Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Daily Inspections
There's an old saying for a golf course that goes..."The biggest problem with a golf course is that you have to leave it outside." This is so true and is also the reason why it is important to inspect the course every single day!
The picture below is of 15 green. The brown spots around my knife and the flag is from a disease outbreak that occurred Tuesday and Wednesday. We caught it early and sprayed the greens with a fungicide on Thursday to kill the fungus, but this is a perfect example of what can drastically go wrong over night on a course.
Turf fungus is always around, usually kept in check by a balanced environment (and my routine preventative fungicide sprays to keep the scales tipped in my favor). However, on Monday we received almost two inches of rain and that was enough to tip the scales in favor of the fungus. The wet conditions and the cool temperatures were enough to allow the disease to have the upper hand. Thanks to the watchful eyes of Casey and Kenny (one of my assistants and my spray tech), they caught the disease early and were able to take care of it before a lot of damage was done.
If you see me and my assistant out on the course driving around looking like we are just staring at the grass, that because we are! Along with a lot of other things too of course, but our job is to see the problems before you do! With a big work space to cover, that means moving around a lot.
The picture below is of 15 green. The brown spots around my knife and the flag is from a disease outbreak that occurred Tuesday and Wednesday. We caught it early and sprayed the greens with a fungicide on Thursday to kill the fungus, but this is a perfect example of what can drastically go wrong over night on a course.
Turf fungus is always around, usually kept in check by a balanced environment (and my routine preventative fungicide sprays to keep the scales tipped in my favor). However, on Monday we received almost two inches of rain and that was enough to tip the scales in favor of the fungus. The wet conditions and the cool temperatures were enough to allow the disease to have the upper hand. Thanks to the watchful eyes of Casey and Kenny (one of my assistants and my spray tech), they caught the disease early and were able to take care of it before a lot of damage was done.
If you see me and my assistant out on the course driving around looking like we are just staring at the grass, that because we are! Along with a lot of other things too of course, but our job is to see the problems before you do! With a big work space to cover, that means moving around a lot.
Golf, it's good for everyone and everything
Ever walked through a thick forest and wonder why you do not see all the wildlife that you see on a golf course? The answer is simple and it has to do with edges. Edges create diversity and diversity creates welcoming habitat for animals.
If you think about the golf course compared to the forest, it makes sense. You can't go 50 yards on the course without running into a variety of different edges; the edge of the littoral, the edge of the lakes, the edge of landscape grass beds...they're everywhere as compared to a forest that has massive amounts of land that is all the same.
Look at the pictures and see where the birds are hunting. They are not hunting in the middle, they're hunting on the edge. They are hunting there because this is where the smaller fish live. If you were a little fish and didn't want to get eaten, where would you hide? You'd hide on the edge because that's where all of the aquatic plants are that provide you cover. During the reconstruction I planted all the lakes with aquatics to help stabilize the banks, but also to increase the diversity of the aquatic eco-system knowing that there would be an increase in wildlife activity as a side effect. When you are out on the course and you see a hawk or eagle, where are they roosting? They usually are roosting in a tree that is on the edge of a stand of trees, right? They are waiting to spot their prey that is also attracted to the edge of the stand of trees.
You can see in the pictures nature using the edge effect to perfection. The Great Blue Heron, the Craine, the Cormorants and the Wood Stork all know that the edge is where all of the activity is going to happen. Wildlife does not typically look to hunt and feed in a mono-stand environment. This is why you see more wildlife on a golf course than you do in most pristine national forests.
If you think about the golf course compared to the forest, it makes sense. You can't go 50 yards on the course without running into a variety of different edges; the edge of the littoral, the edge of the lakes, the edge of landscape grass beds...they're everywhere as compared to a forest that has massive amounts of land that is all the same.
Look at the pictures and see where the birds are hunting. They are not hunting in the middle, they're hunting on the edge. They are hunting there because this is where the smaller fish live. If you were a little fish and didn't want to get eaten, where would you hide? You'd hide on the edge because that's where all of the aquatic plants are that provide you cover. During the reconstruction I planted all the lakes with aquatics to help stabilize the banks, but also to increase the diversity of the aquatic eco-system knowing that there would be an increase in wildlife activity as a side effect. When you are out on the course and you see a hawk or eagle, where are they roosting? They usually are roosting in a tree that is on the edge of a stand of trees, right? They are waiting to spot their prey that is also attracted to the edge of the stand of trees.
You can see in the pictures nature using the edge effect to perfection. The Great Blue Heron, the Craine, the Cormorants and the Wood Stork all know that the edge is where all of the activity is going to happen. Wildlife does not typically look to hunt and feed in a mono-stand environment. This is why you see more wildlife on a golf course than you do in most pristine national forests.
