White Eagle GC Grounds

New Toys

2012-02-15T07:54:00.000-06:00

This winter we got some new toys to make the quality of life of not only the turf but everyone who works here at White Eagle a lot better. Our mechanic got a new lift for the equipment. The one we had before was strictly automotive use. We could not use it for numerous pieces of equipment. It was also rusting through at the base and really wasn't safe anymore.

Next, our mechanic got a new Bedknife and Reel Grinder. Purchased used but only a few years old. The bedknife grinder is a Neary 277 and the reel grinder is a Neary 555 SRI. We are all excited to see how the quality of cut is going to be this year when compared to last year. After getting through most of our reels this winter it was amazing to see how poor of a job our old grinders did.

Bedknife Grinder

Reel Grinder

The next pieces of equipment are going to be the biggest improvement over last year as far as man hours, efficiency, productivity, overall ease, and turf quality goes. Two ProCore 648's. Before we had 1 John Deere Aercore 800 that coverd 31.5 inches each pass. The ProCore covers 48 inches and we can change hole spacing and depth with much greater ease. In the Spring and Fall aerifications we could do 9 holes a day with core removal and top-dressing. Now we can aerify all 27 holes and clean and top-dress 18 holes. We also have many different venting options from needle tines, quad tines, to solid tines and hollow tines to pull cores.

ProCore 648's

Pump House Update

2012-01-24T11:35:00.000-06:00

Final touches have been put on the pump house. We have finished all the painting on the outside as well as all the painting on the inside. We also applied 3 coats of Epoxy to the floor.

Before

After

Its Beginning...

2011-11-28T20:54:00.000-06:00

Green Covers

2011-11-28T11:39:00.000-06:00

After a long 2011 season it is a great feeling to be where we are now. The course is closed, snow mold applications have been applied to greens, tees, and fairways and today and tomorrow we will be covering our greens.

Green covers are very beneficial:

- Reduces the chance of winter kill

- Earlier spring green up

- Speeds up germination

- Reduces seed loss from elements and birds

- Promotes healthy roots and development

- Keeps geese from vandalizing the greens.

#18 Tee

2011-10-14T11:11:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago we got approval from the board to build a tee on #18. Through a little investigation, looking at old schematics from the golf course, and talking to members that have been here since the course was built, this area we are building the tee was originally a tee. It is completely sand based, and has the proper shape.

Adding this tee will greatly increase hitting areas on the this hole. Right now the member tee is too small to accommodate the amount of play it gets.

October Aerification

2011-10-14T10:09:00.000-05:00

Our 3rd and final aerification of the year has been completed. This time around we were able to aerify all 27 holes all in one day. We rented two Toro ProCore 648's from Reinders and it made everything go as planned with no bumps. We were only able to completely topdress and brush sand into the holes on 18 holes, but by the 2nd day all the greens were completely finished (with a few holes here in there needing to be filled).

September Aerification

2011-09-14T11:42:00.000-05:00

Well we have gotten through our first go-around with aerating our putting greens. It was a very successful process this year. We had a few bumps in the road on the first day but after that things went well. After talking to a few members its seems that there is an interest in the aerification process and how long and how much work goes into aerating a green. So I will show pictures and explain the process.

1. The first step is actually aerating the green. We used tines that were 5/8" wide and were spaced 3/8" apart. We used our Aercore 800 its takes close to 45 mins to 1 hour to completely aerate 1 green.

2. The next step is cleaning up all the cores that were pulled from the green. This is one of the most time consuming steps in the process. It takes around 6 guys with snow shovels and scoops to push all the cores into piles and then shovel them into the back of a utility cart to be hauled away.

3. We then put down a granular fertilizer that will be put into the holes. What fertilizer you use is dependent on soil test results. This time around we only used gypsum. Gypsum is a pH neutral source of soluble calcium sulfate. It is good for loosening hard packed soils allowing air and water to penetrate the soil, it provides calcium and sulfur which are two nutrients essential for plant growth, and it counteracts ice melting and salt damage.

