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 [.....]
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 [.....]
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 [.....]
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 [.....]
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 [.....]
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 [.....]
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 [.....]