Aerification

Looking back in time to last fall's aerification, I wasn't pleased with how the weather was so uncooperative with my plans. After starting the process on the 14th of September, the last greens we punched were on the West Golf Course............the first week of October!! With consistent rain storms slowing the process down, we were then hit a series of abnormally low temperatures and our first snow storm not even a week later. I've spoken about the importance of soil temperatures in an earlier post, and this is a perfect example of its value on the development and recuperative properties of turfgrass, especially after receiving beating from aerification. Plainly said, without optimal weather, the turfgrass wasn't able to recover properly, leaving our greens not fully healed going into winter. Because the majority of our rounds fall between Memorial and Labor Day, moving this process into August is not a reality, although it was on my list of things to mention. Now that the false front of spring has arrived, and my window to aerify draws closer, the decision has been made to be less abrasive to the golf course to regain optimal conditions as quickly as possible. While the golf course could benefit from every opportunity to punch a hole in the ground, greens aerification will be done a little differently this spring. I'll update you as we go.

Snow Showers Expected

We're expecting to experience a heavy storm system this Friday and I'm hoping it comes in the form of rain, rather than snow. While temperatures have remained consistently in the 50's, Fridays high won't make it out of the 30's so we'll probably be looking at closing the golf course down for the weekend. Anyone needing to travel west on highway 70 should probably do so now. Be safe out there and have great weekend.

Got Plugs??

Pictured above is the nursery plug I had taken out a while back. Each picture has been taken roughly one week after the previouse one and has continued to show us some signs of life. As exciting it is to finally see some green, I'm deeply disapointed to see how much death has occured on this green. By looking at this sample, you will notice that hardly any of the Annual Bluegrass has managed to make it through the winter. The vertical shoots represent the Bentgrass that makes up only a small percentage of this green. Seeing this gives me a pit in my stomach knowing that the majority of our older greens consist of this variety.
It might be worth mentioning that this sample has been placed in our greenhouse and has had the opportunity that none of our other greens have, 78degree temperatures and a steady stream of water and oxygen, you might even call it a controll. As we enter into warmer months, soil temperatures will be the number-one variable to our golf course waking up from its off season slumber. I'll get into soil temperatures later when I have taken a plug from the new holes, picures are truely worth a thousand words in this instance.

Charge Up

This week, the Golf Course Maintenance Staff will be executing the irrigation system charge-up, or in other words, filling the lines. As discussed before, each winter the irrigation pipes are blown out using a massive air compressor to avoid broken pipes from freezing ground temperatures and water expansion. Now that the golf course is snow free and we're finally able to push a shovel into the ground, it's time to get some needed water to the golf course. Although this seems later than in past years, most of the golf course has been snow covered for most of the winter. As you know, this can be a good thing, or a bad thing and we will have to wait for an answer to that question. Depending on how successful we are in the fall blowing out the system, this is usually a good indicator of how many pipes we have to replace in the spring. Because water usually settles in low spots on the course, or even dips in the pipes themselves, a usual canditate for replacement pipes is somewhere on the South Golf Course. Pictured above is one of the lowest parts of the golf course, located in front of 7South Green. Although this is normally a time of high anxiety not knowing how favorable the ground was to us, it marks the beginning of another great season at one of my favorite places on earth. Here's to 2010!

Squeege

One of the drawbacks from spring conditions in Colorado is that you can never count on weather conditions to remain consistent. After months of being bogged down by snow and freezing conditions, we've been blessed with some higher daytime temperatures and somewhat comfortable playing conditions. Although snow cover is the best thing for protecting the plant during these winter months, it becomes abundantly clear when it's time to clear it from greens. In some instances, it's removal is to reduce ice build up that could be suffocating the plant from oxygen exchange, while another example would be to re-apply snow mold fungicides. In any case, the decision is usually based on a rational set of circumstances that go beyond the Greens Chairman wanting to play the golf course with his Brother-in-Law. The method of removal is typically based on golf course elevation, but can vary from course to course. In our case, huge amounts of snow are rare and can usually be manually removed if conditions warrant. My main concern in these rare instances is the build up of ice (most often in shaded areas where little to no sunlight is able to hit the green). Because the majority of our greens consist of Annual Bluegrass or (Poa), a higher susceptibility to winter damage and slower to green-up condition in the spring is usually the case. To combat winter damage, a heavy application of topdressing sand is applied to all of the greens before going into dormancy in the fall sometime around Thanksgiving. This sand application helps protect the plants from damage caused by wind and additionally acts as a blanket on the green, thereby warming the soil and promoting a faster green-up in the spring. Ice levels are assessed daily during the winter months in a proactive attempt to avoid this occurrence. If ice does build to an uncomfortable level, (symptoms including ulcer pains and the inability to sleep knowing my greens may not come out in the spring), I'll typically make a heavy application of Humates to the greens sometime in March. This application is made to darken the surface of the green and attract more ultra violet rays from the sun. This material also accelerates soil temperatures and gives us a chance to push our greens without the use of covers and is usually gone unseen by our pre-season golfers. Other Golf Course Superintendents have been known to use black sand, or even sunflower seeds for the same effect. Because of the design grade of some of the greens throughout the course, they have the tendency of holding water. Coupled by the fact that the ground remains frozen in the greens profile, and the lack of drainage in the majority of greens throughout the golf course, the surface water has no where to go and must be manually removed to reduce the potential damage from a freeze-thaw cycle. Although a huge effort is given each year to prevent this type of damage to greens, inevitably, fairways and tees are too abundant and suffer from this damage. While I've witnessed this turfgrass condition on all of the golf course, it is usually concentrated on the old holes that occupy larger trees and experience reduced wind. I suppose only time will tell where we will need to re-seed this spring........I'll have all night to think about it, I guess.

