8:44 PM

Turf Scouting Report, August 27th

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Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle
 
Lessons learned. Weathermen's words are now kind. Chicago's Tom Skilling wrote, "It becomes difficult for temperatures to warm to early summer levels this late in the season." Our days continue to shorten and tree shadows continue grow. Nevertheless, the final days of August are to be hot - a few more 90s forecast. It continues to remind us that summer 2010 was a difficult experience. It turned out to be consistently wet and warm. Heat intolerant Poa Trivialis and Poa annua caught our attention from the very beginning [.....]

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8:37 PM

'The Green Section Record - August 27, 2010'

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'The Green Section Record - August 27, 2010' [.....]

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8:30 PM

Putting Green

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If you have visited the club since last week you undoubtedly noticed the condition of the putting green.  The damage on the putting green is the result of a verticutting and topdressing done last Monday.  The putting green is notoriously the weakest green on the course due to the amount of traffic that it receives.  The topdressing applied last Monday was the first time it had been topdressed in over 4 weeks because of the hot temperatures that we were receiving.  We decided to topdress last week because [.....]

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11:59 PM

Overseeding Update

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All of the areas in the fairways that will be overseeded have been completed.  The seed that was planted first is beginning to show now.  This picture is of the driving range.  You can also see where one of the rain events we had washed out a portion of this area.  We are still planning on sodding some of the worst areas on the fairways.

We started to overseed the intermediate cut around the fairways and the walkways today.  Most of the damage in these areas is [.....]

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Here is yet another article recounting the difficulties that have been presented by the weather patterns this year.  This is the Midwest Breezes feature in the August issue of the On Course magazine.  Click here for a copy.
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8:31 PM

Turf Scouting Report, August 20th

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Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle


Unkind! It looked as though we had completed our last test - an especially hot period with a total of 6 days straight of 90+ degrees (Aug. 9 to Aug. 14). Our forecast was a cool break. And so we waited. On Tuesday, Aug. 17 it happened and Chicago's high temperatures were unable to cross 80 degrees. Amazingly, we learned 2010 had set an all-time record for a consistently warm summer - 46 days straight of daytime highs at least 80 degrees. Summer 2010 [.....]

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9:33 PM

'Is now the time to rebuild your greens? Are you trying to conserve water?'

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'Is now the time to rebuild your greens? Are you trying to conserve water?' [.....]

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10:52 PM

Chinch Bugs

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from: Louisiana Rice  One of the most often quoted lines from the movie Caddyshack among Superintendents and Assistants usually is only used for a laugh among ourselves.  However, today we found Chinch Bugs on the golf course.
"I'll be the head greenskeeper...hopefully within six years.  That's my schedule.  But I am studying this stuff so I know it...you know, like...chinch bugs.  You know...manganese.  A lot of people don't even know what that is...nitrogen."
While there is a species of Chinch bugs (Southern Chinch Bug, pictured) that can cause [.....]

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9:23 PM

Turfgrass Temperature Stress, Part 2: Water

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In a previous post I discussed the optimum temperatures for the growth of turfgrasses (Turfgrass Temperature Stress, Part 1: Optimal Temperatures).  In that post I mentioned that if there is water available to the plant, it is rare heat stress occurs.  This is where a balancing act is need when managing turf in hot temperatures.  Water has several unique properties that can help or hinder what we are trying to accomplish on the course.

Turfgrass uses a process called transpiration to cool itself, just like we use [.....]

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11:30 AM

Turf Scouting Report, August 13th

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Talk of one inch hoses? Lots lately. This week's summary will share what impressed me on golf course visits - besides tan patches of dead grass. Here's what. First, intensive water management is not easy. By hand it looks simple yet it's difficult - how we avoid Poa annua wilt. Talk of 'brown is green': Otherwise known as 'Poa annua is dead when brown'. Second, a return to sympathy for golf green health as mowing heights are adjusted without regard to speed. Talk of mowing heights: below 0.100 inch [.....]

