Lockwood Folly Country Club USGA TAS Visit Patrick O Brien USGA SE Region Director July 5, 2011
Attendees Mr Jason Crawford Mr. Jason Crawford, Golf Course Superintendent
Outline Summer Drought Putting Greens Fairways and Roughs Di Driving i Range Project Bunkers 2011 Operational Budget Tee Time Programs First Tee Project Conclusion
2011 Membership and Play Approximately 163 members are at the club in 2011. Business has been very good especially the past 45 days with outside play increasing significantly. Mr. Jeff Ruth, new golf professional, has helped adjust rates to promote new play and outings. His new management style has been a big plus.
Summer Drought Only 0.2 inches of rain has occurred since May 11 th. Driest weather conditions in the past decade according to the staff. Pump station motor pulled recently for repairs leaves only 1 pump available but it will be working again soon. Wells and ponds on the course provide additional irrigation water supply that is far better than most other courses in the area. Course firmness is outstanding now with these dry weather conditions as plenty of ball roll happens at fairways and roughs.
Summer Drought Both well water (8 wells) and water from other ponds (3 transfer stations) on the course are transferred to the irrigation lake at #7. The wells and transfer pumps have been operating continuously the past 60 days. The water supply infrastructure set up on the course is outstanding due to initial plans by the developer and architect.
Summer Drought 8 wells located throughout the course are a big asset to maintain water supply.
Summer Drought Fairways and roughs are irrigated only every other day to maintain water supply. Despite the extreme drought, the course playability y remains excellent. Firm conditions are highly desirable at these playing areas. With single row irrigation at many holes, brown areas are evident but the turf will rebound once rain resumes.
Putting Greens Tifdwarf bermudagrass putting greens provide excellent playability this summer. Low mowing at 0.115 inch with triplex mower, rolling, and Primo growth regulator weekly provides fast and firm surfaces. Stimpmeter readings average 9.5 to 10.5 feet daily. Aeration done this past May was a success and another is planned for late July.
Putting Greens Hydraulic leak occurred about 40 days ago and is the only blemish on the #1 green. Operator quickly noted the leak to minimize the damage. The damage has been sodded from the nursery and it is already almost healed. Three leaks have occurred in the past season but this is always the danger with triplex mowing.
Putting Greens Chemical Program Tips Revolver herbicide applied in early July transitioned any old overseeding from last fall. Curfew treatment for nematodes done in mid June was a success but costly at $9,000. Information on two new nematode products, Avid and Nortica, has been emailed to Mr. Crawford. Rubigan remains the best spring dead spot treatment in the fall, but another new product called Torque, from Cleary s, does show promise and it is less costly. Bayleton program in the spring followed up with Insignia remains the best strategy to prevent fairy rings. Apply MaxForce Bait to collar turf areas to suppress ant activity noted at a few green sites.
Putting Greens Equipment Tips Lease expires in one year on mowing equipment for greens. Replace with Deere triplex mowers to set up for future ultra dwarf surface management programs. Purchase groomers and Precision brushes for the new lease mowers. Buy out existing triplexes from lease and use on tees.
Putting Green Verticut Reel Tip Purchase new thin bladed verti-cut reels for Toro triplex machines. Thin blades replace carbide tips to enhance process and especially with future new ultra dwarf varieties.
Putting Green New Idea Spectrum 300 TDR Field Scout Moisture meter would be a great new tool to help with water management for the Tifdwarf. Meter helps to identify dry spots before they show up visually. Moisture meters can be used to conduct irrigation audits and assess the effectiveness of a wetting agent application. When combined with Spectrum s mapping software, the moisture meter can be used to understand the spatial variability of moisture in the putting greens. More details can be found here: http://www.specmeters.com/specware_software/specmaps.html http://www.specmeters.com/pdf/specmaps_tdr300.pdf
Putting Green Tifdwarf planted originally in 1995 now has mutations due to genetic instability of this older variety. Mutations can t be selectively removed and it will only increase over time. New ultra dwarfs are now available that would enhance playability and eliminate overseeding reducing costs. Only one annual summer aeration required that t allows for more summer golf.
Putting Greens Replanting Recommendations The membership remains uncertain on a replanting program. Replanting with new ultra dwarf sprigs would significantly improve putting quality and provide the best surfaces possible for the membership. Conversion techniques with the no-till method are fast and not expensive. My advice is to convert next summer if capital funds are available.
Putting Greens Replanting Recommendations It only takes 50 days with a summer planting to establish with no till method. Establishment costs vary from 30 cents to 60 cents depending di on the variety. All three varieties (TifEagle, Mini Verde, and Champion) provide the highest quality putting surfaces. Present agronomic rootzone and site conditions are excellent and would require minimal economic inputs for the project.
Ultradwarf Varieties There are three different ultradwarf varieties to choose from; Champion, Mini-Verde, i and TifEagle. I do not have a preference for you in this area. Each of them will respond well to the surface management techniques. I encourage you to use the following criteria to make your selection (in no particular order); cost, experience in no-till planting, availability for planting in the optimal window (June through early August), and purity of the sprigs at the production farm.
Putting Greens Planning Assignment It is always a good idea during the due diligence phase of your investigation to visit other golf courses with ultra dwarfs. However, not all ultra dwarf playing surfaces are the same due to surface management variances in these programs. I suggest visiting courses with outstanding surface management programs underway and include any of the following courses: Atlanta Athletic Club, GA Cherokee Country Club, GA Ford Plantation, GA Yeamans Hall, SC Secession Club, SC Memphis Country Club, TN
Ultradwarf Project Image shows the high quality playability of an ultra dwarf putting green surface that is possible with establishment of this genetic material. It is impossible to duplicate anything close to this putting quality with Tifdwarf.
