2017 is in the books

With the 2017 season quickly coming to a close we now have some time to reflect on the past year and appreciate the hard work that was done to present the course as it was this year. It is nice to look back on our success for a moment before turning our attention to preparation for 2018. To produce a top notch golf course it takes many things, most notably a combination of hard work and a bit of luck from Mother Nature. The dry conditions of 2016 did not persist in the Halifax area this year and other than a stretch in the middle of July, we received timely rains and comfortable temperatures for the turfgrass.

Mid Summer Form

The Nova Scotia Men’s Amateur Championship in July was arguably the highlight of the season for the golf course. The best men’s amateur golfers in Nova Scotia held their annual tournament at Oakfield this year and the combination of quality of play and the shape of the golf course made for a spectacular weekend. The golf course had benign conditions for most of the week but a windy second round provided and true test of golf.

Article written in the Chronicle Herald on July 5th

The maintenance staff prepping the course the evening prior to the final round

As the golf season concluded we completed several tasks on the greens in preparation for the winter as well as alleviating the stress that the turf endures throughout a golf season. In early October we completed a core aeration of the greens. In previous years this would be completed twice a year to maximize gas exchange, manage compaction, and regulate organic buildup in the thatch and soil, among others. Given the USGA soil profile at Oakfield it was decided that a once a year strategy would be employed (barring unforeseen circumstances) and that regular, light sand topdressing and venting (solid, non-core removing aeration) throughout the season will closely accomplish what the second core aeration would provide with less disruption to the quality of experience on the greens. Referring back to this fall’s core aeration; the staff executed this meticulous renovation to perfection and the greens recovered quite quickly. I played the golf course two days after the aeration though the greens were a little bit slower and some putts did not hold as true as peak summer conditions it was still an enjoyable experience, possibly because of knowing exactly what kind of investment a core aeration is to the long term health of the greens. (and yes, a two putt max round that myself and group employed made for a relatively pressure free and relaxing round).

Anyone that reads the follow through (Oakfield’s weekly member newsletter) would have seen several mentions made to the conducive season that it was for moss proliferation. While the frequency of rainfall this season was preferred compared to 2016, the warm, moist, and humid conditions that prevailed throughout this year shifted the battle from moisture management to moss and disease mitigation. For the majority of the season I chose to take on the moss with a hand held spray bottle with an herbicide and would spot spray the moss as I did my daily tour. While effective on visible patches of moss, the reproductive nature of silvery thread moss (which spreads by spores) I found that given how easily moss spreads that this method was not effective at stopping new patches from forming as eyeing a single spore of moss is not a reasonable goal. A broadcast application of herbicide was applied to the greens just prior to aeration in an effort to give the entire greens surface a dose of the herbicide, as has been done in years past. The goal next year, in addition to these methods above that attempting to improve moisture management and maximizing sunlight will need to be added to the arsenal in managing moss. The goal will be to put the turfgrass in conditions that give it the advantage to out compete the moss.

Our annual application of snow mould preventative fungicide was made to all short cut areas of the property. The effects of gray, and in particular pink snow mould here in Halifax can be quite damaging if the turf is under snow for extended periods of time. We apply a fungicide that prevents these diseases from forming.

Something that we have done the last couple of years is make a late season application of a wetting agent to the greens. During the season, we use wetting agents to assist in moisture management during the hot stretches of the summer. Whether it is to move water through the soil profile, improve the soil’s ability to retain water, or a combination of both, wetting agents have noticeable effect in the efficiency of the water that is applied both by irrigation and rainfall. The purpose of application late in the season, while similar in its goal to obtain proper moisture levels, differs in the threat the turf faces over the winter months, specifically where we are located: In Nova Scotia we experience high levels of precipitation throughout the winter and given the temperature buffering effect the Atlantic Ocean provides, we are as prone to heavy rainfall events as we are to getting a healthy dose of snowfall. With this comes dramatic fluctuations in temperature. And given that the rain often reduces the depth of snow on the ground (totally baring off in many cases) the turf is directly exposed to the elements, rather than having a preferred blanket of snow (without any ice) to protect it. Where moisture management comes into play is during these freeze/thaw events. The soil temperatures rise and fall and to dormant plants this not of dramatic concern. The issue becomes exacerbated if soil temperatures warm to the point of plants breaking dormancy (appx. 8C for poa annua and appx. 10C for bentgrass), and begin to take in water. The plants cells fill with water and if temperatures fall rapidly they can freeze, rupturing vital cells and resulting in plant death. By applying the wetting agent we can mitigate the saturation of water in the soil. The profile gets an excessive amount of water during a snow melt event (temperature rise, rainfall, etc.) and if we limit how much water the soil is holding, in theory we can limit the effects of multiple freeze/thaw events that occur over the winter months.

We expanded our program of using the hole cutter to take a deep hole (down to the depth of the drainage stone) in further effort of mitigating buildup of surface water on specific areas. Last year, two holes were taken from the front left portion of the sixth green. The design of the front of the green tends to hold water. This issue is compounded as the frequent high moisture levels have increased the percentage of organic material in the thatch and soil profile, further limiting water drainage. I took notes throughout the year during heavy rainfalls and studied which greens were prone to puddling the most, indicating where the water travelled and where opportunities to improve drainage were. We took holes from approximately half the greens this season and am interested in if there is any change next spring. At that time we will refill the holes with a mix primarily made up of sand. The soil properties of our greens are an 80/20 mix. By increasing the percentage of sand in these holes, it would stand to reason that drainage in these areas will improve going forward.

Finally, the tarps. Before putting them down we applied a layer of topdressing sand as a measure of protection to the crown of the plants (The crown is the point of growth of the turfgrass plants, located at the base of the leaf stems.) Oakfield continues to employ 13 permeable tarps on the greens. 5 greens are left uncovered due to their microclimate, being relatively protected by trees from full exposure to the elements. We put sand bags on top of the tarps as insurance in case the staples that hold the tarps down let go in event of a high wind event. The bags will be moved periodically throughout the winter, when possible, as I plan on touring the course when I can throughout the offseason.

2017 was a successful year on virtually all fronts though the challenge and excitement of improving in 2018 is already percolating throughout my mind. However, I am making sure to shut my mind off from my professional life as best as possible at this time and resetting by spending time with my family and friends. From mine to yours, Merry Christmas everyone!

December 15th