Morning Glory
The best time of the day to be on the golf course is either really early or really late. Any photographer will tell you it's all about the light and that's so true when it comes to bringing out the natural beauty of the golf course. Here are a couple pics from this morning's ride around. The softer light and the long shadows combine to create some beautiful images to feed the golfer's soul. 
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Flower pics
I was riding the course this morning and was inspired by the beautiful flowers around the course. 
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Winter? Not here in Naples
If it wasn't for the recent visit by Santa, you wouldn't have known that it is winter here at The Country Club of Naples. The temperatures have been so moderate, well really warm, that it's almost been too hot for this time of the year. Trust me, I'm not complaining. It's just that it has been unusual. I remember last year being brutal cold in the beginning of the season. In fact we had several frost delays! The only delays we have had lately is in putting on enough sun screen. With all the great weather the course is absolutely beautiful. The staff has been working hard to prepare the course for the core of our golfing season coming up. We are all ready, just waiting on everyone to return. So pack those bags, forget about those snow shovels and get on down here for some great golf.
See you soon...
See you soon...
Monday, December 19, 2011
Range use. Practicing how to practice
Have you ever given any thought on how you practice at the range? I'm not talking about all the stuff Tony would go over with you. I'm talking about how you use the grass. Now before I lose you to the thought of the "The green's keeper has lost his mind!" just follow me for a minute and I'll make my point quickly!
I want you to look at the picture below. In it you'll see a typical hitting station on a practice facility with one minor difference. There's something about a section of the turf in this hitting station that you typically do not see when people are hitting balls. Can anyone see it?
Here, let me give you a hint. This is something that you typically do not see.
I want you to look at the picture below. In it you'll see a typical hitting station on a practice facility with one minor difference. There's something about a section of the turf in this hitting station that you typically do not see when people are hitting balls. Can anyone see it?
I'm sure most of you do not pay much attention to it, but the area inside the circle is what the grass should look like when you are done hitting practice shots. You should strive to use an entire piece of the turf, sort of like a sod cutter. It is completely OK to consume all of the turf like this on bermuda grass. The number one reason this sort of shot grouping is better is that is consumes the smallest about of practice space in the hitting station. During high season, if you are going to the range in the afternoon and everyone is using the practice tee in a willy nilly fashion by spreading out their divots, there will be no place to practice. It is often times impossible to to find a piece of turf large enough to hit off of, let along stand on that hasn't been chewed to pieces. Secondly, the turf's recovery is primarily from the biomass in the bottom of the divot, not from the sides. This means the grass recovers by growing straight up, not by growing from the sides across. Recovery is quick. Thirdly, in the game of golf we are taught to always try and leave the course in as good or better condition as when we used it for the next person that comes along. That's why we rake bunkers and repair ball marks. Consolidating divots on the practice tee means you are respecting your fellow member by giving them the ability to use a wonderfully prepared practice facility just as you did.
So next time you are practicing on the range, remember to practice good practicing. The person who uses the station after you will appreciate it!
Nematodes, the unseen assassins
One of the hardest things to understand in the crazy world of golf maintenance is all of the intricate and inter-related balances that need to occur within the soil to have the grass not only survive, but meet player's expectations. In order to meet the expectations of what it is supposed to look like above the ground, you have to start by what it looks like below the ground. You have to get back to your roots! The root is the key to having a lush, think turf canopy. So if you really boil it all down, almost everything that is done for the grass on a golf course is really done to promote root growth.
When the roots of the plant are fat, fibrous, white and extensive a superintendent sleeps pretty soundly at night. I sleep better because I know the plant is living good. Yet, despite best efforts sometimes, there are things out there that do their darnedest to rain on the parade. Those thick, white roots are also perfect food for a parasitic worm that lives in the soil called a nematode. These nematodes have a stylet (looks like a hypodermic needle) on the tip of their body that they inject into the plant roots to be able to parasitically live off of the grass plant. Depending on the type of nematode and quantity, the damage to the root system can be very severe.
This picture illustrates how severe the damage can be if left unchecked. It's not hard to tell which one the nematodes are munching on!
Some of you might be asking why I'm discussing nematodes at the end of December when for the past three years you have heard me talking about them in the summer. The reason has to do with the Clubhouse putting green. I recently did some nematode testing of the putting surfaces that were not performing well to see if in fact my hunch was right....it was. The clubhouse putting surface has a very high nematode population in a few areas.