Fairways and Roughs Summer drought has reduced growth of fairway and rough bermudagrasses significantly. Bermudagrass has excellent drought tolerance and avoidance so it can withstand this weather. Only one fairway mowing happens weekly, compared to 3 to 4 times with normal rainfall. Dormant turf areas evident will turn green again once moisture levels are restored with new rain events.
Fairways and Roughs No overseeding was done last year. Overseeding was also not done after the 2007 summer drought. Consider also not overseeding again this fall due to the drought and to save operational funds.
Fairway Overseeding Trend It does appear that fairway overseeding will not happen at most resort courses in the future. Paints and pigments are now available that provide color to turfgrass at significantly reduced costs (estimates are 70 to 80% lower costs). Pinehurst #2, site of the 2014 US Men s and Women s Open, discontinued wall to wall overseeding last year and successfully used the paints. Brunswick Plantation located in this area initiated the painting this year and it was also a big success at fairways. Workshop held in Myrtle Beach this past February on this subject was well attended by local golf courses who may change their models soon. Impact on environmental sustainability is significant with the lower inputs of water, fertilizer, and pesticides. Mowing operations are basically ended for 5 to 6 months at fairways and roughs, a big savings in both gasoline and equipment operation.
Painted fairway at Brunswick Plantation provides similar color to overseeding. Also, note the striping patterns simulated with the paint.
Driving Range Tee Project Driving range tee was recently regraded, laser leveled, and sodded to Celebration bermudagrass, an excellent choice. Total area of the practice tee is now approximately 30,000000 square feet, an increase of over 30% of new teeing area. Other improvements include root pruning around the tee, new sprinklers, and new accessories for the golfers. Project was one of the best done in the past few years.
Bunkers Bunkers are an integral part of the Willard Byrd design. However, too many bunkers exist now with today s new business model with lower annual operational costs. Many bunkers only impact the high handicap players due to their location. Narrow corridors along with bunkers on edges of both sides of the woods at landing areas also is overly penal. Cross bunkers also are costly to maintain and penal.
Bunker Recommendations Take out as many bunkers as possible to help speed play, reduce costs, and increase golfer satisfaction. Simply remove the sand, add fill, and resod these areas. Costs are minimal to achieve desired results.
Collars Collar widths vary around each putting green complex. It is easy to make collars uniform by marking the perimeter areas with paint dots and letting these grow into rough turf.
Collars Let the grass grow taller beyond the paint dots to provide uniform collar widths.
Tree Management Celebration bermudagrass sod was installed this spring to rough site adjacent to woods at #9 green. Several oaks also were removed to improve sunlight. Great playability improvement was noted at this site and bunker definition has also improved.
Tree Management A similar project at the back left of #3 green and right of #7 green would be a plus. Better playability for the members and improved bunker definition would happen.
Tree Management Mr. Crawford took a basic tree climbing course in Atlanta, GA this past winter. This 2 day class taught him the first level of tree climbing. He now has the tree climbing equipment and saws to perform tree pruning work. Difficult pruning is now possible and this will save money for the club. Funding for Mr. Crawford to take the next level of climbing would be a plus for next spring.
Tree Management Mr. Crawford has already done tree pruning work. This work was done on the live oak at the back of the driving range.
2011 Operational Budget Higher standards and lower golfing rates in the Myrtle Beach resort area makes it particularly challenging today. Operational budget for 2011 is at approximately $610,000. 000 Staffing levels include 5 full time and two temporary full time employees, an assistant, and a mechanic.
2011 Staffing Levels Staffing levels have been reduced for the 2011 season resulting in less frequent mowing of fairways and roughs, less raking of bunkers, and less course fine manicuring. Adding one more full time employee would be a plus and help maintain the high course standards in this competitive golf market.
Single versus Double Tee Starting Times Double tee starts are done at #1 and #10 tees from June through August. Better labor efficiency occurs with single tee starts. Once the course fills up by 10 AM the efficiency i lowers. Same morning tasks take one additional hour to complete with double tee starts. Single tee advantages include more frequent double mowing of greens, rolling greens, and an overall better product for the members.
Audubon Program Course was recently certified this year in all 5 categories of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for golf courses. Lockwood Folly is only the 22 nd course in NC with this designation. It is a very noteworthy accomplishment and it has been added to club publications and advertising. Some members assisted with documentation of wildlife inventory too. New polices associated with this program include buffers at waterways.
Equipment Wash Area The equipment wash area is one aspect of the turf care center that needs improvement to maintain certification. Upgrading this area would be a plus. I have sent along information on a low cost upgrade developed d by Pinehurst.
First Tee Project Mr. Crawford has been volunteering time to help with agronomic management at the First Tee Project of Brunswick County. This project is one of the most successful in the US. His consultation has been a big plus for this project and good public relations for Lockwood Folly.
GCSAA CEU S for USGA Turf Visit The USGA recently reached an agreement with the GCSAA that allows superintendents and/or assistant superintendents to receive Continuing Education Credits (CEU s) for participating in USGA Turf Advisory Service visits. A credit of 0.30 will be given for attending a half day TAS visit, and 0.60 will be given to those attending a full day visit. During the visit, the USGA Green Section agronomist will offer the superintendent and assistants the opportunity to receive CEU s. To protect the integrity of the GCSAA continuing education system, these credits will only be given to those attending the entire TAS visit. A request for CEU s for Jason Crawford has been submitted to GCSAA.
Conclusion Start making plans to convert the putting greens to an ultra dwarf bermudagrass. Consider taking out selected bunkers that are overly ypenal and to save money. Keep up sodding shaded rough areas around greens to Celebration bermudagrass. Continue to not overseed fairways and investigate painting fairways.
Have a great golf season! If I can be of any future service please call me or email me at anytime. patobrien@usga.org org