Winter Sun

http://www.usga.org/course-care/regional-updates/central-region/winter-sun.html

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 12/19/16

Rough Aeration Complete

Happy Holidays and best wishes for the New Year from all of us at the Green Department. Unfortunately, the winter weather over the past week forced us to close the putting greens earlier than last year and also prevented us from our deep-tine aeration on 12/12/16. Even though last week's process was canceled, we had a very productive fall with aggressive aeration practices, small projects and preconditioning our turf to overwinter. Thankfully leaf and property cleanup with our seasonal staff will be complete this week, and we can refocus our efforts on continuing the tree maintenance plan during the off season.

Winter Protection

Thank you for another great season and your continued support of the Green Department!

All Green/Surround Heads Re-leveled

         

Bees and Golf Courses

http://www.usga.org/articles/2016/12/bees--golf-courses-a-natural-partnership.html

Takeuchi TL-10 Purchased 2/16 and Return on Investment

Takeuchi TL-10 Purchased 2/16 and Return on Investment

1. Tree work – performed in February/March 2016 equal to 3 days contracted out ($15,000).
2. Wash Pad and Drainage at Maintenance Area – excavated area and found unused dry well, constructed new wash pad (quoted $40,000) and well ($10,000 to $15,000) and solved neighbor’s water issues of surface runoff water for $5,000.
3. Cart Path Work – Removed damaged paths on #2, #18, and the path to driving range instead of new pavement ($6,000) for the cost of sod.
4. Nursery Green #3/#15 – Area constructed for later use around the property ($7,000).
5. Tee-Releveling #2 white and black tees (quoted $7,000) constructed and re-grassed for ($1,500).
6. Construction of collection area #14 green ($3,000).
7. Tee-Releveling #17 white and #18 black tees ($5,000) to be completed.

This machine was purchased in February for $72,000 and has given our operation the capabilities of in-house work totaling $82,000 in the first nine months. This work would not have been possible without the machine, and instead, these projects would have waited until capital money was made available for contracted work. This machine also contributes to weekly production on various tasks around the property and will continue to pay for itself over it's lifetime.

Driving Range Steps and Landscape Upgrade

Driving Range Upgrade

All work completed In-house

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 10/27/16

GOLF COURSE UPDATE:

• 10/24 - Tee Aeration with ½” hollow tines filled with sand (COMPLETE)
• 10/25 - Fairway De-thatching using borrowed FWY Graden after Solid Deep-Tine Aeration (COMPLETE)
• All fairway bunker depths adjusted and received Quartzite Sand to improve consistency and firmness
• New driving range steps and landscape work
• Silvery Thread Moss eradication program from greens started and ongoing (Sprayed and plugged out)
• Continue with small projects discussed in past updates
• 10/31 – Greens Aeration 3/8” hollow tines with 2mm Sand Inject Graden to begin

Cooler weather and the changing of the seasons bring excitement for small project and renovation work around our property. Since the 2016 tournament schedule has ended, we’ve started small projects over the past month improving play-ability and aesthetics while also preparing for aeration across all playing surfaces to setup our turf for next year. I feel we had another great season on the golf course, but also know the work ahead to continue improving the product and pushing forward my vision. Over the next few weeks, we will continue the process by budgeting, planning, and purchasing for next year along with the renovation of playing surfaces ensuring this operation continues to progress. We’ve also planned for a Green Committee Meeting, Saturday Oct. 29 at 2:00 p.m., to discuss the 2016 success and failures, this winter’s off-season plans and the Club’s goals for the Green Department going into next year. On behalf of my crew and the Green Department, thank you again for all your support this season!

Frost Delays Coming

Importance of Frost Delays Explained

2016 Season will be felt for years!

http://www.usga.org/course-care/regional-updates/northeast-region/the-fallout-from-the-2016-season-will-be-felt-for-years.html

Nursery Green Construction

New Nursery Project

Area Between #3 and #15 Green will be used as our new Nursery Green. This area will be mostly hidden once fescue grasses are established in season and will serve as our primary spot for any in-season turf repairs.

