, GEOTUBES PRIOR TO GRADING:

DURING, GEOTUBES AFTER GRADING:

 

 

 

 

AFTER, FINISHED PROJECT:

Finally aerating new Bobcat greens

We finally closed the Bobcat course last week to begin aerifying/verticutting/topdressing the new greens.  As we started we quickly noticed and indicator of our green's health...extensive white, fiberous roots.  When turf plants are afflicted with pests such as root-born disease or microscopic nematode worms the roots will appear brown/black and decrease in size.  The photo below shows that your greens are VERY healthy going in to our busy cultural season.

Note: don't plant cypress trees on top of drainage!!!

While investigating some poorly draining areas of #2 Bear we discovered some clogged drain lines that provided some amazing photos.  The drain line ran right underneath some cypress trees just left of the cart path.  The roots grew into the pipe and began to spread out.  In order to get into the pipe to clean it we had to cut our way in with an electric saw (see photo below).

 

 

Once the pipe was open, we could extract the 9'+ of fibrous roots that were crammed into the pipe.  Problem solved!  This area left of  #2 green should drain much better now.

Bobcat summer cultural expectations

As we prepare for our summer closures we want to communicate our expectations of how conditions will improve upon completion of our summer cultural practices on your new Bobcat golf course.  On May 16, 2016 we will close the Bobcat for 3 weeks to begin our summer cultural work.  This will include aerifying, verticutting and topdressing our greens, tees, fairways and rough.  Since the Bobcat is a new course and many of the areas have never seen the practices mentioned above, there will be huge benefits next season once the course has begun to mature and experienced these turf-health enhancing processes. 

-Aerification:  "Poking holes" helps alleviate compaction (which is a prevalent problem on new courses) and will allow water to soak into the root zone as opposed to running off the surface to a drain.  This will reduce the drought stress we are currently witnessing and also improve the playability by making the greens more receptive.  Aerification in conjunction with rolling will also help to smooth some of the bumpiness in fairways.  In the photograph below it is easy to see where our sub-surface drain lines are located.  The compacted soil around the drain lines is causing water to flow to the drains, which is why those spots are green and not impacted as much by drought.

 
-Verticutting:  Verticutting or vertical mowing is the process we use to thin out the grass and allow it to rejuvenate.  It removes the detrimental thatch layer and helps to smooth and firm the playing surfaces.  In the video below you will notice the massive amount of thatch, stem and runner mass that is removed.

-Topdressing:  Once holes are open we will topdress greens and tees.  This will help to perfect the smoothness of the Bobcat greens and aid in providing sand drainage channels and smoothing tees.

Drainage improvements and upgrades

This winter we are making numerous improvements to the drainage systems on both courses.  The plastic catch basins below may work fine in your yard, but in a commercial setting such as a golf course, more heavy duty basins are necessary. 

 

Heavy duty PVC basins such as the ones below cost around $200 each.  We are manufacturing our own using extra pipe we have around the shop for $50 each.  These more durable replacements will be able to withstand the weight of a 4-ton tractor much better that the residential plastic drains above.

 



You may also notice the new rock around some basins in native areas.  This is done in an effort to keep debris from blocking the drains during heavy rains.  Now is a great time to take care of these housekeeping issues ahead of the summer rains.

USGA El Nino Update

The link below will take you to a slide show update from the United States Golf Association regarding the unusually wet conditions we have been experiencing this El Nino winter season.  Many of the photos look as though they could have been taken here at The Forest:

http://www.usga.org/course-care/thingstoknowaboutelnino.html

This smartphone screen shot has been common recently.  As you can see in the slide show, course care issues such as obeying cart signage/restrictions, repairing ball marks and properly filling divots are critical for the overall enjoyment.

Statistics on January rainfall at The Forest

As you are probably aware, the past few weeks have been very challenging for the course maintenance staff.  The record-breaking rainfall, substantial winds, lack of sufficient sunlight and greatly fluctuating temperatures have tested the nerves of your staff and tested the plant's ability to cope with these conditions.  The information below helps put January rainfall in perspective.

• At the time this BLOG posting, we have received 14.7" of rain this month.
• The average rainfall for January in Fort Myers is 1.8"
• The previous RECORD for January was 7.46" set in 1958, we have nearly doubled that this month.

