North and Old West Curfew Recovery

Nearly two weeks following the Curfew application on the fairways of Old West Course (Holes #1 - #5 and #15 - #18)  the slits in the turf have all but healed.   Darker green turf where the injections were made are the only signs remaining from the application.  The areas that were showing stress due to higher nematode populations have begun to recover as well.  

#1 West Fairway



The North Course which was "Curfewed"  last Saturday has also begun to heal with very little turf burn.  This healing was aided by the much needed afternoon showers we have been receiving this week. 

#1 North Fairway

Old West Curfew Application

On Saturday, July 30, 2011, an application of Curfew was made to the tees and fairways on holes 1 - 5 and 15 - 18 of  the West Golf Course.  Curfew is a soil fumigant that is slit injected into the soil as a liquid and volatilizes as a gas within the soil profile to kill target pests.  In this case plant parasitic nematodes and mole crickets present at the time of treatment.   Plant parasitic nematodes are slender round worms that range in size from 1/300 to 1/3 of an inch.  Some species of nematodes feed on healthy plant tissue. Treatment is necessary because even with proper nutrients, water and oxygen, turf quality can decline over time due to nematode damage.   Curfew is applied by trained, licensed professional applicators using specialized equipment.  Because of the nature of Curfew,  you cannot reenter the treated area until 24 hours after the treatment is completed.   Full turf recovery from the Curfew application should be seen a few weeks after application.  Expect quickest and greatest improvement to be on poor quality turf.  Be advised we will be applying Curfew on the North Golf Course tees and fairways on Saturday, August 6, 2011.



 

Intermediate Rough Cut

After a brief test run on the South Course, we have decided to add an intermediate rough cut to the West Course and North Course over the next few weeks.  The feedback from members has been very positive.  As the cut matures the definition between the fairway and intermediate cut  and the intermediate cut and rough cut will become more pronounced.

12 West Waste Area

During the current West Course closure the golf maintenance department is installing a waste area between #12 West Green and #13 West Tee.  The waste area will be very similar to the one located to the right of #14 South Green installed last summer.  The primary reason for installing the waste area was to remove the cart path that had severely deteriorated over the years. However, the added benefit is a waste area that is easier to hit from than pine needles and requires less overall maintenance.  Additional photos will be posted once completed.



West Course Greens - Verticutting

The above is a short video demonstrating some of the verticutting we perform on the putting greens during the summer closures.  Verticutting helps remove excess leaf tissue, thatch and surface organic matter.  The process promotes a smoother and firmer putting surface.

New Practice Putting Green

Five weeks after planting,  the new practice putting green is growing in quite well.  The Champion bermudagrass sprigs have really taken to the recent rainfall and have covered about 75% of the putting surface.   We have begun mowing the green once a week at a height of 0.200".  Once the surface is completely covered with grass, we will then take steps to ensure smooth ball roll prior to opening.  As it stands now, we are on schedule to open the green Labor Day week.  Again, thank you for your patience.

Mole Cricket Treatment

Mole Cricket Nymph

On Tuesday, June 21, an application of Chipco Choice was made to the fairways on the South golf course and the fairways of the West golf course south of the L-14 canal.  Chipco Choice is applied by slit injecting the insecticide directly into the soil.  This method ensures better efficacy of the insecticide at lower rates of application.  Thus allowing play to resume on the treated areas of the golf course immediately after application.  The primary target pest is the mole cricket, however, multiple ant species are controlled by the Choice as well. The mole cricket damages turfgrass by burrowing in the soil and feeding on roots.  The feeding weakens the turfgrass plant and the tunneling disrupts the playing surfaces.  Application timing is very important, as it is best to apply the insecticide when mole crickets are young and easier to control.  Some slits in the surface may be visible on the fairways following the application but will disappear after a couple of mowings.



Chipco Choice Applicator



Fairway Following Chipco Choice Application



Rough Maintenance

As we enter the summer months, one of the concerns of our golfers is the height of the rough cut.  During the winter months we maintain the rough at 2" in an effort to maintain good definition between the rough and fairway cut.  During the summer closures we "scalp" the rough down to 1" effective height of cut in efforts to expose the turf canopy to better sunlight infiltration and to promote new growth.   By doing this, the turf comes back healthier and denser.  Thus, reducing the chances for the golf ball to nestle down in the rough.  We understand that the temporary conditions may not be visually pleasing, however, this will lead to better playing conditions in the future. 

South Course Fairway Aerification

With the fairways generally being around ten times the area of a the putting greens on the golf courses we would use a tractor mounted pull behind fairway aerifier.  However, with one unavailable to suit our needs, we set out to aerify the fairways on the South Course with the same walk behind aerifiers that we use on the greens and tees.  One machine can aerify one acre in 80 minutes.  The South Course has 26 acres of fairways, which constitutes roughly 35 man hours.  The benefits of using the walk behind aerifiers over our current fairways pull behind aerifier, is more of the surface area is disrupted allowing for better water infiltration, reduced compaction, and better air penetration into the soil.  It also provides topdressing to help control thatch.  All leading to better playing surfaces for our golfers in the future.

New Tee Markers

Today our new tee markers are being put out on the West golf course.  The new markers are highly visible and are engraved with the updated Fountains CC logo.  The new tee markers are made of a solid resin much like that of a billiard ball and are virtually indestructible.

South Course Closure

June 6, marked the first day of our first South Course closure for summer cultural practices.  Our first item of business was to verticut the south greens very aggressively.  We verticut the greens to a depth of 1/16" and proceeded to verticut up and back on the same pass in four different directions.  This process removed a substantial amount of thatch as well as older leaf tissue.  We then mowed the greens in a circular pattern to remove more leaf tissue.  Later that afternoon a heavy topdressing of sand was preformed in preparation for aerification the following day.


On Tuesday, June 7, the South greens were aerified with 5/8" diameter tines on 2" x 2" spacing.  This will ensure adequate removal of thatch for our first South course closure.  This process also improves water infiltration, improves gas exchange for the plant and a reduces compaction.   The plugs from the aerification were then drug in and then the remaining thatch was blown off the putting surface.