View of 17 green from 18 red tee

We are getting closer to completing the fairway aeration process. The fairway on the 18th hole is all that remains. Hopefully, we will have that done early next week. If all goes well, tee aeration will be completed following fairway aeration. Greens aeration is coming up in a couple weeks. We will begin following play on Sunday October 20th. The golf course will be closed to complete the process on Monday October 21st and Tuesday October 22nd. Approach aeration will take place once the greens have been completed.

The cart path behind 8 tees is now open

The cart path behind 8 tees had to be closed several weeks ago due to sand accumulation. Last week we took delivery of a loader and dump truck that are on loan to help us deal with the sand that has piled up on the golf course. Our first order of the business was to clear the path behind 8 tees so the cart path could be opened up. We will be working in the area off and on as long as we have the use of the equipment. We installed a Road Work Ahead sign in the area where we will be working. Please use caution when you are in the area, as it can be difficult to see golf carts when operating large pieces of equipment.

Green surface following a light groom last Friday

We have been keeping plenty busy out on the golf course, so I have not had much time to devote to blogging lately. Our main focus in addition to performing routine golf course maintenance tasks has been fairway aeration. It has been a slow process, but we have made some headway. So far, all of the par fours have been completed. We are currently working on hole 3. If all goes well we hope to finish hole 3 today. That leaves holes 7, 12, and 18. The par three fairways will be completed when we aerate approaches.

Sandpines has received some rain over the past few days and there is a huge difference between the fairways that have been aerated and those that have not. The aerated fairways have not had any standing water on them what so ever. On the other hand, the fairways that have not been aerated puddle up quickly and are extremely slow to drain. It is nice to see all the time and effort we are putting into fairway aeration paying off.

Jerry aerating and Thaddeus harvesting on 3 fairway

Last Friday, we took a break from fairway aeration to mow and groom the greens with walk mowers. It had been quite some time since we last walk mowed greens. Our triplex greens mower is not currently outfitted with grooming reels (they are in the process of being rebuilt), so using the walk mowers was the only way to get some much needed grooming accomplished. Check out the picture at the top of this post to see the green surface after grooming.

Jerry walk mowing 15 green

3 green basking in the sun

This week we were able to be a bit more productive with regards to fairway aeration. Fairways on holes 4, 9, 10, and 13 have been completed and the fairway on hole 1 was started. That may not sound like much progress, but considering we didn't even finish an entire fairway last week it was a huge improvement.

15 green

In addition to fairway aeration, we have pretty much just been focused on routine golf course maintenance tasks such as mowing, changing hole locations, maintaining and repairing equipment, fertilizing, and making minor repairs to the irrigation system.

Gorgeous day for golf

We vented the greens at the beginning of the week again this week. The tiny holes healed up quickly and didn't have to much impact on play even when they were visible. As you can see from the picture below the holes are not visible at this point. The greens took the much needed half inch of rain we received yesterday with no problem at all. The fairways on the other hand, are in need of aeration and we saw some standing water here and there. We started aerating the fairways this week, but it has been a slow process thus far. The fairway on hole nine is almost done, but we have had some equipment challenges already. Hopefully, the process will go a little smoother next week.

15 green this afternoon

We are getting into the best weather of the year at Sandpines. Get out and enjoy a round during the next couple of months and you will see what I am talking about.

In honor of the opening weekend for college football, I will end this post with the following picture.

Go Cougs!

Another great day for golf at Sandpines

Earlier this week, the greens were "vented" (sounds better than aerated) using small solid tines. The greens have seen quite a bit of traffic from mowing, rolling, fertilizing, top dressing, and playing since the last time they were aerated in late April. All of this traffic adds up and the surfaces of the greens had become compacted and sealed off. They were in need of some improved gas exchange and infiltration. Venting fulfills this with minimal disruption to the putting surfaces. There is nothing to pickup or cleanup after the greens have been vented. The greens are simply rolled and then they are ready for play. The small solid tine holes don't impact ball roll much at all. Venting of the front nine greens was completed on Monday. The back nine greens were vented on Tuesday. The practice greens were completed at the end of last week. There are many courses that have incorporated venting into there greens maintenance programs during the peak season with great success. Improving turf health without reducing putting quality is the goal.

