Our weather station is showing 32 degrees this morning. A heavy frost is on the ground, and will be here for a while. We will keep you updated on a start time. [.....]
Nice Temps, Needed Rain Arrives, 1st Crabgrass Seedlings, 1st Sod Webworm Injury, Poa annua Seedheads, Microdochium Patch, and Tim says Embark
Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle - DSettle@cdga.org/Weather Blog
As April's go, things feel pretty normal. Did I say that? Daytime temperatures felt comfortable with 60-70° highs and most nights felt chilly - as they should. Our lows were 30 something and most days, a light jacket would do. A more normal pace of temperature accumulation calmed us. Only once out of a span of seven days did we record frost in [.....]
We have been continuing our normal spring project list this week. Mulch began to arrive on Monday for the clubhouse and halfway house landscaping. A contractor was here yesterday to clear a pile of logs and brush that had accumulated over the past two years.
With sod that was left from the project on hole 18, we sodded a few spots on the course. This is a picture of the back tee on 5. We cut out bentgrass that had crept into the bluegrass.
Our fairway [.....]
Another major drainage project is planned on the heels of the project done in 11 fairway last fall. This project will take place on the hillside on 14 in May (have not scheduled exact dates).
Here is a picture of the hillside during a rain last fall. The hillside is steep enough for water to drain off. The problem is the large area that drains to this hillside creates a large amount of water running over land.
Almost the entire first half of the 13th fairway [.....]
The temperatures dipped into the 30s last night and have left us with a frost delay for Tuesday. It is not very heavy, so we hope the delay will not be long. [.....]
20s at Night! Hard Frosts, Drying Out, Localized Dry Spot, i.d. of Rhizoctonia cerealis, Crabapples and Lilacs Rule the Earth, and Tim says "Poa Control"
Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle -
Our jackets were on as mid-April nights repeatedly fell into the 20s for Chicago. Even far southern Illinois would say "hard frost" at least once. The cool temperatures meant color green becomes subdued - creeping bentgrass golf greens will become a patchy red-purple hue. Cool temps slowed golf play but did nothing to interrupt ongoing cultivation - aerification of greens, [.....]
The frost delay on Wednesday morning allowed us to lay the new sod on the 18th hole. We were able to work from the cart path and not disturb the grass while it had frost on it.
I made a short time lapse of the work. It is not a great angle, but I was not able to walk across the grass to get a better one. In the video you can see the aerator run over the area before the sod goes down. This is [.....]
The wait is over for the practice tee and chipping area. The tee and chipping green will be open for play today. Please take a look at these previous posts for pictures and a video on the preferred divot pattern on the driving range and chipping green:
Practice Tee and Divot Patterns
Practice Like A Pro [.....]
A few weeks ago we began bunker work for the season by cleaning the bunkers, checking sand depths, and loosening the sand that had been packed down through the winter. This week we began more detailed maintenance for the season. This round through the bunkers involves cleaning the edges and placing a fresh coat of sand on the top.
Cleaning the edges involves cutting any grass plants that have started growing into the bunker and fixing any edges that have collapsed or been torn up. After the [.....]
The fescue area on the right side of 18 fairway has been the subject of much discussion over the previous two seasons. At the end of last year, the green committee, with input from the rest of the membership, voted to change this area to bluegrass mowed at rough height. We started renovating this area yesterday, and plan to sod by the end of the week.
The start of the renovation process was about 10 days ago when we began by spraying this area with a herbicide [.....]
Here is a good article from a recent USGA Green Section that discusses what challenges may arise from an early spring. Some of the issues of an early spring have been slowed as temperatures have now become more seasonable, but these are issues that many golf courses were faced with last month. March of 2012 has now been identified as the warmest on record after over 7,000 records were set across the country. You can click on the picture or the link below to read the article.
A
Warm [.....]
30s at Night. A Hard Frost, Issues Slow Down, Dollar Spot, Rhizoctonia sp., Crabapples and Lilacs Bloom, and Tim's Tall Fescue ABC's
Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle -
More normal temperatures? Yes, is the answer to that question this week. Since March 26th we've had low temperatures dipping down into the 30s and 40s in Chicago. We didn't complain as it represented a return to normal spring weather - we have written records of these temps! It did mean that sooner or later a hard frost would happen and it did. [.....]
Torres spent this past week moving around the soil that was dredged from the pond on 11 and removed from 11 fairway during the drainage project last fall. The pile was pushed into the side of the existing berm near the maintenance facility. We will work the pile a few more times this spring, then seed it with and oats and annual ryegrass mixture this season for a quick cover. This area will eventually be seeded with the same mixture as our ESAs.
The pond on 11 [.....]
Our seasonal weather seems to be back for a few days. We have a frost delay today. The weather forecast shows we will likely have a delay tomorrow as well. Check back here or with the Pro Shop for an update of start times. [.....]
Back to Normal? 30s at Night, Dollar spot, Dandelions, Henbit, Chickweed, Ground Ivy, Creeping Speedwell and Tim's Poa annua encroachment dataChicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle -
Another week for us to reflect on this season. Here goes. We've returned to more normal temperatures and we caught some needed rainfall. The redbuds continue to flower nicely along with the Korean Spice viburnum. Crabapples have just begun and today I saw my first lilac begin its bloom as well. Another first report of dollar spot, this time a far north suburb. Our March was [.....]