Snow

February hasn't offered much in the way of playing golf. Giving the golf course a much needed break from traffic normally doesn't hurt my feelings in any way, but the lack of life out there is beginning to wear me out. This winter hasn't been one with large amounts of snow, it has merely been a case of the little snow we have gotten not going away. The average daytime temperature is still ranging in the lower 30's and we have yet to break into the 40's for more than an hour or two. Unfortunately, Colorado's front range is not the only area to be lacking in snow totals. Unless March brings some snow with her, this might go down as the worst ski season in recent memory. I realize that snow and local golf enthusiasts usually don't go together, but snow totals play a major role in how the golf course is managed throughout the season by way of runoff. The large retention reservoir adjacent to 3West fairway and 5West tees is the major source of our irrigation water and is solely fed by runoff. The reservoir is currently at 22.5" and is looking good for the time, but without some higher totals in March, I fear this supply will not get us through the season and force us to fire up the lower pump station to supply the golf course. We'll cross that bridge when we get there, but looking at the big picture, going through another draught year isn't something we are all looking foreword to.

Making the Cut

Since being with the club, I annually cut a few cups from some select greens around the course and place them in the green house to get an early look at what we're going to be dealing with once the soil temperatures elevate in the spring. It's almost like looking into my agronomic crystal ball. This practice gives us an idea of how much desiccation we will be needing to recover from and what percentage of the Poa Annua took a hit. After about a week in this controlled environment we can usually notice some signs of life, but not always. Normally, after getting back from the GIS, I have the chance to monitor the progress of the cups we cut and usually have some perspective on where we sit. Well.......not this year. After another failed attempt to put a cupcutter in the ground today, I've decided I need to wait. Having to deal with the Mother Nature is something I should have learned to deal with by now, but in general, Golf Course Superintendents are some of the most impatient people on earth and somehow, I fit in well with that crowd. Pictured above, is the only plug I was able to take from the course. This sample was taken from the nursery green and is almost two inches in depth, (half the depth of what I would like to have in a sample). While its not as representative to the course as I would like, it will have to do until the deep freeze of winter releases its grip.

ICE

As it stands, this winter has given us a few circumstances that we can do little about. Although this is my 7th winter in Colorado Springs, there haven't been two that have been similar. I've learned that there are two constants in these months, cold and wind. Unfortunately, once we get into spring, all the preventative measures taken in the fall turn into reactive practices. While the golf course staff continues to monitor the ice levels on the course, our main focus will always tend to focus on our putting green surfaces. Having 30 greens to consume our time, getting around to clearing snow and ice from tees and fairways has proven to be an impossible task. Like any other living thing, turfgrass requires a few staples of life. Whether it be the warm months of summer, or the harsh winter season, air circulation and water are two things a plant must have to survive. One of the major types of turf damage comes in the form of ice accumulation and can cause terror to golf courses in the Rocky Mountain region. As mentioned before, Poa can usually survive short periods under ice while bentgrass has an easier time surviving longer periods of snow and ice cover. At times, it is vital that we remove this layer to allow our greens to breath. Pictured above, is Assistant Golf Course Superintendent, Steve Blais spreading the humates to the green. You will also notice how these small, dark granules attract heat from the sun to melt the snow and create 'breathing tubes' for the greens beneath.

Heading to San Diego

While most of you football fans will be watching the Super Bowl this weekend, Assistant Golf Course Superintendent Steven Blais and I will be heading out west to attend the GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show. Like the title says, this year's event will be held in San Diego, California and will offer us something other than the single degree nights we have been experiencing this last week in Colorado. While the focus of my classes will be in environment planning and sustainability, the show also offers valuable points towards my upcoming Class A certification. Although this is a long week away from my family and the golf course, this is a huge educational opportunity to touch on the most up-to-date turfgrass research and industry standards. I'd like to thank the Sunrise Company for its commitment and financial backing to further education in turfgrass maintenance and look foreword to the applying these new practices to the golf course upon our return.

