It Can Change is a Day

The life of a Golf Course Manager is always challenging.  Weather has a significant impact on the turfgrass health and condition which directly reflects on the playing condition of the course.  Hot, dry, dirm, wet, soft, etc. condititions can change daily on a golf course.  Controlling the Uncontrollable is our biggest challenge in Golf Course Management.

Two days ago we had 10 staff members hand watering fairway drain lines that were wilting from the intense 100 heat.

Today, we have 15 staff members squeeging water from the low spots in the fairways following 1.7 inches of rainfall last night.  If not given attention, the lower and wetter areas can become scalded from the 90+ degree temperatures and they become an optimum location for turfgrass diseases to occur. 

The two photo below show an agressive and devistating turfgrass disease known as "Pythium."  It favors low, moist areas and occurs in hot - humid weather conditions.  Thus the reason for squeeging the fairways and applying plant protectants.

   The photo below is of a lightening strike on the #7 red green Wednesday night. 

Eleminating Shade

Several key elements to a quality playing surface is that the surface be firm and dry.  Normally, shaded turf areas tend to hold more moisture and are subject to limited sunlight.  In the example of #7 blue tee below, prior to pruning the trees to the east of the tee, the tee was sparse of turf, damp and in generally poor condition.  Once we pruned the trees and exposed the tee to improved sunlight and air movement, the quality of the tee has dramatically increased. 

The photo above shows the dense tree canopy that shaded the #7 blue tee area

The photo below shows the weakened turf area due to wetness and lack of sunlight.

The photo above exhibits the area adjacent to the #7 blue tee that was cleared to allow sunlight and air movement for the turfgrass

The photo below shows the quality turf resulting from the the improved area.

The photo below is of a heavily shaded area next to #9 red ladies tee.  Sparse turf and dirt occupy the space.

The photo below is of a quality stand of turf after the trees have been pruned allowing for sunlight to access the area.

                              
             The photo below shows the extreme dryness around a group of trees.  The root systems of mature trees can consume hundreds of gallons of water from the subsurface.  Notice here that there is one specimen tree with two less desirable trees in close proximity.  The two less desirable species are using soil moisture at the expense of the desirable tree.  This situation is an example of where the institution of a quality Tree Management Program is helpful.  In the best case scenario, the undesirable tree would be removed so that it does not limit the potential and health of the desirable tree. 
                                                     

Summer Heat 2012

The intense heat and lack of rainfall are having a significant effect on golf courses throughout the Midwest and especially in Chicago.  Although we do have an automated irrigation system, the transpoevaporation rates of the grass plant cannot go unscathed by the intense heat and dryness.  The golf course is holding up very well and playing conditions are superb.  There are some areas that are a bit off color but that is unavoidable under these weather conditions.  Normally these type of temperatures do not occur until later in the summer.

Last summer, we had hot days but it rained 12 to 14 days in each of the months of May, June and July.  This year we are in the middle of a drought.  That is why no two years are alike in managing a golf course.

100s topple records across Plains; heat/some t-storms Chicagobound

                                    

                                5 Day Forecast for the last 5 days

Thursday 100 degrees

Friday     95  degrees

Saturday 94 degrees

    Sunday    95   degrees

  Monday    95  degrees

Blistering Heat     Heat Index 110 degrees

                                      

Continued cart traffic in the same locations can cause wear and damage to the turf.  This is why we utilize traffic rotation measures to distribute the cart traffic and sustain quality turf conditions.

Water management is a key component of turfgrass management in dry situations.  Overwatering and leaving the turf in moist conditions during extremen heat and humidity can result in devistating disease occurance.  For this reason, we water only as needed to each specific area and with each specific turf species.  For example, in the photo below, we water enough to keep the bentgrass fairways at the proper moisture levels but because the same sprinkler heads cover the bentgrass fairways and the bluegrass roughs, we do overwater the bentgrass in order to water the bluegrass intermediate rough to the levels necessary to keep it green.  Once we get some rainfall, the bluegrass will return to its normal green color.

Below, we cannot water the intermediate rough without getting the bunker sand wet

                                    
In order to meet the water requirement for the different grasses on the course in dry conditions, 8 to 10 of our staff are assigned to watering the dry areas on the course.  This insures the survival of the turf in extreme heat and drought conditions.  It is very labor intensive but absolutely necessary. 
                                    Syringing Fairway Darain Lines

                                     
                                                  Syringing Greens

Here is the forecast for the next 4 days 

Today        97   degrees

Wednesday 100  degrees

Thursday    99  degrees

Friday       100  degrees

Major Hail Damage

So you want to be a Golf Course Manager?  June in Texas.  A hailstorm stops play at the Texas State Amateur Tournament in Dallas, Texas.   What would you do?  What are your options?