In this picture you can see the southeastern corner of the clubhouse putting green not looking so good. This is one of the areas that tested positive for a very high nematode population.
The test results for that section of the green showed we have over 4 times the threshold level of Lance nematodes in the soil. To treat the area, we had to use a product that required a 24 hour no re-entry and that is why a few weeks ago we had to close the putting green.
Here is a picture of the green a few weeks after treatment.
The area is getting a little bit better. The ultimate answer to these pesky areas of high nematode populations is to use a product called Curfew. Unfortunately, the process of applying the Curfew is pretty disruptive to the putting surface since it has to be injected six inches into the soil. Therefore, we will have to wait until the summer when the rest of the course gets its annual nematode treatment. Until then, we will do some additional spot fertilizing and watering of these troubled spots to ensure they continuing to progress towards full turf coverage.
When the roots of the plant are fat, fibrous, white and extensive a superintendent sleeps pretty soundly at night. I sleep better because I know the plant is living good. Yet, despite best efforts sometimes, there are things out there that do their darnedest to rain on the parade. Those thick, white roots are also perfect food for a parasitic worm that lives in the soil called a nematode. These nematodes have a stylet (looks like a hypodermic needle) on the tip of their body that they inject into the plant roots to be able to parasitically live off of the grass plant. Depending on the type of nematode and quantity, the damage to the root system can be very severe.
This picture illustrates how severe the damage can be if left unchecked. It's not hard to tell which one the nematodes are munching on!
Some of you might be asking why I'm discussing nematodes at the end of December when for the past three years you have heard me talking about them in the summer. The reason has to do with the Clubhouse putting green. I recently did some nematode testing of the putting surfaces that were not performing well to see if in fact my hunch was right....it was. The clubhouse putting surface has a very high nematode population in a few areas.
In this picture you can see the southeastern corner of the clubhouse putting green not looking so good. This is one of the areas that tested positive for a very high nematode population.
The test results for that section of the green showed we have over 4 times the threshold level of Lance nematodes in the soil. To treat the area, we had to use a product that required a 24 hour no re-entry and that is why a few weeks ago we had to close the putting green.
Here is a picture of the green a few weeks after treatment.
The area is getting a little bit better. The ultimate answer to these pesky areas of high nematode populations is to use a product called Curfew. Unfortunately, the process of applying the Curfew is pretty disruptive to the putting surface since it has to be injected six inches into the soil. Therefore, we will have to wait until the summer when the rest of the course gets its annual nematode treatment. Until then, we will do some additional spot fertilizing and watering of these troubled spots to ensure they continuing to progress towards full turf coverage.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Just finished a great lesson with Dr. Sherry Moss, learning about employee motivation and feedback.
Now it's on to the hard stuff
Dr. Middaugh, Associate Dean for Executive Education and Associate Professor of Management at Wake Forest University, is starting to roll on teaching us grass dummies about understanding better financial management. Not specifically just for golf management, but more as an entire business entity.
Crunch time!
Bill Davidson
Now it's on to the hard stuff
Dr. Middaugh, Associate Dean for Executive Education and Associate Professor of Management at Wake Forest University, is starting to roll on teaching us grass dummies about understanding better financial management. Not specifically just for golf management, but more as an entire business entity.
Crunch time!
Bill Davidson
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Continuing Education
Day two of a three day, jam packed lecture series at Wake Forest's School of Business. Pictured here is Wake Forest's Associate Dean for Working Professional Programs, Dr. Bill Davis, teaching about leadership and management.
Bill Davidson
Bill Davidson
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The Watcher's Report
Hopefully by now everyone has received their monthly newsletter and had a chance to look it over. In my article this month I wrote about accountability. Specifically, I wrote about how the Club has the USGA come in and do an "agronomic audit" of the golf course to ensure we are doing the right things all the time. This process of subjecting ourselves to a bi-annual "health check up" is very important! Just as the financial statements are checked every year to make sure we pay enough taxes and so on, it is doubly important that we ensure the proper management of the Club's largest asset...the golf course.
I also feel, and so does your Board of Directors, that it is important to entire Club know where the course stands and how we did during our agronomic audit. If you click on the link below labeled "USGA Report" you will be able to download the report from our recent visit with the USGA. Please take a minute to read what the USGA has to say about how your golf course is managed. It is very informative.
USGA REPORT
I also feel, and so does your Board of Directors, that it is important to entire Club know where the course stands and how we did during our agronomic audit. If you click on the link below labeled "USGA Report" you will be able to download the report from our recent visit with the USGA. Please take a minute to read what the USGA has to say about how your golf course is managed. It is very informative.
USGA REPORT
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