USGA GREEN SECTION TURF ADVISORY SERVICE REPORT

Transcription

1 United States Golf Association Northeast Region Green Section P. O. Box 4717 Easton, PA T F USGA GREEN SECTION TURF ADVISORY SERVICE REPORT THE CUTTEN CLUB GUELPH, ONTARIO, CANADA Present: Mr. David Kuypers, Golf Course and Grounds Superintendent Mr. David A. Oatis, USGA

2 Page 2 INTRODUCTION It was my pleasure to make a Turf Advisory Service visit to The Cutten Club on Tuesday, September 14, The following report is offered as a summary of the major points discussed during the visit. The turfgrass at The Cutten Club performed very well this year despite stressful weather. Although the weather extremes were much worse further south, courses throughout the region experienced problems because of the extended heat and wild fluctuations in humidity levels. Even though the start to the season at Cutten was a bit rocky because of the winter injury, the turf recovered well and no significant problems were experienced during the summer. Obviously that is very welcome news, and it also is testimony to the work and course improvement projects that have been implemented in recent years. Specifically, the aeration and soil modification work on greens combined with the tree work throughout the course paid major dividends this year. Many courses perform well during mild or moderate weather, but it is usually those with the best agronomic programs that perform best during periods of weather extremes. We discussed the construction, planting and grow in of the new 17 th green as the green was planted five days prior to my visit. Some of the aeration cores used to plant the green survived the shredding process, so there already was a sprinkling of annual bluegrass becoming established in the green. This is terrific news as the green is off to a good start. The bentgrass seed will begin to germinate in the next few days, and the combination of bentgrass seed and annual bluegrass cores should produce a nice mixture of the two grasses that will quickly match the grass composition of the older greens in the course. Lastly, we discussed fairway mowing strategies and mowing contours. As we have discussed in past visits and reports, altering the contours of the fairways and roughs is a low cost means of having a very significant impact on the aesthetics and the playability of the course. With the impending changeover in mowing equipment, now is an ideal time to begin the process on all of the holes. NO. 17 GREEN The problem-plagued 17 th green was rebuilt a couple of weeks prior to my visit and planted just five days before it. The project went extremely well, and I believe you will be much happier with the new green because of the design changes and because of the better construction techniques and materials. The new design blends in and is much more consistent with the original design at The Cutten Club. As mentioned, the green was planted with shredded aeration cores and bentgrass seed, the goal of which is to produce a mixture of grasses that matches the turf on the other greens at The Cutten Club. Following are some of the key points to keep in mind for the grow-in:

3 Page 3 The green was planted with improved, high-density bentgrass cultivars (Mackenzie and Tyee) and it is important to grow these types of bentgrass in at as low a height of cut as possible. Thus, the initial cutting should probably be made at approximately or so. If for some reason the initial height has to be a bit higher, just be sure to lower it as quickly as possible (without scalping or causing injury). Lower cutting heights will promote more lateral growth which will be beneficial. Additionally, once high-density bentgrasses grow in at a higher height of cut, they tend to get puffy and it can be difficult to get cutting heights down to the proper level without injuring them. Cutting heights can be lowered slightly after the initial couple of mowings, and a target of would be a good target for this fall. The green surface looked extremely smooth, but it still would be wise to roll it a couple of times before the initial mowing. This will smooth out some of the surface imperfections that we cannot easily see. A light topdressing application should be initiated 3-4 weeks or so after planting and usually to coincide with the first mowing. Assuming the turf is healthy and vigorous enough, you may also want to roll the green with a walk behind asphalt roller equipped with a vibratory mode. This might be something best performed in the late spring after growth has commenced as it will cause injury to the turf (especially tender young turf). However, the benefit is that it will true up the surface quicker than just about any other technique I am aware of. Depending on how much ridging occurs, using the asphalt roller on top of plywood may be advisable. The goal of the topdressing is to dilute thatch as it develops rather than to begin topdressing after it has developed. This usually creates a layer of buried thatch that could be detrimental. The green already has received a significant amount of fertility, but with cool temperatures, it is difficult to say how much of the Nitroform will be available to the turf. Thus, a couple of light granular applications of urea (0.25 A.N. per 1,000 sq. ft. watered in immediately) are suggested in the next 2-3 weeks. In terms of dormant fertility, IBDU would be a good choice for this green because of its drainage properties that would allow for rapid leaching of more soluble materials lbs. A.N. per 1,000 sq. ft. would be an appropriate nitrogen rate for this application. Once growing conditions arrive next spring, light foliar applications (or granular applications depending on the stability of the surface) of soluble fertilizers can be made every week or two to push growth and development. Soil temperatures will need to get into the 60-70ºF range before the Nitroform begins to release. The Nitroform will carry the green through the summer very adequately, but growth will probably lag in the spring without the soluble applications. A conservative approach to the management of the new 17 th green is recommended for next year. What does this mean specifically? Keep the temporary at least through the