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8:45 PM

'This week: New heat-related news, University of Kentucky researchers battle turf pests biologically, and webcast on labor and water issues in the SW'

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'This week: New heat-related news, University of Kentucky researchers battle turf pests biologically, and webcast on labor and water issues in the SW' [.....]

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7:52 PM

Whoops

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We had a small whoops today while mowing around the pond on 13.  Our operator traveled a little too close while on a slope and skidded into the pond.  Thankfully employee and equipment will both be fine.

[.....]

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9:29 PM

Turfgrass Temperature Stress, Part 1: Optimal Temperatures

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If you have not read the previous post highlighting a recent article published in the Wall Street Journal, it gives some basic information about how heat has declined the conditions of many courses this year.  Over the next few posts, I am going to expand on what was printed in that article and try to give some more detailed information about heat and how it can effect the turf conditions. And, moisture plays a big part in this.

Like many living things, there is a set of [.....]

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3:26 PM

Turf Scouting Report, August 6th

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A Difficult, Unkind Season: Humidity and highs set records, Physiological decline rules, Anthracnose BSR affects bentgrass, Dollar spot takes off, Pythium is a regular vocabulary word, Brown patch amazes us, Summer patch ruins lawns and roughs, Tim summarizes brown patch data and Nick says TLC.


Click Here for August 6th Turf Scouting Report [.....]

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11:14 AM

Reseeding Efforts

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We have begun attempting to reseed the areas that have been damaged by pythium.  The areas with the lightest damage will be allowed to grow back in on their own.  Other areas, like this area pictured on the left, will be over-seeded. Our plan for the worst areas will be to sod the damaged areas.  The areas we plan to sod are portions of 1 approach, the dip in 2 fairway, and portions of 5 fairway.

We did reseed the area at the bottom of the driving [.....]

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9:49 AM

The Ugly Summer of 2010

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From the Wall Street Journal:


Brutal heat has greenkeepers fighting to save their courses from ruin
The sustained record-breaking heat across much of the U.S. this summer, combined with high humidity and occasional heavy rain, is killing the greens on many golf courses. A handful of high-profile courses have already had to close, and if the heat continues, others are likely to follow. Golfers themselves deserve part of the blame for insisting that putting surfaces be mown short and fast even in weather conditions in which [.....]

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11:50 PM

This Weeks Round of Storms

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This week provided another round of troubling weather for the turf.  An effort to repair one area on Monday was all for not on Tuesday morning.  This is a picture from 3 tee on Tuesday morning after 2.5 inches of rain.  Water was running through the course for the majority of the morning on Tuesday.  Water still remained in 16 fairway into the afternoon as well.

Tuesday afternoon we were able to get out onto the course to fix the bunkers for Wednesday's play.  However, the [.....]

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11:09 PM

Another Product Test

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We were asked to test another product recently.  Thankfully, this test will not turn out like the last test(click here).  This product is a GPS mapping system for our spray equipment.  We currently are only utilizing the mapping system for this test, but additional features can be added, including more precise boom control, and steering capabilities.  These types of systems are regularly utilized in the agriculture market but are just now being adapted for use on golf courses.  We were asked to use it for a couple [.....]

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8:34 PM

July 30th, Turf Scouting Report

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July 30, 2010 Scouting Report
July 30, 2010 Scouting Report - Hot and Harsh, July ends: Midsummer flooding, Bentgrass and Poa greens decline, Pythium blight, Brown patch, high Fairy ring levels, Summer patch, Tim thinks about Dollar spot resistance, and Nick says Stats 

Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle
Harsh. That is a word that comes to my mind today, though it is associated with a younger generation. Sometimes you learn new words as appropriate. Season 2010 is a good one for new words, since this weather feels uncomfortable, uncontrollable and new. We [.....]

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8:56 PM

'Greens across the country are suffering - read on for important survival steps.'

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'Greens across the country are suffering - read on for important survival steps.' [.....]

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