Greens Drain Blowouts

July was a very hot, wet month for us.  It showed us many of the problems we have here on the golf course, specifically our drainage or lack thereof.  The biggest problem that faces us is the Greens drainage.

With every Green being lined by a thick piece of plastic, the only way for water to exit the Green cavity is through the drain tiles underneath.  If that water isn't able to exit, it can increase soil temperatures to lethal levels for Bentgrass as well as promote several other issues like Wet Wilt.  We have found most of these drain tile exits buried in the forest and uncovered.  However, now we know most of them to be clogged either by plant material growing up inside of them or animals making nests.  Here is a picture of one of the drain tile exits we found on Hole #12. 

No matter what is blocking the drain pipes we do have the ability to clear the blockage through the Greens drain blowouts.  Each Green has 1 to 3 blowouts but finding them can be very tricky.  During installation these blowouts were buried underground.  In the picture you can see one we found on Hole #14 and luckily it is only a few inches under the surface.  However, some of them have been as deep as 7"!  Finding them is a very slow process.  Some of the blowouts have a wire at the exit we are able to trace.  However many of them have no wire and it involves being extremely lucky by hitting the 4" cap with a probe somewhere around the Green.

Once we find the blowouts we are able to use a hose from our irrigation system to blast 125 PSI of fresh water through the line.  This has helped removed all the blockages so far.  We are using fresh, clear water into the blowout but what comes out isn't so pretty, or good smelling.  Its been a slow process but we've been able to clean out several of our more problematic Greens.  This will really help our Greens drain.

Wet Wilt

Some may have noticed a few of our Greens looking a little rough.  Unfortunately the 1" of rain we had on Monday when heat index's have been over 100 degrees has created some problems.  The Greens surrounded by trees, mostly on the back nine suffered Wet Wilt and are looking a little thin.  It may appear these areas are "dry" or even have some disease but unfortunately neither of these are the case.  Wet Wilt occurs when the plant is unable to release the excess water inside due to high temperatures and the water boils and burst the plant cells from within.  The damage is most noticeable where the collar and Green meet, as well as on Greens with no air circulation.


Here is a picture of #14 Green and you can see the Wet Wilt damage running along a drain line of the Green. This Green is surrounded by trees and has a lower elevation than the rest of the property providing almost no air movement.  Luckily for us most of the Wet Wilt areas are small and surrounded by healthy turf.  When the weather breaks and we get out of the 90's we should see these areas recover nicely.

Cicada Killer Wasps

Most people see the wasps on #6 and #7 Greens and run in fear.  Well don't be scared, these wasps are actually not harmful to humans.  These monstrous wasps are Eastern Cicada Killers.  They look more menacing than they really are.  Unfortunately they create giant mounds of sand in the collars of our Greens so you may see some kids with tennis racquets taking care of these pests.

Vandalism

Unfortunately we had a group of golfers get a little too drunk over the weekend and did some major damage to the golf course.  Not only were they disruptive to other golfers, threw trash all over the course, they also did a significant amount of damage. We are repairing all their havoc and appreciate all your patience during this process.

We were able to call the Elkton police who did a great job responding right away to confront these vandals. Thank you for all those who witnessed it and did something about it.

Venting

Today some of the early golfers may have seen us running our Toro aerifier on Greens.  The perception is we are "aerifying" Greens, however a closer look shows what we are actually accomplishing.  These solid tines are 5" long and much smaller diameter than a coring tine. They are going 4" deep to allow oxygen into the soil. It is also alleviating compaction and creating channels through the organic matter layer. This lets the roots breathe, helps water get deeper into the soil to the roots, and loosens up high trafficked areas. With so many benefits it is easy to see why we do it.


The great advantage to using these small tines to vent the Greens is once the roller goes over it, you cant even tell we did anything.  Heres a photo of the roller smoothing out the holes. You can see the non-rolled Green on the right just after we vented it. The ball putts nice and smooth on the section on the left where the cup is.




















With 10+ days of 90+ degree weather later this week, its important to take advantage of this cooler weather.

Mechanical Damage

Most damage to a golf course is caused from things you would not expect.  Mechanical damage is one of the biggest problems and we strive to keep the damage minimal.  It is impossible to prevent completely and accidents do happen.

You might notice some brown lines on our #2 Fairway up near the Green.  This was caused by a hydraulic leak on one of our Fairway mowers.  Luckily our operator noticed the leak right away which prevented much more damage. Our mechanic was able to fix the problem the same day, but  unfortunately some damage was done.  The fluid burns and kills the grass so we will have a little blemish until the grass grows in over it.







The biggest problem lately has been the mis-application of fertilizer a few weeks ago.  We are glad to see most of the overlaps did not result in any turf loss, but a few greens did get damaged.  We experienced a rare problem called "Etiolated Tiller Syndrome" (ETS) in those overlaps which can cause turf loss in high traffic areas.  Our #8, 10, 12, 14, and Practice Greens have a few trouble areas.  It seems the effects of the fertilizer are finally starting to stop, the ETS is going away, and we can start addressing those problem areas on those Greens.

Unfortunately a continued problem which hurts us most is golfers taking divots on our Greens.  At least once a week we have to repair a divot on our Greens.  If you know of anyone, or see anyone taking a divot on a Green please notify the Pro Shop.  This is an act of vandalism and it would be nice to see this damage go away.







Damage to turf can come in a number of ways, but damage from machines and people always seems to be the biggest problem.

Staffing

With colleges entering summer break, we are finally fully staffed. We take great pride in looking professional while enjoying our job here at Patriots Glen National Golf Club. We also keep our equipment nice and clean while Eddie keeps it all running.