JAMES RIVER COUNTRY CLUB Newport News, Virginia

Transcription

1 JAMES RIVER COUNTRY CLUB Newport News, Virginia Visit Date: May 29, 2014 Present: Bobby Burch, President Bob Lanier, Green Committee Chairman Randy Bryant, Green Committee, Chairman of Golf Committee Allan Tanner, Vice-President Tim Whitlock, Board of Directors Bill Haywood, Green Committee Doug Burgoyne, Green Committee Roydon Goodson, Green Committee Mo Bsat, General Manager, Chief Operating Officer Jeremy Franks, Head Golf Professional Sean Daly, Assistant Golf Professional Jay Long, Golf Course Superintendent Darin S. Bevard, Director, Mid-Atlantic Region United States Golf Association Darin S. Bevard, Director Green Section Mid-Atlantic Region 485 Baltimore Pike Glen Mills, PA Phone: Fax: USGA Green Section Mission: The USGA Green Section are leaders in developing and disseminating agronomically, environmentally, and economically sustainable management practices. We help golf facilities maintain better playing conditions for better golf through science-based and practical solutions. Course Consulting Service Report Page 1

2 Overall, the golf course was in good condition. However, concerns over weak areas in several greens, especially the Fourth green, as well as the condition of the green surrounds are a re-occurring concern. With the challenges experienced on the greens in the past two growing seasons, anxiety about early season stress is not misplaced. Focus on turfgrass health in these areas as we progress towards the summer. I will have more thoughts on this topic later in the report. This sample shows the benefits of deep tine aeration. The long roots followed a deep tine channel. The overall rooting in the greens was very good from the samples that we evaluated. The greens are healthy at this point in the growing season. On fairways, spring dead spot will always be an issue although everyone seemed to agree that disease pressure was less this spring than it was last year. This is true in spite of a more severe winter and a cold spring overall. Your fungicide programs to control spring dead spot should continue late this summer. Many different topics were discussed during our tour of the golf course. The condition of the greens and surrounds dominated our conversations. In the case of your surrounds, there is still plenty of time to make repairs to warm season grass areas as we progress into the summer. On the putting greens and collars, there is a bit more urgency because Course Consulting Service Report Page 2

3 good growing weather for cool season grasses prior to the onset of summer stress is limited. With those thoughts in mind, we offer the following suggestions and recommendations for your consideration. GREENS 1. Overall Condition. As a whole, the condition of the greens was very good. Even on weak greens such as the Fourth green, the primary playing areas on the middle of the greens were in excellent condition. We evaluated the soil profile in about a half dozen samples to find healthy, white roots extending 3 to 4 inches into the soil profile and very good root mass. The impacts of deep tine aeration were also clearly seen with roots extending 8 or 9 inches down a deep tine hole that was in one of the samples. While good rooting does not guarantee anything for the upcoming summer, starting the year with the greens in overall good health provides the best chance to manage them through the summer. The weak areas on the Fourth green suffered damage during aeration. Hopefully, this picture provides a point of comparison to determine whether or not the damaged areas are recovering. If they are not, sodding and/or plugging may be needed. Course Consulting Service Report Page 3

