Trials and Tribulations

If you have used the chipping green in the last 6 months you may have noticed several odd patches of turf.  Some look like they were burned, others off color.  We have been conducting trials with Virginia Tech looking at various combination products for the elimination of poa annua and poa trivial is on putting greens and fairways.

The trial on the chipping green was looking at 7 different products or combinations of products, replicated 3 times.  These trials at golf courses under real world conditions help the university as well as the industry understand how these products work from year to year and area to area.  We hope to be able to continue research work with VT to gain valuable insight into product development and programs that may benefit us in the future.

The fairway trial on 13 was looking at Poa Trivialis eradication and elimination.  The goal to to find the best method to slowly eliminate this weed, and/or provide a method to keep populations low so that normal practices can prevent it's spread.  One of the results has been how different varieties of the species react, since not all the Poa is identical.  Seems odd, but some are affected more in the fall than the spring, while others did not see any effect from the applications.

The picture above is not a test plot, but a plea.  We placed these signs at the top of 8 fairway to attempt to get your attention to the slope ahead and to protect the turf on the slope.  We ask that you avoid the steep section of the fairway in your cart and use the rough until you get to the flatter areas at the bottom.   Too  many times we have repaired this area due to carts going directly over the top and then applying brakes to stop at their ball but skidding and damaging turf.  Like all areas on the course, we ask that you try to be mindful of other members using the course and prevent potential damage when possible.

We often see carts cross this boundary and simply drive around the stakes.  We do not wish to rope off the entire hill as that is not only unattractive, but time consuming for staff to setup and remove.  Please ask those in your group to observe the stakes and preserve this fairway for all to enjoy.

New Right green at Hole 5

If you played this weekend then you know we have opened the right green on hole 5.  We closed and replaced the grass on this green last fall using a new variety of creeping bent grass called Luminary.   Why try something new?  Well in the search for what works best at our course, we have very few options.  Until last fall we did not have a nursery anywhere large enough to test new varieties of bent grass for our new greens.

Grasses are continually being developed and breed for better characteristics.  Lower water inputs, less thatch, reduced disease while providing better putting quality.  A lot of grasses are introduced into the National Bentgrass Trials that are conducted all over the United States.  As most things, newer varieties bring advances that the older grasses did not have.  In order to test these grasses in real world situations on our course only two methods work,  seed or sod.

So why pick 5 green and why Luminary?  Well the only place we have two greens is 5, and Luminary has been at the top of the ratings for the past 4 years.  Is this the grass we are going to use on the course?  Maybe.....  this is why we want to put something into play and see how it reacts.  We need to evaluate how it takes various maintenance operations while determining if it can withstand traffic and play.

Remember we must give the sod farm our choice of seeds to plant next spring for harvesting the following summer, so that leaves us little time to determine what is best for our course.  How good of a test this will be is difficult to determine.  The sod was grown at a farm we are not familiar with, then we placed it on a green that is one of the most problematic on the course.  Built with bunker sand, modified multiple times and very small with shade issues.  If this grass plays well here, then everywhere else should be easy.

What you will notice is the green will look different, possibly coarser texture, and the ball may not roll out as well.  This is all to be expected in the beginning as we work out grain and thatch from the sod farm.  In addition we will be putting the turf under different chemical controls to see how it reacts.   Again, remember we have a very limited time to make our decisions and evaluate our options.  Number 8 green is 007, 5 left green is A4, 5 right Luminary, and there are other varieties such as V8, Pure distinction, Barracuda and others that all have favorable ratings but there issues as well.  In fact we looked at over 20 sod farms and could only find Luminary at one, the other varieties at none.    This is a difficult process and one we take very seriously, we will be putting this green under various stresses but it is our one chance to see how it holds up to our conditions.

I will be updating our evaluations as we progress through the year.  If you have any questions please wave me down and I will be happy to discuss our thoughts.

Springtime Conditions

Well it must be spring at WGCC if the current talk is of inconsistent growing conditions.  This is nothing new here at our club, as far back as I have records for greens committee ( a long time), this topic has been broached and addressed.  So here I will attempt to explain why the grass seems unruly and what we can do about it (or not).

A club with as long of a history as us, has tried many approaches to grassing the course.  We have had no less than 4 grasses put into fairways, almost 7 types of rough grass and yet we still have issues of keeping it alive and playable.  Why?  As many heard me speak about the needs for renovation, golf courses are highly maintained playing surfaces, with a lot of conditions not seen at other arenas.  It's not a lawn, where you have one maybe two types of grass on a small patch  with little to no traffic.  In fact many home lawns don't grow at the same rates from the front to back yard, just due to the slight environment change around the house.  The sunny front starts first while the shady back yard is slow to green up.  I doubt most have the same plants in their flowers beds all around the house, some for shade others for sun.

