4 green

If the weather forecast holds true, it looks like the weather is going to shift to a more normal pattern for this time of year.  Please use caution with the golf carts should any wet areas result from the change in weather.

Jerry top dressing the approach on hole 2

So far this week, the fairways were fertilized.  The first 40 feet or so of rough around the greens and fairways was also fertilized.  The approaches and tees have been mowed, and the approaches were top dressed.  Dean continues to work on changing out golf cart batteries, which seems to be a never ending process.  Jim has been working on getting the irrigation valves edged, which makes them much easier to find and shutoff when the need arises.

Jerry and his son Clinton after playing a round 12/21/11

The weather has been spectacular again this past week.  Dealing with the morning frost delays has been well worth the dry and sunny playing conditions.  Yesterday afternoon, a group of us from the maintenance staff played 9 holes after work.  We had a great time, and really enjoyed the course.

One of many bunkers not being raked by players lately

The picture above is very frustrating to my staff and I.  I wish I could say this the only bunker that looked like this, but there have been many more.  For some reason, over the past two weeks, we have seen more bunkers not being raked than ever before.  It would be understandable if the bunkers were too frozen to rake, but that has not been the case. I can't understand why this is happening.  It only take about 30 seconds to perform a good rake job.  I am sure there are still plenty of people raking their bunkers properly.  To those folks, I thank you. If you happen to be one of the people not raking, please do so.  If not for others, do it for yourself, you may be hitting from that spot again soon.

Pond bank sloughing off near 17 tee area

Jerry has been working on the pond bank near 17 tees.  The bank has sloughed off, and has been needing repair.  A couple of years ago, he repaired a similar area by 18 green, which has held up really well.  We decided it would be a great time to perform the work since the pond level is so low right now.  At this point, he has made a wall with cinder blocks and back filled with sand.  Next, he will add aeration cores and seed, which will eventually establish turf over the back filled area.

Siuslaw Middle School

Last Thursday, I gave a presentation to MJ Church's 6th grade (5th period) class at Siuslaw Middle School.  Her class (which includes my son Dylan) has been given an assignment to research and give a presentation on a career of their choosing.  I was invited to talk about about what it is like to be a golf course superintendent.  I had a great time, and enjoyed answering the questions the class had.

One of the things I shared with the class is how I got started on my path as a golf course superintendent.  I told them that I had been given a similar assignment in high school, in which I had to write a paper on a career of my choosing.  I had been working at Ocean Shores Golf Course, in Ocean Shores, WA during my summer vacations.  I really enjoyed the work I was doing on the golf course, so I decided to write my paper about becoming a golf course superintendent.  Through my research, I found I could make a descent living doing something I enjoyed.  From that point on, my goal was to become a golf course superintendent.  I completed the first major step towards achieving that goal in 1999 when I graduated from Washington State University (Go Cougs!) with a degree in turf management, and a minor in soil science.  During my time at WSU, I interned at Sahalee Country Club during the 1998 PGA Championship.  After that, I continued gaining experience working my way up through the ranks at the TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club, where I was the assistant superintendent for over 5 years.  In 2006, I achieved the goal I had set for myself more than decade prior during my high school years.  I had become a golf course superintendent.  The course was none other than Sandpines Golf Links.

My son Dylan hitting a tee shot on hole 16

Update

2 green

Another week of mostly great weather.  The sun is shining brilliantly at the moment. Sandpines received its first rain of December on Wednesday evening.  The dry weather looks like it will continue according the the extended forecast.

Jerry top dressing 5 green

Yesterday, we were able to get the greens mowed and top dressed.  We also fertilized the tees.  During this weeks frost delays, we were able to audit our material safety data sheets (MSDS) records.  There were a few items that we did not have MSDS's for, which is the reason we conduct these audits when we get a chance.  The records were obtained promptly.  We have a computer in the break room that is dedicated for MSDS records, which makes it much easier to access the records.

Sick of fog? Play in the sun at Sandpines!

Hole 18 basking in the sun

The weather at Sandpines has been spectacular again this week.  I attended a seminar in Portland on Tuesday and Wednesday, and did not see the sun once during the trip.  I did however see clouds and fog.  If you like fog and 35 degrees head inland.  If sunny and 50 degrees sounds better, head to Sandpines and play some golf.  There have been some frost delays this week, but its well worth the wait to play in the sun.

