August Grounds Update August 19, 2013 Weather Challenges It has been another very challenging summer for the Grounds Department. As you can recall, last year brought record breaking temperatures with very little rainfall, but 2013 has been a different story. From June 1 st -August 11 th, Oakmont received rain on 34 of 62 days. These excessive rainfalls and several severe storms have created many challenges for the Grounds Staff. Preparing the golf course on a daily basis became even more of a challenge as we were often times cleaning up and making necessary repairs from storm damage. It would be an understatement to say it has been very difficult to provide the best possible conditioning in this recent weather pattern. It has been very challenging and frustrating for everyone dealing with all of the rain these past few weeks. In the months of June and July, Oakmont received approximately 16 of rain! We repaired the bunkers (pumped water, removed silt, fixed washouts, added sand, etc ) 15 times using approximately 2,500 man hours. We also had to make multiple fungicide applications due to the extreme wetness and high humidity over this period. Also, much more labor was required because we couldn t put large equipment on the golf course as it would cause damage to the saturated ground. With all of this rainfall, the turf just does not hold up to foot traffic, cart traffic, additional divots, and normal wear. Many additional adjustments had to be made to avoid additional damage to the turf. Turning boards used to reduce stress on greens, collars, and intermediate cuts Due to the extreme weather pattern, several agronomic adjustments had to be made in order to avoid major turf loss. I am pleased to report that these agronomic adjustments, along with the recent favorable weather pattern, we have avoided some potential long term turfgrass issues. With these storms came several other issues that needed to be addressed or repaired. The excessive rainfalls created drainage issues in need of repair. We experienced drainage sinkholes, a hill slide along #8 hillside, and erosion at #11 bridge that will need to be repaired in the near future. In addition to these, there were several other small issues that have since been rectified or repaired.
Aerification We recently completed our August aerification procedures. During the week of aerification we were fortunate to have some of the best weather all summer. These aerification procedures were much needed due to all of the heavy rainfall, humidity, disease pressure, compaction and traffic on the turf. I am pleased to report that all of the aerification procedures went very well. These practices are the building blocks for the foundation of healthy turf as we head into the fall golf season. The following procedures were performed: Greens: Aerified with a 3/8 tine (small hole) and hand broomed sand in behind. This procedure removes thatch and organic matter, increases drainage and rooting, and will help promote firmness. Approaches: Aerified with a 5/8 tine and hand broomed sand in behind. Tees: Aerified with a 5/8 tine. Select tees had sand broomed in behind. Fairways: Aerified with a 5/8 tine, cores dragged and vacuumed up Roughs: Aerified with a 5/8 tine. Several areas were overseeded with a Ryegrass/Bluegrass mix. Cleaning aerification cores from #15 green Aerifying the rough Hand brooming sand into green s aerification holes Over seeding the intermediate rough
During August core aerification, we remove approximately 12 tons of organic matter from the putting greens and approximately 100 tons from the fairways. We backfill the greens, approaches, and several tees with approximately 200 tons of silica sand which promotes new root growth, firmness, and improves drainage. Note, that for these procedures to be completed properly, every irrigation head and valve box must be flagged. That s over 2000 irrigation components! This is done to avoid damaging any of the irrigation heads, couplers or valve boxes with the aerification equipment. As-Built drawing of irrigation heads, pipes, valves and wiring Projects Although aerification week is an extremely busy week for the Grounds Staff, there were a handful of other projects completed throughout the property. #8 Hillside A portion of the hill experienced some sliding towards the railroad tracks from the recent storms. This area was excavated to remove the wet soil and drainage was installed. The final step was to sod the area where the work was done to prevent further erosion. This issue was a priority to avoid any further problems.
Clubhouse Trees The Grounds Committee and Board of Governors approved the removal of (3) dead/decaying trees near the Clubhouse. One tree was removed to the left of the entrance doors to the Club and two trees were removed adjacent to the guard hut. The tree near the Clubhouse entrance is scheduled to be replaced in the near future.
I would like to assure you that we, as a Grounds Department, take great pride in trying to provide the best possible playing conditions and experience on a daily basis. We are focused on this task and will continue to provide Oakmont standards as consistently as possible. I would also like to thank my Grounds team for their extremely hard work and dedication. The past several weeks have been very demanding for the entire Grounds Staff. Many members of the Grounds team have been working 7 days a week and often times 12-14 hour days for the past several weeks. Should you run into any of these gentlemen, please take a moment and just say hello as it will go a long way in boosting their spirits and morale. In summary, all of these items add up to a lot of additional work that many times goes unnoticed. I would like to thank the membership for your continued support as Mr. Knorr, the Grounds Committee, the Board of Governors, and I have tried to keep an open line of communication to inform every one of the golf course status on a regular basis. I look forward to having a great remainder of the 2013 golf season. Let s hope we have some fantastic weather over the next few months. Regards, John Zimmers Golf Course Superintendent