• Nearly 90 million gallons of water have fallen on TFCC property this month.  That's equivalent to:
• 2 minutes of flow over Niagara Falls, both Horseshoe and Bridal Veil falls.
• 136 Olympic size swimming pools
• 80% of the TOTAL amount of irrigation used on both courses in 2015.  

New sand bunker performance

Last weekend we doubled the monthly average for January rainfall in around 24 hours.  Nearly 4" of rain drenched the courses, providing a great example of the performance of our new bunkers on the Bobcat course.  The photograph below is from the Bear course where sand in nearly every bunker washed down to the bottom of the trap.  Repairing this condition is a very labor intensive process. 

The second photograph was taken the same morning on the Bobcat course.  As you can see the new sand held in place much better.  The sand in our new bunkers is manufactured by crushing Florida Round Particle sand into angular particles.  The angular (brand name: G-Angle) sand essentially locks in place and has become the gold standard in the industry for maintenance, drainage and playability purposes.



Green drainage cleanout

This week we conducted our semi-annual check/cleaning of the drainage pipes beneath the greens.  Below is a brief video detailing the process.  This is a crucial step in keeping the infrastructure of our greens working properly.

 

Needle tining Thursday morning...

Early Thursday morning your maintenance staff began aerifying the Bear course greens.  During our summer course closings we use hollow tines that remove plugs of grass/soil.  This time of year we use solid (AKA needle) tines with a diameter of 8 millimeters.  We poke these small holes and mow/roll the greens behind to smooth the surface.  This process provides HUGE plant health benefits and is a key part of our agronomic strategy during our busy winter season.  The small holes are approximately 5 1/2" deep and allow oxygen to easily get to our roots.  Many factors inhibit the root's ability to get oxygen this time of year, including compaction, excess moisture and salt buildup.   

 

 

New Greens Agronomy 101

New-Green-Agronomy 101

Since most of us have had some time to look at, touch and play the new Bobcat course greens for a few weeks now, let’s take a look at what lies beneath and examine the lifeblood of any plant: its root system. Roots are critical to plants because most nutrients are absorbed through the roots and all water is taken into the plant through the roots. So obviously, the more extensive the root system, the better chance for success. A general rule of thumb is that the shoot growth (above the earth’s surface) is equal to the root growth (below the earth’s surface). By this rationale a 50 foot tall pine tree has roots stretching 50 feet from the trunk, grass in the rough mowed at 2" has a 2" deep root system and greens mowed at .135" would have roots .135" deep. So you can imagine our delight with the photo below. This is a soil profile of the green on #18 Bobcat. At the very bottom, nearly 8" deep below the surface of the green, you will notice a small root poking out of the probe.

One question you may ask after looking at this soil profile is "how does this compare to the Bear greens?" The differences between a brand new green and a mature 5-year old green are remarkable.

As we know, the surface of a new green is firm, making shots more difficult to hold on the green. Here’s why:

Over time, greens develop an organic layer made up of decomposing stem, leaf and root material, not all that different from compost. The organic layer is softer/spongier than the new greens which lack this layer. The negative of organic matter is that it holds excess moisture, creating percolation and disease issues. This is why we aerify every summer and fill the holes with sand to dilute the organic matter and give water channels to vertically drain through the soil profile into the underlying green mix and drainage. The positive of organic matter is that it holds nutrients in the root zone longer than straight sand (or green mix). The presence of organic matter is obvious in the photo on the left below.

Typically after the first full growing season an organic layer will begin to accumulate on our new greens improving the playability of the surface.

We hope you have found this informative and we will be sending out your agronomy certificates shortly!
 

Throwback Saturday!

Hopefully you have had a chance to enjoy the newly improved Bobcat course in the past 10 days since it reopened.  It's hard to believe that 19 short weeks ago this video was taken!  

 

 

Foliar fertilzer...the facts

You may see this fine piece of machinery operating on the golf courses from time to time.  This state of the art Toro 5800 sprayer allows us to make precise applications of fertilizer, particularly the ultra-efficient foliar applied fertilizer.  True foliar fertilizers are applied to the plant as liquids and actually absorbed into the plant through the leaf, as opposed to older technology fertilizers which employ far more wasteful methods of root uptake.  The plant needs the same nutrients we humans utilize and ingest on a daily basis...magnesium, potassium and calcium.  Because this process is far more efficient, we can reduce the amounts of fertilizer that are used.

