Course Update & New Tees to Open 5-11-13

As the season has moved from Early Spring to Late Spring, we have been very busy around the golf course with projects and maintenance. The tee renovation project is in the final stages and we will be opening four of the sodded tees this coming weekend. The new tees on #4,#7 & #13 will be open for play this weekend.

The above image shows the new tee on #13 just prior to opening this weekend.

The image above is the tee box constructed last fall and sodded this spring, it has shown amazing growth and will be open for play on Saturday, May 11, 2013

Along with these tees we have other tees that remain closed, that were sodded last fall. The poor spring temperatures have slowed growth and prevented them from properly filling in. We will open these tees when we see fit that they are able to handle golfer wear.

The final phase of the tee renovation project has been the construction of the Bronze/Silver tee on #4 and the construction of the new silver tee on #16. These tees are in the final phase of construction and will be sodded next week.

Above you can see the construction of a new tee box on #4 that combines the old silver with the bronze tee constructed last spring, by combining these tees we will also be giving golfers who play the bronze tees and new angle at the green

The construction of #16 silver tee box began last fall and has taken full shape this spring, as you can see from the above images, sand will be added to the rough grade and we will lay sod next week

Along with the large tee renovation project, we have been busy with many other routine maintenance practices. The Fairways have been in great shape all season and we are mowing them frequently to keep up with the growth.

Here you can see the Fairway on #2, they have had great color and density all spring

The greens saw loss of some grass over winter and due to injury last year from Aerification. We have aerified many of these spots and seeded them. Due to our sand based soils that heat up and cool down rapidly, we haven’t seen the growth on the greens and tees, like we have the fairways. We will continue to make foliar applications of nutrients to help speed along their recovery.

Thanks for reading and I will make sure to update more frequently. See you on the Course!

Timothy Christians
Head Golf Course Superintendent
tchristians@makraygolf.com

More Tee Work & Weekly Video Update

As spring moves along, we seem to be stuck in neutral when it comes to warm temps and a return to green. However, the Grounds Staff at Makray Memorial Golf Club is keeping busy with spring projects. Keeping with the theme from the last few years, we continue to make improvements to the tees.

The construction of the new tees on #7 & #13 went very well and I am very excited to bring them into play.

These two images show #7 & #13 with the excellent progress they have shown

Along with those tees, we have sodded the new tee on #4, will be constructing a larger tee on #16 and have begun construction of combining the Bronze & Silver tee on #4.

Above you will see the location for the new tee on #16, the newly sodded tee on #4 & the beginning of construction on #4 bronze & silver tee

If that isn’t enough, here is a short video of some of what we did last week.

As the spring continues we hope to make great strides in bringing the new tees into play and hopefully warmer temps.

Thanks, and I hope to see you on the course
Timothy Christians
Head Golf Course Superintendent
tchristians@makraygolf.com

Driving Range Open & Course Video Update

The season seems to be moving along slowly, with warmer temps and needed moisture on the horizon. This week saw us busy with cutting cups, opening the range and making preparations for the return of our seasonal staff.

This image shows the opened range with the freshly painted bag stands.

We have also been prepping all the course accessories and will be putting them out prior to the start of permanent tee times next week.
Here is a short video of some of the happenings around the course.

You can see that things are starting to pick up around the golf course. The seasonal staff will return this week and we look to have things all ready for permanent tee times next weekend.

Thanks and I hope to see you on the Course!

Timothy Christians
Head Golf Course Superintendent
tchristians@makraygolf.com

Course Video Update for 3/26/13

This spring is quite different from what we saw last year. Last year at this time we had been open for most of March, seen the greens, tees and fairways mowed multiple times and had our seasonal staff back. This year we have seen more seasonal temperatures and late season snowfall. The weather looks to improve in the next few days going into the weekend. We will be open for play on Friday(3-29-13). Please watch this short video of what is happening around the course.

I hope you enjoyed and I look forward to seeing you on the course
Timothy Christians
Head Golf Course Superintendent
tchristians@makraygolf.com

Diagnosing Tree Defects

Today while removing trees that had been affected by Imprelis Herbicide, I came upon an Ash tree that showed significant internal defects. I was able to determine this by the presence of fruiting bodies on the tree.

This image shows fungus on the crotch of the tree. Fungus present on any tree is usually a sign of internal decay

There are many reasons for a tree to begin to decay. In the situation of the tree found today it was due to poor trimming techniques that left the tree prone to attack by insects and other pathogens.

This image shows a trimming cut that has failed to properly heal. Inspection of the tree showed numerous trimming cuts of this nature

The fruiting bodies present on the tree are only a sign of what truly is happening inside the tree however. Inspection of the wood of the tree showed soft rot affecting much of the structure of the canopy. The removal of areas affected by soft rot however will not save this tree. The wounds to remove these areas were so large that the tree would not be able to properly heal.

The above images are of the internal decay that was affecting the tree. You can see distinct patterns of the rot and see how the soft rot has compromised the heartwood of the tree.

