Fairway Aerification

Fairways were aerified on August 22nd using an outside contractor, Andre and Sons from Montrose, Pennsylvania. They arrived with 5 tractors with aerifiers attached. The contractor was able to finish all 18 fairways in a five hour period.
In-house aerification would take one entire day to do just one par four fairway. With the golf schedule, rainy weather and or equipment breakdowns, completing the job is almost impossible using our one fairway aerifier.
This aerification is the first in many years where all fairways were aerified.

Clover

As with most things we do on the golf course, weather plays a huge factor. Often maintenance schedules and cultural programs are postponed, or delayed all together. During April and May Wanakah received several inches of rain making the golf course practically impossible to mow let alone spray for clover. Timely sprays were canceled or put on hold until conditions improved. Once the rains had stopped, the grounds staff was busy finishing work on the new improvements made last fall to holes 1, 2, 4, 5 and 9.
As Labor Day arrives, temperatures will start to cool and conditions will again favor the control of clover. Fall is the ideal time of year to control broad leaf weeds. Applications of fertilizer will be applied, helping to improve density in the turf stand and crowding out the clover.

Turfgrass Disease

As temperatures and humidity rise, turfgrass diseases can become a serious problem, Anthracnose is one of these warm season diseases.  This disease can cause major turf  loss and is slow to recover.  In the above picture, Basal Rot Anthracnose is prevalent..  This disease is caused by poor drainage, low height of cut, low levels of nitrogen and a compacted soil profile.  Poa annua is most susceptable.

Native Areas

Native Areas

Last year the grounds committee in consultation with the Board and in conjunction with the Master Plan decided to develop several areas of the golf course that are generally not in play by allowing native grasses to grow naturally.

This was done for several reasons.

First, allowing these areas to grow naturally means we don’t have to use limited resources (both financial and physical) maintaining areas that are generally out of play.  It also lessens the amount of chemicals we use.  Additionally it promotes the wildlife that inhabits these areas.

These native areas also provide definition to the holes that they border giving perspective where previously there was none.

We realize not every feature of the golf course will please everyone.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and where one looks for it.  And these decisions were not made in a vacuum.  They were meant for the betterment of our golf club and enjoyment for all.

It would be nice if these changes were viewed with that understanding rather than backbiting and causing controversy for all.

Painting Stairs

Fred and Stan are painting the steps to #15 forward tee.

Green Speed

Can you name at least ten things that affect the speed and consistency of the greens?  How about 20?
1.   Mowing frequency
2.   Height of cut
3.   Rolling
4.   Green size
5.   Drainage
6.   Moisture
7.   Shade
8.   Air flow
9.   Environmental stress
10. Growth regulators
11. Annual bluegrass seed heads
12. Fertilizer
13. Labor force size
14. Labor force training
15. Budget
16. Soil type
17. Turf species
18. Thatch layer thickness
19. Golf event calendar / schedule
20. Maintenance procedures like; aerifying, topdressing, verti-cutting, venting, hydrojecting, etc. 

Deep Tine Aerification

Aerifying fairways using solid tines, fractures the soil allowing for water and air to infiltrate the soil profile.  Compacted soils play havoc when trying to grow healthy turfgrass.  I've found aerifying in late June, early July the soil is  much harder to penetrate, the sod will lift as the tines are coming out of the ground.  The lifted sod will need rolled down and watered for proper healing. With good weather deeptine fairway aerification takes approximately 1 week to complete.