9:41 AM

CDGA Turf Scouting Report, April 18

posted by NCC Greensin 0 comments

Recovery is underway in many sites it seems and covers can be seen dotted all around the city as soil temperatures took another plunge this week. The forecast currently though seems like 70's are a possibility for many of us and even the guys on the north shore should benefit from that in the near to medium term. As I have visited more locations the glorious inconsistency of who did what and how it worked out has been disarmingly frustrating. There are some incredible stories of doing nothing [.....]

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9:32 AM

North-Central Regional Update from the USGA Green Section

posted by NCC Greensin 0 comments

Turf Will Need Time To Heal This Season By Keith Happ, director, North-Central Region
April 16, 2014

Reestablishing plant health above and below ground will be challenging this spring. Recovery can occur and turf performance can be sustained if adequate time is provided to new grass plants. During the winter months a great deal of planning and preparation takes place. The agronomic planning sessions center on growing healthy grass that can present sustainable, consistent playing conditions during the summer months. For many, particularly those in the Northern tier of the [.....]

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10:40 AM

A New Look For 1 Tee

posted by NCC Greensin clubhouseflowerstees0 comments

Big changes will continue to be happening around the 1st tee in the coming weeks.  Last fall three spruce trees were removed to highlight a maturing Bur Oak.  This spring the aging and overgrown junipers and arborvitae behind the tee will be removed to make way for new plantings.

The plantings behind 1 tee have become overgrown and unsightly.  The objective of this project is to maintain the screening between the tee and the circle drive, but improve the aesthetic of the area due to it proximity [.....]

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9:58 AM

Winter Recovery Progress

posted by NCC Greensin annual bluegrassfairwaysgreensweatherwinter0 comments

The winter weather extremes are still the talk of Chicago area courses (especially with another blanket of snow today!), and likely will be for several more weeks while courses tend to the recovery process.  In this week's CDGA Turf Scouting Report posted yesterday, we learned the NOAA has declared this the coldest winter on record for Chicago.  I do not see anybody lining up to dispute that yet!  Several resources from several organizations have been produced over the past month regarding winter damage and the accompanying recovery process. [.....]

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9:57 AM

CDGA Turf Scouting Report, April 11th

posted by NCC Greensin 0 comments

It's a record folks - NOAA has reported that this was the coldest winter on record by 0.4 of a degree for the Chicago area - the last previous record was set in 1903-1904.

I am guaranteeing that nobody was managing golf courses in the area at the time and I am also fairly sure that there are no notes on the recovery process - which means, one day at a time and no panicking. Seeding, watering, fertilizer and covers are the order of the day - [.....]

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3:03 PM

Carts and Practice Tee Available This Weekend

posted by NCC Greensin 0 comments

Carts, Practice Tee, Chipping Green and Halfway House will be added to the amenities available this weekend.  Sunny weather and sunshine have begun to push color onto the grass on the green, tees and fairways, however the rough has a ways to go yet.  Though the grass is green, we have not seen much growth yet.  This weather has been two steps forward, but it looks like one step back next week with high temperatures in the 40s for most of the week.

Some nice weather [.....]

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7:05 AM

CDGA Turf Scouting Report, April 4

posted by NCC Greensin 0 comments

Welcome back everyone - it has been a long winter and while the calendar has officially entered springtime - Im not so sure that we are actually there yet. Snowfall March 24th and lows in the teens March 25th meant that old man winter has not let go of us just yet as far as temperatures go. As far the winter itself went it has been far from quiet from what I observed. Education talks were very well attended whether it was at Mauh-Nah-Tee-See in Rockford or Nashville [.....]

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12:45 PM

Greens Back in Play on Saturday, April 5th

posted by NCC Greensin aeratinggreenssoilwinter0 comments

The primary playing surfaces have been cleaned, bunkers raked, and holes cut.  The greens are back in play on Saturday for the 2014 season.  Though the calendar says April 5th, the weather has not acquiesced.  Early spring conditions prevail on the course.  We have also completed our spring aeration, so greens will be sandy, bumpy and slow for the weekend.  The key phrase is "in play", not necessarily "in shape" yet.  The soil has thawed, the grass has greened and they will safely accept traffic, so get out [.....]

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