4. Then a heavy blanket of sand is applied to the green. This year we switched companies where we purchase our sand and have had nothing but great things to say about the sand. The sand is screened better, no rocks. It will aid in decreased labor for our mechanic with the sand being easier on our greens mowers, and finally it drags into the holes 10x's better than the sand from the previous year. I have now been with White Eagle for 1 year and this sand is phenomenal compared to last year.

5. Finally, dragging and brushing the sand into the holes is the final step. This is something that has to be done carefully to decrease the amount of bruising on the green.

Final product.

Summer Update

2011-08-02T11:29:00.000-05:00

It has been a long time since I've wrote a post about what is going on around the golf course and what we are doing down here at the grounds department and I apologize for that. This summer has been very busy with rainfall amounts, drought periods, high winds storms, and the conditions that arise from them. So in this blog I will try to cover a number of things that we have been doing as well as updates on things we have already done.

1. Collar/Green Expansion: The areas that we have extended the greens and collars are doing very well. The healing process has gone far faster than I anticipated. Although, with the amount of thatch build-up and organic matter that has built up in the extended areas they have been hard to maintain adequate soil moisture percentages. One day they are way to wet, and the next day are way to dry. As you can see on the picture below, the lighter more white section of the green is the newly extended area and was once the collar last year. Collars are now more uniform and the greens are larger and now have more locations for the flags.

#11 Green. August 2, 2011

2. New cart paths: as most of you have known, the cart paths before the paving company came in were really bad. I think I myself woke up a few times with a sore back from driving on them. Lemont Paving company came in and simply overlaid the bad areas.

#18 cart path.

#3 Pump House Facelift: the pump house has officially been completed. We have our new pump station and a new cleaner pump house.

#4 4.5" of Rain in 40 mins?: I think that you all know about this one. I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

#18 Green

Front entrance.

After these large rainfall amounts, 8" in 3 days, the disease pressure was very high. When you have wet humid conditions, and cool nights and hot days you have to be on your game scouting for disease. We did see a little brown patch but that was all. We are still spraying preventatively but are not getting the amount of time out of each spray that we would like.

Practice Like A Pro

2011-07-15T08:32:00.001-05:00

By Ty McClellan, agronomist, Mid-Continent Region
July 13, 2011


Randomly scattered divots (on the left) remove up to 50% more turf than practicing in a linear pattern (on the right) where each new shot is placed directly behind the previous divot.

Late July is usually the time when there is a lack of turf coverage on practice range tees established with cool-season turfgrasses, such as creeping bentgrass or Kentucky bluegrass. Heavy play removes divots faster than the turf can recover, and hot, dry summer conditions leave little opportunity for seedling establishment or regenerative growth of surrounding turf. Poor turf coverage that comes in mid-summer generally indicates that the practice tee is simply undersized for the amount of play received, i.e. there is not enough time for turf to recover before tee stalls are returned to previous locations. It also indicates that tee stall rotations need to be reviewed for efficiency and that synthetic turf options should be considered at the rear of the tee to provide the additional time needed for turf recovery.

With the exception of an efficient tee stall rotation, enlarging the tee(s) and adding synthetic turf are improvements typically left for the off-season when time and funds become available. So, until then, what can be done? The solution resides with golfers. Since randomly scattering divots can quickly destroy a practice range tee, the better approach is to shrink one’s divots by removing them in a pattern just like the professionals. More specifically, this includes placing each shot directly behind the previous divot. This can easily be repeated for up to 10 shots resulting in much less turf being removed.

Let’s take a look at a practical example that was provided by Golf Course Superintendent Chris Pekarek at The Village Links of Glen Ellyn in Illinois. Mr. Pekarek estimates more than 2 million shots are taken annually from the 1.25-acre Kentucky bluegrass practice tee and that 1.5 million of the shots result in turf removal. Although divots come in all sizes, the average iron shot is believed to remove a divot 3 inches wide by 6.5 inches long for a total of 19.5 square inches. After just 30 shots, or a small bucket of balls, 4.1 square feet of turf are removed, given a typical practice routine (30 shots x 19.5 in² = 585 in² / 144 in²= 4.1 ft²). Therefore, after an entire season, 205,000 square feet of divots are removed from the tee. That's more than 4.6 acres of turf from their 1.25-acre surface.

