Glen Oak Country Club. Steve McDonald Turfgrass Disease Solutions, LLC

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1 Glen Oak Country Club Steve McDonald Turfgrass Disease Solutions, LLC

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3 My History with GOCC Visited once in Looked at some greens- 10, 12, 14. Small areas of decline. Visited last year, September 3, Provided detail report including growing environment assessments and mechanical and agronomic tweaks, People Present on that visit included: Gino Marchetti, Golf Course Superintendent J.P. Sweeney Mack Saunders John Bulger Visited once this spring- last week Reviewed and follow up on suggestions from last year Toured the entire course- 1 st time doing so.

4 Agronomic Summary Recipe for GREAT TURF! Current Conditions Expectations for 2017 Long Term Suggestions- Agronomic Golf Courses are Evolving and Continual Assessment is Critical Need to address chronic issues- just like a house. A roof will not last forever. Question and Answer

5 What is the Recipe for GREAT TURF? 1.) Sunlight (focus on morning and mid day) Eastern and southern trees are the biggest issues for turf growth and development. Morning sunlight important for photosynthesis Southern light important for winter time health 2.) Good Surface and Subsurface Drainage Includes water movement off of greens and vertically downward Big reason for winter kill in winter of 2014/2015 was lack of surface drainage 3.) Good Air Movement- allows the turf to be cooler

6 Green dying from too much rainfall followed by hot day- also has high levels of thatch and morning shade.

7 Photo not from GOCC Where is the live grass? Aerification is a necessary evil but it allows the turf to breath and it s the most important cultural practice done for fine turfgrass

8 Aerification Suggestions GOCC Aerification is stressful on turf but needs to be completed! Last August there was some damage to fairways and greens following August Aerification. My suggestion was to move this back to a period in early autumn when the turf would be naturally healthier and less stressed but still heal before winter. Would suggest more solid deep tining of the greens. Purchasing machine would be best.

9 Current Conditions Greens are a mixture of annual bluegrass (Poa annua) and creeping bentgrass. Spring weather of 2017 has been a roller coaster Every golf course in the region is having trouble finishing projects due to lack of labor and weather Greens In fantastic condition at time of visit 10, 12 and 14 are weakest greens due to environments Green speed always a question At faster speeds greens like 7 may be un-puttable by some golfers Some of the best seedhead suppression I have seen in the region this year. Approaches Much denser than last September Ryegrass will mature in the next few weeks

10 Labor Crisis The number one comment I have received from golf course superintendents since 2015 has been finding employees. Good employees are the key to any successful operation.

11 Greens Greens were covered starting in late December and were removed in spring. Greens 7, 10 and 18 were built to USGA specifications 9 Green was modified to a soil/sand mixture All other greens are native soil push up greens where original architect pushed native soil up to form green. Over the past years, sand has been incorporated through topdressing and aerification. Biggest challenges, besides growing environments, include compaction of soils from mowing, rolling and foot traffic. Some greens have drainage installed and include: 1, 5, 9, 12, 14, 16 and 17 Drainage included in USGA specifications- 7, 10 and 18

12 There was at least one un-repaired ball mark on every green visited on Tuesday last week.

13 All greens but 7, 9, 10 and 18 were constructed in 1951 and have a similar profile as shown here. Rebuilding greens and not correcting shade issues still creates weak greens. Notice that rooting does not occur below the soil interface.

14 Roots are shortest in 14 green and other greens with shade.

15 Areas that were sodded with bentgrass are still thin from It will take more time for Poa annua to fill in and sod to mature.

16 For the winter months, Gino and his staff put in small drains. These aid in drainage even greens that have drainage like 9.

17 This photo is not from Glen Oak Greens 1, 5, 9, 12, 14, 16 and 17 have this type of drainage installed. The place 2 inch perf. Pipe 12 inches down into the soil and back fill with a 60%sand, 20%peat and 20% soil mixture and out let the pipes outside of the green.

