This is the second post dealing with topdressing practices on the golf course. In this post I will explain our procedures and goals of our fairway topdressing program. As I stated in the earlier post, topdressing is the practice of spreading a light layer of sand over the turf. On the fairways we do this with a large material handler that has a set of spinners on the back that throw the sand as the sand is dropped onto them.
Ramon topdressing the fairways.
Refilling the topdresser.
After the sand is [.....]
Last Tuesday we attended the Illinois Turf Expo at the USGA golf house in Lemont. This was the first year for the Expo at this location. We were able to view research plots for several different products, equipment demonstrations, and the trade show. The new wave of equipment technology for golf courses is heavily directed towards electric drives, and electric motors to operate the cutting units. I had the opportunity to operate a new mower from Jacobsen that is fully electric and could not help but think about [.....]
This will be the first part of two posts dealing with topdressing on the golf course. I will highlight the greens topdressing practices in this post, and follow up with information on our fairway topdressing practices. Though the application process is similar for each, our goals are slightly different for both areas.
Topdressing is the process of applying a light layer of sand over the surface of the turf. The sand we use for this is similar to the material that was used to construct the green, and is stored in the green tank that is visible from the 10th tee. The tank is utilized to keep the sand dry which makes the sand easier to spread. After the [.....]
This was the scene at the course around 7:00 am on Thursday morning. The rain continues to fall, and the forecast continues predicting more rain. Since Tuesday evening the course has received 2.4 inches of rain. This brings the total to 4.5 inches of rain in the last eleven days, with more rain still to come. Lets hope the rain stops soon! [.....]
Once again the rain forced us off the course for the day. We were unable to get equipment onto to the course today, and hope that the forecast for tomorrow only brings light showers. We were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather on Monday and Tuesday. Monday is typically a big day for the green department. We take advantage of the course closure to do our heavy maintenance. Monday maintenance included fertilizing all roughs and fairways, irrigation repair on the driving range tee, topdressing greens and [.....]
This week was spent working on some formatting changes to the blog to try and make it easier to navigate and understand. A snapshot of what is on the blog will be written on the clubs website under the Green Department Tab. We will be continuing to add information to, and modify the blog, in order to better inform our members.
Look forward this week to information on topdressing practices. What they are and why they are used will be highlighted. [.....]
It looks like the weather will try to be a little wet this week. We started off the week with 1.75 inches between Sunday noon and Monday noon.
We were unable to get equipment on the course today, but were able to get the bunkers cleaned up that had been washed out. The rest of the week, we will be concentrating on catching up with the activities that were missed today due to rain.
[.....]
We have received a couple of inquiries into the condition of the driving range tee. There are a few situations with the tees we are battling with at this time. Two of them deal with irrigation system maladies, the other deals with a turf condition effecting the management of the turf.
We'll start with the irrigation system maladies. One of the problems is a result of the winterization of the irrigation system. The line that runs along the front of the front tee was not fully winterized. Water remained [.....]
If you have played since Wednesday the 12th, you probably noticed the water feature in the pond on 13 was not running. It is an electrical issue with the unit in the pond. This will require us to remove the water feature to fully diagnose the problem. At this time we do not know how long the feature will not be functional. We will keep you updated with the progress.
[.....]
One of our big projects for the summer is the tree trimming that is currently underway. We try to do this trimming every 2-3 years. We started the project last week, and hope to be finished with the approximately 1200 trees by the end of next week.
It is a good idea to trim trees regularly to keep them in good health. Our goals for this project are to open sight-lines under trees to provide a shot, increase air movement through the tree canopy, and normal maintenance of the [.....]
This year we have been using a plant growth regulator(PGR) for the suppression of annual bluegrass(poa annua) in our fairways. You may have noticed yellow spots in the fairways from time to time this summer.
These yellow spots are annual bluegrass and it's response to the PGR. The product selectively regulates the growth of the annual bluegrass more than the bentgrass, giving the bentgrass a competitive advantage.
Annual bluegrass that is growing slower than the bentgrass
Injured [.....]
Bill Frier made this Purple Martin birdhouse for Mary Lou Wehrli to exacting specifications. However, in researching, it seems Purple Martins need lots of space around their house. So Mary Lou's loss was our gain.
These feathered friends like condominium dwelling. As you play golf, you see them swoop over the fairways eating insects and lots of mosquitoes. Mary Lou applied the paint and NCC logo. It is now mounted in front of the Halfway House. Bill, a member of NCC [.....]
The ESA's and the ponds have matured wonderfully since the renovation of the golf course. These new areas are a perfect habitat for many different species of wildlife. We are lucky enough to have a Great Blue Heron spending time in our pond on 17. The pond on 17 is constructed with a shelf on the north edge of the green for the establishment of aquatic vegetation. This shelf is 8 inches deep for several feet into the pond before dropping off to the deeper portions. This habitat [.....]
Apple scab is beginning to show on several of the crabapple and hawthorne trees on the course. Apple scab (Venturia inaequalis) is most severe when spring conditions are excessively cool and wet (Like the spring we had this year). The disease is most noticeable on leaves and fruit of susceptible plants.
Healthy Leaf
Infected Leaf
If leaf infections become severe enough, the leaves may wilt and fall from the tree.
Healthy crabapples at the front of the clubhouse.
The crabapples around the clubhouse were treated this spring to prevent this disease.
Crabapple that has [.....]
As indicated by the divots, many of you know that the chipping green is back in use after it's expansion earlier this spring. The green was seeded in early April and has established well, considering the extended periods of cool and wet weather this spring.
The newly seeded portion is currently being mowed at a different height than the green, and we will continue to mow at this height while the remaining spots fill in. The white signs on the chipping area mark the new margin of the green. [.....]
In accordance with the rules of golf, ESA’s are identified by an appropriate agency. In our case the agencies are DuPage County and the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The county will monitor our maintenance and upkeep of the ESA’s for a period of 5 years. We continue to progress on track with expectations through the monitoring process.
ESA’s are marked with a combination of signage and traditional yellow or red stakes identifying them as either a lateral or water hazard. If a hazard stake has a green [.....]
Members often ask:”What can I do to help care for, and protect the golf course?” We ask that each member please consider the following items in order to keep the course in great condition.
1. Scatter cart traffic. One of our main goals is to improve beaten areas caused by cart traffic. We ask for everyones help in scattering the cart traffic. Don’t simply follow earlier cart traffic patterns.
2. Always replace your divots. Whether the replaced divot will live is for our crew to [.....]