If instead each shot is played directly behind the previous divot, subsequent divots are reduced to an average size of 3 inches wide by 3 inches long, or 9 square inches. After 30 shots, this pattern removes only 2.1 square feet of turf. (As the first divot removes 19.5 square inches and the subsequent 9 divots remove 9 square inches each for a total of 81 square inches, a total of 100.5 square inches is removed for every 10 shots, which is typical for this linear pattern. For 30 shots or a small bucket of balls, 3 x 100.5 = 301.5 in² / 144 in² = 2.1ft²are removed.) If everyone adopted this method, the annual number of divots removed would be reduced from 205,000 square feet to just 105,000 square feet. That’s nearly a 50% reduction in the amount of turf removed.

Implementing this simple divot pattern into your practice regime has significant season-long implications at your facility. So, rather than voice a complaint about the turf during oppressive conditions in July and August, do the turf a favor and practice like a pro!

NOTE: Special thanks to Mr. Pekarek and The Village Links of Glen Ellyn for graciously supplying the information and photos used in this article. It was Mr. Pekarek’s blog that inspired this month’s topic.

If you would like more information about a Turf Advisory Service visit, do not hesitate to contact either of the Mid-Continent regional offices: Ty McClellan at tmcclellan@usga.org or (630) 340-5853 or Bud White atbudwhite@usga.org or (972) 662-1138.

Rain...Rain...Flooding

2011-06-15T06:10:00.000-05:00

Well, we finally got out of the 98 degree days.....only to be followed by rain....and more rain.....and more rain. On June 9th and through the weekend people all over the Chicago-Land area were swamped with anywhere from 3-6 inches of rain. Us here at the golf course were closer to the 5 inch area. Fairway puddling/flooding, bunkers being washed out, partial greens under water, we were at field capacity.
For the most part, with all the new drainage we put in fairways in the fall and early spring, the water on the course drained off pretty quickly. Not long after all the rain was received carts were back on the fairway 1 day after it was all over.

Due to the amount of bunkers and the size of our crew, it will take a few days to get bunkers back into proper conditions for play-ability when we get these large amounts of rain. But overall, the crew has been working really hard on getting them back to normal and has been doing a really good job. Only now they are going to annoyed because its Wednesday, June 15th at 6:00 a.m. and its raining again. All there hard work is being washed right back down to the bottom of the trap again.

#9 Tee Finalized

2011-06-09T05:40:00.000-05:00

New sod on tee

Our new tee box on number nine has taken an alternate route from the original intent of growing in a good hardy cultivar or bentgrass that would match the playing surface of many of the other tee box's that we currently have out on the course. But due to a late frost after germination was seen, the grown-in soon changed to a guessing game of whether there was still enough good seed in the tee box? Well, that answer is NO unfortunately. Newly germinated seed is very fragile and has a low tolerance to certain weather and mechanical conditions.

Finally, we decided to go ahead and sod the tee box. We used Penncross bentgrass which has aggressive vigor, good wear tolerance, has good performance in many different types of conditions, and is a good grass type for tee's. With sodding the tee we will now be able to open the tee box for play at a much sooner date. But before that can happen a few more top-dressings and mow need to occur as well as establish a root system to increase recovery time from wear and tear.

Finishing up a few seems

2011-05-25T08:46:00.000-05:00

Where Do The Roots Go When There Is Too Much Water?

By Ty McClellan, agronomist, Mid-Continent Region
May 19, 2011


Prolonged wet conditions in the spring hinder deep root development. A root system like this provides a lot of insurance for warm and cool season grasses prior to the stress of summer.