I assume the tournament is over.  There is no way to immediately repair the greens.  This happened to me early in my career in Texas but not during an important event.  I immediately aerified and topdressed the greens.  Some of the larger hail damaged areas may have to require some hand repair. 

Why are the traffic ropes and stakes necessary on the golf course?

During the hot, windy and arid times of the year it is necessary to utilize various golf cart traffic rotation measures.  Cart traffic is one of the most influencing factors relating to turfgrass wear and compaction. We will only use these measures when necessary to protect your golf course. I understand their inconvenience but I also know they work. 

Golfers routinely drive carts close to the bunkers which result in compaction and wear patterns.

 In an effort to get as close to their golf balls as possible, golfers often drive their  carts too close to the bunkers

Notice the off color of the fairway turf to the left of the bunker, just inside the darker green intermediate rough cut.  This is the route many golf carts are driven resulting in compaction and wear.  The traffic rotation stakes will help give the turf a break from the cart traffic and let it recover

Again, carts are routinely driven just inside the fairway cut line resulting in the turf off coloring and becoming compacted.

During extreme periods of heat, drought and low humidity the turf is stressed and is susceptible to wilt and damage from golf cart tires.

The area below is along the path at White #8 where carts enter the fairway

The photo below is of the exact area on White #8 where the traffic blocks were added.  As you can see, they do work to protect your golf course

Recent Improvement Projects

There are activities and projects that take place on the golf course throughout the year.  Many are initiated and completed during times when golfers are away from the course.  Below are just a few of the projects receiving attention this spring.

The staff is removing some of the decayed, dead & unsafe trees on the course.

You can see from the photo below that the tree is totally rotten.

                   We have completed the construction and sodding of the new forward tee on #2 red.
                                    

                                         Our staff is doing an in-house installation of a rock wall
                                                            at the paddle parking lot

The staff installed a road base cart path at the nursery site to replace the mud path that existed.

We are in the process of aerifying and topdressing fairways and approaches

Lorrie has planted new flowers in the patio pots

                                    

The Golf Course Business Plan

How do you decide on what an appropriate operating budget should be for a golf course? The following are  the steps that I utilize in preparing the annual operating budget at NCC.   Some of the
    spread sheets may be difficult to read because they will nto fit oon the page but it should give you an
    idea of the detail we use.  You can double click the image to enlarge it.

1. We started by establishing a Mission Statement for the facility ( approved by the Green Committee.)

Northmoor Country Club Golf Course Operations Mission Statement stipulates that The Northmoor
Country Club golf course will be maintained in a condition consistent with the top courses in the district.

2. My Assistants and I have teamed to identified & submitted a set of Golf Course Maintenance Standards that were essential to delivering the quality and conditioning for the golf course that the Green Committee approved.  Standards were set for quality of greens, tees, fairways, bunkers, landscaping, etc.  These standards included every agronomic practice and measure required to deliver and maintain turfgrass playing conditions at the highest possible level within reasonable financial means.  Included were costs of fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation water, topdressing materials, aerificaiton schedules, labor costs, etc. 

3.  Once the Standards were identified, we documented the exact amount of time it took to accomplish each agromonic and cultural task and assigned a cost to the task based on frequency and staffing.  For example, to deliver the tquality of putting surfaces we want, we know we need to mow the greens a minimum of 6 times per week.  It takes 6 opertors 3 hours each to complete the task.  That is a total of 108 man hours a week just to mow the greens.  We then listed all other costs with maintaining the greens throughout the year.    Please note the daily, weekly and seasonal tasks listed below entailed in preparing & maintaining the course.

These are the labor related costs of the annual operating budget.

As you can see from the spreadsheets above, a tremendous amount of detailed work is performed by the men you see working out on the golf course. The quality of our playing conditions do not happen by accident. The staff, although not known by many, is the key to our golf course. Our budgeting is quite precise. Over the past 8 years, it is common for us to come within several hundred to several thousand dollars within budget, never over.

4.  An anticipated schedule is prepared on a spread sheet that shows how many times each task will be performed during the season for things like fertilizations, topdressings, fungicide applications, etc.  The tasks below assist in identifying the material costs of the operating budget.

 The photos below exhibits the end product of the planning, budgeting and maintaining processes involved in managing the NCC Golf Course Operations Department.   The conditions are a result of a detailed and finely managed zero based budget and business plan.