At Makray Memorial Golf Club, we strongly believe that trees serve a significant purpose in the environment of the club grounds. Many of these trees have been alive long before the golf course ever existed. However we can not save all the trees from disease, failure or decay. We diagnose all trees with defects to determine if saving them is within the realm of possibility. Any tree that poses immediate risk to any employee or patron is immediately removed. If you have any questions in regard to tree safety and failure, you can contact me at tchristians@makraygolf.com

Thanks, and hopefully we will be out on the course soon
Timothy Christians
Head Golf Course Superintendent
tchristians@makraygolf.com

Ice

Ice and It’s Affects on Turfgrass Health

#11 Green at Makray Memorial Golf Course with a layer of ice covering the majority of the surface.  Ice coverage over the winter has been more of a concern for northern superintendents, and even attracted a study by Iowa Sate University on the effects of winter conditions on golf courses.

The Weather Lately has been unstable, with large snowfall followed by rain and mild temperatures.  Then a large dip in the temperature that has left all of the melted snow and rain frozen across the golf course.  Ice damage to turfgrass has always been a concern, however recent winter weather patterns and winter kill due to prolonged ice coverage has brought it to the forefront of superintendents in the northern climates.  While touring the course today I saw a lot of ice across the golf course, completely covering greens and tees. Like any living organism, grass requires oxygen to live and thrive.  Ice depletes oxygen production and can lead to sever turfgrass damage and loss.

While many Superintendents will be concerned and may take proactive measures to remove the ice or prevent the formation of ice.  In my short tenure as a golf course superintendent, I have never done anything to remove or prevent ice from forming.   In my time at Makray Memorial Golf Club, I have always followed recommendations to promote the health of creeping bentgrass over Poa annua.  One of the main reasons for not covering greens in the winter or removing or preventing ice coverage is that creeping bentgrass is a much more adapted and resilient  to the extremes of winter.  By leaving the greens and other areas exposed, we give the desired turgrass species of creeping bentgrass an advantage.  Most winter kill is found on turf surfaces that are primarily Poa annua., there are many factors that contribute to this but in general Poa annua. is the weaker of the two species.  

Poa annua., is a winter annual, which means it germinates in the fall from seed, lives over winter and dies during the extremes of the summer.  Poa annua., is so prolific in spreading due to it’s ability to reproduce by seed, even under extreme growing conditions and low mowing heights.  Over time Poa annua., can spread and completely take over a green that is ideal for its spread and growth.  These conditions include, high moisture, lack of air movement, heavy fertility and lack of surface drainage.  Poa annua, is so prolific that it can be found on all seven continents and can be found growing in some of the oddest areas.  For these reasons we at Makray Memorial Golf Club, have been proactive at removing and preventing the spread of Poa annua., on fine turfgrass surfaces throughout the golf course.

Luckily, when I started at Makray the course was new and hadn’t seen an abundance of Poa annua. invasion.  We currently have an estimated 5-10% Poa annua. coverage on green surfaces.  It is this reason that I feel we should not require any action to remove the ice to prevent turfgrass loss.  My goal being that any winter kill to greens will be done to Poa annua., which only consists of a small portion of the greens. Any loss of this Poa annua., will hopefully be filled in with creeping bentgrass.

Courses throughout the country battle winter extremes every year, whether it be covering the greens, removing snow and ice or removing any formation of ice on the surface.  Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa did a study on winter conditions and there affects on turfgrass.  For the study they selected a green and had plots of different weather conditions, from snow cover, ice cover, man made covers to no cover or protection.  I was lucky in my last semester to get to assist in this study.  We removed cores from the surface throughout the winter and placed in growth chambers.  We never saw complete kill to any core sample from any replication.  If you would like to read the full report you can Click Here.  

As of now I am of little concern of any damage from ice coverage on our greens, tees or fairways. I will update you with any other information as I see fit. Thanks.

Hope to see you on the course, Soon!

Timothy Christians 

Head Golf Course Superintendent 

tchristians@makraygolf.com 

The Cost of Winter Golf

Recently the Chicagoland saw abnormal warm temperatures. The thaw along with the 0.73″ of precipitation created extremely soft conditions on the golf course. Being at a public facility we were fortunate to be able to open our doors for play. As a public facility we welcome winter golf whenever the weather will allow. However we also expect golfers to follow cart rulings and stay off of roped off areas.
The recent golf left some scares on the course that will not be able to be fixed until the Spring. Especially on the newly constructed tee box on #7 that has been roped off and closed to play. This tee box has not settled and the extremely soft conditions left some foot prints where golfers chose to walk. Below are some images taken after the foot prints frooze.

From these images you can see how soft the area was during the thaw and how much water was on the tee from the recent rains. Until it thaws again we will not be able to do anything to address this.
Along with that we saw some limited damage on the fairways from golfers not following the Cart Path Only restrictions we had put in place. During the winter months while the turf is dormant it has no defense to recuperate from damage caused by carts. Any damage done will remain until the golf course comes out of dormancy. The below image is some of the damage that was found.

As a Head Golf Course Superintendent at a public facility I have always encouraged opening the course for play during the off season. However I find it very discouraging that golfers neglect the rules of Cart Path Only and allow damage to be done. I will continue to allow golf through the winter months, however I hope golfers can understand the golf courses condition and vulnerability to damage and follow all cart rulings. Thank you and I look forward to seeing you on the course

Timothy Christians
Head Golf Course Superintendent
tchristians@makraygolf.com