16 tee lake

I recently was asked why the water in the pond on hole16 is green. The answer is planktonic algae and not because the water is full of golf course runoff. Planktonic algae control measures can be hard on non-target species like fish and other invertebrates so I try to manage the algae with non-chemical treatments. One of the best is to dye the water a dark blue or black to try and block out the sun so the algae cannot use it to make food.

So if you're on the 16th tee and get some fountain spray on you have no fear. Although I wouldn't recommend you drink it, the water is non-toxic.

The pool is up to speed

I recently had some work done on the pool pumps to increase the pumping, filtration, and heating efficiency.  This was important because commercial code for pool operation is to turn the total volume of the water over four times a day.  This means the pool pumps run constantly.  The more efficiently they can run the less operational cost there is to operate the pool.

The first step that was done a few months ago was to install variable speed pumps.  The pump motors on these units are controlled by a computer and can be slowed down so the pump consumes less electricity.   For example, the pool filtration pump runs now at close to 2/3 speed but consumes 1/5 of the electricity it would at full speed.  All the while providing enough flow to get the proper filtration.

 

Here is the computer display for the variable speed pump running at full speed.  Pay attention to the Watts, or amount of electricity consumed.  At this motor speed the pump is providing way more flow that in necessary for proper filtration.  Thus unnecessarily costing more money to operate.



Here is the same pump running at approximately 2/3 speed.  Notice the significant reduction in Wattage consumed.  The pump is using almost 1/5 the electricity while still providing enough flow to properly filter the pool water. 



 

In pool filtration, it's all about flow and not pressure. To increase the efficiency of the filtration I also had the four old filters replaced with two new high flow filters.

old filters

 

new filters - two new ones replace the capacity of the 4 old ones

 

This is the contractor who did the work, Stan from Caribbean Pools.  Here he's plumbing the spaghetti maze of pipes to all the new hardware.  Stan did a great job getting all of the old stuff removed and the new stuff installed correctly.  I was a tight fit for some of the job!

Lastly, Stan also re-plumbed the heaters for the pool.  We have two heaters, one electric and one gas.  It is more cost efficient to keep constant heat with an electric heater.  If you want instantaneous heat, say for a hot tub, it is more cost efficient to heat the water with a gas heater.  If you look at the plumbing between the two heaters you can see that they are connected.  The water goes in and out of the one on the left (the electric) and in and out the one on the right (the gas).  I had Stan plumb the heaters in series like this so we have a primary and a secondary back-up.  The electric heater on the left is the primary heater.  It is the first to come on and heats the water.  If the electric can not keep up with the heating demand, the gas heater will turn on and supply the additional required heating capacity to bring the pool up to temperature. 

The overall goal of the project was to reduce cost and improve performance.  With the cost savings in electricity alone, this entire project should pay for itself in less than a year.

Soap suds

One of the hardest things to do when spraying something is to make sure you get good coverage, without doubling up on the edges. That means you need to know where the edge of your spray pattern is. There's three ways of knowing where the edge of your pattern is...1) if there's dew on the ground you can see you tire tracks or the product you are spraying will knock the dew off of the leaf blade 2) you can dye the spray solution so the spray mix will sort of "paint" the ground 3) you can use a foam marker to identify the edge of the spray pattern. An example of the dew trick and the foam marker is in the picture below.

The dew trick really is the best since there's no extra cost to it. The negative of the dew trick is that it doesn't work very well past 9 o'clock when the sun is up and roaring burning off the dew. The spray dye indicator is a good one to use, but sometimes it gets on shoes or golf balls and people think the world is being poisoned. The best one is the foam markers because it's cheap, harmless and disappears so you'll never know something has been sprayed (unless you see the foam).

The foam is basically good 'ol fashioned soap suds. So the next time you see this white marshmallow looking stuff on the ground don't worry. It's not some sort of toxic puss oozing out of the ground. It's just an environmentally friendly way for my team to make sure they are correctly applying whatever they are spraying.

Bees and trees

It's no secret that bees love trees, but did you know that they really like cypress trees? Cypress trees have natural hollow spots that make great places to build a hive. Occasionally I will find a hive in a valve box, but most times when I find one it is in the base of a cypress tree. To eliminate the hive is a pretty simple process...seal up the void an the hive will die.

