Hey Folks,
The 2015 golf season has come to end and with that my first full year as Superintendent at Oakfield. I have to admit that I would have preferred to eased into the job with a less problematic year, but with the help of the staff and the support of the membership we were able to turn the issues around fairly quickly. We were also fortunate that mother nature gave us a bit of a reprieve for the fall and the season was extended past our normal closing period. Lets hope that next year that things are a better start. Here's a reminder of the spring.
Since the last post we have been working towards the end of the season and prepping for closure. Our efforts include aeration of the greens, blowing out the irrigation system, applying the final fungicide application and tarping the greens. All of these things are procedures that are not new to us and our systems are fairly efficient by now. Here are some links to older posts about tarping the greens and irrigation blowout.
We plan to start the project in the spring, based on the available funds and cooperating weather.
I hope that despite the terrible spring all had a great year and that we were able to provide conditions that were enjoyable. Thanks from the staff for your support.
Stay tuned for more posts in the winter and have a happy holiday!
Adam.
The 2015 golf season has come to end and with that my first full year as Superintendent at Oakfield. I have to admit that I would have preferred to eased into the job with a less problematic year, but with the help of the staff and the support of the membership we were able to turn the issues around fairly quickly. We were also fortunate that mother nature gave us a bit of a reprieve for the fall and the season was extended past our normal closing period. Lets hope that next year that things are a better start. Here's a reminder of the spring.
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| Number four May 6th 2015 |
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| Number Four June 12 |
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| Number 6 May 6th 2015 |
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| Number 6 June 12, 2015 |
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| Number 9 April 30, 2015 |
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| Number 9 June 12 2015 |
The Greens Committee will be seeing a few changes this years as well. Much thanks to those individuals leaving us, Brent Moxon, Sheila Brown, Diane Burns, and Jessica MacNutt. I would like to welcome Scott Mosher as our incoming Greens Chairman, Tanya Matthews, Josh Blakeney and Les Harris as new members. Returning members are, Ron Dauphinee, Kevin Moores, David Blott, Cheryl Burgess and myself. All of these people are very approachable and will gladly answer or redirect any question you might have about the happenings on the golf course. To help you connect with the Greens Committee we will be setting up an email address where you can direct your questions and comments directly to the committee. This will be available in the new year before the golf season begins.
If your a person who like to enjoy the winter weather walking on the course you might see a few thing different from last year. The pattern seen below is from our Airway Aerator. It has large tines on a ground driven system that we tow behind our tractor. The tines are very aggressive and create a large void for water, air and nutrients to infiltrate the clayish soils. All fairways were given this treatment.
A side benefit to the function of this machine is the tufted turf (we we can mow off in the spring) will help to melt ice. The tufts of grass sit higher then the surface will draw heat, and may help to reduce ice build up.
Ice build up can be a problem on the surface of the clayish soils that make up the fairway root zone, so with that in mind we installed these devices, in the low spots around green and fairways.
The idea came from an Internet posting by a Superintendent group, who are all very familiar with the importance of keeping the water moving. Very inexpensive to build, the device is made up of black drainage pipe wired to metal stakes. The drainage pipe heats up in the sun and melts the ice over the drain and the water continues to move. Simple.
We have also replaced some of the drain boxes that have been broken over the years. Drainage upkeep is of the utmost importance to maintain the health of the turf and provide the best playing conditions possible.
If you recall in the survey from August we asked the members about the state of the bunkers on the course, the results were mixed, with half the of the surveyed saying the bunkers needed more work and the other half fine with the current level. In the comment section of the survey, most of the complaints were about the stones and consistency of the sand from bunker to bunker. After some research, discussions with other Superintendents and Graham Cooke we determined that the washouts and design of some of the bunkers were part of the issue. Click here to read our earlier post.
Here's a video of a bunker product from the States. I'm not suggesting we undertake this procedure but the video has a great graphic explaining the issues around sand movement. Check out around the 50 second mark.
