Tree Removals

When it comes to managing a golf course, nothing stirs up interest quicker than the discussion of removing trees.  If you've been on the course lately you may have noticed some of the areas that have a few less trees.

The golf course at Wichita Country Club was originally built in 1950 at our current location.  At the time, outside of hedgerows and a few cedars, the property was a barren pasture. Within the first few years, hundreds of trees were planted adding to the parkland style of design you see today.

Early 1950's aerial view of the course.

The issues we are facing today deal with these trees that were planted roughly 60 years ago.  The fact is, trees in Wichita, Kansas typically do not have the same lifespan as they would in other areas of the country.  The Elms and Cedars, which make up a large portion of the trees planted in the early days, are becoming unsightly and, in some instances, hazardous. 

A few years ago, we made the decision to begin removing the cedars from the property.  The two main drivers behind this decision were the poor condition of the trees as well as the water required to support them.  Most of these removals have gone unnoticed.  This past week we removed the row of Cedars bordering #17 tee for the same reasons listed above.  We will continue to evaluate this area to determine if we need to replant with a group of more desirable trees.

So far this winter we have removed approximately 35 trees.  Outside of an Oak on #5 that died from disease, all of the removals consisted of Hedge, Elm, and Cedar.  Not exactly specimen trees, but nonetheless part of our urban forest.  A few years ago, it was the Pine Trees that were rapidly declining due to Pine Wilt.  More recently, the removals are focused on aging trees that are near the end of their life span.

Oak on #5. Not one we wanted to lose.

#17 Tee following removals.

Moving forward, we will continue to support a tree plan that addresses the decline of the existing trees, while also looking to the future with more desirable trees planted in strategic locations.  Like most long term projects, we have to take a step backwards before we can move forward.

Preparing for the Unexpected

As with any project of this scope, there is always potential for the unexpected.  

Our primary concern throughout the project is weather.  From beginning to end, we would like to see plenty of heat.  A cool spring could lead to a delay in the green up of the existing Bermuda.  For a good kill we want to see the Bermuda growing aggressively when the herbicide is applied.  With our initial application of Roundup scheduled for late May, even with a cool spring, at that point the turf should be actively growing.

During the process of killing the existing 55 acres of Rough, we expect it to take close to a week for each spray application.  Heavy winds and rain could set back this application.  With June being our wettest month, there is a strong likelihood that we will be working around rain at some point during the project.  Although the schedule is tight, there should be enough extra days factored in the schedule to hit our July seeding date.

As you can see, the first challenges all deal with killing the existing turf as well as prepping for the seed.  Funny how we put in so much effort to keep it alive and yet it requires just as much effort to kill it!

After the rough has been seeded, again, the more heat the better for pushing the germination and grow in of the Riviera Bermuda.  Some rain would be fine, but we but we would prefer to control the water with timed irrigation cycles.  Too much rain could lead to wash outs or seed moving out of its intended location. 

Once the seed is down, the main concern is getting tees grown in to an acceptable level as quickly as possible.  With only a four week shutdown, this is a tight window for achieving this.  If the rough is a little thin, it shouldn't be too much of a concern.  It would still be playable and getting better everyday.

Thin tees would not delay the opening, but we could be forced to move tee markers to the start of the fairways for a brief period when the course initially opens in August.  With smaller tees, the isolated wear patterns could inhibit the maturation of the new turf if opened too soon.

Certainly, we expect for everything to fall right into place for a successful project, however, its always best to prepare for the unexpected.

Native Areas

#11 Native Area

 Over the last several years, we have converted approximately 10 acres of rough to low maintenance Native Areas.  We have experimented with several types of grasses, but for the most part we have allowed the existing turf to grow naturally.  The single biggest concern with this has been the amount of Common Bermuda that has taken over the Native Areas.

As part of the rough conversion project, we have decided to address locations throughout the Native Areas that need attention.  Not only will we be killing the Common Bermuda, we will also address the existing locations.  Two areas that are coming into play more than we would like are the Native to the right of #10 green and left of #4 fairway (off the tee).  At the same time, we will be looking to expand Native to other areas that fit into the Master Plan.

When we began experimenting with Native Areas we used different types of Fine Fescues.  Under the trees this has been successful.  In areas of full sun, they have not held up to the heat and drought.  We will be working with our seed provider to create a warm season blend that will hold up better to our heavy clay soils and weather extremes. Some of the grasses we are looking at include Little Bluestem, Side Oats Grama, and Buffalo Grass.

While adding an interesting contrast, the Native Areas will continue to be an integral part of the course. As always, any feedback, questions, or concerns would be much appreciated.

Rough Project Part 3

If you've been keeping up with the most recent blog posts, by now you should have a better understanding of the upcoming rough project.  Now its time for the fun part, the benefits that are obvious and maybe a few you haven't thought of.