Hole 11

During the frost delays, we were able to get quite a bit more brush mowing done this week.  The brush clearing project in the drainage ditch between holes 6 and 7 was completed earlier in the week.  The fairways were fertilized yesterday.  Most of our time this week has been spent on routine golf course maintenance tasks (mowing, changing cups, raking bunkers).

View from clubhouse conference room

Having a hard time finding a gift for the golfer who seems to have everything?  Consider a gift certificate to Sandpines.

Hole 2

The weather has been fabulous this week.  It is a great time to get out and enjoy the golf course.  I am going to give it a try this afternoon in a 9 hole scramble here at Sandpines.  I am a little rusty, but hope to contribute in some way.  If it sounds fun, contact the golf shop, there may still be a spot or two open.

A unique shot of hole 17 with the dune in the background

Frost delays are common this time of year in the absence of cloud cover.  There was a frost delay yesterday, but thankfully we did not have one this morning.  I wanted to add a video to sum up why it is necessary to have frost delays, so I checked out You Tube.  The video below is one of videos that was listed when I searched for frost delay,  so I decided to check it out.  The video makes fun of superintendents regarding frost delays.  I found it hilarious. There are other videos with golf related topics you may also want to check out. Some of the videos should probably have an R rating for strong language.





Now that you had a good laugh (I hope), I wanted to include a video that was a bit more informative.  Although its not as funny as the previous video, the video below does a good job explaining the importance of frost delays.  Remember that no body likes frost delays, but they beat the heck out of pouring rain.  So please keep that in mind next we have a delay.





The greens, collars, approaches, fairways, tees, and even the rough (where needed) were all mowed this week.  We also continued to cleanup tree debris from last weeks wind storms.  The portable toilet near the driving range was put back in its usual spot, and has been secured.

Hole 3 after most pine needles were blown off the fairway

The precipitation history page has been updated.  So far this year, Sandpines has received just over 55 inches of rain.  Through the same period last year, there was just shy of 70 inches.  According to the extended forecast, the first half of December looks pretty good.  Get out and enjoy the great weather while you can.

Black Friday

Thanksgiving day 2011

We had beautiful weather to start Thanksgiving at Sandpines.  In fact, the weather was so nice in the morning that Jim and I decided to play a quick 5 holes (holes 14 -18) before we joined our families for the days festivities.  Black Friday (today) started off even better, although the sun is currently playing peek-a-boo with a few clouds, but the temperature is 53 degrees.

Jim preparing to tee off on hole 14

This week, Jerry added the seasonal drain to the first green.  The drain remains capped off about 8 inches below the surface of the green for a majority of the year.  In times of heavy rain, the right portion of the green does not surface drain due to the shape of the green. The drain allows the green to drain quickly following heavy rain events.  The drain is quite small, so it rarely impacts play.

1 green seasonal drain

Tuesday was pretty windy at Sandpines.  We lost a few trees here and there, including a couple that blocked cart paths.  The portable toilet on the driving range also blew over for the first time.  Luckily, that was taken care of with a phone call to Buck's.  The new portable toilet that was delivered was placed by the ball shack at the driving range, where it will remain until we get a chance to revamp the old spot a bit.  Many of the greens were also covered with pine needles and had to be blown off.  Wednesday was the wettest day of the month with 1.54 inches of rain recorded.  The good news is, the extended forecast looks dry and sunny.

Tree blocking path near 12 green

Twosome enjoying the scenery on hole 12

We are still having pretty good weather considering the time of year (one week away from Thanksgiving).  We are 16 days through November and have only had 3 days so far this month that have totaled more than one third on an inch of rain.  The high temperatures have been in the low to mid 50's so far this week.

Some type of animal damage on the 3rd green

On Wednesday morning, I received a call about a hole that some type of animal had dug in the third green.  When I arrived, I saw the scene in the picture above.  Judging from the tracks, the hole appeared to be made by a coyote.  Sandpines has seen quite a bit of coyote activity this year.  Prior to this, the worst damage made by a coyote on the golf course was some disturbed sand in some of the bunkers.  Jim repaired the area rather quickly, but we are hoping to avoid any more damage like this.

Matt and Jerry repairing a bunker edge on hole 6

One of the projects we tackled this week was the repair of the right green side bunker on hole 6.  The edge of the bunker had been damaged over time by the use of our mechanical bunker rake.  The damaged area was removed and new sand and sod were installed to create a defined edge to the bunker.  There are other bunkers on the golf course with this type of damage, but this was the worst of them.  We hope to continue repairing these areas as time permits

Finished bunker repair

Update

Jim mowing 18 fairway

The weather has been great this week, and the sun is shining again today.  The high temperatures have been around 60 degrees the last couple of days.  We we able to fertilize greens, approaches, fairways, and the rough (2 passes around greens and fairways) with the favorable weather.  If the weather forecast holds, we hope to fertilize the tees next week.