Jerry venting 16 green

Before you get excited, yes we still need to core aerate greens. The venting process only achieves some of the benefits of core aeration. With core aeration, thatch is removed and sand channels are created for prolonged gas exchange and infiltration. With venting the benefits are fairly short lived. Therefore, ideally venting would take place every 3-6 weeks during the peak season. I think venting once per month during July, August, and September would be about right at Sandpines.

Green surface after venting and before rolling

Green surface after venting and rolling

View from behind 3 green this afternoon

It has been hard to find time to blog lately. Each time I think about it, there are always things to do on the golf course. This is the 30th consecutive day without measurable precipitation at Sandpines. Typically, there is at least a shower or two sometime during the month of July. While its not much, the rain we normally receive in July helps keep the golf course from getting overly dried out in areas with poor irrigation coverage. Jerry and I have been busy hand watering when we can, but it has been hard to keep up. We recently trained Thaddeus to hand water, which should help us out a great deal.

Earlier this week the greens were top dressed, and are rolling nicely. So far this summer, we have been alternating between mowing and rolling greens daily with good results. We are at the point in the season where the bentgrass is growing more than the Poa (annual bluegrass) on the greens. This is just the opposite from the rest of the year when the Poa is growing more than the bentgrass. If you look closely, you will notice the greens have quite a bit more bentgrass right now than they do during the winter months. Poa has the advantage in our climate for most of the year, but during July and August, the bentgrass is usually thriving. On the other hand, these are the months when the Poa is the most stressed. It is important to limit stress as much as possible in order to maintain healthy turf. With any luck, we will get a rain shower or two, which helps to relieve the stress on the Poa. It has always been my dream to receive a 1/3 of an inch of rain every third night. While I am wishing, I would also like a day time high of 72 degrees (we are not to far off at Sandpines) with a gentle afternoon breeze (5 mile per hour max).

14 green

You may have noticed the water level in lakes is pretty low lately. Two of our 5 wells on the golf course have been offline for the entire irrigation season so far. For that reason, we are not filling the lakes on holes 2 and 5. The lake on hole 18 supplies the irrigation system with water, so we have continued to keep that lake as full as possible. This should not have much of an impact on play, other than for those who skip their balls across the water (I witnessed someone make par that way just yesterday). Hopefully, we will be getting at least one of the two offline wells up and running in the near future.

18 lake level looking a little lower than normal

Yesterday, I spotted three bucks hanging out between 3 tees and 13 green. I was not lucky enough to see any sparring take place, but I did capture a few pictures. It won't be long before the bucks start locking horns.

On another wildlife note, this is the year of the rabbit at Sandpines.  I routinely see 3 or 4 rabbits while traveling on hole 9 each morning. I have seen nearly as many rabbits this year as I did in my previous six years at Sandpines combined.

The coyote population seems to be a bit more normal this year (which might explain why there are more rabbits). I have seen one here and there, but certainly not as many as last year. Come to think of it, there are also more ground squirrels running around (another coyote favorite).

3 bucks enjoying the Sandpines experience

Play at Sandpines and Escape the Heat

3 green basking in the sun

The weather in Oregon has heated up recently. Thankfully, on the coast we are hovering near 70 degrees, which is perfect for playing golf. Come out and enjoy a round at Sandpines and beat the heat at the same time.

The maintenance staff has been busy trying to keep up with all the work it takes to keep a golf course in good playing condition during peak season. Time seems to be flying by. It is hard to believe the days are already getting shorter. Most of our time recently has been spent on routine golf course maintenance tasks including:  mowing, setting up the golf course for play, rolling greens, hand watering, fertilizing, repairing and maintaining equipment, line trimming, raking bunkers, repairing weak turf areas, and making irrigation system repairs and adjustments.

My son Dylan practicing his putting stroke

I thought I would put my son Dylan on the blog to honor his first par. He participated in the Boys & Girls Club Golf Camp hosted by Sandpines last week. At the conclusion of the camp, the kids played a few holes. Dylan hit a good drive on hole 2. Then he hit it pretty close on his approach shot, nearly holing out for eagle. He narrowly missed his birdie putt, but tapped in for par. I am happy to see him enjoying the game of golf. I encourage everyone to take advantage of opportunities to learn the game. There are many programs and discounts in place for juniors to encourage participation. If you have ever heard the phrase "I bored" from your youngster, consider taking them out to the course to hit some balls, practice putting and chipping, or play 9 holes.