Construction will be complete by 10/7 and will be grown in using plugs collected next month from our Greens Aeration scheduled 10/31 to 11/3.

#2 TEE COMPLEX RE-LEVELING

TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES

http://www.usga.org/course-care/regional-updates/northeast-region/truth-and-consequences.html

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 9/9/17

The unofficial end of summer has passed and with a busy fall golf schedule in place, I’m excited about how well our property endured the season. With our playing surfaces weathering a brutal summer and peaking during the Club Championships, we are beginning September with all our finely managed turf aerated and on the path to recovery. Even with the 7” of rain in August and the oppressive heat that followed, our playing surfaces performed weekly and managed to come thru August with very little summer stress. Any areas of weakness in management or turf always become evident this time of year, and over the next few months, we will make adjustments to those areas or personnel that did not meet my expectations.

Looking ahead to projects once tournament season concludes and more manpower becomes available we will begin making improvements within my operating budget.

1.    Tee-squaring detail/Tee re-leveling #2 Black/White, #17 White, #18 White, #16 White, etc

2.    Fairway bunker depth assessment and addition of quartzite (similar to greens as of 4/16)

3.    Drainage to low-lying FWY./APP. areas impacted by August rains to improve turf quality

4.    Irrigation head raising (starting with Greens)

5.    Nursery Green Construction

6.    Tree Maintenance continued from spring with pruning branches and take-downs 

7.    Chipping Green Area extension and Bunker Renovation

As always these in-house projects will only be part of our ongoing maintenance responsibilities and will also be scheduled around seasonal aeration. Fall project work timing is perfect for making improvements that will be ready for 2017 golf season as our golf course continues to progress with offseason aeration. Unfortunately, the summer golf season may be over but things are just getting started for us as we continue enhancing our property and achieving our Department goals.

PINE HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB AERATION 2016

GREENS:

• **March 3/28/16 – ½” Hollow Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Topdressing (5%)
• *May – ¼" Vent Tine w/ Sand Injected Dry Ject to 6 in. depth
• *Monthly (May to July) – ¼” Solid Venting Tine (no removal)
• ***August 8/15/16 or 8/22/16– ½” Hollow Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Topdressing (9%)
• ***November 11/1/16 – ½” Hollow Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Topdressing (14%) and/or 2mm Sand Inject Graden (13%)
•   ***December – 5/8” Solid Deep Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Topdressing

*    Minimal disruption to putting surface (healing time a few days)

**  Medium disruption to putting surface (healing time 7-10 days)

***Most disruption to putting surface (healing time 10-14 days)

Emphasis put on removing 20% of surface area per year

TEES:

• March 3/21/16 - 5/8” Hollow Tine Tee Aeration with Sand Topdressing
• August - 5/8” Hollow Tine Tee Aeration with Sand Topdressing
• November - 5/8” Hollow Tine Tee Aeration with Sand Topdressing

FAIRWAYS

• March 3/30/16 – 5/8” Hollow Tine Aeration with Sand Topdressing
• August -  ¾” Solid Deep-Tine Aeration (no cleaning necessary) w/ Verticut
• October – Graden Dethatching of Fwys/Approaches w/ Sand Topdressing
• November - ¾” Solid Deep-Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Sand Topdressing

ROUGHS:
  Beginning November aerate all roughs for healthy turf green to tee

GRIND CONTINUES

http://www.usga.org/course-care/regional-updates/northeast-region/the-marathon-continues.html

Green Committee 7/31/16

GOLF COURSE UPDATE

·         Mowing Heights: GRNS .115, Tees/Collars/Approaches .375, FWYS .400, Step-cut 1”, RGH 2.25”

·         Mowing Schedule: Greens-daily and double rolled unless weather dictates otherwise Wed./Fri./Sat./Sun., Tees/Approaches/FWYS Mon./Wed./Fri., Rough/Bunkers-twice throughout the week

·         ROUGH DEBATE – GREENSPEED DEBATE

·         No issues with playing surfaces due to stress or mechanical damage heading into August.

·         Aeration on-schedule and will continue to pursue 20 to 25% surface area disruption according to ISTRC testing performed.