Disease on 1 green

As you can see from the picture above, the aeration holes in the greens are healing up. However, as you can also see in the picture above, the greens also have some patches of disease.  The disease on the greens is known as Microdochium patch, or Fusarium patch, or Pink Snow Mold.  The name of the disease has changed over the years, but all are caused by the same fungus (Microdochium nivale).  It is the most common turf disease that occurs on golf courses in the northwest.  The disease came on towards the end of October.  A fungicide was applied the week after aeration.  The disease activity was halted and recovery started at the same time the aeration holes were healing.  About ten days after application, the disease was again active, and came on even stronger this time.  A fungicide was again applied and the disease was halted.  Earlier this week, the disease appeared to be active yet again, and the greens were treated with a fungicide for the third straight week.  Typically, fungicides control this particular disease for a range between 14 and 28 days depending on the fungicide used and conditions present.  The disease spots appear to be inactive and have healed some since the beginning of the week.  We will continue to monitor the greens on a daily basis and strive to get them healed as quickly as possible.

Buck chasing a doe

Our favorite buck came of out his hiding place this morning and was chasing a couple of does around.  We were pretty happy to see that he survived hunting season.  Hopefully, we will see some new fawns again next year.

Update

Hole 17

We had a couple of beautiful days this week.  Wednesday was about 60 degrees with blue sky and sunshine, which is not bad for November.  The temperatures have definitely been a little cooler at night.  Tuesday, we had our second frost delay of the fall (the first frost delay occurred last Tuesday).  The grass growth has started to slow down a bit.

Matt working in the bunker on hole 15

The tees were top dressed earlier this week.  We continued to mow down some of the brush and tall grass surrounding the primary rough, which will be an ongoing project as we have time.  We also started redistributing sand in some of the bunkers.

Me on hole 3

Update

Jerry aerating a tee on hole 17

Tee aeration was completed this week.  It took longer than usual due to a few equipment problems, but the last tee was cleaned up Thursday afternoon.

The golf course is pretty dry for this time of year.  I have received a few comments this week about the extra ball roll in the fairways.  With the exception of the greens, the rest of the golf course has not been irrigated in quite some time.  The lake levels are also lower than normal. The golf course is a little drier than I would like it in a few areas, but I wanted to push the envelope a bit knowing that rain will be coming soon.  In fact, we are supposed to get some precipitation this evening.

John mowing area adjacent to hole 3

We were able to get a little brush mowing done this week adjacent to holes 3, 4, and 5. We will continue this process throughout the course as time and weather permit.

Update

Hole 7

Aeration of greens and approaches is complete.  We really lucked out with great weather. The maintenance staff did an excellent job during our entire aeration process.  Thanks guys, I really appreciate all the hard work and long hours each one of you put in this week.

Let the healing begin

Overall, the aeration process went pretty smoothly.  There were a couple of equipment issues, but that is just par for the course.  The biggest issue that came up was a drag mark on front edge of 7 green.  This was caused by a tine that stuck in the turf and was just barely above the surface of the green.  The core harvester operator could not see the tine because it blended in with the cores on the surface of the green.  Consequently, the tine was dragged for a few feet before the problem was resolved.  Below is a picture of the drag mark during repair.

Drag mark on 7 green being repaired

Update

12 green

Sandpines hosted the Coast Open tournament on Wednesday and Thursday.  The weather was pretty good, but not quite as good as last year.  The golf course continues to be in great condition, and the maintenance staff is receiving frequent compliments, especially regarding the greens.

Bear damage on 3 green

Wednesday morning we found some bear damage on the 3rd and 12th greens.  On the 3rd green, a bear played with the flagstick and ripped out some turf next to the cup.  On the 12th green, the cup and flagstick were just pushed over.

Bear damage on 12 green

This morning, we found similar damage on the 6th green.  We have seen this type of activity before, although it is usually rare.  Who knows, maybe the last group out has been eating smoked salmon lately.  Thankfully, the repairs are usually pretty easy to make.

Bear damage on 6 green

Speaking of wildlife, I have seen more coyotes on the course this year than in the past.  I got a good picture of one on Thursday morning.

