January 2023

With the 2022 season in the books the time has come to reflect on the season that was, and prepare for the upcoming 2023 season. 2022 began as a challenge as the greens experienced varying amounts of winter damage; certainly the most I have seen since 2015. Recovery was a slow process with a cooler and wetter spring. By summer, conditions had improved and turf health returned the usual standards, with the 4^th green taking the longest to fill in. The golf course was in great shape for all club championships and invitational events and property was shining throughout the fall all the way to course closing in November. Over the course of the summer we contracted out removal of a significant amount of trees along the left side of 4 that have been increasingly blocked out vital sunlight to the green, contributing to poor turf health of the green. Additional work is to be done over the winter. A more detailed retrospective will be posted over the winter that summarizes the spring of the 2022 season.

For the first time, at least my tenure at Oakfield, a deep tine aeration was completed on the greens. While the maintenance crew performs a core aeration in the fall, and two solid tine aerations in the summer, this year we wanted to do something that would provide some benefits both short and long term as we head into the offseason. A deep tine aeration was contracted out. A deep tine aeration, as the name implies, is a form of aeration that punches deep into the soil profile. While our in house aerations are typically performed at a depth of about 4”, a deep tine aeration reached depths of 8”. In the short term, the holes that are left (this practice does not pull any material out of the profile) will remain over the winter. This increases the probability that surface drainage will be improved over the winter months as moisture will more easily be moved through the soil profile. Thanks to Steve at Eco Valley Restoration for coming completing the work.

As has been the case for years now, we are making a late season application of a wetting agent to the greens. While typically thought of as a product that is applied during peak summer heat, a late season application of a premium surfactant can provide a multitude of advantages in coming out of winter with healthier turf than there would have been otherwise. Maximizing how well surface water is able to move into and through the soil profile can slow down the onset of ice buildup in the winter. The amount of moisture in the soil at this time of year is very high with many areas With the ever increasing cases of thawing and freezing events that seem to occur during Nova Scotia winters, crown hydration is a leading cause of winter damage to putting greens. The wetting agent application is an important tool in our arsenal and well worth the investment.    

Chasing Daylight ahead of a heavy rain

   We have treated all of our short cut turf with preventative fungicide applications before the snow flies. Fall has seen a large amount of fusarium patch develop on areas of the greens. Pink snow mould and fusarium both are cause by the fungi michrodochium nivale. The main difference is that under snow fall the disease proliferates in larger, more circular patches, and potentially in much higher populations. Given what has been witnessed to this point, treatment with a premium, multi-site action fungicide is a tried and tested method to prevent winter damage caused by fungi.

The use of tarps will continue to be a part of our winter protection program. The club has used permeable tarps on most of the greens on the golf course. We purchased several new tarps this year to replace old and damaged ones that had outlived their lifespan. New to this year is that we purchased a tarp to put on the fourth green. Typically, this green was left uncovered as the density of the trees protected the green from desiccation, among other potential causes of turf injury. We were finding that snow and ice buildup took a very long time to melt off due to lack of sunlight. The tree removal that took place in the summer will help with this issue. With increased airflow through the greensite area a tarp can help with the cold and blustery winds that winter provides. Should there be damage, having a tarp to help raise soil temperatures in spring will be an asset.

Regular monitoring of the property will take place throughout the winter. Duration of ice buildup will be noted (as this can be a key indicator of turf damage in spring). If opportunities to remove snow and ice present themselves through the winter, we will explore that possibility. Samples will be taken as winter progresses to indicate instance and severity of any damage. Fertilizer, seed, and sand are in our inventory and will be ready to be deployed once the snow melts. Here is hoping for a good winter. In any case, we will be ready for whatever comes our way. Happy Holidays to the members and staff at Oakfield.

-Kevin