4 2. Fourth Green. The Fourth green already exhibited significant stress in the weak areas in the very front and very back of the green. A combination of topdressing abrasion and a fertilizer application negatively impacted these already weak areas. On the day of our visit, some of the grass was beginning to recover. This will bear close watching to determine if you are going to achieve adequate recovery from the existing turf. It is very likely that some plugging and/or some sodding will be needed in the front portion of the green and collar. At the back of the green, the grass was actually beginning to green-up very well. We defer to Mr. Long with respect to whether or not any of these areas need to be plugged or sodded. Regardless, there are other management strategies that should be considered in the short term to keep these areas as good as possible. A) Traffic Management. Do everything that you can to divert traffic away from these weak areas. While no one likes the appearance of ropes and stakes on the golf course, they are sometimes necessary to direct traffic away from areas that need to recover. This is not only true of the Fourth green; it is also true of weak areas on other greens. Do not wait until foot traffic severely thins the grass. Be proactive and protect these areas that you know can be difficult to manage over the course of the growing season. In addition to managing golfer traffic, maintenance traffic must also be managed. Mowing these weak areas once every 3 or 4 days may be all that is needed. They certainly do not need to be mowed on a daily basis at this point in time. Additionally, mow the Fourth green in directions that minimize the need to traverse these weak areas with the mowers. The goal is simply to minimize stress as the grass recovers. B) Height of Cut. Continue to manage the Fourth green (and any others that need it) at a slightly higher height of cut to relieve stress on the grass and allow a chance for re-growth. While this will negatively impact green speed, the health of the grass should be paramount. Once the grass is grown-in, mowing height can be reduced. C) Water Management. Lightly syringe the weak areas on the Fourth green under dry, sunny conditions. The goal is to prevent additional stress in these areas. They should also be watered as needed. Fortunately, the areas were actually well rooted which should help with water management. The Fourth green is going to require very careful management throughout the 2014 growing season. The front and rear portions of this green are basically in a grow-in situation. Similar areas exist on the Seventh, Sixteenth and Seventeenth greens to varying degrees. The key to eliminating these problem areas is to manage them through the growing season so that they have a chance to mature. Once this is accomplished, I believe that you will see these problems become far less of an issue in the future. Course Consulting Service Report Page 4

5 3. Weak Areas. While the Fourth green had the most damaged turf on the day of our visit, other greens had weak areas as well. Hopefully, weather patterns will allow these areas to continue to grow-in and mature for the next few weeks. My only recommendation is that if you have areas that begin to decline, plug them immediately once temperatures get hot on a regular basis. When the summer stress hits, any very thin or bare areas are not going to recover. Canopy temperatures in these thin and bare spots can be very high which can affect surrounding grass and cause the damaged areas to get larger. Plugging will prevent the areas from expanding. 4. Collar Dams. It is not coincidental that most (not all) of the weak areas on your greens are in areas where the surface drainage channels of the greens have been blocked off over the years. Whether the greens have settled or sand accumulated from repeated aeration and topdressing programs has raised the height of the immediate collar and green surround, you have collar dams that prevent surface drainage. This is an important fact. During times of high heat and heavy rainfall, these will be the areas that cause problems. If you observe conditions on the greens during rain events, you will find that the last areas to be free of standing water are at these collar dams. This means these areas have lower soil oxygen and remain saturated. During heavy rain, there are many areas on the greens as a whole where water may run off quickly enough that saturated conditions never exist or only exist for a short time. In these areas where water accumulates, saturated conditions are the norm. This makes these areas more susceptible to mechanical damage and scalping. The aforementioned low soil oxygen leads to a decrease in rooting and weaker turfgrass plants. To that end, your collar dams need to be addressed. This is a problem on many of your greens. Mr. Long can address some of these areas as resources are available, but to do so will mean removing employees from other routine maintenance tasks. Consideration should be given to using an outside contractor to complete this task wherever it is needed to promote positive surface drainage in these areas. At least, consider getting a cost estimate for this work to be completed. This is not a difficult project, but it takes time and resources to complete the work. Eliminating these collar dams will eliminate a potential trouble spot on many of your greens. 5. Ants. Ant hills were noted on several greens. Ants are very difficult to control because their colonies are underground. One option to consider is an application of the insecticide Aloft. Recent research from the University of Kentucky suggests that Aloft may be the best option for ant control. The combination of the contact insecticide and long residual insecticide in Aloft helps to reduce ant populations. The key is that you must also treat 15 to 20 feet into the surrounds to prevent re-infestation. After the initial application of Aloft, additional contact insecticides may need to be applied. Again, treat into the green surrounds, not just in the areas where the ants are visible on the greens. Ants are difficult to control, but insecticides can provide suppression to reduce mounding on putting greens. Course Consulting Service Report Page 5

