11:22 AM

Greens Closing This Week

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The coming cold temperatures are forcing us to begin the final winterization procedures for the greens and close the greens for the season.  This final winter procedures involve a heavy topdressing and solid tine aeration of the greens.  We will be working through the greens today and tomorrow to finish.  The temporary targets will be in the approach for the winter months.  Naturally, cart use is done and halfway house is being winterized today as well.

From a previous blog post:

We close the greens before [.....]

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2:04 PM

Last Weekend For Practice Areas

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The final golf event of the year is tomorrow.  The weather does not look great, but it rarely is.  With the last golf event complete we will begin closing the course for the winter months.  The practice areas will close for the season this coming Monday.  We will begin removing course accessories and beverage stations as the month progresses.

A rainbow peaked out last night over the maintenance facility as the rain was finishing.  3.5 inches of rain fell from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday afternoon.  The course [.....]

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7:06 AM

FROST DELAY for Friday, October 25

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Cold and frosty on the course today.  The frost delay on Wednesday in similar conditions lasted until 11:00am.  The sunny weather and warmer temperatures predicted for today should help it burn off quicker.  Golfers should still plan on a 10:30am start time for today. [.....]

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7:01 AM

FROST DELAY for Sunday

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We do have our first delay of the year due to frost.  We will keep the Pro Shop updated on a projected start time.  Golfers can plan on at start around 9:30. [.....]

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1:22 PM

Frost Delays are Here

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For the last week I have been saying frost delays are coming, but somehow we made it through the week with just the right weather to avoid them.  It looks like our run of luck is over and the first frost delay will be happening tomorrow.  Come out and enjoy the sunny weather and green grass while you can!


This weather forecast shows quite a change in the temperatures are coming.  Not even in the 50's next week for highs.  This will certainly start to change [.....]

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11:56 AM

Fairway Aeration Underway

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We began our fairway aeration process on Monday.  Two fairways were completed Monday and we are attempting 2 more fairways today.  This is a process that will span the period of a few weeks.  We will be completing this practice around golf and weather, so players should expect to see us as they play.

There are several parts of this process which will result in the work lasting a few weeks.  We are topdressing the fairways heavy with sand.  We are then using one aerator with a [.....]

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2:37 PM

First Frost Delays Coming This Week

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It appears that the first frost delay will be happening later this week.  The first frost is much later this year.  We had 5 frost delays in the middle of September last season.  As usual, when frost is on the grass, we can not allow traffic on the course.

We have made several posts for the reasons we avoid traffic during frosts.  Please refer to these for more detailed information:

Frost for Friday?

Frost


[.....]

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1:48 PM

Turf Scouting Report, October 11th

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Well another glorious fall week has passed with ideal temperatures and almost complete recovery for many greens surfaces that were opened up in early to mid-September. Aeration is still going on but there is always a much bigger gamble in regards to recovery when doing it this time of the year. Insect problems are still hanging around somewhat but in areas that are considered low value. The overnight temperatures have dropped somewhat but a frost may be needed to knock back any more disease problems. Dollar spot in the aggressive fall form has been hanging around and this has proved to be difficult to shake. Leaf fall has definitely begun to occur and many courses have switched from [.....]

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9:34 AM

Turf Scouting Report, September 20th

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They have arrived! Yes, the grubs have finally turned up and I have found some excellent examples this week of efforts by our furry friends that love to dig and eat those juicy white grubs - it's a pity that the efforts lead to surfaces that remind me of Mars. Mapping the problem locations out this year is crucial to next year's planning and making sure that you are managing water properly

Rainfall managed to hit most of us in the last week including central Illinois who [.....]

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10:46 AM

Greens Aeration Update

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The greens have recovered from the scheduled aeration that took place last Tuesday.  8 days after aeration they are back to putting well.  We did not push them back to normal due to the forecasted heat.  The putting green has not been as rapid in its recovery.  The heat and traffic that the putting green has been subject to has delayed its recovery.  When the weather accommodates it, we will be able to fertilize the green and it will recovery shortly.

You will also see some white [.....]

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9:25 AM

Turf Scouting Report, September 6th

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Finish strong' may be the quote of the moment. Many of you have had a great summer and really gotten through unscathed or relatively compared to the last three years. Golf may have declined a little after the holiday and you are either in the middle of aeration or getting close to it. I think however it is time to consider that finishing strong and making sure that none of the aggressive dollar spot that can pit quickly here in the fall in Chicago takes hold. Along similar [.....]