18 Approaches Major topic of visit in September Perennial ryegrass appeared to be thriving in the collars and approaches where as bentgrass was failing. Suggested to seed ryegrass into the collars as a nurse grass and improve uniformity of the collars.

19 5 Green September 3 rd 2016

20 14 Approach September 2016

21 Approaches Spring Green All thin areas have been over-seeded with perennial ryegrass. Bentgrass will Struggle in Some of the Growing Environments at GOCC, ryegrass will be a better year round surface to play from. Darker in color may be to biggest observation long term.

22 Tees were aerated and are ready for the season.

23 What is Photosynthesis?

24 What is Photosynthesis? Process by which plants convert LIGHT energy into chemical energy that can be used for growth and development. Is this process important to us on a daily basis? Trees and other plants in direct line with sun, take photosynthetically active wave lengths from sun before reaching lower plants- ROYGBIV Items needed include: Sunlight CO2 (in the air) Water (Rainfall or can be supplied through irrigation)

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26 17 green was patched with sod including some bentgrass in spring 2015 after winter kill. Notice that Poa annua is invading this already and likely will continue to fill in. Poa annua outcompetes bentgrass in the shade or even partial shade. Bentgrass requires full sunlight.

27 15 Green is the Best Growing Environment at GOCC. Wide open for good air movement and full sun penetration.

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29 Tree Management Plan I love trees as much as anyone! There are locations where trees should be planted. Pick the best species- pines are not good golf course trees Trees significantly add to the cost of golf course maintenance. Increase disease, labor to prune and clean up debris and leaves among other costs. Trees have an important part in golf course architecture in certain course- others do not. Need to consider original intent of architect and that trees grow over time. When tree(s) interfere with Gino s (any superintendent) ability to provide good turf conditions, they need to be considered for removal. Communicate these concerns to everyone involved.

30 Not GOCC, however shows an example of working to remove trees- if the 60 trees on this hillside were not removed, there would be no grass on this green.

31 2 Green- Suggested a few more are removed to the south- south east of 2 green.

32 10 Green- September 2016

33 Ten Green April 2017 This will provide better sunlight penetration from the south and aid in the performance of this green!

34 Tree showing signs of decline 12 Green September 2016

35 Due South. Photo taken late April 2017.

36 Trees toward 13 tee are due east and should be considered for removal.

37 Back of 14 Green- Bentgrass sod is still weak. I suggested last week that some spot plugging is conducted in the thinnest areas of greens. Use nursery plugs or edges of the greens to plug center areas. In shaded greens, use as much Poa annua as possible.

38 On fourteen, I would suggest as much removal as possible to the east (11 tee) box and back left and behind the green as possible.

39 At 17 green, these spruce should be considered for removal.

40 The Emerald Ash Borer has infected most of the ash trees in the region killing them within 2 years. There are not a lot of ash at GOCC, however the row along the back nine including 18.

41 Drainage Concerns In the summer time, heavy rain combined with heat causes scald and wet wilt- grass is cooked. In winter time, turf that drains slow is more susceptible to winter kill and damage due to water sitting and freeze and thaw cycles. Drainage will improve turf performance immediately. More water can always be added through irrigation but it can not be taken away if it does not drain. True for fairways too!

42 August Inevitability, heavy rainfall and thunderstorms will occur during the warmest days of the year. This is when more turf is lost due to environmental stress than realized. Water is a good conductor of heat.

43 Photo not from GOCC. Winter kill is Extremely Complex, However Improving Drainage typically Reduces Winter Kill.

44 12 Green right side There is a collar damn that should be corrected by removing the sod and grading the area so there is positive drainage off of green and collar. This would be best to correct late summer/autumn 2017.

45 Air Movement Air movement aids in cooling the turf during the warmest days of the year. Water can be applied in light amounts to help cool down the turf, but the evaporation is key. Sweating? Does it feel better to be in stagnant air or sweating with wind? I am not suggesting that GOCC needs to purchase fans, rather selective brush/tree removal will aid in greens performance. Focus on west and south west areas, like right of 14.

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48 Thanks Questions?