One Week to Go

I wanted to give you a quick update on where we are with the project.  Today the course finally started drying out after the rains over the weekend.  Unfortunately, it looks like more rain is heading our way tonight.

With a drier golf course, we were able to use the tine harrow in the rough.  The tine harrow is a heavy metal drag that helps to lift dead plant material and thatch off the soil surface.  Once the harrow loosens the material, we are able to blow the debris out into the deeper rough.  This is a great tool for preparing the soil for seed. 

Tine Harrow on #1.

We are also in the process of leveling areas throughout the course.  Most of the time we are dealing with sunken trenches on our irrigation main line.  With the soil exposed, it is easy to locate all of the problem areas that need to be raised.

Irrigation trench leveled on #1.

The remainder of this week we will continue to work on the above mentioned items.  We are working to get all of our irrigation issues taken care of before Monday.  Today we replaced another valve that was leaking on #2.  By Monday, irrigation should be ready to go for the grow in.  We also brought in a contractor to clean out several of the drains in fairways (#4, #2, #9) that have been slow to empty.  

After aerification and dragging, most of the rough will not require any type of scalping.  There are a few areas, primarily around bunkers and tees, that still have more vegetation than we would like to see.  Most of these will be push mowed and bagged to remove the dead material.

Assuming weather doesn't slow us down, tomorrow we will begin stripping the dead sod off of the back tees.  Eventually all of the tees will be stripped, however, with six more days until the shutdown we are trying to keep the course as playable as possible.  Tees will be the most labor intensive portion of the project.  Stripping, leveling, and sodding 75,000 sq. ft. of tees in a short amount of time will be our biggest challenge.

And finally we will continue to touch up any remaining grass in the rough that was not killed by the three applications of Roundup.

Bottom line, all is well.  We are on schedule and working through the items we need to be dealing with prior to seeding and sodding.  We can't control the weather so we will deal with whatever we get.  Looking forward to Monday!

Project Update

It's hard to believe that we are only 10 days away from putting seed in the ground!  Overall, we are right on schedule for where we need to be.  Luckily we were slightly ahead of schedule before the June rains hit. 

Up to this point we have been focused on killing the existing turf.  This past week our third application of Roundup was applied to the areas that we are renovating.  By early next week we should see a complete kill.  Any remaining green will be spot treated right up to a few days before we begin seeding.

On Thursday we began adding topsoil to low areas that needed to be leveled.  We have waited as long as possible, due to the potential for these areas to wash out following rain.  Most of the areas we are leveling are old trench lines that have settled over the years as well as low areas that tend to hold water.  With the turf out of the way, the grade imperfections become much more visible.

We have had a slight change of plans in regard to the tees.  Initially we were planning on seeding the tee surfaces with Riviera Bermuda.  As we continued to evaluate the tees, we made the decision to hire a contractor to laser level the tee tops.  Following the leveling we will now be sodding the tees with an improved variety of Bermuda called Latitude 36.  Not only are we improving the grade of the tees, by sodding we will also rule out any concerns of not having tees ready in time for opening.  

Moving forward, we are crossing our fingers for dry weather.  We will continue with the dirt work through next week.  We will also begin stripping the existing turf off of the back tees in order to get a jump on the tee leveling prior to July 7th.

And finally, we will be closing the golf course for approximately four weeks on July 7th.  On the 7th, we will have two seeders working on the rough, with the bulk of the crew focused on the tee process.  Not to be forgotten, greens will receive the normal attention required during the heat of the summer.

We will be posting updates to the project through this blog as well as on Twitter (@wccbrian).

Project Update

 "What happened to the Rough?", this is a question I have answered on more than one occasion over the last couple of weeks!  After years of working hard to make the course look its best, we are now working equally hard to kill it. 

We are now three weeks into the project and so far things are right on schedule.  Actually, we are one week ahead based on the original schedule we mapped out months ago.  As you may have guessed, our primary focus is killing the existing turf.  We have applied two applications of Roundup, with the next application scheduled for late next week.

Overall, we are getting a good kill, although, I'm amazed by some of the random grasses that are showing very little injury.  We might need to do a Roundup resistant study on a few areas.  With the third application we should finish off any signs of living plant material. 

Over the next couple of weeks we will begin to scalp the rough to remove excess plant material.  We will also verticut  to reduce thatch for better seed to soil contact. Seeding is still scheduled to begin on July 7th. 

Looking across #8 Green.

#9 Fairway.

Riviera Bermuda Rough Conversion

After months of planning, the Riviera Bermuda Project has officially begun.  On Tuesday we began spraying out the existing rough in the areas that we will be seeding to Riviera Bermuda. Over the next few days we will continue working our way through the course until all areas have been treated with Roundup. 

Treating Rough on #3.

 As the turf begins to die, you may be surprised by the amount of Fescue we will continue to maintain in the rough.  The areas in the rough that are not being treated are defined by the shade from bordering trees as well as lack of irrigation.  Without adequate sunlight and water, we cannot successfully grow in the Bermuda.The orange lines you may have seen on the outer edges mark the point that we will be killing to. 

During the times that we are spraying the course we are being extra cautious to avoid spraying too close to golfers.  We are maintaining enough space between groups to allow for complete drying of the herbicide.  The products we are spraying are common herbicides, however, it is important for you to be aware of what we are doing.  