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10:19 AM

Soils and Water: Greens

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Our greens were constructed with a sand mixture during the renovation project.  From the previous post, this gives us the benefit of large air spaces in the soil.  Those large air spaces allow for water to move through the soil profile very rapidly and space for roots to grow.  Two very important benefits for an area that is subject to such high demands.

The picture on the right is of a profile from one of the greens.  This profile is an example of how we want the [.....]

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7:16 PM

Greens Aeration Almost Complete

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We were able to complete the majority of our scheduled greens aeration today.  We have cored and cleaned all greens.  We will need to complete rolling the back nine greens in the morning.  Our electric roller is not able to finish the greens after an aeration due to how soft the greens are immediately following the procedure.  Greens will be soft, bumpy and slow following aeration.  They always are.  But, they always get back to normal after a few days.  Our first priority will be to get the [.....]

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1:30 PM

Soils and Water: Soil Profile

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The second post in this series will give a very brief overview of what soils are made of and how those parts interact with water.  We can build from this in the future posts that will be more specific about each area of the golf course.  The preferred soil for providing a high quality playing surface has a large amount of air space for roots and water to move through the soil.

Soil consists of sand, silt and clay particles along with an organic component.  The fractions [.....]

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9:54 AM

Soils and Water: Introduction

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This will be the first of a series of posts that will discuss water in soils.  We talk all the time about the importance of controlling moisture in the growing environment of the turf.  However, we have not given the same amount of attention to moisture in the soil.  The soil is what the plant grows in.  The soil is how the plant receives the water and nutrients that it needs to sustain an appropriate playing surface.  The soil is not a topic that regularly floats around the [.....]

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8:14 AM

Greens Aeration on Schedule for September 3rd

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Our fall aeration gets kicked off next week when we start with the greens on Tuesday September 3rd.  There will be a regular flow of aeration happening through the fall on all surfaces.  Greens will be first; tees, fairways, approaches and roughs will all be done with different methods on a regular interval throughout the fall.  We are mindful of the golf schedule when we schedule these type of practices.  However they are necessary, and long-term benefits certainly outweigh any short-term disruption of the surface.  I intend to [.....]

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11:22 AM

July Weather in August

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Regardless of which weather forecast you monitor, it will be hot over the next 7 days.  Some show temps being hotter than others, but they all show no rain-which is the most important part for us.  Being able to control how much moisture is in the soil and on the surface is terribly important through these stretches.  Most of the forecasts are showing lower humidities which is good.  With this stretch comes the usual warnings of the potential for the adjustment of maintenance practices that will favor [.....]

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10:29 AM

Turf Scouting Report, August 16th

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Its come and gone!! The date that many of you look towards as being the start of the end of another season. August 15th passed without so much as a whimper and hopefully that does not come back to bite us in September. This week was somewhat hectic from the standpoint of traveling to the world class Hancock Center at Michigan State University to see the fine research they are working on there and I will discuss later. The other interesting event this week was the involvement that [.....]

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11:00 AM

Turf Scouting Report, August 9th

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Green speeds are the topic of the moment - surprisingly! This week we have been relatively dry and not too hot with the exception of Wednesday. It has meant that the golf courses have started to really dry out and for green speeds this usually means good things. Dry and firm always means fast surfaces, and many golfers tend to appreciate this. The issue that we run into is - how far can we let turf go before turf health is negatively impacted resulting in turf death and [.....]

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7:14 AM

Turf Scouting Report, August 2nd

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Well, I think I deserve some credit for bringing the best weather in four years - I can't do much more to make life easier on the 1st of August! These last two weeks have been fantastic for turf and for golf and anyone that had an issue should be starting to see some serious recovery. As always this can change so continue to expect the unexpected! The date August 15th has been mentioned many times and it is now less than two weeks away with good weather [.....]

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9:53 AM

Turf Scouting Report, July 19th

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Well we are just over half way through the summer season with another six weeks to go until the end of August. Many of you feel that 15th of August means relief and if you have not lost turf by then, you will be good for the rest of the year. This week was the first test and it seems like many of you came through. It is the first however and it does mean that the roots which looked excellent 3 weeks ago are not a happy [.....]

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9:29 AM

Plants In The Hot Weather

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This week gave us some good examples of how plants react to hot weather.  Multiple days with heat indexes over 100 degrees has been enough for the plants to show typical stress symptoms of growing conditions that are not optimal.  Up to this point of the season, aside from being a little wet, the weather has been very conducive to growing plants that we do.  This allowed us to maintain a very healthy plant - one that can withstand a stretch of temperatures like we have had this [.....]