6 FAIRWAYS 1. Spring Dead Spot. Spring dead spot activity was not as severe this year as it was during our visit last spring. Applications of Tebuconazole, a fungicide that is effective in suppressing spring dead spot, are working. All parties involved need to realize that no fungicide provides complete control of spring dead spot. The goal is to provide suppression of the disease so that the patches recover more quickly. In my experience, with each successive year of treatments, disease pressure decreases. Mr. Whitlock asked why spring dead spot occurs in one area, but not another. This question was asked with respect to the tees on the Fourth hole. The two Forward tees had noticeable spring dead spot while the two Back tees were nearly free of this disease. The level of traffic received by these tees may be a contributing factor. We know that traffic contributes to spring dead spot severity. However, if we actually knew the exact reasons why one area is infected and another one is not, we would be able to prevent the disease entirely. Soil chemistry, traffic and micro-climate all affect spring dead spot severity. One final thought I wanted to add on spring dead spot so everyone is clear. Spring dead spot is caused by fungus. It is not winterkill. Spring dead spot can occur in mild winters and severe winters. There is actually a pathogen, Ophiosphaerella korrae, which is in the soil and infects bermudgrass plants as they enter dormancy in the fall. The resultant patches that you see in the spring are damage from the disease, thus the name spring dead spot. Winterkill is what you saw in the drainage swale in front of the first green caused by a combination of poor drainage and cold temperatures in this area. 2. First Fairway, Drainage swale. Speaking of the drainage swale in front of the green on the First hole, as mentioned above, this was winterkill. Winterkill occurred in this area because of the wet conditions that likely persist after any rain or snow event. The area stays excessively wet and freezes and thaws which is not good for bermudagrass. Installation of some internal drainage in this area will reduce the possibility that winterkill will occur. For the record, one option to consider to drain this and other areas where water accumulates is SandMaster drainage. The SandMaster machine cuts trenches approximately one inch wide on ten inch centers and backfills them with coarse sand. These small trenches help to conduct water to get water below the surface as quickly as possible. SandMaster is generally performed by an outside aeration contractor. This may be an option to consider in some of your low-lying areas including the drainage swale in front of the First green. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Green Surrounds. Winterkill of warm season grasses immediately adjacent to putting greens has been a major problem in my travels this spring. The problem is so Course Consulting Service Report Page 6

7 widespread this spring that sod availability is now an issue as courses scramble to obtain enough sod to repair these areas. The combination of the colder than normal winter, as well as maintenance traffic, are the primary factors that cause this problem. Obviously, your creeping bentgrass putting greens require maintenance much longer than bermudagrass is actively growing in the fall. As you turn mowers and transition the direction of rollers on the bermudagrass, it causes stress. This is true in any fall. However, with the addition of the cold winter, the problem was more widespread. This is the reason that in many cases turfgrass loss is worse in areas where limited turning space for mowers is available such as between bunkers and the putting green. In the short term, sodding provides the best option for recovery. To the degree that sod is available, these areas should be sodded. The time it will take for these areas to recover will be longer than many people will accept. By addressing the areas quickly, you remove a conversation point for the membership. They see the sod go down and realize that the problem is being addressed. This is one of the sodded areas on green surrounds. If possible, height of cut should be reduced gradually in conjunction with sand topdressing to limit stress on the grass. The problems with surrounds were not isolated to James River, but now that sod has been laid, it needs to be carefully cared for. Course Consulting Service Report Page 7