Over the next month and a half we will continue to treat the course on 2-3 week intervals until all of the existing turf is killed. The course will have a patchwork appearance of dying turf over the next few weeks based on the timing of when the turf was treated. Following the kill we will begin prepping for seeding on July 7th.
 
Killing half the course during the prime golfing season is not a decision we take lightly.  The project is driven by an improved long term playability, but more importantly we are working diligently to reduce our water usage throughout the property.  The 7.5" current precipitation deficit is a strong reminder of the need to conserve our water.

Thank you for your patience and support as we work through the improvements.

Tees

As we get closer to the start of the project, I would like to continue to answer questions that may still exist.  One area of the project that I would like to more clearly explain relates to the tees.

During the initial planning stages of the project, our intent was to only renovate the tee surrounds, leaving the Zoysia tee surfaces in place.  Upon further review, it became apparent that the amount of Common Bermuda contamination in our tees was significant enough that it would have to be dealt with.  This change highlights another beneficial characteristic of the Riviera Bermuda, which is its ability to handle a height of cut from 3/8" through our higher rough cuts.

Related to the tees, I have also had questions about increasing the scope of work on the tees in order to implement the changes related to the Master Plan.  Future plans for tees are fairly significant due to changes in size and location as well rerouting some cart paths.  Unfortunately, due to time constraints as well as the budget allocated for the project, we will only be regrassing the existing tees.  

Reviewing all aspects of the project, the most critical step is growing in the tees to an acceptable level prior to opening.  Four weeks is a tight window for accomplishing this goal.  For most of our tees, we have adequate sunlight, along with ideal irrigation coverage, which will aid in this process.  

For a quick recap of the schedule, we will begin killing the existing rough on May 20th.  The golf course will close on July 7th to begin seeding.  Course reopens four weeks later.

Golf & Greens Informational Meeting

Last night we hosted an Informational Meeting to discuss the upcoming Rough Conversion.  I wanted to share a few items from the meeting for those of you who were not able to attend.

By now you have heard all of the reasons why we are making this change.  Improved playability, lower water requirement, better "In Season" conditions, cost to maintain (fewer inputs), as well as a wide range of mowing height options.

The opportunity to maintain the Riviera Bermuda from 3/8" to 2.0" is one of the key factors affecting playability.  With the current Fescue Rough, we are limited with mowing heights.  2.5" is about as low as we can go.  With the Riviera withstanding heights as low as 3/8", we will now be able to cut walking paths from tee to fairway, as well as Chipping Areas around greens for more variety of shots.  The buried lie six feet off the green is hopefully a thing of the past!

We also reviewed the schedule for the project.  Below is the approximate outline.

• May 15:      Begin painting borders of the area to be killed.
• May 20:     First application of Roundup
• June 9:       Second application of Roundup.
• June 23:    Third application of Roundup, if necessary.
• June 30:    Begin seedbed preparation.  Scalping, verticutting, leveling, etc.
• July 7:        Seed Rough.  Golf Course Closed for Four Weeks.
• Aug. 5:       Golf Course Open.

The four week schedule is a tight window from seeding to opening.  I expect the course to be playable, but expectations should be lower during the first couple of weeks after opening.  With carts limited to the path and the normal reduced rounds we see in August, I don't foresee any setbacks due to opening.  Worst case scenario is we move tees to the start of the fairway for a short period of time while we continue to push the grow-in.

One of the topics we discussed last night was the Native Areas.  As part of the project we will be killing off areas of Native that have been taken over with Bermuda.  These areas will either be seeded during the project or later in the fall, depending on the area.  One of the primary concerns is adjusting the locations to eliminate balls reaching the Native more often than we would like to see.  The top of the list for changes are right of #10 green, left of #4 fairway, and right of #7 fairway.

Please pass along ideas or concerns you have regarding the Native.  This has been a frequent topic of discussion that I want to make sure is addressed properly during the project.

Thank you for your interest in the project and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Spring Greens Aerification

Next week we will be aerifying greens beginning on Monday March 31st and finishing on Wednesday April 2nd.  The front nine greens will be aerified on Monday; back nine greens on Tuesday.  And lastly, the Practice Greens will be aerified on Wednesday.  Throughout the process we will have nine holes open for play each day.

Aerification is one of the most important practices we utilize for promoting healthy turf.  Our primary purpose is to promote gas exchange within the soil profile, however, the benefits are plenty.  Thatch reduction, reduced compaction, improved drainage, and smoother/firmer putting surfaces are just a few of the benefits.

As has become typical for the spring, our process will be more aggressive compared to our fall aerification.  During the fall we primarily use the deep tine aerifier.  This machine is capable of reaching depths of 8-10", however, with the smaller diameter tine and a wider spacing of the tines, the surface is usually quick to heal.

During the spring, we prefer to utilize both the deep tine aerifier along with our standard walk behind aerifier fit with 5/8" hollow tines for core removal.  This allows us to impact the full range of the soil profile, avoiding the potential for creating a hard pan layer below the standard aerification depth.

Aerification is also a great time to amend our soils.  Organic based fertilizer, gypsum, along with other fertilizer amendments are a few of the items we incorporate into the profile while the green is opened up.

Unfortunately, all these great things that happen to our greens during the week of aerification are at the expense of putting quality.  Although the putting quality we sacrifice today leads to better greens the remainder of the season.

Thank you for your understanding during this process.  We look to get the greens back to normal in about a week.

Standard Aerification with 5/8" hollow tine.

Deep Tine Aerifier: 10" depth with 1/2" solid tine.