The 5th Green

Once again here we go with tearing up and working on a green that seems fine.  In a nutshell your right, there was nothing wrong, except for the grass and the mix and maybe the size, but it worked right?  Well yes it did, but in our search for the best putting green grass for our course we continue to experiment with different surfaces.

Similar to the nursery project we continue to evaluate and search of the best combination of grass and putting surfaces for our course.  We have the luxury of having two greens on this hole to let us experiment.  In this case we again sodded the green to a new species of grass.  Two years ago we sodded the left green to a variety used in this area by many clubs, A1/A4, this combination has proved to be a good putting surface.  As with most things research and genetics work to improve turfgrass for putting greens.

The 5th right green has now been sodded to Luminary.  This grass is one of the new breeds that has shown great performance in the USGA and university trials across the US and especially in our region.   We are the first in our area to have a green with this grass.  The 007 variety on the 8th green was first released in 2007, and has been becoming a dominant player in course upgrades.  We wanted a chance to see how Luminary compared to 007 since it has been receiving higher marks across the board in trials.  Only by using it in real world playing conditions can we see how the performance stacks up to the other grasses.

In addition the sod was delivered in small strips, similar to what we normally see, so we had a chance to observe the process of using small strips versus the large rolls in establishment.  It is too early to tell anything about performance but we are excited to get your feedback once the green opens for play in the late spring.


Below is a little video discussing trees on the course, provided by the USGA:

USGA on Managing Trees

Lots to catch up on

Its been awhile since I've posted and I'm sorry about the delay but many things are occurring as we enter fall.  First and foremost is the upcoming vote on the golf course renovation project.  As you all know this important vote has many ramifications to the club and the use of the facilities, and if it passes how will the new course will look and play.  

As all those things get sorted out, we turn our focus to the details and decisions that may need to be made.  Selection of grass types to be used for greens, tees, fairways and roughs.  What type of bunker sands and how will they look and play.  Should we install liners to help longevity of the bunker sand from heavy rains, do the costs support the use.  Which sod farms can handle our needs and specifications.  These and a 1000 small details start to emerge.  

So where do we start?  The first step we have made is to build a new turf grass nursery to the left side of the 10th fairway.   Over the years we have struggled to find space to grow sod which can be used when a problem arises, and/or to test new grass strains or treatments within our environs. Depending on the time of year and also the amount that is required, we can have a difficult time getting what we need and can also be forced to pay exorbitant prices for small amounts. This nursery will mitigate, and in most cases prevent these issues.

In the past we have located turf nurseries in a variety of places: to the left and in front of the 6^th tee, left of the 7^th fairway, and in the back left of the driving range. All these options were less then optimal due to either visually impairing the golf course, too low with bad drainage, and/or too much shade. The area to the left of the 10^th fairway should overcome all the aforementioned issues. 

Next we start to visit other clubs in the Mid Atlantic and the Research Universities to see what varieties of turf are working best and try to equate those to our growing environments.   Many members are interested in a greens variety  called 007; many local clubs are using this grass; Burning Tree, River Bend, Chevy Chase Club, Baltimore CC and soon Bethesda CC.  Another variety called Pure Distinction is being used in the renovation underway at Caves Valley.  Many clubs in the area including Congressional use A1/A4.   Another variety that we plan to use in the new nursery is Luminary which has seen outstanding results in all the trials.  We will make visits through all the seasons of the next year to see performance under all conditions.

 This combined with testing fairway/tee grasses would be enough, but that still leaves sands, liners, topdressing, construction methods etc... you get the drift.  A lot has yet to be determined.  The budget now seems like the simple process.  We have started a dialog with our USGA agronomist concerning all issues construction related.  If you have a chance you should read our latest site visit report, located on the clubs website, under the greens tab, which will help shed light on the many decisions facing us as we go forward.  A strong discussion about trees will need to happen, I will be updating several articles in my next post to help frame these decisions.

A quick look at the developing nursery under construction.  We hope to have about 1500 sf of greens grass and ~1200sf of fairway grass to test.  With luck we will wrap this up in the next two weeks.  A big shout out to both Trevor and Kevin, they are the two guys working hard to make this happen.  

Some of the debris pulled out of this area

Grading to ensure proper drainage and surface smoothness for greens mowing

Now we are still focused on the course; and you will see us getting a handle on the vine problems right of the 15th green.  Over the last 2 ½ years our staff have been preparing the hillside between the 15^th and 17^th greens to transition to a natural grass habitat. The area had become overgrown with vines that had been attacking the trees as well as being infested with poison ivy. It has taken several years of treatments to rid the area to a point that we are now able to lay sod. The sod provides the necessary base we require and in the coming years we will slowly transition to a mix of longer native grasses. Think along the lines of wispy grasses with a green base underneath.  Next time you play the 15^th I suggest that you walk to the right of the green and take in the views from the top of the hill.  It is truly one of the prettiest places on our course with views of 7 of our holes….a very unique place.

Similar to what you see take place at 15/17 we will begin a similar effort to the left of the 13th green.   The issue of invasive vines is a problem all around the area.  You can see these plants taking over parts of the washington parkway.  Once established they are difficult to eradicate without intense and expensive effort.  Fortunately on our staff now we have a master naturalist, Leigh Pickering, who has taken this as her personal project.  Using practices we used successfully on the 15/17 hill we will begin the long process of creating lifesaver rings around several of the trees to reduce the invasive vines creep on the trees.  This effort will take several years, but the long term results worth the effort.

As for the rest, aeration went well, with all greens, fairways and approaches completed.  Two applications of fall fertilizer have been applied to the entire course and the rough has been over seeded once if not twice in specific areas.  A few drainage projects are still planned for later in the fall, but we have been fortunate to accomplish a lot this fall to date.  I will post more pictures of the completed projects, the new nursery and some site visits as they occur over the next few months.  Enjoy the warm fall weather!