·         Pine Hollow Green’s Department Blog: pinehollowgreens.blogspot.com

2016 FALL PROJECTS (IN-HOUSE)

·         Tee re-leveling #17 white, #18 white, #2 left black/white.

·         Continue with bunker sand removal and replacement all fairway bunkers.

·         Addition of Nursery Green behind #3/#15 and screened out by fescue.

·         Improve contours in fairways and green expansion areas with additions and subtractions.

·         Improve and expand practice area with tree removal, bunker rebuild, and fairway expansion.

·         In-house drainage installation at chipping area approach (driving range).

·         Continue with property cleanup including tennis area, parking lot, and shop improvements.

PROPOSED PROJECTS

·         GOLF COURSE –Cont. Tree Maintenance Plan for 2016/2017 late fall to winter: In/Out House.

·         GOLF COURSE- Tee Complex Construction #11 (In-House) and #12/#14 (Out-House).

·         PRACTICE AREA- New synthetic surface for driving range mat w/ re-leveled and re-grassed.

·         PRACTICE AREA- Rebuild bunker at Chipping Green with the addition of more fairway height for longer pitch and run options.

·         LANDSCAPE-Area behind and left of #7 GREEN planted w/ 5-7’ Cedars to screen out maintenance dump and service road.

·         LANDSCAPE-Move and relocate trees from golf course to specific areas on property.

·         EQUIPMENT- Lease packages have been built to address current concerns while updating our fleet of deteriorating equipment.

·         BUDGET- Equipment and Resources to continue to improve the Club’s biggest asset.

H20 Management on Putting Greens

http://www.usga.org/course-care/regional-updates/west-region/five-things-to-know-about-water-management-on-greens-during-summ.html

WHY CAN'T GREEN SPEEDS REMAIN CONSTANT

http://www.usga.org/course-care/forethegolfer/why-can-t-green-speeds-remain-constant-.html

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 7/9/16

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 7/9/16

• Mowing Heights: GREENS .120, TEES/COLLARS/APPROACHES .375, FWYS .400, STEP-CUT 1”, ROUGHS 2 ¼”
• Mowing Schedule: GREENS cut daily and double rolled Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday unless extreme heat or wet conditions exist; TEES/APPROACHES/FWYS mowed Monday, Wednesday, Friday; Rough/Bunkers-twice throughout week to keep up with growth

July in the Northeast is what keeps Superintendents up at night in January. Among my colleagues, we always talk about as good as it is today grass can be just as bad tomorrow.  This is also the time of year when Superintendents make decisions for plant health instead of aggressively pursuing faster conditions ensuring quality turf until Labor Day. That said the heat is on and after entering elevated drought status across the area in late June we have received timely rains the past few weeks. Along with any rain event throughout the golf season accompanied with heat and humidity, debate always follows about slower green speeds and lush penal roughs.

ROUGHS

Much to my delight our fertilizer application in early June finally released seeing our first significant rain since May, unfortunately for golfers we’ve also seen our already healthy roughs blow out of the ground. Even with overnight irrigation from our efficient system throughout June, you can’t simulate what Mother Nature delivers and the biggest reason for this surge in growth. Since then much discussion has taken place with the Professional Golf Staff and membership to determine the best height of cut and frequency to ensure a timely and enjoyable round. The current plan is for a 2 ¼” height of cut mown twice a week until growth slows or further adjustments are made to the schedule. This height is what we were mowing for the entire 2015 season and different from a less dense 2 ¼” primary, 3"+ around bunker banks, and no step-cut around primary before my new mowing practices started the spring of 2015. The reasons for this healthier turf stand are the changes made to our programs in fertility, spring/summer plant protectant applications, and most importantly our off-season aeration.

