White Turf

There are constant changes in our world and I am always looking to bring improvements to what I do. One of the new chemicals that controls many of the weeds here at La Rinconada has a unique mode of action. This new herbicide stops the plant from producing chlorophyll, which as you may ascertain makes it quite effective. We applied this chemical out in small trials and it proved to work well with no damage. The reason I am mentioning it here is because it is very noticeable when the weed is dying. It turns white.

Trial area of new herbicide Tenacity

So if you see areas of white grass, don't be alarmed.

Kevin

New Bunker Rakes

New bunker rakes are out on the course. They are to be placed
Outside the bunkers.  The placement outside the bunker is the recommendation of the USGA.

Rough Rebound

14th hole August 13 2013

4th hole August 13 2013

A picture often references thousands of words, so I am including these photos that are of areas that were off color just 2 weeks ago and featured in my last post. Compare the photos of these areas. Things are rebounding quickly. The color is back and the density in the rough will follow very soon.

Mid Season Update

The golf course is entering into the toughest part of the year and I thought it beneficial to provide an update on where we are and where we are going in the next few months.

Reflecting back a year ago, the changes that have been made at golf course maintenance are remarkable. New turf, new irrigation control system, a lot of new equipment and a complete change in management level staff.  These changes have resulted in a much more efficient operation that has stood up well to the challenges of maintaining the course.

The 16th hole July 11th showing good color

One of the biggest challenges we have is keeping the Poa annua from becoming the dominant turf species. The strategy in place was to utilize all known means available at this time to combat the Poa. Every golf course is different and what works at one area course may not work at La Rinconada because of a difference in soils, water, and climate. One of the common chemicals in use by all the area courses has turned our roughs off color. Essentially, we have applied this growth regulation chemical to the level that the grass has stopped growing and with heavy traffic, and a dry firm golf course many areas are thin and off color.  The fairways have not been affected because of the sand profile.

The 9th hole July 23rd 

To get these areas growing again we will be applying more water and fertilizers in the next few weeks. Just today we applied a spray mixture of enzymes and hormones that will signal the plant to come out of its regulated state.  Additional fertilizer and nutrient applications are planned to continue to push growth, and the amount of growth regulators will be reduced.

The 4th hole July 23rd

Now that we have found the threshold level for this specific growth regulator for our course, we will apply below this amount in the future.  The color and density will return to the roughs in the next 2 weeks, and the course will be maintained as firm as possible without compromising the recovery.


Kevin

The Conundrum of The Playable Golf Course

Maintaining a golf course for playability is one of the pleasures of my job. That sounds strange as I say that because it may occur to you that it would be one of the obvious joys of being a superintendent. But taking into account the playability of a golf course complicates things . This spring has been that way. Complicated in the use of water in a prolonged dry period.

Staff finishing course prep during the Ladies Invitational

The course has been maintained purposely dry for playability. The new grasses have kept fantastic color despite soil moisture levels being very low, which is one of the main reasons the turf conversion was done. It hides the fact that the soil is very dry. But you put a lot of traffic on this grass, and it will eventually thin out and die like any other grass. You may have seen all the small sprinkler sets out on the course that take care of these small  dry areas. They are time consuming for the staff, but are the best way to avoid over watering. We do have staff to do this work and keep up on the mowing rotations, but we have very little margin for error. That makes for more stress for me.

Small portable sprinkler set on the 13th tee complex

Ultimately golf courses are for golf. Another statement that seems obvious, but if you think about everything else a course provides it describes another part of a superintendents job. Golf courses boost real estate value, and attract people who may not even play the course, for dinners and special events based on the vibrant colors and pastoral setting they provide. There are times when the course may not look its best, but it is playing the best. If you are confused about this, just think of the U.S. Open last week, or possibly the British Open.



The extreme playing conditions of the "Opens" are not sustainable, even for Merion and St. Andrews. Go there most of the year and they are mostly green, and the Superintendent is doing his best to provide the combination of playability and color. It is no different for me. It is very difficult to ride that line of really good playability and loosing grass for months at a time in our summers. The closer you are to that line the better the playability and the more stress for me. Providing a great playing golf course is much more difficult than providing a green one, and when you have both; that is when you know you are doing a really good job.