As we discussed earlier, one of the main drivers in the project was limiting the amount of water we will use to maintain healthy rough.  Our estimate is that we should cut our water usage in half.  Great for the ability to maintain a firm and fast course, even better for our bottom line. Along those same lines, we will see a reduction in fungicide usage, annual seeding expense, as well as savings associated with the shorter growing season (e.g., fuel).

All of the financial reasons are valuable for selling a project, but in my mind, the greatest benefit will be the playability of the Riviera Bermuda.  In years past, we were becoming a course know for our brutal rough (not necessarily in a good way).  Maintaining Fescue/Blue rough with significant Common Bermuda contamination at 2.5-3" is about as tough as it gets for the average player.  When the rough is thriving, lost balls and difficult lies not only take the enjoyment out of the game, it also slows rounds.

The beauty of the Bermuda will be the ability to maintain the turf at a wide range of heights.  Our intent is to maintain the primary rough as close to 1.5" as we can.  Around greens we will have the ability to create low mow chipping areas, as is detailed in the Master Plan.  From tee to fairway, we will now be able to maintain walking paths.  All these changes are designed to make the game more enjoyable for our members and guests.

However, there are times occasionally when we are looking to make the course a little tougher for a specific event.  With the aggressive growth habit of Bermuda, simply skipping a mowing or two will have the rough as tough as we would want it.  I anticipate with the new height of cut, we will now have the ability to maintain the perfect mix of penalty with the ability to locate your ball and recover.  Not somewhere you necessarily want to be, but a more consistent lie compared to what we currently have. 

Essentially we are building on the success of the Zoysia fairways and expanding this concept into the rough.  Cool season grasses have their place, but when the bulk of our rounds are played in the heat of summer, we need a turf that is thriving at this same time.  With the Cool Season rough, the necessary inputs were putting too much emphasis on an area that should be a lower priority.

Thank you for following along as we detail the upcoming project.  If you have any specific questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Tomorrow I will be discussing changes we will be making to the Native Areas.

Rough Project Part 2

By now you are most likely aware that we have made the decision to convert our primary rough to Riviera Bermuda.  The general scope of the project involves killing our existing rough in areas that are both irrigated and receive mostly full sun throughout the day.  This amounts to about 55 acres that will be renovated.  Being a park style course, with the amount of trees bordering holes, we will continue to have a significant amount of Fescue in the shaded areas under tree canopies.

As we discussed the different ways to implement a project of this scope, the consensus was to take the hit over one season, rather than dragging the project out over multiple years.  The only downside to this approach is the need to close the entire course for a period of time.  Below is a timeline of key points in the project.

Beginning in mid May, we will make our first application of Roundup (along with a couple of other products) to start killing the existing turf.  If it weren't for the common Bermuda we would not be overly concerned with the kill.  With the amount of Bermuda we have, it is crucial we get this killed prior to seeding.  During the time frame of killing the turf the golf course will be open for normal play. 

As we approach the month of July, we will begin scalping the dead turf down in preparation for seeding.  Immediately following July 4th weekend, we will close the course on Monday July 7th to begin seeding the Riviera Bermuda.  We expect the seeding to take about 3-4 days.  Once the seed is down, we will keep these areas wet, almost to the point of runoff, until we reach germination.  We should see the new seedlings in about one week.

Following approximately three weeks of growing in the seedlings, we will reopen the course for play.  At this point, we intend to restrict carts to the path until the new turf is able to withstand traffic without causing any damage.  

Moving forward, we will continue to define our edges between the Fescue under the trees bordering the Bermuda in full sun.  I expect to get these boundaries close, but ultimately they will naturally define themselves based on the amount of sunlight the turf receives.

Hopefully, between these blog posts, along with the more detailed document , you will gain a better understanding of the upcoming project.  Tomorrow I will discuss the benefits of the project.

Rough Project

Over the last several years, in an effort to create a more sustainable golf course, we have been researching different turfgrass options for the rough at Wichita Country Club.  In the process of developing the Master Plan, it was determined that a conversion from our current blend of cool season turf to a warm season variety would be the best long term option for the golf course.

As you may recall, during the summer of 2003 this same issue was addressed with our fairways.  At the time, fairways consisted of a hodgepodge of mostly cool season turf (similar to our current rough).  Back then the decision was made to convert to Zoysia.  As proven over the years, not only did we reduce water consumption, the turf quality has been far superior following the change.

The uniqueness to our location is the opportunity to grow a variety of warm and cool season grasses. Depending on the weather in any given year, both grasses have their pro's and con's.  Regardless of the weather, the one consistent characteristic is the amount of water required to maintain cool season turf in our extreme summers.

As water rates continue to rise, along with concern for future availability, a proactive decision was made to limit the water required to maintain a quality golf course at our location.  After extensive research, we have made the decision to convert our rough to Riviera Seeded Bermuda during the summer of 2014.  

Riviera Bermuda Plot at Oklahoma State University

Over the next several days I will utilize the blog to fill in the details on the upcoming project.  For those of you that would like to read ahead, attached is a link to a document detailing the project.