GREENS

Our turf is peaking at the perfect time going into July’s heat and up until this past week we have not seen a major drop off in playing surface health or speeds thru the green. With this week being the exception our greens have consistently rolled between 12’ to 13’ all season which is up from 11.5” consistently last year and much quicker than years past. I will continue with 12’ being our goal but must monitor our playing surfaces overall health and future forecasts to ensure our Greens remain consistent and healthy for upcoming tournaments.  Due to environmental conditions that can jeopardize turf health, you will notice our Assistants prepping greens in the morning (hand watering), syringing in the afternoon (cooling with water) and possibly the use of blowers next to greens (constant air flow). These methods along with smart decisions on mowing/rolling, constant turf monitoring and timely plant protectant applications are our best defense against the summer extremes.

Going into this summer stretch, I’m mostly happy with our playing surfaces and feel as if they have performed well to this point. As always summer stress on our turf, especially greens, is a major concern of mine, but with a lot of hard work our golf course and staff are preparing for the challenges of the dog days of summer. 

Oakmont Magic

http://www.usga.org/course-care/regional-updates/northeast-region/oakmont-magic.html

USGA takes green speeds too far at Oakmont

http://golfweek.com/2016/06/20/us-open-usga-takes-green-speeds-too-far-oakmont/

Contours, hazards and green speeds defend Oakmont – fairly or unfairly – against world-class players

http://golfweek.com/2016/06/20/us-open-contours-hazards-green-speeds-defend-oakmont-against-players/

Gil Hanse recognizes GCS

https://player.vimeo.com/video/171121835

Oakmont's war on Trees

http://www.wsj.com/articles/timber-why-oakmont-waged-a-war-on-trees-1465849293

Golf Wisdom

Managing Moss on Putting Greens

Over the past two seasons efforts to eliminate the Silvery Thread Moss that has plagued Pine Hollow's Putting Greens for years has been slow. Along with our more aggressive aeration schedule, tree removal program and hand removal, this month we will begin making chemical applications to eradicate these unsightly imperfections. Please be aware these areas will be turning off color and will have a negative aesthetic impact. The best time to make these applications is before the heat of summer sets in and once grass is actively and aggressively growing to out compete the suppressed moss. Thanks.

http://www.gcsaa.org/gcm-magazine/2015/october/gcm-oct-2015-managing-silvery-thread-moss-in-golf-course-greens

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 6/8/16

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 6/8/16

• Mowing Heights: GRNS .120, Tees/Collars/Approaches .375, FWYS .400, Stepcut 1”, Rough 2.5”
• Mowing Schedule: Greens-daily and double rolled Wed./Fri./Sat./Sun., Tees/Approaches/FWYS,Mon./Wed./Fri., Rough/Bunkers-twice throughout the week
• All greenside bunkers addressed with quartzite sand and rolled for firmness-fairways to follow
• GRN/FWY vertical mowing wrapped up 6/6/16 to promote upright growth and faster surfaces
• Spring and early summer plant protectant, herbicide, and fertility programs in full rotation
• Flowers and mulch for property beautification finishing up 6/10/16

With the unofficial start of summer, we have begun to shift our focus from project work around the property to daily maintenance. As mentioned in our last post, spring is our busiest season preparing the golf course and grounds for most challenging 90 day stretch of the year for agronomic purposes. At this time, I have no major concerns with any of our turf and with the recent fertilizer and plant protectant applications I’m excited to watch the golf course peak in the coming weeks.

As mentioned above our mowing practices for the Golf Season are set and will stay consistent unless we face inclement weather or other unpredictable circumstances. Some of these heights have been adjusted down with improvements to our turf under my programs. These adjustments are made possible by our more aggressive approach to season-long aeration, topdressing and cultural practices for faster and firmer conditions. These perfect golf conditions during the summer months are always challenging to all Superintendents due to humidity, heat, and environmental stress which can sometimes negate our hard-work even though these conditions will always be our priority. With the most discussed and controversial surface being putting greens, we currently mow and roll to provide a consistent speed of 12’ using the Stimp Meter for measurement. This pace is a very acceptable speed for all handicap players and is important for tournaments so players can practice a speed which should be expected weekly. As always our premiere events will host faster-putting surfaces and while accomplishing these speeds for short periods of time is manageable, prolonged periods of pushing our greens too much and too early could jeopardize the health of our greens for the rest of the membership. In the summer months good decisions with sound agronomic programs to manage our Poa-Bentgrass putting greens are vital to the season-long health of our golf course.