For the next few months I am going to talk about some of the things are done to provide a playable golf course, and give you some insight on the decision making process.

Kevin

Spot Aerification

Select dry areas are being aerified to allow better water penetration. This is being done on an as needed basis and should not affect playabiliy.

Timing is Everything

Timing is everything including golf course maintenance.

There are times of the year when plant needs can be addressed without affecting playability, however the last few weeks course playability has needed to be a priority for some of the most important tournaments of the  year. The Chapman and Wildcat Tournaments were big successes, and it was both satisfying and challenging to provide great course conditions during these events. The Chapman and Wildcat were interspersed between 3 large outside events at a crucial time for control of the Poa that is germinating in our newly established rye fescue blend. The thing that I want you to know is that we were able to get the entire course sprayed 3 times in this 3 week window where 5 important, highly attended events occurred. It was accomplished by good planning and timing, and great execution by my staff. As a result of these sprays the course will be a little off color, and the Poa will be set back significantly. The color will bounce back just in time for the Ladies Invitational in a couple of weeks. Good timing!!!!

New turf showing great color 

Check Out The Practice Area Bunker and Artificial Hitting Tee

There are 4 different bunker rakes in the practice bunker that I would like for you to try. If there is one you like more than another let me know. Additional rakes need to be ordered but before that is done we want to be sure that we have the rake and handle that you favor. The prices range from $40.00 to $12.00 per rake and there are about 140 rakes needed for the 63 bunkers on the course.

Bunker rakes in the practice bunker

By the right hand side of the hitting tee there is a board set up with 3 different types of artificial turf. This is to evaluate their use on the practice area as needed during the winter and for outside group events.

Kevin

One of the biggest updates to golf course maintenance this year has been the installation of the irrigation control system. I have taked about the installation and you maybe thought that it is now done and running, but that is also partially true.

We are discovering that there are some changes that make it easier to create new irrigation programs and make adjustments quickly.

One of the things that has been a real help is the dual monitors showed in this picture.

Duel monitors in the office

The second monitor is 51 inches and you may think that excessive, but when you are looking at 1,500 sprinkler heads on 100 acres that big monitor gives a much better representation of the course. The duel monitors also allow me to get Google earth up on the a monitor while looking at the irrigation map and programming spreadsheet.

I walk the course at least once a week and probe for wet and dry spots. I use a gps tracking app called my tracks and I put in markers for wet and dry spots. This kmz file is then loaded up on Google earth where I have created a layer of sprinkler head positions with their addresses. When I put the Google earth program up on the monitor next to the irrigation program it makes it really quick and efficient to adjust run times.


 Now, I recently got an I Pad that enables me to make changes while on the course, and I will be working on importing an Apple gps tracking app into the Toro program as a layer. At this time Toro does not provide this capability, so if you are reading this and are into this type of project, I would love some help figuring it out. After all I am in Silicon Valley, with a lot of very talented creative people.

Kevin

Wet Heavy Bunkers

I have never been at a course that did not have bunkers as one of the topics of course improvements. Tactics  to improve those bunkers ranged from washing the sand  while running it through a screen to complete replacement of all the sand. I have used spray on bunker liners, inherited a few variations of synthetic cloth liners and had just compacted soil under bunkers sand, and in each case the only way to get the bunkers to the liking of the player came in the form of a lot of manual labor to clean the sand and make sure that drainage was good. And then annual sand replenishment and silt removal kept things in good condition.

Standing water in the bunker causing wet heavy sand

The bunkers here at La Rinconada have an impermeable plastic liner under them and the only place for water to exit is through a drop inlet that sometimes is in the lowest point in the bunker bottom. In many cases the water does not leave the bunker because the bottom does not have enough fall to carry the water out of the drain.

Water out of the bunker after puncturing liner

I found standing water under the sand in the fairway bunker on the right of the 14th hole. I followed the water to the deepest point and found no drain. So I made one with a pick. Within a matter of seconds the bunker drained. I will be doing more of these around the course where we find standing water under the sand. Although this will not make the bunkers great, it will go a long way to improving the playability.