Coyote on hole 3

The practice greens were aerated yesterday.  We will start aerating the rest of the greens on the golf course Sunday (October 16th) following play.  The course will be closed on Monday (October 17th) and Tuesday (October 18th) to complete the process.  If all goes well, we should be able to get the approaches aerated as well.  At this point, the weather looks like it is going to cooperate, which will be a huge advantage.

Chipping green getting some fresh air

I know there are those out there that have a hard time understanding why the greens need to be aerated, and especially when they are in such good condition.  It is best to aerate during times of active growth.  The turf can better handle the stress associated with aeration, and recovery time is minimized.  If anyone has any specific concerns, feel free to contact me directly.  I am again including a video on the benefits of aeration.  I encourage those that have not seen this video to check it out.

Update

Hole 16

The greens were top dressed earlier this week.  I have received a number of compliments on how true the greens are rolling.  The greens were groomed frequently the week prior to top dressing.  Grooming helps to reduce grain or lateral growth of the grass blades.

My voice recorder on a recently groomed green

The grass is really growing right now.  We mowed the collars and approaches an extra time this week, and they are looking good.  Most of our time this week was spent mowing all the turf areas on the golf course.  The buffalo blower was also out on the course quite a bit this week tidying up clippings.  Tuesday night it rained pretty hard, which led to some severe bunker washouts.  Dean and Jerry did a great job repairing the bunkers Wednesday morning.  The fairways were fertilized this week, and are looking really good. The course is in great playing condition for our upcoming tournaments.  The Florence Classic tournament is this weekend (Sunday at Sandpines) and the Coast Open tournament is next Wednesday and Thursday.

2 bucks enjoying a round at Sandpines

Update

Hole 12

We were really hoping to get the fairway aeration completed this week. The grass is growing pretty fast right now, so we knew it was going to be a challenge to keep everything mowed and finish the fairway aeration.  Thanks to the hard work put in by the maintenance crew, we were able to finish up the fairway aeration Friday afternoon.

Update

Holes 17 and 18

It was another busy week for the Sandpines agronomy staff.  We were able to get a little more fairway aeration completed earlier this week.  So far, holes 1-3, 9, and 12-16 have been completed.  That leaves holes 4, 6, 7, 10, and 18 (par 3's will be done with approaches) left to do.  Our oldest core harvester and utility vehicle combination required quite a bit of service work this week.  Hopefully, it will be ready to go again for next week. The majority of our time this week was spent on preparing the golf course for daily play and getting the course ready for the Club Championship this weekend.  If you played on Thursday you may have noticed a couple of innovative tee markers used on holes 8 and 9. For those that are curious, the blacks were marked with tops of old sprinkler heads, the blue were marked with irrigation flags, and the whites were marked with 2" PVC tees.  We actually had enough red markers, so no creativity was needed for those.  All the tee markers on holes 7, 8, and 9 were stolen Wednesday night.  We had some backups on hand, but not enough of each color, as there has been some theft of markers over the summer.  Tee markers were back to normal as of this morning.  I suspect the markers were probably "relocated" in the salal adjacent to the tees, but that is just a guess.  If you happen to run across any tee markers in your travels, please turn them into the golf shop.

Two bucks for a blog topic

2 bucks showing their stuff

One of the great things about working on a golf course is seeing wildlife on a daily basis.  I was lucky enough to witness the scene above on Wednesday.  The video below is the tail end of the show, but I thought is was worth sharing.

I have received a few of questions regarding bubbling in the pond located between holes 16, 17, and 18. The questions are usually followed by concern that there may be an irrigation break of some kind.  I decided to give the issue some blog attention, as I am sure there are other folks that are curious about what is going on.  The bubbling actually comes from our on course wells, which are used to fill the pond.  The water is then pulled from the pond to irrigate the golf course as needed.  There are five wells that have four distribution points in the pond.  Well use is rotated between the wells as needed, so the bubbling is not always located in the same area, or may not be present at all.  In case you have not seen or noticed the bubbling, check out the pictures below.

Update

A Sandpines resident inspects the fairway aeration process

We made some more progress on fairway aeration this week.  Holes 1, 2, 9, 13, 14, 15, and 16 have been completed.  Our focus will shift away from fairway aeration for a bit while we focus on catching up with other necessary golf course maintenance tasks such as fertilization, top dressing, and mowing.  Once we are caught up, we will continue with the fairway aeration.

Hanging out at the core pile