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10:01 AM

Special Weather Statement

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The weather forecasters have their special weather statements out for the week, so it is time to have ours.  The most difficult stretch of weather so far this year is upon us, and we are doing what we can to keep the grass as healthy as possible.  During these weather stretches, if you feel uncomfortable in the hot and humid weather, the grass feels the same way.  We try to keep the grass as healthy as possible to make it through this type of weather.  So far so [.....]

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10:54 AM

Turf Scouting Report, July 12th

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This week I took the opportunity to visit courses in Central Illinois and it was a very nice week visiting and interacting with some of the hard working ingenious superintendents in the area. It's a very different dynamic in central and southern Illinois where issues such as goosegrass and crabgrass are more prolific. Grasses differ and the pressures from disease, insects and weeds are much more difficult to deal with. I would like to thank the superintendents for their hospitality and graciousness when I visited. I will continue [.....]

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3:35 PM

Turf Scouting Report, July 5th

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That time of year has arrived once again for all of us. It seems the heat or what heat we may get has begun to build. Its also that time of year where problems start to pop up. This is also the time you lose the most sleep and deal with the emergencies while trying not to pull your hair out. It is also the time that we can over manage.... Turfgrass mowed at such low heights is always a difficult proposition to handle and pushing it through [.....]

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9:53 AM

Ball Mark Repair

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I am reposting this video that demonstrates the proper method for repairing ball marks.  Play has been picking up on the course and ball marks are becoming very noticeable.  It is not hard to repair a ball mark and it only takes a few seconds.

Two things are critical to repairing a ball mark correctly:

1. Pull the grass from the edges to the center of the mark. - When a ball mark is made, it is very likely that grass will die in the middle of the mark.  Pulling the grass from the edges to the center leave less area for the grass to cover while healing.

2. Tap the repaired mark level after [.....]

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12:33 PM

Turf Scouting Report, June 28th

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This week I was all ready to produce a profound and deeply insightful scouting report. Tuesday night and Wednesday morning changed that. The problems with rainfall are unprecedented and will leave some of your colleagues in tough situations going forward. The response and empathy however is what struck me strongly this week and followed on from last weekend at the Encompass Championship. As an industry I would like to say that your willingness to lend a hand and jump in to do whatever it takes is astounding in [.....]

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11:51 AM

40 Years and Counting.

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June 30, 1973 was just another day for the members and their guests at Naperville Country Club.  Nothing significant enough happened that would have caused a person to remember an event they may have witnessed on the course.  If you were on the course that day, you may have seen an 18 year-old on his first day of work at the club staining the old wooden bridge that once existed over the waterway in front of 2 tee.  On June 29, 2013 you would have found that same man in the maintenance facility checking the cut on the greens mowers.  For 40 years Greg Morar has been the club’s mechanic, fabricator, handyman and any other person the club [.....]

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10:33 AM

Turf Scouting Report, June 21st

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This week and the next few weeks there are a couple of things which I think are important to you and your golf course which can make or break your summer. This weekend we have our first blast of heat and humidity. As everyone has some grasp of the problems this brings in relation to disease pressure increasing, I can only hope that you have had a plan in place for this type of weather in relation to disease management. There are some points however that while I [.....]

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6:18 AM

Tee It Forward Weekend

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This weekend is "Tee It Forward" weekend.  Below are 2 videos talking about why to tee it forward.  This initiative would accomplish two things that inexplicably seem to be lacking amongst the membership - play faster and have more fun.  Leave your ego and give it a try this weekend!




[.....]

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9:53 AM

Practice Area Schedule For This Weekend

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Be sure to double check the schedules for the club this weekend. Fireworks Extravaganza happens on Sunday afternoon!


[.....]

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9:52 AM

Turf Scouting Report, June 14th

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Extreme might be the best word to describe this week. Precipitation events and non-events have been dominant for our golf courses all over the region this week. The volumes and more importantly the time period that the precipitation fell over have been problematic to say the least. Steady rainfall and dark wet days might be more associated with the Emerald Isle but in actuality 'soft' rains tend to wet the ground much more thoroughly and give the soil profile time to push water through rather than ponding. This [.....]

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4:56 PM

The Fruits of Long-Term Maintenance Practices

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I received several surprised reactions when people learned that carts would be available for golfers today.  This was on the heals of 1.2 inches of rain yesterday evening and last night.  No doubt we missed the brunt of the storms, but the course was in great shape after that amount of rain.  We perform several maintenance practices that may present a short-term disturbance, but the long-term benefits are evident on days like today.

All through the season we are continuously monitoring the course after rains to identify [.....]

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