Talk about a case of the extremes! Much of the upper Mid-Continent Region experienced three days in the 90 degrees last week (including some portions of Kansas topping 100°F). This warm-up stimulated cool-season turfgrass growth in the northern areas of the region as soil temperatures finally rose into 60 degree range. Those with bermudagrass or zoysiagrass observed the first significant growth of the season. Fast forward to this week and nighttime lows have plummeted to produce consecutive mornings of frost slamming the brakes on warm-season turfgrass growth.

However, this update is really about another extreme occurring in the region – H₂0 (water). Portions of Illinois and Missouri have been inundated with rainfall during April and early May resulting in historic flooding. This certainly puts the decisions we make in the golf and turf industries into perspective. Meanwhile, most of Kansas and portions of Nebraska are in the early stages of drought. From a golf course maintenance standpoint, the preference is to control the water applied to a course so drier is nearly always better. For golf courses, the effects of drought can really only be seen in non-irrigated areas.

Since wet conditions cause many more turfgrass maladies than dry, this update focuses on courses suffering from too much H₂0. Briefly, waterlogged soils lead to:

Lack of soil oxygen (i.e. anaerobic)

Root dieback / shallow root system

Reduced root uptake of nutrients and water

Accumulation of toxic soil gases

Reduced rate of natural organic matter decomposition

Greater fungal disease pressure

Increased compaction proneness to traffic

The most practical solutions to improve saturated soils: drainage and soil cultivation. The saying goes that there can never be enough drainage, and in sites where turf conditions chronically suffer from saturated soils improving drainage is key. Short-term, however, soil cultivation is needed as deeply and as soon as possible to improve soil oxygen content and promote rooting. Core aeration is generally best, but deep solid tining is effective as well.

For cool-season grasses, autumn and spring are the seasons to develop a strong root system, in part as preparation to survive summer heat stress when root mass declines naturally. So a shallow root system in mid-May only further jeopardizes its ability to survive summer. Even though mid-May generally marks the end for spring aeration of cool-season grasses, if turfgrasses on your course exhibit poor root development , aerating now while cooler weather persists is needed. Soil cultivation efforts performed now will increase the odds for cool-season turf survival come the dog days of summer. Fortunately, with warm-season grasses there is much less concern from stunted root systems in May because rooting will only improve as summer is their primary growing season and ideal timing for aeration.

New Improvements

2011-05-10T10:14:00.000-05:00

We all know how much of an eye sore all the soil and grass and junk that was starting to pile up at the end of the parking lot by the driving range was starting to become. But now that area has taken shape and our burm is seeded with Baron Dunes Fescue. The whole idea of the burm was to make that area look more presentable as well as hide the ball-picker from view.
In addition to the burm, right next to it we built a mulch bed under the trees where it was almost impossible to grow grass with the amount of traffic from the ball picker as well as poor amounts of sunlight.

Driving Range burm.

Mulch bed at Driving Range.

Mulch ring around trees outside Half-way House.

Deep Tine Aerification

2011-04-26T13:51:00.000-05:00

Monday, April 26 we had a company come in and deep tine aerify the greens and take out 5 inch deep cores that were 1/2 inch in diameter. Deep tine aerators are specifically designed to penetrate deep into the soil to maximize water percolation, root growth, and air flow to the root system. The whole process was extremely quick and got the putting green and 1-27 done all in one day. As expected the greens will be a little sandy and bumpy for a small period of time and will be back to normal before you know it.

On the right hand side of the home page there is a list of articles that help explain the importance of aerification and why superintendents choose to do it.

5" deep core removed and dragged to the edge of the green for quick clean-up

Topdressing

Dragging and brushing to fill the holes.

Jim getting his hands dirty.