4 Page 4 end of the next season, and perhaps even through the following season. It is a great insurance policy, and if you have it, you likely will not need it. Having the ability to close the green for hours or to periodically give it a rest if it experiences excessive wear is a tremendous advantage. Keep in mind also that high temperatures combined with rain events will soften the surface, and if these events coincide with a period of heavy play (i.e. a holiday weekend or a major tournament) physical injury will likely result. Closing the green under these conditions may be an inconvenience, but it will allow you to avoid damage that might otherwise take weeks or months to recover from. New greens typically do not handle the same amount of stress and wear that mature greens can, so rolling this green a bit less often, or rolling in lieu of mowing would be advisable. As it matures, the green will handle stress and wear much better, so the key is not to push it too hard initially. FAIRWAYS Some fairway recontouring already has been accomplished, and the 4 th is a prime example. This fairway was expanded to the right in order to improve playability. In general, widening approaches helps a higher handicapper because it provides better opportunities for bump and run shots. Cutting the contours closer to bunkers benefits the higher handicappers by allowing wider alleyways of play. At the same time, reducing the amount of rough between fairway and bunkers also will allow more balls to roll into the bunkers, so there are some pluses and minuses. Visually, cutting the fairways as close to the bunkers as possible will make them look larger and more intimidating, and this is a great way to maximize their visual impact. This makes great sense given the amount of time, money and labor that go into construction and maintenance of bunkers. Ultimately, recontouring the fairways will have an extremely positive impact on how the course looks and plays, and assuming you take a slow, methodical, programmatic approach, it will be a low cost program. Similar comments can be made regarding putting green expansion. Many of the greens have already been expanded, but continuing to expand them out to their original shapes and sizes will add great interest in terms of aesthetics and playability. So what will these programs ultimately cost? Adding to the size of greens will increase maintenance costs, but since we are not talking about an enormous amount of expansion (perhaps 20,000-30,000 sq. ft. total) the impact will not be very significant. The same goes for fairways. The expansion/realignment processes will require some labor but little expense. Additionally, some money could be spent by eliminating the intermediate cut of rough around the perimeter of the fairways. An intermediate band of rough really is a product of championship golf where cutting heights in the primary rough are maintained significantly higher. To maintain good definition between fairway, intermediate cut and rough, cutting heights need to be more than doubled when transitioning from one to the

5 Page 5 other. For instance, if fairways are being cut at approximately 1/2, the intermediate rough should be cut at This means that the primary rough should be or more, and this would be extremely penal and would result in slower play, lost golf balls, etc. Currently, cutting heights in the primary rough at The Cutten Club are 2.5 or less. Furthermore, turf performance in the intermediate rough suffers much more frequently than fairway turf or turf in the primary roughs. The intermediate height of cut is too high for annual bluegrass and creeping bentgrass but too low for Kentucky bluegrass. Intermediate roughs often are established with Kentucky bluegrass, but annual bluegrass and creeping bentgrass quickly invade them, and at these heights of cut, this mixture turns into a puffy, thatchy turf that plays poorly and is difficult to maintain. Courses that eliminate the intermediate height of cut wind up with much better definition between fairway and rough, and in the case of The Cutten Club, widening the fairways a bit to bring them closer to bunkers combined with eliminating the intermediate cut would be a great compromise. See the enclosed article entitled A Waste of Time. The Process This fall, temporarily expand the intermediate height of cut to encompass the proposed fairway expansions. Maintain extra-wide intermediate rough throughout next season. This will give you a chance to adjust and fine tune the expansion contours so that they are exactly right when the final reduction in height to fairway is made. Aerate the intermediate roughs repeatedly to smooth them out. This will make the final adjustment to the fairway height of cut much easier. A target of 5-6 aerations between now and spring of 2012 would be ideal After 1-2 seasons of extra-wide intermediate roughs, you should have the contours set, so at that point you could begin overseeding the expansion areas with improved bentgrass cultivars. Seeding them anytime between mid July and mid August would be ideal. If you want a faster conversion, kill the existing turf with RoundUp prior to overseeding. The following spring, before the turf breaks dormancy, reduce cutting heights in the expansion areas to the fairway heights. Fairways expanded at this time of year adjust very quickly to the new height of cut, and it will help to have overseeded them with creeping bentgrass a couple of times first. Additional overseeding in the expansion areas will likely be necessary, and you may experience some thinning in the expansion areas during the first season or two. However, they will adjust very quickly, and the only long term problem will be perennial ryegrass presence. The same basic process can be followed for greens, with the only difference being that if the expansions are significant, irrigation sprinkler heads, pipe and wires may have to be relocated. However, you could certainly expand up to where these components are without a great deal

6 Page 6 CONCLUSION of difficulty. Also note that in addition to aeration, verticutting and topdressing it would be necessary in the green expansion areas to ensure that the soils are modified to a similar degree as the putting green soils are. Thanks again for the terrific hospitality extended during the visit, and as always, do not hesitate to call if I can provide additional information or assistance. The Green Section appreciates your support of TAS and we encourage visiting the website to access regional updates that detail our observations across the region and provide a snapshot of the types of problems and conditions we are seeing in our travels. Sincerely, David A. Oatis, Director Green Section, Northeast Region DAO:dlo cc: Mr. David Kuypers, Golf Course and Grounds Superintendent Mr. Craig Moore, General Manager Mr. Peter Lago, Golf Course and Grounds Committee Reprints: The Little Roller That Could A Waste of Time