What a year it has been. I have lived and worked in the Sacramento valley for all my life and I never remember a vear like this. Large temperature swings hot to cold, rain early this year. Mother nature always can throw you for a loop. We where very prepared for the wet weather. I always try to have the entire course mowed before rain events that way the course can lay idle for a few days with us not getting on it if it rains to much and not grow out of control. We usually absorb the moisture rather quickly. The course has turned into a good draining course. The combination of different types of aerification( Core, Solid, Slicing) have opened up the soil to give water a direct channel to move into the soil rather than just sit on top of the soil surface.
Keep Dry today
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
9-28-11 New Native Tree Plantings
New Native Tree Plantings
We Planted 25 15gal Native trees within the last week. They were planted in the area around the new #10 greens complex. California native trees planted where Quercus wislizenii( Interior Live Oak), Quercus lobata( Valley Oak), Platanus racemosa( California Sycamore). The trees were added to help re-establish and enlarge the native area to the right of the cart path on #10 and to serve as a backdrop to the new greens complex.
The trees where provided to us from the Sacramento Tree Foundation. The Tree foundation has been providing us with trees for our native tree plantings on the course as well as our source for replacing trees that have been removed for safety or that have fallen over in storms. Thank you Sacramento Tree Foundation. Check out the link to their website. They have some great programs in the Sacramento community. http://www.sactree.com/
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Greens speed going up!
Our greens speed has need slowly creeping up again as the greens have completely healed from aerification. Currently they are a 9.4 on the stimp meter. A major contribution for our increasing greens speed is our use of our tri-plex roller that has a custom made triple rolling heads on it. We use it regularly 3-4 days a week. Our roller use combined with a solid agronomic plan has yielded very smooth and consistent green speeds that range in the summer between 9.4-10.5. 
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Hot, Hot, Hot
It's hot! When it gets this warm out this is what we need to do so turf stays alive. Lots of hand watering hot spots on greens and other areas. 
9-21-11
A lot of ongoing improvements are taking shape on the golf course at Cherry Island.
New #10 Green update. The tee, surrounds, approach is all grown in and ready. Well after having some tough disease issues that hit that new turf on the green when we had some hot nights 4 weeks ago. We have some new germination in the affected areas and is getting back on track. I am aiming to have it opened by the first of November. I’m doing everything I can. Growing a green in from seed in the Sacramento valley is the hardest thing I have done in my golf career to date. I have never had the issues with grow-ins that I have had with this green. Mother nature has thrown me some curve balls this year.
The rest of the course has been really doing well this year. We have had a lot of success getting more Pennlink Bentgrass in the greens. I have been trying to out populate any Poa Annua (Annual Blue Grass) that we have. When I first started they where about 50/50 ratio. Now they are around a 70 bent / 30 poa. we are heading the right direction in having some pure Bentgrass greens.
The Bermuda grass fairways have been doing well this summer and will continue to improve things in the future. You might have noticed a little more crab grass and summer weeds this year than in years past. Due to some budget cut backs last year we did not apply any pre-emergent’s. Hence more summer weeds. I am estimating we will re apply and get back on track this current budget year.
You may have seen us starting to replace the wood on the bridges. We are starting the process. The wood sides are original and concreted in. They are very difficult to remove and replace. I hope to do the overlay on the #4/#9 bridge at the end of the month or the beginning of October.
We are always in maintenance mode mowing grass as much as possible trying to keep that manicured look. Irrigation is always a challenge this time of the year because the days are getting shorter and temperatures fluctuate between night and day time. It may be a little wet in the morning, but it will be dry by 2 ish in the afternoon.
I am always available by email or phone or on the course if you see me running around if you have any questions.
New #10 Green update. The tee, surrounds, approach is all grown in and ready. Well after having some tough disease issues that hit that new turf on the green when we had some hot nights 4 weeks ago. We have some new germination in the affected areas and is getting back on track. I am aiming to have it opened by the first of November. I’m doing everything I can. Growing a green in from seed in the Sacramento valley is the hardest thing I have done in my golf career to date. I have never had the issues with grow-ins that I have had with this green. Mother nature has thrown me some curve balls this year.
The rest of the course has been really doing well this year. We have had a lot of success getting more Pennlink Bentgrass in the greens. I have been trying to out populate any Poa Annua (Annual Blue Grass) that we have. When I first started they where about 50/50 ratio. Now they are around a 70 bent / 30 poa. we are heading the right direction in having some pure Bentgrass greens.
The Bermuda grass fairways have been doing well this summer and will continue to improve things in the future. You might have noticed a little more crab grass and summer weeds this year than in years past. Due to some budget cut backs last year we did not apply any pre-emergent’s. Hence more summer weeds. I am estimating we will re apply and get back on track this current budget year.
You may have seen us starting to replace the wood on the bridges. We are starting the process. The wood sides are original and concreted in. They are very difficult to remove and replace. I hope to do the overlay on the #4/#9 bridge at the end of the month or the beginning of October.
We are always in maintenance mode mowing grass as much as possible trying to keep that manicured look. Irrigation is always a challenge this time of the year because the days are getting shorter and temperatures fluctuate between night and day time. It may be a little wet in the morning, but it will be dry by 2 ish in the afternoon.
I am always available by email or phone or on the course if you see me running around if you have any questions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)