International Sportsman's Exposition

Deep Blue Poison Tung (Craven)
Hook: Tiemco 2488H #18-#22
Bead: 2mm silver tungsten

Thread: Ultrathread Blue Dun 70

Rib: Gunmetal Blue Ultrawire

Body: Tying thread

Head: Ice Dub, UV Gray

SPlatte Baetis

Email sgunkel@ggclub.com for material list and tying instructions.

Growing up in Colorado has given me the opportunity to enjoy all of its' outdoor beauty and I feel very fortunate to live the golf course life, it's a good one. Beyond the time it takes maintaining Kissing Camels, I enjoy the tranquil vibe of fishing for trout in moving waters. With less fishing pressure and stable flows, winter fly fishing can provide some of the best conditions of the year. Once the irrigation system is blown out and the golf course is covered with snow, my nights are largely consumed with tying flies to match the aquatic life of the local watersheds. This last Friday I had the opportunity to represent Anglers Covey at the ISE in the Fly Tying Theater. My presentation was about an hour long, in which time, I tied up a few local patterns such as the Black Beauty and Deep Blue Poison Tung to get warmed up. While these patterns are ridiculously easy to tie, they do an incredible job mimicking small aquatic midges found in the South Platte and the fish are very receptive to eating them. I finished the presentation demonstrating my own pattern tied to represent mayfly nymphs that have caught fish in our local rivers 12 months out of the year, Gunkel's SPlatte Baetis. I mainly tie this pattern to represent the spring and fall Blue Winged Olives, but have recently changed a few things and have an awesome Pale Morning Dun imitation that will slay this summer before and during the hatch. Like being on the golf course, fly fishing gives me a connection to nature that can't be duplicated. Fly tying, however, fills the void until the next time on the water. I'd like to personally thank Steve Gossage, and all the guys at Anglers Covey for the opportunity to show off my talents.

Audubon International

Today we received our first Certificate of Achievement from the Audubon International in Environmental Planning. Although the name of the club is botched a little bit, I'm proud to be part of the movement that Garden of the Gods Club/Kissing Camels is making towards environmental sustainability and look foreword to the continued support from our members. As we continue to work towards certification, special notice will be sent out to our owners and members as to inform you all of the projects and case studies to be performed in the field. I would like to send out a special thanks to Assistant Golf Course Superintendent, Steven Blais for all the hard work he has put into this project. Way to go, team!

58 Degrees in January

It's about this time of year when my thoughts of Christmas and celebration tend to turn towards Crown Hydration Injury, Desiccation, and Ice damage. Quite a mental swing to say the least. With the weather taking on a bit of a change, the golf course will be open this weekend for the first time since Thanksgiving. To combat this weather trend, the crew has been hand watering all of the exposed greens and tees this week to hydrate the crown (growing point), of the plant. Although the turf is in a dormant state, its requirements for water and gas exchange is still vital to the survival of each plant. For all our members and guests who winter in Colorado Springs, I would strongly encourage you to get out and water your lawns during these breaks in the weather. Because the ground is, and has been frozen, this application is not meant to be taken up systemically as the root system will not accept the water. Instead, a light syringing of the turf will suffice with the goal being to hydrate the crown of the plant. By doing this, you're dramatically increasing the avoidance of turf casualty from extreme dehydration. Although wind events haven't been as intense compared to recent years, the light breezes on the mesa further compound this drying out condition. I expect to see you all on the golf course this weekend, but if I don't, be sure to get out there and water the lawn.

SIMMS G4-Pro

Because Golf Course Maintenance is a full contact sport, much of our time is spent in the harsh Colorado elements. Without the proper equipment, weather conditions on the mesa can quickly lead to a miserable situation. Having tested it in rain/snow events, not to mention consistant wind events, I can honestly say that the G4-Pro is BOMBPROOF! This jacket features Windstopper technology, breathability, tons of practical pockets, and is totally waterproof. Beyond these features, this jacket offers waterproof zippered pockets to protect cell phones, cameras, and handheld irrigation/GPS devices from the weather. Coupled with a pair of Dry Joy rain pants, I can easily see this combo being uniform staples from October to late May and look forward to putting future SIMMS products to the test. The G4-Pro and other SIMMS gear is locally available at Anglers Covey, while all Foot Joy products are available in the Kissing Camels Pro Shop. Be sure to do your spring shopping early as to keep you and you golfing partners out on the golf course while everyone else is scrambling to the 19th hole.