8:49 AM

Winterizing the Irrigation System

posted by NCC Greensin irrigationwinterization0 comments

Another piece of the winterizing puzzle was put in place yesterday with the completion of the irrigation system.  We finished in the moon light, which isn't saying much, it is out at 5pm now. Winterizing the irrigation system is not difficult, but it is important to do a thorough job.  When water freezes, it expands; and the plastic components of the irrigation system were not designed to expand.  Ensuring that all the water is out of the pipes, heads and valves makes for an easier start to [.....]

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2:54 PM

Greens Closed for the Season

posted by NCC Greensin greenswinterization0 comments

We made lots of progress today towards finishing our on-course preparations for winter.  The greens are closed for the season and the temporary targets are in place in the approach.  Please do not walk on the greens until next season.  Tee markers, benches, ball washers, trash cans, signs and ropes are all off of the course also.  The Halfway House is closed for the season and cart use is finished for the season.  It has been a long year and the course is looking forward to some rest.  The irrigation [.....]

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9:59 AM

Early Days of Greenkeeping

posted by NCC Greensin historyvideo0 comments

I had seen this video posted by The Midwest Association of Golf Course Superintendents but had forgotten about it a long time ago.  It shows some of the early methods of Greenkeeping in the Chicago area.




Thanks to Scott Pavalko at Cog Hill for posting it on Twitter this morning and reminding me of it! [.....]

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11:27 AM

Warm Weather Continues

posted by NCC Greensin weather0 comments

The warm weather is going to continue this week as 3 days near 60 degrees are in the forecast.  The course will be open and cart use has been extended to Sunday.  We do still plan to stop carts and close the greens on Monday, November 26th.  This could change if night time temperatures stay above freezing, but the extended forecast is not showing that will be the case.


2012 has been an extremely hot year, and this weeks temperatures are continuing that trend.  Last week [.....]

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10:55 AM

Turf Scouting Report, November 2nd

posted by NCC Greensin 0 comments

Growing Season Ends: Winterizing Irrigation, Sandy's Winds Cooled Chicago, Turf Begins Dormancy, and Tim Sees Control of Poa in Bentgrass

Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle -

And so the season concludes. How do I know? This morning while working in our lab (outer wall is adjacent to Sunshine Course) a hissing sound got my attention. A little worried I was relieved to find our superintendent winterizing our irrigation system - compressed air blows water from underground lines and this prevents freezing/breaks. I smiled as it meant one thing, our growing season [.....]

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11:32 AM

Sod Project Around Tees

posted by NCC Greensin seed/sodtees0 comments

Our big project this fall involves removing bentgrass from the bluegrass adjacent to the tee boxes.  Large areas on 3 and 4 tees have already been completed.  The other tees are in the process of being cut and cleaned now.  New sod will be arriving next week to complete the project.

The bentgrass variety that is used on the tees has an aggressive growth habit.  This is great for recovering from divots, but does cause problems at the edges. This bentgrass will invade the adjacent bluegrass and become [.....]

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