The practice buker drainage holding water

One bunker that has been extremely difficult to keep in good condition is the practice bunker. After exposing the drainage it is apparent in the picture why this sand was wet and heavy. It was constantly wet and the liner was retaining the water in the bunker rather than it draining. New sand has been ordered. Additional rock and pipe will be installed, and the plastic liner removed in the bottom, and this bunker will improve tremendously.


Kevin

Tree Work

There has been some tree work done lately and trees are a sensitive subject so I want to communicate how that work is prioritized.

In the Golf Course Maintenance budget is annual tree work. When deciding what needs to be done the first 2 concerns are safety and health. Frequently large limbs fall off  our mature trees. Eucalyptus and ash are 2 of the dominant tree species found on the property, and they are weak wooded trees, both dropping limbs large enough to cause severe injure or death.

Ash tree with a large 2 inch crack that will fail in the near future

 After safety, health of the golf course and then the health of the tree are the next priorities. Shading of turf, and root intrusion into sensitive areas like greens and bunkers cause playability issues. Selective limbing to open up light and air corridors and root pruning make a very big difference in the turf health.

Heavy undergrowth resulting in poor turf growing conditions behind #18 green

Some recent work near the club entrance was done and it is a great example of an area that had been neglected to the detriment of the health of the trees. That area had not been maintained for a very long time and creating sunlight and air movement will result in increased health and beauty of those trees, and enhance the entry way to the Club and the back of the 18th green.

Behind #18 green after pruning and clearing brush

While I was drafting this piece a large portion of the oak tree in the first fairway broke while the fairway was being mowed in the morning  There was little that could have been done to prevent this. The tree is selectively pruned every year to limit the amount of weight on limbs that may fail. Upon inspection of the area that broke, there was a rot found in the interior of the limb that was hard to see and ultimately predict this failure. It is an example of why it is important to be proactive in looking for these problems and taking action when you find them to avoid injury.

Area of failure on the oak in the 1st fairway

Kevin

Spring is in the air and the grooming of the golf course has picked up. Obviously when the temperatures increase the grass grows more, but what might not be as obvious the adjustments that need to be made within maintenance to keep up with these changes. 

The biggest priority is keeping the Poa in check. It is going to seed and we have applied pre-emergent herbicides to combat that seed from germinating. Mowers need to pick up the clippings and dispose of the seed laden material off the golf course. Areas around greens that are very high in Poa are being sodded to prevent tracking of seed. And the Poa herbicides are being applied nearly daily to keep the Poa stressed and the rye and fescue strong and growing.

We have waited a long time for the new grass to mature and I am happy where that is today and how the golf course is playing coming off of aerification two weeks ago. It feels good to be moving into the time of year when course conditions are at their best.


Kevin

Post Aerification

This was the only aerification I remember that I was not excited to do, because like a lot of you, I was thinking "the course was just getting really good and then you have to go and do that".

We got through another aerification successfully and I want to let you know what you can expect for playing conditions while the course recovers.

Greens were single aerified and verticut in 2 directions. Extra fertilizer and minerals were applied with the sand to promote rapid growth and recovery of the aeration holes. Weather permitting, and boy did we luck out this week, greens will be back to regular speed and smoothness in 2 to 3 weeks. 

All the green expansion areas will be maintained the same as the rest of the green from this point on.

Tees were aerified, seeded, fertilized, and topdressed. The edges will have some extra sand to help level them. The Poa annua that is coming back into these tees is being treated and they will be off color as the Poa dies and the rye seed establishes in the next month.

Fairways were seeded, spiked, and topdressed. The fairways will be sandy for a week or so and a little wetter than normal to encourage the seed that was applied.

Roughs were aerified and select areas seeded. There will be aeration cores in the roughs for a week or so until they break down with mowing and dragging.

With normal temperatures all surfaces will recover quickly and be back in top shape within a month.  


Kevin

I have been asked if we transitioned the tee boxes at the same time as the rest of the course last fall, and the short answer is yes. The tees received the same treatment last fall, however we did not treat the tees with the same aggressive herbicides as was used on the rest of the course. The reason this was done was that the tees would have become too thin with the lack of growth due to the herbicides and the amount of traffic from play. Now is the time to apply the herbicides and start to kill the annual bluegrass because the desirable grasses will grow in the warmer temperatures. In the mean time tees will be off color for about 6 weeks while the rye grass grows in.