As promised we had a discussion with the greens committee and it was determined that as a pilot project we would attempt to adjust the surrounding of some bunkers before launching into a complete and costly renovation. I had asked Kevin to survey the bunkers and measure the size, depth, consistency and quality of sand. It might surprise you that there are more than two acres of traps on the property. With costs in mind, we will attempt lesser invasive and more frugal practices in the spring on two bunkers, the front bunker on 13 and the left bunker on 9, as tests before moving forward with any significant renovations.
The picture below is of the trap on front of 13 green. You can see from the angle of the picture that the slope in quite severe in the back of the trap and as a result the exposed face and "flashing" of sand are prone to washing out. To resolve this issue we will remove the sand, renovate the back and front of the bunker to reduce the severity of the slopes.
If your a person who like to enjoy the winter weather walking on the course you might see a few thing different from last year. The pattern seen below is from our Airway Aerator. It has large tines on a ground driven system that we tow behind our tractor. The tines are very aggressive and create a large void for water, air and nutrients to infiltrate the clayish soils. All fairways were given this treatment.
 |
| The depth is about six to eight inches. |
Ice build up can be a problem on the surface of the clayish soils that make up the fairway root zone, so with that in mind we installed these devices, in the low spots around green and fairways.
The idea came from an Internet posting by a Superintendent group, who are all very familiar with the importance of keeping the water moving. Very inexpensive to build, the device is made up of black drainage pipe wired to metal stakes. The drainage pipe heats up in the sun and melts the ice over the drain and the water continues to move. Simple.
We have also replaced some of the drain boxes that have been broken over the years. Drainage upkeep is of the utmost importance to maintain the health of the turf and provide the best playing conditions possible.
If you recall in the survey from August we asked the members about the state of the bunkers on the course, the results were mixed, with half the of the surveyed saying the bunkers needed more work and the other half fine with the current level. In the comment section of the survey, most of the complaints were about the stones and consistency of the sand from bunker to bunker. After some research, discussions with other Superintendents and Graham Cooke we determined that the washouts and design of some of the bunkers were part of the issue. Click here to read our earlier post.
Here's a video of a bunker product from the States. I'm not suggesting we undertake this procedure but the video has a great graphic explaining the issues around sand movement. Check out around the 50 second mark.
As promised we had a discussion with the greens committee and it was determined that as a pilot project we would attempt to adjust the surrounding of some bunkers before launching into a complete and costly renovation. I had asked Kevin to survey the bunkers and measure the size, depth, consistency and quality of sand. It might surprise you that there are more than two acres of traps on the property. With costs in mind, we will attempt lesser invasive and more frugal practices in the spring on two bunkers, the front bunker on 13 and the left bunker on 9, as tests before moving forward with any significant renovations.
The picture below is of the trap on front of 13 green. You can see from the angle of the picture that the slope in quite severe in the back of the trap and as a result the exposed face and "flashing" of sand are prone to washing out. To resolve this issue we will remove the sand, renovate the back and front of the bunker to reduce the severity of the slopes.
Below is the same picture but with a very poorly photo-shopped version of the new bunker edge. While a terrible representation, it does illustrate that we intend to do. The trap will be moved slightly forward and the back lowered to allow the sand to sit flat. This will not stop all washouts but it will be easier to maintain and produce better playing conditions.
We plan to start the project in the spring, based on the available funds and cooperating weather.
I hope that despite the terrible spring all had a great year and that we were able to provide conditions that were enjoyable. Thanks from the staff for your support.
Stay tuned for more posts in the winter and have a happy holiday!
Adam.
Thanks again Adam, your blog is both interesting and informative. Wouldn't it be nice if money weren't an issue and all bunkers could be treated as shown in the YouTube video?
ReplyDeleteI was reading your article and wondered if you had considered creating an ebook on this subject. Your writing would sell it fast. You have a lot of writing talent. Video Camera Tower
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