Bunker Playability & Conditions

2011-04-22T13:06:00.000-05:00

   Bunker conditions and playability is something that we have been working hard to address currently and over the winter. Overtime, our bunkers have become extremely contaminated. Washouts from heavy rainfall contribute to bunker sand contamination. Each successive washout carries underlying silts and clays into the sand in the bottom of the bunker. This is a big reason the bottoms of the bunkers tend to firm up.
   An ideal bunker would have some sort of bunker lining to help hold sand in place by allowing water to flow past the sand, through the liner and down into the drainage tile underneath. Our bunkers do not
have this, but during our bunker drainage project we wrapped our drainage pipe with a fabric to allow water through, but keep other impediments out and potentially clogging up the pipe. Also, the proper type of bunker sand is key. There are many different types of sand that you can purchase depending on what types of look you want as well as the type of bunker that you are putting it in.
   Overall, we at the maintenance department are doing everything we can to improve playing conditions. We have installed part circle irrigation heads on all 27 greens that will allow us to irrigate the green and only the green, eliminating irrigation from washing any material into the bunkers. Ideally, a bunker renovation in the future would ultimately be the only solution to making our bunkers proper.

New Additions

2011-04-19T12:43:00.000-05:00

Double trash can for trash and cans only.

Over the winter we added a few new accessories to the golf course that 1. We at the maintenance department thought would be an improvement and also, 2. we addressed a few issues that were brought up at a previous town hall meeting.
The new additions give the course a much cleaner, aesthetic look as well as makes the course more enjoyable for all our members and guests. One addition was new trashcans attached to all the ball washer poles. We decided to do away with the old wire mesh trashcans and adopted a new plastic trashcan that looks a lot better. The other additions were suggestions from the town hall meeting and they are: 1. a more convenient turnaround area going from 24 green to 25 tee, 2. Prisms on top of all 150-yard makers, and 3. a sign directing cart traffic where to go after leaving 25 green.

#25 car turn around area.

150-yard prism.

New sign directing cart traffic to 26 tee.

"Blotchy" Greens

2011-04-08T13:52:00.000-05:00

Poa (or Annual bluegrass) is a winter annual that emerges in early fall. As a lot of our members have probably noticed our greens seem to have a "blotchy" look to them. Some of the areas are either purple or light green, or dark green. Poa has many different bio-types that all have varying characteristics. Although, poa can withstand very cold temperatures, each bio-type may react differently than the next with the temperatures. Once the temperature starts to increase and we apply our first spring granular fertilizer, you will see a significant difference and the greens will become greener and more uniform.

Pump House Construction: Part II

2011-04-01T08:41:00.000-05:00

New pumps 1, 2, & 3

   After a lot of work and a little bit of waiting, our new pump station has been installed. With this new pump station we will be able to do a number of things to help improve the golf course and to be more efficient about it. The new pump station will have a much greater life span than our old one. The new one has a VFD (Variable-frequency drive) which allows us to control the rotational speed of alternating current to a motor. Meaning we can control how much and how fast the pumps work. With our old pump it was always set at 100% and thats how fast it ran every time.
   With the three pumps that are currently installed the computer in the control panel monitors the run-time on each pump and every time the irrigation system starts up, a different pump will start first. Again, adding to the life expectancy of the system by avoiding one pump wearing out faster than the other.

   Along with the pump station a pump log has been installed. This allows us at the maintenance facility to monitor the gallons per minute, total gallons per run time, etc. right from our office. It also lets us know if there is ever a fault in the system at any time and how we need to go about addressing it.

Control panel and VFD

Flow control valve and pressure gauge

Pump log installed in the attic.

#9 Tee Project: Part II

2011-03-31T07:46:00.000-05:00

In preparation to getting the course back open for the year and adopting the new hybrid tee system, we have been able to finish up our "in-house" tee on #9. We brought soil in and built up the tee box, put a grade on the top to allow proper drainage, and sodded the surrounding areas. The tee is now complete. We seeded the tee with Crystal Blue Links bentgrass so that it will have a consistent playing surface with all other tees on the course. When then put down a starter fertilizer to help speed up the growing process and covered the tee to help hold moisture, keep birds and other animals off, and to help keep wind and other natural elements from removing or displacing seed.

Soil brought in to elevate and level the tee.

Javier applying the first ring of sod to give the tee its shape.

