Course Update- July 2023

 

In what seems to be a more regular occurrence, irregular weather has been hitting our area. Whether it is hurricanes last fall, record cold temperatures in February, exceptionally dry springs, and now unprecedented precipitation this summer, culminating in a rain event that has not been witnessed in decades. Some areas saw over 200mm of rain fell in a 24 hour period, causing damage to homes, businesses, and public areas. Oakfield managed to avoid any catastrophic damage to the property. While drains, creeks, and ponds overflowed well beyond capacity to this point we have only some damage to the bridges on 6. Stone was replenished and is being monitored for any future damage. The waters have receded in all areas, except for 13. The culverted bridge that separates the pond on 12 and Fish Lake remains submerged under water. We await water levels recede to the point of being able to drive across and more importantly, determining that it is safe to drive across. While the turf is thoroughly soaked, we saw no additional damage to our fine cut surfaces. We are still recovering from the last episode of wet weather that left our mowers in the shop for two weeks. We were finally over the hump and caught up with mowing, eagerly awaiting recovery to the stressed turf in the fairways before 200mm fell. Thankfully, with dry conditions forecasted this week, we anticipate getting all areas mowed at least once before the weekend.

                                                

As is usually the case with heavy rainfall events, the bunkers require the most remediating. This storm was certainly no exception! Many of our traps became new water features and any bunker that has high flashing faces had all of the sand (and a good amount of silt) wash down to the bottoms. Step one was getting the water out of the bunkers. Gravity and drainage systems do some of the work, but the amount of water was beyond what would be reasonable to let sit, and with all waterways backed up, the water wasn’t going to be going anywhere quickly. We have several pumps in our arsenal that were used over the weekend. Once again, the team stepped up as several staff came in on their weekend off to allow us to begin the week with a head start. Next step is to skim the top layer of material from the base. Silt that has washed down will contaminate the bunker sand, causing poor drainage and inconsistencies in play. Our crew then redistributed the washed out sand back to normal. Finally, we will be using this opportunity to exhaust our inventory of bunker sand. When all said and done we will have put out about 75 tons of sand, not including what was installed for the new bunkers on 1,2,4,12 and 18.

Example of silt washing to the bottom of a bunker

                                                

Speaking of the new bunkers! They performed at a level several factors about the existing traps. Washouts were minimal to none, and the sod liners prevented any silt contamination and rock migration to the surface. The time saved allowed the crew to be more diligent with the rest of the cleanup. The new bunkers needed little to no additional labour, despite the rainfall. As a part of the master plan, removing the fairway bunkers on 7 and 8, and replacing the fairway bunkers on 12 and 18 expedited the cleanup immensely. All of these traps were large and had compromised drainage, both in actual drainage tile and sand composition and would have taken the team many additional hours to repair. We are looking forward to a return to normal maintenance practices as much as you are looking to get back out and playing!

Comparison of old bunkers vs. renovated

The summer has certainly been one for the books. After looking like it may never rain again by the time we reached the end of May, it seems like the faucet cannot be turned off. Drought stress has not been a factor. With that has come some of the highest disease pressure I have seen. If the turf is growing as well as it has been, you can be certain that diseases and weeds are enjoying the weather just as much. Fungal pathogens like Dollar Spot are an annual occurrence and are treated preventatively. The moisture this year has seen much more anthracnose than usual and also patch diseases that I haven’t seen in the province, let alone at Oakfield. We are being very diligent when it comes to our IPM scouting and are ensuring that our management practices (e.g. moisture levels, nutrient programs, pesticide applications) are conducive to healthy turf and top notch playing standards. Let’s see what August throws at us!

Waitea Patch

Dollar Spot next to 16 Green

Close up of the fungal mycelium

Silvery Thread Moss

Anthracnose

Everything at Oakfield would not be possible without the collaboration of everyone involved with the club. From members of the maintenance team that came in on their days off, to the pro shop team stepping up, as always, and lending a hand in the cleanup, to the clubhouse staff providing breakfast for the crew. A team effort is how we  do what we do. We look forward to welcoming everyone back!

Mr. LeLievre dusting off his SandPro skills

Shaun Clearing debris from the culvert on 1 pond