The first thing I do is cut a piece of screening material to plug the void so when the bees get angry they can't come shooting out and get me. Then I take expanding foam insulation and start pumping it into the void. The foam keeps expanding and I keep filling until the entire void is sealed off. The remaining bees will fly off since they can no longer enter their old hive.

Golf goes to the hill

Last week the golf industry went to Tallahassee to speak to the legislators.  Did you know that golf in Florida is a $7.5 billion industry? With all of the economic benefit golf brings to the State, the golf industry wanted to make sure it was getting recognized.  All of the major professional golf associations and trade associations, including the Florida Golf Course Superintendent's Association that I am on the Executive Board of, created the Florida Golf Alliance to have a unified voice to the legislators about how important golf is to Florida's economy.  Click the link below to watch The Golf Channel's coverage of the event.


Video coverage of Florida Golf Day on The Golf Channel

A mid season reminder from the USGA

MID-SEASON BLEMISHES
By Todd Lowe, senior agronomist, Florida Region
February 20, 2013


Thin turf conditions are common on high-use tees during the peak golfing season.
In Florida, the peak winter golf season reaches its climax at this time of year and many facilities are producing a record number of rounds. Increased play combined with lower temperatures are taking their toll on golf course conditions, and the recent cold snap will further slow the recovery of traffic wear patterns.
Putting Greens: Ball marks are prevalent this time of year, as the turf grows slowly. It is each golfer’s responsibility to repair ball marks, and a properly fixed ball mark may only take a few days to recover whereas an unrepaired ball mark that is scalped by mowers may be a noticeable blemish that lasts for several weeks.
Tees: Turf thinning is a particularly important issue on teeing grounds come February. Especially problematic are high-use tees and par 3s where iron shots (and divots) are taken. Oftentimes, only the middle section of tees becomes thin as golfers tend to acclimate toward the center of the tee markers. On wider tees, it may be necessary to narrow the distance between tee marker placements and relocate them closer to teeing ground edges. Doing so will encourage complete usage of the entire teeing area. There must be adequate time between tee stall rotations for complete recovery, and teeing grounds may simply be too small for the amount of play received during the peak season (see article Tailor Made for more information on tee size requirements).
Fairways and Roughs: Tight fairway lies are common at this time of year and it is not caused by lower mowing heights. In fact, fairways are generally only mowed once or twice each week, mostly to remove divots. Semi-dormant conditions along with 200+ daily rounds cause the turf to become matted down. Fairway spray programs (see Liquid “Overseed”) are helpful, as they not only improve turf color but also encourage growth and overall quality.
Cart traffic and cold weather are also problematic on golf course roughs this time of year. Turf discoloration and tufted playing conditions are common on golf course roughs in Florida during the winter months, especially in high-traffic areas. While the goal is to produce a dense and uniform turf canopy, inconsistent turf growth rates and traffic make it an impossible task at times.
In the big picture, increased wear and tear is a good sign of the viability of the game of golf, but it is important for golfers to understand what can be expected at this time of year and ways they can help minimize turf stress.
Source: Todd Lowe, tlowe@usga.org

Have any Yellow Cassia Trees in your landscaping?

A message from our University of Florida extension agent.....

Are your yellow-flowering, blow-over trees looking?
Please see attached fact sheet and Youtube video on this new cool-season disease.

Doug

-----------------------------
Here is the link:

http://youtu.be/2IofTt2BwZw

To really enjoy the show make sure you watch it in the highest definition!

Under the picture is a little gear. Click on this and choose highest number from the list. The video will play in crystal clear detail. It’s amazing!

Doug

Doug Caldwell, Ph.D.
University of Florida
Collier Co. Extension (a Public Services Department)
Commercial Landscape Horticulture
Landscape Entomologist
14700 Immokalee Rd.
Naples, FL 34120
office: 239-353-4244 x203
cell: 239-273-0073
fax: 239-353-7127

http://collier.ifas.ufl.edu/CommHort/HomeCommHort.shtml