Leveling and grading for drainage.

Finished product.

Fairway Drainage

2011-03-23T08:45:00.000-05:00

#26 collection area

The drainage in our fairways has been a problem for a few years. Even though in some areas there seems to be enough slope that gravity would take over, water seems to find a localized spot and sit there till the sun drys it out or we manually remove the water. This water standing in certain areas too long can pose a couple problems: 1. Anaerobic conditions can cause the grass to yellow or even potentially die causing poor aesthetic conditions. 2. Poor playing conditions, plugged or muddy balls, or potentially limited golf cart use in fairways.

Excluding 2010, we have installed a total of 1,100 ft or drainage pipe in areas the needed to be addressed immediately. These drainage areas being the right side of #15, #17 approach and turn-around, #6 fairway, #26 collection area, and much more to come.

#6 Fairway

Trench for curtain drain on #26

#26 new curtain drain pipe

Green/Collar Scalping

2011-03-22T10:49:00.000-05:00

In an effort to increase green size or actually to return our putting greens back to their original size and shape. We went around every green with a probe and found out where the greens were originally and thus made changes to get them back to that position. In result, there may be some unsightly areas due to scalping, but with proper management and methods to improve these areas they will only be better.

Back of #14

Winter Damage

2011-03-18T11:57:00.000-05:00

By Keith Happ

Putting green.

Plants withstand freezing in the cells of crown tissue by increasing concentrations of carbohydrates and other nutrient solutes within these cells as the plant hardens in the fall and early winter (Tompkins, 1995). To completely harden, turf grass plants must freeze for a period of at least one month. This hardening process is reversed in the spring when stored energy (carbohydrates) is rapidly used. The plant dehardens (i.e., defrosts) and becomes very susceptible to low-temperature injury if the contents of cells are again exposed to low-temperature stress. If crown cells freeze after dehardening, severe damage can result. Research studies have revealed how susceptible unhardened biotypes of Poa annua can be to temperature fluctuations.

Putting green.

The importance of having adequate surface drainage characteristics during the winter cannot be overstated! Surface drainage becomes all the more important when rapid fluctuations in temperature occur. Water can collect in low-lying areas and freeze rapidly, resulting in crown hydration damage and/or direct low-temperature kill. It is not uncommon to see poor surface drainage characteristics near the interface of the collar and the putting green surface.

#3 Green.

We have suffered very minimal damage this year compared to last year. This is due in part to a better understanding of the needs of our putting greens as well as proper equipment that has been purchased that is more efficient at applying a known product to our greens. With what damage we do have, they will grow out very quickly once temperatures increase and the grass starts growing.

Bunker Drainage

2011-03-10T09:32:00.000-06:00

Back left bunker #14.

   Soggy bunker sand can cause playability and appearance problems. As most of you have probably seen around the course we have had numerous bunkers on the course that drain poorly and need to be addressed before the start of this season. Last year we completed the entire Red Nine (1-9) and this year we are working on finishing up the White Nine (10-18).
   The process of repairing the bunker drainage is quite simple. We go in and expose the existing drainage pipe and remove the old and put new perforated pipe in. Once we place the new pipe in we then bury the exposed pipe with pea-gravel to keep sand from getting into the pipe.

   After completing several bunkers we have noticed that some pipe has been completely filled with sand and soil and or is the wrong area in the bunker thus not allowing proper drainage. This could be partly due to the fact that bunkers change over years in shape, size, consistency, etc. and this could make a drainage pipe that was once in the proper place to then end up in the wrong place.

New pipe cover with pea-gravel.
Extra extension added to help water from running into the bunker.

Deep Well: Part II

2011-03-03T08:05:00.000-06:00

After Layne Western came out and removed our existing well exposing the pipe and motor that extends into the ground and pumps water out to fill our ponds, we had to make a few changes to the pipe that extends to the pond on #10 to meet DuPage County law. In order for our new well to be legal, there has to be an air gap between the pipe that goes into the pond and the pipe where the ground water exits to prevent back-siphoning. Preventing back-siphoning is crucial so that a chemical that we spray or fertilizer we put out doesn't leach or runoff into the pond and thus back-siphon up the pipe and get back into the ground water. This air gap will prevent that from ever happening. Further updates and pictures will follow when the project is completed.