In regards to our property, the clubhouse grounds are starting to pop with color from fresh mulch and annual flowers as perennial gardens begin to bloom. These areas will constantly be tended to in the endless effort to keep beds weed free, bright and beautiful. Detail work is addressed daily by our staff for the best possible presentation of our beautiful clubhouse and surrounding grounds.

Summer weather is ahead and another great season is taking shape here at Pine Hollow. See you on the course!

USGA UPDATE

http://www.usga.org/course-care/regional-updates/northeast-region/dry-conditions--smooth-putting-surfaces-and-annual-bluegrass.html

Scheduling Maintenance

http://www.usga.org/course-care/regional-updates/west-region/tournament-scheduling-and-maintenancethey-can-go-together.html

GREEN COMMITTEE MEETING 4/30/16

GREEN COMMITTEE MEETING 4/30/16

GOLF COURSE UPDATE

• Golf Course conditioning and surfaces will continue to improve with good growing conditions.
• Implementation of new bunker maintenance practices have received good reviews and will continue to improve with additional quartzite sand and rolling. Steps to follow.
• Areas for Improvement include Long and Short Term Project Planning, Bunkers, Staff Training, Tree Work, Property Detail, etc.
• Aeration schedule will continue according to ISTRC testing conducted to achieve our goals as a Club.
• Asst. Cody Seamen has returned for 2016, along with new Asst. Chris Duffy.
• Please spread the word about our Green’s Dept. Blog. (pinehollowgreens.blogspot.com)

2016 SPRING PROJECTS/PLANNING/EQUIPMENT

• Wash Pad and Drainage addressed and worked as expected at Shop Yard. (In-House)
• Disturbance areas addressed from winter Tree Work. Also, the addition of more fairway to #14 Green Collection will give #14 green complex more character.
• Halfway House landscape project completed with plant material moved from other areas around the property.
• Parking Lot/Tennis Area: wood, construction materials, pallets, fence repair, etc. will continue to be cleaned and addressed.
• Tree Work will continue to help promote a better environment and more favorable growing conditions for playing surfaces while also improving our property.
• Equipment management and new purchases (TL-10 Takeuchi/TX TURF Gators Purchased)
• Union Contract continues to be negotiated. Offers are ready to be presented.

PROPOSED PROJECTS

• Golf Course-Tree Maintenance Plan for 2016/2017 winter: In/Out house work.
• Golf Course-Tee Complex Construction for holes #12/#14. Re-level #2, #17, #18.
• Practice Area-Rebuild bunker at Chip Green with the addition of more fairway height turf for longer pitch and run practice.
• Landscape- Area behind and left of #7 GREEN planted w/ 5-7’ Cedars to screen out maintenance dump and re-landscape outside pool area.
• Equipment- Lease packages have been built to address our current concerns.
• Budget-Equipment and Resources to continue to improve the Club’s biggest asset.

ELIMINATE THE CLUTTER

http://golfweek.com/2016/03/20/promote-classic-look-eliminating-course-clutter/

A SPRING WITH FOUR SEASONS

http://www.usga.org/course-care/regional-updates/northeast-region/a-spring-with-four-seasons.html

LIFE INSIDE THE ROPES AS AN AUGUSTA GREENKEEPER

http://www.nationalclubgolfer.com/2016/03/02/inside-the-ropes-the-life-of-an-augusta-greenkeeper/

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 4/8/16

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 4/8/16

• Tree work – Large takedowns, renovations, and sod work complete/prune-work will continue with available time permitting
• Collection extension around #14 Green complete
• Cart path work- #18 and #2 removal and redirection
• Aeration – Greens 1/4” tines, Tees 5/8”, Fairways 3/4" deep-tine, Rough 3/4” deep-tine set to begin
• Initial Cleanup of Clubhouse Grounds and Golf Course along with continued cleanup from spring wind storms
• Tennis Courts re-surfaced, re-lined and set for play 4/4/16
• Maintenance Area drainage started 4/4/16
• Bunker Maintenance set to begin 4/11/16
• Mulching of Clubhouse Grounds and Golf Course Beds 4/25/16 with annual flowers to follow by Mother’s Day

Reality has set in for us in the Northeast and winter weather seems to be lingering into April after the incredible start in March. We’ve had ideal work weather for our crew to clean up the property, renovate the disturbance areas from tree work, and also continue with small projects putting us ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, that same weather was not ideal for the aeration process, and due to wet and cold conditions I modified my intended practices. Because of those adjustments, some changes will need to be discussed at our first Green Committee Meeting yet to be announced.

