June 22nd Update

Believe it or not we are two thirds of the way through the month of June. After a week of rain followed by a week of fall like temperatures it is safe to say we have (finally) reached summer. Last weekend was a real test for the turf with high temperatures, low humidity and high wind for three straight days. Nevertheless, the golf course is in great shape. The green speeds have increased over the last couple weeks and ball roll has improved. Instead of seeing the ball slow down dramatically as putts approach the hole (as was seen shortly after aeration) we are now seeing the ball roll “finish”. I know personally I have putted more consistently and am no longer struggling to get the ball to the hole (which says a lot for how I putt!)

We have lowered the height of cut on the greens to 0.130”. After this we will monitor the speed of the greens and the health of them as they respond to the stresses of summer before we lower them further. More importantly than the improved speed, which is nice, is the consistency from green to green. I measured 9 holes this morning and saw an average of 9’6” on the stimpmeter with minor variances on either side. Fast greens are always the talk of the town, but on the management side consistency is King. By keeping the green speeds as close as possible to one another the golfer will be better able to dial their putting stroke in and thus have a more enjoyable golfing experience. We can always add a little speed by rolling the greens periodically (which we have been doing already), but it is encouraging to see where we are currently at with consistency.

After several delays because of rain we completed aerating the tees last week. Behind the aeration we have topdressed and fertilized them with an ammonium sulphate/methylene urea mix to give short and long term growth that was much needed for the tee surfaces. We also added iron to the fertilizer mix, in an effort to improve the colour. The results have been fantastic, the change in colour and growth has been night and day compared to last week.

I must commend the membership for an improvement in ball mark repair. Early in the season it was common to find unrepaired or improperly repaired ball marks peppered across the greens. In the last week or so this has improved dramatically, so thank you! Below is a video to remind you how to properly repair a ball mark. Thanks again.

When filling divots on the tees and fairways it is important to remember to avoid over filling the divot with the sand/seed mix that we provide, leaving a mound above the surface level (depicted below). We are grateful to have the members take initiative in this practice, but too much material just ends up causing unnecessary damage to our fairway mowers, resulting in more work for our mechanic and more money spent sharpening reels and replacing bedknives. It also wastes the sand and seed that we take time to prepare on a daily basis. Overall I am very pleased to see the amount of divots that have sand added to them!

A pair of divots with too much sand added

A properly filled divot

We continue to pick away at the path to and from the washroom on #6. Yesterday we made progress on improving the drainage surrounding the path. The rain we received two weeks ago was an excellent example in illustrating the need to remove water from the area more efficiently. The rain caused parts of the path to wash out, resulting in time spent repairing the path. We trenched a line left of the path and will connect to the existing drain line on the slope in front of the gold tee. We will replace the drain pipe, as sections had been crushed, impeding adequate water movement. When the drainage is complete we will focus on tidying up the area, adding more soil and grass seed surround the path to blend the area in with the already established fescue surrounding the path. We will also add an additional path that will branch off of the current path and run adjacent to the Red Tee, serving as an exit for anyone leaving the washroom area. 

We are on the cusp of the Canada Day long weekend and into July, meaning the Club Championship season is right around the corner, with the Senior Men's Club Championship commencing July 4th. Keep checking in on the blog for future golf course updates at Oakfield.