Winter Maintenance

2011-02-25T12:18:00.000-06:00

As the winter progresses we are marking things off our list of winter duties everyday. Servicing and doing maintenance on all our equipment, grinding reels, sharpening bedknives, sharpening blades, replacing worn out parts on used equipment, and much more.

Griding reels and sharpening bedknifes is crucial for healthy, high quality turf. Rounded edges on the real blade and bedknife can cause the grass blade to be ripped or torn which can cause poor visual quality as well as effect the plant health and potentially disease. Therefore, the reels and bedknifes should be properly maintained so that it will simply cut or shear the grass blade off. This holds true for all of our equipment and making sure that everything is properly adjusted and sharpened so that we can provide the membership with the best possible product.

With the snow starting to melt, getting back outside to finish up projects from last fall and beginning new projects for this season is just around the corner. We are currently servicing the (97) golf carts for the pro-shop, (3) beverage carts for the food and beverage, and the (1) ball picker used at the range.

Reel grinding equipment

Our new mechanic Alberto working on the pro-shop golf carts.

Finished and serviced equipment.

Organization: new irrigation room and storage

Organization: new mechanics office and parts room.

The Dicey, Icy Decision - USGA Greens Section

2011-02-22T11:23:00.000-06:00

By Bob Vavrek, senior agronomist, North Central Region
February 15, 2011


Document the health of turf from greens affected by ice and snow throughout the winter to determine the potential benefits of ice removal. The foul smell of anaerobic soil conditions noted during the process of removing turf samples will support the decision to remove ice from putting surfaces.

There has been no shortage of snow cover at most courses across the Upper Midwest. Several early storms followed by a blizzard produced a deep layer of insulation across the region’s golf courses. Generally, a dense blanket of snow is the ideal scenario to ensure turf survival by protecting the turfgrass crowns from frigid temperatures.

However, the current snow cover may be a two-edged sword this winter. Several days of unusually mild weather accompanied by rain, just prior to the first of the year, melted nearly all of the December snow except for playing surfaces located in low-lying, protected sites that tend to accumulate extra deep snow cover. Exposed sites that lost all snow and frost in the ground benefited from the current snow cover, but protected sites found the frost impeded water movement through the turf and were sealed beneath a dense layer of solid ice to start the year. Snow cover over the ice-affected turf increase the potential for ice suffocation.

Several superintendents have sampled turf under the 30 to 40-day old ice cover and the stench of anaerobic conditions (lack of oxygen) beneath the ice was overwhelming. The smell of decaying turf and organic matter is never a good omen, but plugs of turf taken indoors to green up did not appear to be injured.

A week of mild temperatures has many superintendents weighing the pros and cons of removing snow from greens to expose ice to sunlight and warm temperatures. There is always risk and reward involved when attempts are made to remove ice, but the risk of allowing ice to remain any longer on greens that already have an anaerobic smell is probably greater than the potential for causing damage by removing snow.

If the greens are not affected by ice, the best bet is to let nature take its course with respect to snow cover. Perhaps clearing a path or channel along the perimeter of the green to allow the water from melting snow to flow off the putting surface is worth the effort, but keep the plows, snow blowers, and shovels off the greens.

On the other hand, it makes sense to remove snow from greens that already have six-plus weeks of uninterrupted ice cover and then apply some type of darkening agent to the surface to at least honeycomb the ice and vent the anaerobic gas accumulations. Black sand or dark-colored organic fertilizer products, such as Milorganite, are commonly used to speed up the process of ice removal.

As always, the key to making the best decision is to monitor turf conditions beneath the ice and snow as often as possible throughout the winter and pay special attention to sites that have a history of winterkill.