The 2016 start has been completely different than last year and with the mild winter and a full season of implementing my programs, I’m happy with our playing surfaces for this time of year and excited to start conditioning for golf. Over the next few weeks, we'll continue preparing Pine Hollow for the season with all our spring conditioning practices from bunker work on the golf course to flowers at the clubhouse. Along with what membership sees in everyday conditioning, projects and detail work, April and May are our busiest months spraying plant protectants and applying soil amendments imperative to the health of our turf in season. These applications along with cultural practices allow us to stay aggressive with our playing surfaces once the dog days of summer are upon us and the golf season is in full swing.

Another important project made possible by our new Takeuchi Skid Loader started Monday in our Maintenance Area by reworking drainage and the addition of an equipment wash area. Once starting the project we found existing pipes leading to a 30' dry well that in my opinion was not being used to its full capacity. We then reworked drainage pipe from existing wells and our new wash area to flow directly into the well which will have an enormous impact on the water holding capacity of our Maintenance Area. I expect this project to solve our wash water run-off issues with the neighbors while saving us from spending money on additional dry wells ($10,000-$15,000 per) or the construction of a wash station ($40,000) for the cost of in-house labor, asphalt and supplies. 

Hopefully the weather starts to improve over the next few weeks and we see you on the course soon. Enjoy the Masters this weekend!

PINE HOLLOW C.C. 2016 AERATION SCHEDULE

PINE HOLLOW C.C. AERATION SCHEDULE

GREENS:

• **March 3/28/16 – ½” Hollow Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Topdressing (5%)
• *May - 1/4" Vent Tine w/ Sand Injected Dry Ject to 6 in. depth
• *Monthly (May to July) – ¼” Solid Venting Tine (no removal)
• ***August 8/15/16 – ½” Hollow Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Topdressing (9%)
• ***November 11/1/16 – 1/2” Hollow Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Topdressing (14%) and/or 2mm Sand Inject Graden (13%)
•   ***December – 5/8” Solid Deep Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Topdressing

*    Minimal disruption to putting surface (healing time a few days)

**  Medium disruption to putting surface (healing time 7-10 days)

***Most disruption to putting surface (healing time 10-14 days)

Emphasis put on removing 20% of surface area per year

TEES:

•      March 3/21/16 - 5/8” Hollow Tine Tee Aeration with Sand Topdressing

•      August 8/17/16- 5/8” Hollow Tine Tee Aeration with Sand Topdressing

•      November - 5/8” Hollow Tine Tee Aeration with Sand Topdressing

FAIRWAYS:

•      March 3/30/16 – 5/8” Hollow Tine Aeration with Sand Topdressing

•      October – Graden Dethatching of Fwys/Approaches w/ Sand Topdressing

•      November-  ¾” Solid Deep-Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Sand Topdressing

ROUGHS:

•      Beginning November aerate all roughs for healthy turf green to tee

PINE HOLLOW C.C. 2016 AERATION SCHEDULE

PINE HOLLOW C.C. AERATION SCHEDULE

GREENS:

• **March 3/28/16 – ½” Hollow Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Topdressing (5%)
• *May - 1/4" Vent Tine w/ Sand Injected Dry Ject to 6 in. depth
• *Monthly (May to July) – ¼” Solid Venting Tine (no removal)
• ***August 8/15/16 – ½” Hollow Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Topdressing (9%)
• ***November 11/1/16 – 1/2” Hollow Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Topdressing (14%) and/or 2mm Sand Inject Graden (13%)
•   ***December – 5/8” Solid Deep Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Topdressing