#12 Tee Poa Off Color

Kevin

Cart Path Repairs

During spring maintenance occuring the week of March 11th cart path repairs will be made throughout the golf course. The white paint on the cart paths are to identify those areas.

Kevin

I was thinking about our weather this winter and the difficulty in moving forward with the planning  of our seasonal maintenance. Things like choosing fertilizers, soil amendments, seeding and pesticide applications, and it has been difficult. The reason for my trepidation is largely due to the weather and the lack of growing conditions.

A general rule of thumb is .... if the sum of high and low temperatures is greater than 100 then you will have growth. If you sum up the dates below, there are 13 days over 100. A lack of moisture allows the temperature to drop quickly at night and the precipitation recorded below shows us at about 4.8 inches below normal for the month of February. Having so little precipitation and the cold temperatures is not unheard of here, but it is unusual.

Overall, I think the course is playing well, but it sure has been difficult to plan what may be 'normal'. What has been determined for spring maintenance is that greens and tees will be aerated with half in tines and the tees will be verticut with the graden behind the aerification. Fairways will be spiked and seeded and then topdressed and fertilized. Roughs will be aerated and fertilized and seeded in select areas. Our herbicide applications will be slightly delayed, and conditions evaluated daily for growth of bermuda and crab grass, and any type of insect development.

Right Now Today Hourly Tomorrow Weekend 5 day 10 day Monthly Map
Monthly Planner for Los Gatos, CA (95030) [ English | Metric ] February Next Month Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri   1 OBSERVED Hi  67°F Lo  40°F Precip (in) 0in. Sat   2 OBSERVED Hi  56°F Lo  46°F Precip (in) 0in.   3 OBSERVED Hi  57°F Lo  45°F Precip (in) 0in.   4 OBSERVED Hi  56°F Lo  39°F Precip (in) 0in.   5 OBSERVED Hi  54°F Lo  45°F Precip (in) 0in.   6 OBSERVED Hi  57°F Lo  38°F Precip (in) 0in.   7 OBSERVED Hi  55°F Lo  36°F Precip (in) 0.05in.   8 OBSERVED Hi  52°F Lo  40°F Precip (in) 0.02in.   9 OBSERVED Hi  56°F Lo  34°F Precip (in) 0in.   10 OBSERVED Hi  59°F Lo  34°F Precip (in) 0in.   11 OBSERVED Hi  62°F Lo  36°F Precip (in) 0in.   12 OBSERVED Hi  61°F Lo  38°F Precip (in) 0in.   13 OBSERVED Hi  64°F Lo  39°F Precip (in) 0in.   14 OBSERVED Hi  69°F Lo  41°F Precip (in) 0in.   15 OBSERVED Hi  72°F Lo  44°F Precip (in) 0in.   16 OBSERVED Hi  67°F Lo  44°F Precip (in) 0in.   17 OBSERVED Hi  62°F Lo  44°F Precip (in) 0in.   18 OBSERVED Hi  57°F Lo  41°F Precip (in) 0in.   19 OBSERVED Hi  51°F Lo  42°F Precip (in) 0.21in.   20 OBSERVED Hi  59°F Lo  37°F Precip (in) 0in.   21 OBSERVED Hi  58°F Lo  37°F Precip (in) 0in.   22 OBSERVED Hi  62°F Lo  37°F Precip (in) 0in.   23 OBSERVED Hi  57°F Lo  46°F Precip (in) 0in.   24 OBSERVED Hi  61°F Lo  39°F Precip (in) 0in.   25 OBSERVED Hi  60°F Lo  36°F Precip (in) 0in.   26 OBSERVED Hi  65°F Lo  39°F Precip (in) 0in.   27 OBSERVED Hi  67°F Lo  39°F Precip (in) 0in.   28 OBSERVED Hi  65°F Lo  44°F Precip (in) 0in. FORECAST: Updated Mar 1 10:08 a.m. PT Details Video Text Averages Month-to-Date Totals   Temperatures   Precipitation 80°F Record High Highest so far 72°F  Lowest 34°F  so far  62°F Avg. High  41°F Avg. Low 21°F Record Low Month to Date0.28 in.   Average5.06 in.

 Kevin