8 In the future, traffic management options in these areas should be considered. Using ropes and stakes during the fall to direct golfers into different areas so that the same areas are not used as an entrance and exit point for the greens will help. Additionally, during the fall, when the greens should be healthy, rollers can actually be transitioned on the putting green. All the operators need to be taught to make a slow transition on the green, it is not essential that every inch of the green close to the edge gets rolled. Finally, having a triplex mower to cut the greens as bermudagrass growth slows will also be helpful. The triplex provides more options for turning than your walk mowers do. The challenges with the surrounds are not unique to James River. This is a problem at varying levels on many golf courses that we work with where creeping bentgrass greens meet up with bermudagrass surrounds. While there are management strategies that can be implemented to potentially reduce the severity of this problem, there is no absolute solution that I have seen. 2. Newly Sodded Areas. Try to slowly reduce the height of cut on your newly sodded areas rather than scalping. Although there will always be some scalping as the height of cut is reduced, the grass will establish and perform better if the height of cut is gradually reduced. Prior to mowing, the newly sodded areas should be rolled to provide a smoothing effect. Periodic sand topdressing will also help to smooth the sod. As the sod roots, height of cut can continue to be reduced until it is the same as the surrounds as a whole. Some of the weak areas where bermudagrass growth is stunted should be aerated with solid tines if possible. Aeration will help to stimulate growth and improve soil conditions under the bermudagrass sod. The sod on the front of the Seventh green immediately comes to mind. Slicing and/or aerating these areas will only help with their development. 3. Bunkers. Mr. Franks raised a question about the playability of the bunker. Basically, how much sand should be on the bunker faces? The front right bunker on the Tenth green was our point of discussion. Too much sand on a high sand face of a bunker leads to plugged balls and buried lies. Ideally, you would like the ball to hit the face and roll down into the base of the bunker. To that end, the goal should be to maintain a covering of sand on the liner on the face, but not so much sand that balls plug. Unfortunately, in doing this, you will have more exposure of the liner. Aesthetically, this may be an issue for some people. From a playability perspective, it generally does not cause a problem. Again, if the sand is shallow on the face, the ball will wind up in the base of the bunker where sand depth will be more important. An attempt can be made to reduce the amount of sand on the faces to see the results provided. However, it takes time to redistribute sand in a bunker. It is not just a matter of pulling sand off of the bunker faces. Depth of sand in the base also needs to be tested so that 4 to 8 inches of sand is maintained in the base of the bunker. Course Consulting Service Report Page 8

9 4. Equipment Replacement. The topic of equipment replacement came up during our visit. We fully understand the economics of capital and equipment replacement. However, plans need to be developed so you can maintain a modern, properly functioning equipment fleet. Whether new equipment is purchased or a lease package is considered, you need to have reliable equipment. When equipment breaks down, there is a cost to repair the equipment that is obvious to most. However, there is also a loss of efficiency for your maintenance staff. For example, if you are trying to mow fairways ahead of play and one of your fairway units breaks down, even if the repair is made in 30 or 40 minutes, this delay may be long enough to put your fairway mowers in play before they can finish the job. This will increase the time it takes to complete fairway mowing and also potentially irritate the golfers. The quality of your equipment has a direct impact on the preparation of the golf course. CONCLUSION If there is one take-away message from our visit as well as the last two growing seasons, it is that sometimes conservative maintenance is necessary. What does this mean? It means that focusing on turfgrass health during times of potential stress rather than putting green speeds is an absolute necessity. While slow greens may generate a few complaints, dead or damaged greens generate endless complaints. Keep the grass healthy, and when the weather patterns change, green speeds can again be ramped up. It is Mr. Long s responsibility to raise heights, reduce mowing frequency, skip mowing, etc. when the grass is under stress. It is the committee s responsibility to provide support when these decisions are made for the benefit of the turf. A good season of overall healthy greens will help to restore the confidence of the membership in the agronomic programs that are being implemented at James River Country Club. This concludes our summary of the major points of discussion during our visit and tour of your golf course. If any questions arise concerning this visit, my report or any other area, please feel free to call our office. We are here to help. Sincerely, Darin S. Bevard Director, Mid-Atlantic Region cc: Jay Long, Golf Course Superintendent Bob Lanier, Green Chairman Mo Bsat, General Manager Course Consulting Service Report Page 9