 

New arrivals at Golf Course Maintenance

Monday afternoon we experienced a little "Christmas in August" as we took delivery of our shiny new Toro equipment.

Below is a new Toro 2040 bunker groomer.  We demoed this machine in March and were extremely happy with its speed and surface finish in our traps. 

Below is another bunker grooming machine.  This model, the Toro 3040 is equipped with several attachments that will help us be more efficient in our operation.  In front your will notice the push blade that is used to move, level and grade materials such as sand or waste area screenings.  On the side of the machine you will see a reciprocating edger attachment.  This will help us keep nice crisp edges on the waste areas.  We also demoed this piece of equipment in the spring and were very pleased with its ability to help us save labor and provide a better product.

 

 

 

Below are our two new Toro turbine blowers.  These powerful machines will be crucial in helping us keep your fairways and tees clean this season.  We demoed these blowers earlier in the year and their power is remarkable.

 

 

 

 Below is the Toro Versa-Vac.  It is a PTO tractor implement that vacuums debris.  This will be especially helpful during summer cultural practices such as verticutting and aerification, but will also help us during season to vacuum debris throughout the courses and driving range.

Roots on new greens

We are very pleased with the root growth on our newly sprigged greens.  The photo below is a sample from #8 green which was sprigged with TifEagle Bermudagrass six and a half weeks ago.  The rule of thumb for plants in general is that the root depth is equal to the height of above ground growth (so rough mowed at 2" would have a 2" deep root system).  Our challenge with greens is that they are mowed at .135" so you can imagine how excited we are to see these nice roots 4+" deep.

 

Roll those beautiful sprigs!

Now that our newly sprigged fairways have begun to mature we have begun the process that will eventually result in smooth, tight fairway turf.  The first step in this process is rolling.  We rented a 9-ton roller to help smooth the fairways, minimize washouts and improve soil to sprig contact.  

 

 

The roller is a single drum style roller, so the rear tires leave ruts...here's how we get them out:

 

 



First mow on Bobcat greens

With a beautiful sunrise this morning, we began the first mow on our newly sprigged TifEagle bermudagrass greens.  The greens were sprigged 2 weeks ago and have begun to grow in very nicely.  The height of cut on our first mow is .170" with an eventual goal of lowering the mowing height to around .120".  Also notice the newly laid sprigs on the collar/approach (2 days old).

 

 

Sod going down and lake interconnect install

The Bobcat project includes the installation of 6 lake interconnect pipes.  Below is a photo of work in progress replacing the compromised pipe between the 2 lakes on #5 (tee and green).  The old metal pipe is removed, a gravel bedding placed in the trench and new HDPE pipe installed in its place.

 

 

Excitement was brimming as sod began to go down on Monday morning.  #7 green surround was the first one to receive sod.  We will be sodding loops around greens and bunkers, as well as all slopes, an sprigging all areas in between.

 



 

 

Bobcat bridge lumber arrives, canal pipe replaced

The marine-grade lumber for our 4 new bridges and 2 retaining walls began arriving on site today.  Our contractor began working on the wall in front of #8 green this week.

 

 

 

Below is a photo of the 36+ year old corrugated metal pipe being removed under the cart path from #17 to #18.  This 48" diameter pipe will be replaced with a new HDPE pipe (see the after picture below)

 

 

TifEagle in Bobcat greens

Below is a photograph of #16 green on the Bobcat course 3-weeks after we stopped all maintenance in preparation for the Bobcat course improvement project.  You may be able to spot some geometric shapes of living grass surrounded by dead turf.  Well....in August 2014 as season was approaching we had some weak areas on the 16th green and decided to plug the areas of struggling Floradwarf with TifEagle from our Bear course nursery.  The living areas you see below are the exact areas we plugged with TifEagle, the grass we are using on the new Bobcat greens.  This is just another example of the inferiority of Floradwarf and further justification for improving the sustainability of our courses with the Bobcat improvement project.