*    Minimal disruption to putting surface (healing time a few days)

**  Medium disruption to putting surface (healing time 7-10 days)

***Most disruption to putting surface (healing time 10-14 days)

Emphasis put on removing 20% of surface area per year

TEES:

•      March 3/21/16 - 5/8” Hollow Tine Tee Aeration with Sand Topdressing

•      August 8/17/16- 5/8” Hollow Tine Tee Aeration with Sand Topdressing

•      November - 5/8” Hollow Tine Tee Aeration with Sand Topdressing

FAIRWAYS:

•      March 3/30/16 – 5/8” Hollow Tine Aeration with Sand Topdressing

•      October – Graden Dethatching of Fwys/Approaches w/ Sand Topdressing

•      November-  ¾” Solid Deep-Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Sand Topdressing

ROUGHS:

•      Beginning November aerate all roughs for healthy turf green to tee

Remember It's Only March

http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/course-care/regional-updates/northeast-region/let-s-tee-it-up----but-remember-it-is-only-march.html

WINTER PLAY - When to go and when to say no

http://gsrpdf.lib.msu.edu/ticpdf.py?file=/article/hartwiger-moeller-winter-1-9-15.pdf

Welcome back and see you on the course!

What a difference a year makes! Last March we were removing snow off greens, and one year later we have weather good enough for golf. The club is set to re-open next week and with good weather our golf course is too. Since the snow melts in late February, our Green Staff have begun preparations for the 2016 golf season cleaning off high play areas, tree debris, and all clubhouse grounds. With the great forecast, we will officially open Putting Greens on Friday 3/11/16 with a decision on carts next week depending on how wet conditions continue to improve.
Along with golf preparations this week we will also be wrapping up our Tree Maintenance efforts over the next few weeks by renovating stump areas and prepping for sod or seed. Finishing these areas will only add to my excitement about the considerable progress made over the past month impacting turf health, playability, and opening sightlines around our property. You will also notice the continued efforts we started last season pruning low branches and thinning tree canopies. Our next treelines to address will be #1,#6,#8, and #16 and will continue until weather or other project work dictates.
Always looking to improve our Professional Staff I recruited Assistant Christopher Duffy. Chris has spent time at Richmond County C.C. and also at Oakhill C.C. after his Turf Management Degree from SUNY Cobleskill. He and returning Assistant Cody Seaman have spent the winter within our program working our winter projects and preparing to help lead our Team. All our Green Staff Members from 2015 will be returning over the next few weeks to continue building what we started at Pine Hollow last season.
Please remember to check out and sign-up for updates at our Dept. Blog pinehollowgreens.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @bpeveichturf.

Winter is Not 'Down Time' on the Golf Course

http://www.usga.org/articles/2014/01/winter-is-not-down-time-on-the-golf-course-21474861649.html

WINTER WORK CONTINUES

With the snow cover rapidly melting our staff will continue the Tree Maintenance program we started earlier this winter cleaning up low limbs, take-downs of dead or damaged trees, and removals to improve growing conditions. This process will always be thought out and our goal is not to clear cut the property, but instead to highlight quality trees, restore player site lines, or to improve agronomic environments. I’m aware of how sensitive this subject can be and will communicate all ways necessary for members to understand our plan and direction. Any disturbed areas will be renovated with our new TL-10 Track Loader and have a clean appearance when members arrive this spring. I will be in contact with the Green Committee about the process and our progress going forward.

TREE WORK

• #13 Green Cart path area to restore site line to green, playability, and improve traffic
• #14 Green (Right) clear the blocking maple planted too close to green away from collection and others to improve air flow/sunlight
• #12 Left side Pines to highlight mature Maple by removing damaged pines
• #3 Right side 30 yards out large blocking Cherry this tree has been discussed numerous times and the removal will not change the hole
• #10 Green / #17 Green to improve aesthetics and overall environment
• Low branch pruning, dead wood, tree health thinning until golf starts in 2016 
• Weeping Willow Tree Service will address a more detailed list to come