March Update, Drone Overview video and Sample Plugs

 Hey Folks,

 Hope all is well with you folks and the winter hasn't treated you too poorly.  By historical standards its been a fairly benign winter with not to much snow and relatively warm temperatures. There were a few concerning ice developments early in the winter, where I was sure it would be a problem, but mother nature changed the course of events and the ice abated. 

Each year we try to reduce the the amount of ice on the course, utilizing a number of different methods.  The black "inca" mats are an example of the one of the newer items we have been trying out.  The mat is actually a device used to reduce erosion on steep slopes.  The mat is made up of expand plastic and is designed to hold topsoil during the seeding process.  In our application it is laid on the surface of the green to interfere with ice development.  Because its black in color, fibrous and water can travel easily through it, ice breaks up rather quickly around the mat.    

Number 18, where we normally have ice issues.

One draw back to these mats is the expense.  To cover the all of the green would be extremely expensive, especially where we are still proving their value.  In the mean time we are using them in areas where we traditional have ice issues. This year hasn't really been what we would call a "tester" but we will mark the results and keep working the problem.

Another device we been trying this year are a incorporation of drain elevators in to the green profile.  Water can often get trapped on the green when a topsoil collar swells with frost but the sand green remains at the same height.  This is referred to as "collar damming" and can result in ice patches growing larger as the winter progresses.  Here's some information about greens that is pertinent to the problem.

Our greens are built using the same specification.  A cavity is created in the natural subsoil that mirrors what the expected green surface to be.  In that cavity herring bone drainage is added below the surface and exits the green to a convenient out-fall.  The drainage is covered with pea stone and then the whole cavity is filled with USGA spec sand.  This creates a uniform layer of sand over the whole area of the green where the water can exit when the sand is filled.  In the winter the surface of the green freezes and the water can't find its way to the drainage.  Water freezes - ice forms - kills grass - temporary greens - grumpy members....etc. To help combat this process we have adopted the following steps.  

Using a metal probe we locate the subsurface drainage on the green where water typically puddles.

The we take a hole changer, remove the depth gauge and auger a hole down the drainage pipe.

We continue this until we find the "pea stone" and pipe.  The hole is cleared of debris.

Then using a hex plugger we widen the mouth of the hole.

The final stage is to add a black vertical perforated pipe through the whole profile to the subsurface drain.  That draws the heat from the sun and generally keeps the path for water to escape open, keeping the water moving off the green surface.

Again, the winter wasn't really a test of  these devices, but where we have implemented new practices  will measure the results and continue to prove and improve the process.  

On Monday we pulled some samples from the greens and brought them back to the shop to warm up.  Keep in mind the samples are small portions of large areas so the information produced is finite but at this point the results are great.  The samples were taken from the historically poorest performing areas, here are some photos of their progress.

The samples pulled from the green on day one.

Day three. The bottom right plug is from 3 green, the last green to clear of ice.

And finally today, 5 days later.  Every thing is growing well.

Over the past week or so we've put the drone to work and taken some over head videos of the golf course.   Here's the link to that on Youtube.  CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO

The recent snow should not have any serious detrimental effects on the golf course health.  There is slight chance of diseases showing up with the snow coverage and wetness, but the environment should change quickly, preventing any real damage.  Now that the ice is all gone, we're actually happy to see the snow coverage, as it shelters the turf from any wild temperature swings.

As far as an opening date for the golf course, please don't expect any miracles.  At this point it looks like it could be an early start to the season but a lot boxes have to checked before that can happen.  Rest assured we will open as soon as humanly possible, with a balance for length of season and health of the golf course in mind. I'm optimistic. Stay tuned!! 
  

September 2023 Update

 Hey folks,

Hope everyone has, despite the rain, has had a great summer.  In the future I don't think that we can look back on this year and not mention how much and how often it rained.  Its definitely been a year by which will judge others, a base line for how bad it can be.  Since May 15 we have had 68 days where rain was measurable.  Not all of those days were monsoons (some were), but 38 of those days accumulated 5mms or more.  

 The charts above, taken from a website called https://fredericton.weatherstats.ca/, illustrates the frequency of the rain fall amounts.  Its typical that the region would experience sporadic periods of prolonged precipitation, but its unusual to say the least, that it occurs with such regularity.  Quite a bummer when your trying to get stuff done.

Rain is usually a good thing on a golf course but too much can have detrimental effects.  In the obvious column there's a revenue loss, the bunkers never really dried out to repair, the rough was tough to cut on a regular basis, and the carts were on the carts paths for more than were would like.  

The amount of water made managing the greens a challenge.  The root zone under each green is basically a bowl filled with sand with drains in the bottom.  They are designed this way to be able to control water availability to the plant. Typically we would fill the "sand bowl" with irrigation and allow it to dry down over a week, and the roots will "chase" the water down.  Longer roots means stronger plants with better storage for those times of stress. 

With the sand constantly being filled from rain the roots became "lazy" and never really developed, which leaves the plants with less stress resistance.  I am concerned for the winter hardiness, but the fall is shaping up decent amounts of sunshine so that is positive. 

The constant rain also presented another issue we didn't for see. In the spring we often see water forced to the surface through hydrostatic pressure, the melting snow ice fill the earth with water and it surfaces through crevices. A good example of this is number eight.  Each year a spring surfaced on the tee side of the fairway...or so we thought.  

About mid summer the spring popped up again and we began digging to extend a previous drain.  

It was then that we discovered a mysterious four inch irrigation pipe that was not part of the functioning system, running perpendicular to the the fairway towards seven fairway.

 After some investigation we discovered that it was a drain from the waste area between 16 and 7 fairways, a left over from the original design of the golf course.  We re-routed the line to an existing drain and have added a vertical riser to the inlet to trap the water between 16 and 7 to create a pond. 

If its viable we'll improve upon the area, which should speed up play by reducing folks hunting for balls. We're not sure of the outcome just yet but it seems to holding water so stay tuned. 

Another spot where the water has pushed through the surface is 13 cart path.  We began digging an intercept trench on the left side of this cartpath to collect the water and ran into some pretty big rocks.

The water was freely moving from the ground and across the surface of the cart path.

We began using our backhoe to dig a trench for water egress.....

and quickly discover we were going to need a bigger boat.

We brought the 410 over from the construction team and moved the larger material out of the way to create space for the drainage.

Once the drain was in place we created a vertical window for observation and back filled the space with 1 1/2 inch clear stone to allow for water movement.

After that it was resurface and left to settle.  This area is one of the places earmarked for paving after closing so its great that we had the water issue cleared up prior to that.

Hope everyone has a great winter and check back in the spring for more updates!