A golf course has a multiple of growing zones, and within those a multiple of grasses.  I'm not that good at statistics, but pair those two multiples up and throw in temperature swings and the possibilities are staggering.  Coupled with this are a few aggressive weedy types (poa annua and trivialis) and then a few warm season grasses, like 4 different varieties of Bermuda, and you can see until nature has decided to stop the roller coaster ride known as spring, everyone wakes up like your kids....  at different times.

The above picture is the collar at the 14th green.  It contains 4 different grasses,  Creeping bent; Poa annua; Poa trivialis; and Perennial ryegrass.  There are variety differences within those 4 grasses.  All mowed the same but growing at different rates.  We begin to use a growth regulator to even this out, but only once we know the growing process has started for all the grasses.  Setting back a species this early in the season can lead to longer term issues in the summer.

This picture of the 15th hole indicates why we are advocates of renovation.  This shows all our warts in one simple picture.  All the grass types we have are in this one photo. Notice the only grass I have been responsible for planting is the strip on the left, outside the fairway.  That is turf type tall fescue in a uniform stand.  Playable, attractive and uniform.  The area to the right is everything you could put into a blender.   This has been decades in the making.  All attempts at trying to find a grass that best fits our climate, course, topography and play.  It's not easy, farmers get to rotate out their crops every few years.  Plant all new seed varieties and try again. Not the same when your planting, nurturing and maintaining a playing surface and come to find out a few years later it might have been wrong, or a newer type is better.  You can't simply dig it up and start over like a soccer or football field, we just try to make it more playable even though it isn't adapting to the local conditions.

Do we have all the answers for the new course?  We are using all the tools available to minimize any missteps, research has come a long ways, but you don't get to try out everything everywhere on your course.  There is no Amazon Prime return policy.  We make the best educated decisions possible, consult with everyone imaginable and look at all the options.  We consider those factors that affect the members and the playing conditions, and those that advantage the maintenance to keep these new conditions great as long as possible.

We wish there was a simple book to consult and make it happen, but this is nature and that book is constantly being rewritten.

Spring! It's here... I think

It's time again to bring everyone back up to speed on happenings around the course.  After all the long winter months of various work we begin again the maintenance of the course and grounds.  So many projects that it all blurs a little bit at this time of year.

Of course we are busy diligently working on the new renovation,  lots of planning to do and there will be updates along the way (aside from the greens chairmans) on things we are doing to make sure this process is a success.

Speaking of spring,  I had the chance to visit Augusta and the Masters again.  I try to make this trip every few years, just to see the spectacle of that special place.  Sometimes I can pick up a trick they are using and usually runs into some other superintendents there as we all take in a little of turf heaven.

The pure delight in being able to have access to this marvelous course always makes you appreciate the game and the effort to preserve history and tradition.  Something that ties into WGCC with it's own long story to tell.   Even though this course undergoes more changes that anyplace else on earth, it still retains it distinct feel and look.  As perfect as everything is, and certainly nothing seems out of place....  There are still problems if you look hard enough.

The spots you see here are Poa annua that has invaded the turf.   Notice they are where foot traffic is the greatest.  Even the most cared for course known to man is still susceptible to issues we all face.  In this case no one seems to notice, their eyes diverted to the rest of the grounds, but I assure you those on the staff are as aware as we are of it's presence and issues.  Luckily for them they are open only another month before they close down and work to eliminate their problems.

How turf care decisions are made (or why are carts on the path?)

The green department is responsible for the care and conditioning of the golf course and grounds.  We understand all the factors in play for every decision we make.  From daily mowing and other cultural care, to how will the course play for members each and every day.  We are on the property walking, riding, conferring about the turf 7 days a week, nearly every day of the year.

When a storm or other weather related event occurs, we know the conditions on the ground before, during and after a storm.  We evaluate these conditions multiple times a day, and discuss the impacts.  We base our evaluations on safety to the members and staff, damage to the course, time of the growing season, and effects on play.  We also understand the time and effort it takes to recover from unnecessary damage, the effect on playability, and on the budget.

We know better than most, the members desire to enjoy their rounds of golf using carts.  We do not apply rules to punish those members, or to demonstrate our control of the process.  The one thing we do not factor in is the tee sheet.  These decisions are based on sound management practices.

Over the course of a year, there are approximately 6-8 days that require us to make a judgement call on restricting cart traffic.   My team is constantly conferring about what we see around the course.  We use all available information to determine if conditions will continue to improve or deteriorate.  Our combined 16 years of experience on this course help us base our decisions in the best interest of the club.  In many cases, we feel that one more day of drying conditions will make the course better and safer for all the members in the future.

We know these decisions are not always well understood and certainly not popular, but it is our responsibility to make these decisions in the best interests of all the members.  

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!