Source: Bob Vavrek, rvavrek@usga.org or 262-797-8743

Blizzard 2011

2011-02-03T07:58:00.000-06:00

Entrance to maintenance facility.

The blizzard of 2011 was said to be the 3rd worst snow storm in the Chicago area since they started keeping records back in the 1880's. In the Naperville area there was about 20 inches of snow in areas and drifts of 5-8 feet.

After the grounds crew was able to make it in, we put in almost a full days work clearing snow with plows and a front-end loader to gain access to the club house. There is about another full days work left to finish up certain areas.

Main entrance.

Half way to the clubhouse.

Main parking lot cleared.

Front-end loader piling snow.

Valet Parking?

Circle Drive before...

And after...

#9 Tee Project

2011-01-28T12:44:00.000-06:00

With the new hybrid tee system being introduced into the 2011 season there will be an additional set of tee markers (black). After doing a survey of the course, we found that the only hole that doesn't have sufficient amount of teeing space to accommodate the new tee markers was #9. Therefore, we are constructing a new tee box in-house that will accommodated this void. It is still currently under construction and once the temperatures allow us, we will be back outside working to finish shaping it and finally seeding it so that it will be ready to go by early summer.

Crew members dig a trench to lay drainage pipe. (Above & Below)

Tree Replacement Program

2011-01-27T13:02:00.000-06:00

The main entrance tree replacement program has gotten underway. As you may have already seen, a large section of Bradford Pears on the right side of the entrance has already been removed and replaced. Bradford Pears are softwood trees with a life expectancy of 20 years. With these trees being soft wooded, they are more prone to high wind and ice damage, evident by the number of damaged and or missing trees.

Autumn Blaze Maple color change in fall.

With the help of local arboriculturalist (Grow Horticulture) we selected a tree that would be more fitting for this area and for the long term aesthetics of the entrance. The selection was a Hybrid Autumn Blaze Maple Tree. They are fast growing, 3-5 feet per year or more, insect and disease resistant, and have a pleasing uniform shape.
The goal over time is to replace all the Bradford Pears along the entrance to the clubhouse with the Autumn Blaze. We have replaced 10 trees already and have a total of 78 more to do. In the Spring we hope to raise enough money to replace the entire left side of the entrance with proceeds from the Men's Spring Scrambler Arbor Day Tournament.

Spayed truck removing old tree trunk.

Hole ready for tree transplant.

Newly transplanted tree.

Existing tree being moved to a new location.

Final product of moving and re-transplanting an existing tree.

Deep Well

2011-01-27T09:50:00.000-06:00

The deep well is the pump on the property that feeds water into the pond just off of #10 green. This water is then pumped to all 27 holes for irrigation. This well is 23 years old and its lifetime was surpassed some time ago. The well is currently only pumping 50 gal./min. of water, and with the problem fixed we should get close to 400 gal./min.
Layne Western came out and pulled four 20 ft. sections only to find what was expected. (Pictures and descriptions below) The four sections of pipe were replaced and a new submersible pump was needed. Everything is installed and ready to be fired up in the spring.

First 20 ft. section being pulled. (Above)

Last 20 ft. section with submersible pump on bottom. (Above)

Hole in a section (Above) resulting in loss of flow.

Hole in coupler where submersible pump connects. (Above)

New Pump House Construction

2011-01-27T08:27:00.000-06:00

In March 2011, construction of the new pump station for the golf course will be completed. The original pump station is 23 years old and after consulting with numerous sources, the future life expectancy is approximately 1-3 years. After discussion with the golf committee and board, it was approved to go ahead and replace the existing pump station.

Flowtronex will be building the pump station with Leibold Irrigation, Inc. doing the installation. The design of the new pump station will be
designed to accomodate any future improvements done to the golf course and the life expectancy of the new pump station will be greatly increased due to new technology.

Original pump station before construction. (Above)

Removing motors. (Above)

Removing the piping and bowls. (Above & Below)

Removing the water tank. (Below)

Everything gone. Only the wet well left.

Wet well.