Drainage at #9 Complete

The area on the right side of #9 golf hole near the clubhouse has been drained. Over 400 linear feet of drain tile was installed in the 2,000 SF area. Almost all of the work work was done by hand due to the area being above field capacity for so many years.

In the past this area was trimmed by hand each week to maintain somewhat of an acceptable appearance. This area should drain more effectively now and be able to be maintained with regular mowing equipment.

This area was not maintainable, unplayable and an eye soar for many years.

Matt and Arnold begin the only trench to be dug with a machine. The rest was dug by hand.

Colton Jones and Arnold begin filling in the first trench connecting the area to a stormwater basin.

All of the trenches in the wet area were dug by hand. The men did a great job with this physical assignment.

A seepage basin was added in the wettest area connecting drains from area properties and pipes. Now the water is all going to a central location and has an avenue to move off site.

The final project as seen from the clubhouse.

Greens Have Been Painted

As the greens made their way into dormancy it was time to paint the putting greens. The greens were painted on Monday and Tuesday of this week. The greens now have a bright green appearance that should last between 45 and 60 days. Depending on the color of the greens in January and February another application of paint may be applied.

Painting greens is aesthetically pleasing to the golfer and has agronomic benefits as well. It presents a very visible target to aim at and offers variation from the rest of the dormant golf course. Painting greens also aids in keeping the soil and turf insulated. This helps to protect the plant against cold temperatures. Greens that are painted have been found to keep the soil and turf 3-5 degrees warmer than without.

Figure 1. The test plot on #10 green shows how paint can dramatically impact soil temperatures at 2 inches. (Paint + Regular Apps received paint and regular applications of chemicals and fertilizer throughout the year. Dormant + No Paint received none of the regular chemical or fertilizer applications throughout the year. Dormant + Paint received only the paint this week.)

Assistants Nick and Colton painting #15 green.

Colton and Cesar Lopez painting #1

#5 before

#5 after

Please Repair Ball Marks

Repairing ball marks on greens is an important etiquette that preserves green playability and roll through out the day.

As we enter winter time it is increasingly important to repair ball marks on bermudagrass greens. Ball marks left unrepaired will leave a small unsightly mark in the green disrupting the playability and aesthetic beauty of the green.

Properly repairing a ball mark is the best way to ensure all golfers can enjoy their rounds with out disturbances on the green. Below is a United States Golf Association (USGA) video showing how to properly repair a ball mark.

Proper repairing of ball marks is essential to preserving putting green playability (GCSAA).

2014 Tradition A Success

Last weekend was the 4th Annual Tradition at The Peninsula Club. The event was spared by weather and it ended up being a wonderful tournament and event. The golf course maintenance staff put in AM and PM shifts throughout the week to produce an enjoyable and beautiful golf course. 

The members and their guests were very complimentary of the course and the job the staff was doing. 

The GCM crew puts final touches on #18.

The GCM staff puts the last few mowings on 18 green before the tournament begins.

#18 golf hole ready for Day 1

The par 3 4th 

The 4 hole shootout started on #6 and ended in dramatic fashion on #9.

The GCM staff wants to thank all of the members for their kind words and support throughout the tournament.

Bunker (In)Consistencies

I have received questions regarding the consistencies of our bunkers. The USGA produced an informative video on the consistency or rather the inconsistencies of bunker hazards. This short video discusses why bunkers are inconsistent and the challenges with maintaining them all to be the same.

GCM Welcomes New Assistant

It is my pleasure to introduce Mr. Colton Jones (Right). He is replacing Drew Hensley, 2^nd Assistant, who left our management team to join Quail Hollow earlier this summer. Colton received his Bachelor of Science in Plant and Soil Science and Minor in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee-Martin.

Colton joins us most recently from working at Pinehurst Resort #2 where he experienced historic back to back U.S. Opens and the putting green conversion from bentgrass to ultradwarf bermudagrass. Colton has previously worked at Charlotte Country Club, Callawassie Island in Hilton Head and volunteered at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. He has also interned with the USGA Agronomic Turf Advisory Service under Chris Hartwiger and Patrick O’Brien.

We are happy to have Colton join our team. When you see Colton on the course please welcome him to The Peninsula Club.

Aeration a Success

Last week the GCM staff completed the green’s aerification process. Although the practices were new to the staff, our preparation paid off. It took two 15 hour days plus a 5 hour evening on Sunday. 

The aeration was done with our staff catching the cores as they are pulled from the green.

The green was then blown off and watered to make sure the holes were as open as possible to receive as much sand as possible.C

The greens were topdressed using dry sand with push brooms.

The greens are eleven days out from aeration and the holes are 60-75% grown in. The fast healing is due to the manual labor put into the aeration process. Minimizing the use of large machines on the turfgrass lessens the damage done to it and allows it to recover quicker (Figure 1). We topdressed the greens on Thursday the 17^th to increase the smoothness on the greens. We are now back on our weekly topdressing program going forward.

Factoids from Aeration:

·       -  The process took 35 hours in 2.25 days

·       -  Used 1 aerifier with 5/8 inch hollow core tines that pulled cores 2 inches deep

·       -  10,000 ft² of turfgrass area removed

·       -  19 people involved

·     -    Used 48,450 lbs of sand to fill holes (24.3 tons) 

·      -   50 gallons of water and Gatorade consumed by staff

The aerification last week did not go into the collar or rough surrounding the greens (Figure 2). This is to reduce the risk of contaminating the putting green surface with other cultivars of bermudagrass. This past Monday we went with a smaller tine (3/8) and did one pass around the outer edges of the greens to get the areas that were skipped last week.