14 green

This time last week, we were hand watering localized dry spots on the greens with wetting agent, and had the irrigation system up and running (we actually had a string of 16 consecutive days without measurable precipitation). This week everyone has been keeping there rain gear on or within reach. What a difference a week makes. So far this week, Sandpines has received 1.8 inches of precipitation. Thankfully, the forecast is calling for improved weather starting tomorrow.

Earlier this week we had some heavy rain showers, and there was some puddling on some of the fairways. All the fairways that have been aerated so far this spring had no standing water on them. On the other hand, puddling occurred on all of the fairways which had not yet been aerated. Improved infiltration is one of the many benefits of aeration.

This week we had a few hangups with the fairway aeration. Between equipment issues and poor weather, we were not able to be as productive this week as we were during the past couple of weeks. So far this week, holes 4, 12, and 14 have been completed. If all goes well from this point forward, we should have all the fairway aeration completed by this time next week.

Killdeer eggs

Jerry found the Killdeer eggs pictured above when we was marking some sprinkler heads. The eggs blend into the surrounding area very well and could easily have been stepped on. We were careful not to touch the eggs, but I did want to take the opportunity to get a picture of them to share. The video below was taken just prior to the picture of the eggs. The adult Killdeer in the video was not very happy about our proximity to the nest.

12 green

The weather has been fantastic all week. Today marks the 14th day in a row without precipitation! I am continuing to receive compliments on the condition of the course. It's a great time to get out and enjoy a round of golf at Sandpines.

Jerry aerating 7 fairway

It was a very busy week for the maintenance staff. The fairway aeration continued, and was completed on holes 3, 7, 9, and 13. There are still 6 holes left to aerate. If all goes well, we should have the fairway aeration completed by the end of the month. Mowing of all turf areas and golf course setup was also completed as usual. Hand watering on greens also became necessary for the first time this year. One of the three main check valves within the irrigation pump station malfunctioned and was replaced. All bunkers, 150 yd markers, and irrigation control boxes were trimmed around with a string trimmer. Greens were fertilized on Thursday, and were also spiked and rolled this morning.

Rhododendron on hole 6

Today is the official start of the 105th Rhododendron Festival, so I thought it was fitting to add a picture of one of my favorite Rhody's on the golf course. If you want to check out the festival, I would recommend starting off your day with golf in the morning at Sandpines and checking out the car show on Saturday. If parades are more your style, golf on Sunday morning followed by watching the parade. Or if you just can't decide which day is best, just stay the night, and golf both days. Here is a link for all of the scheduled events for the festival: 105th Rhododendron Festival

Finishing holes

The weather has been dry and sunny all week at Sandpines. The course is drying out quickly. We actually had to irrigate some areas last night. The forecast for next week is also looking good. I have been receiving compliments on the condition of the course daily. It's a great time to get out and enjoy the golf course.

Hole 8

The agronomy staff has been very busy this week. The approaches were aerated, and fairway aeration was initiated. The fairways on hole 1, 2, 10, and 16 have aerated. The approaches and fairways were mowed prior to aeration. Tees were mowed and fertilized early in the week. Greens have been mowed daily, and were fertilized as well. The rough and surrounds mowing is in progress, and will be completed today.

Frosty turf

Believe it or not, I am working on this blog post during a frost delay. Yesterday, it was 34 degrees when I arrived at the shop. Today it was 36 degrees. It is very unusual to have frost this late in the spring at Sandpines. On occasion there may be some light frost here and there in late April, but nothing to prevent us from starting on time. Hopefully, today will be the end of the frost delays until late fall.

Hole 8

The weather this week has been pretty wet, but the forecast for the weekend is looking great. In fact, the extended forecast for all of next week is looks sunny and dry. Sandpines received just over 7 inches of precipitation for the month of April. Hopefully, May will be much drier than that, with plenty of sunshine.

Monday, Sandpines hosted the Valco tournament. The group had less than perfect weather, but it looked like they still had fun. I received several compliments on the condition of the greens, which were mowed and rolled prior to the tournament.

Rhododendron on hole 6

The rhododendrons are blooming all over the Florence area. We are two weeks away from the 105th Rhododendron Festival in Florence. Rhody Days, as the locals refer to it, is a great time to head to the coast and have some fun. Start your day with some golf at Sandpines, and check out the rest of festivities following your round. For more information about Rhody Days, click on the following link: 105th Rhododendron Festival.

Microdochium patch

The wet weather that we have been experiencing lately has been a perfect environment for Microdochium patch. We have treated for the disease, but when the conditions wet, and the turf is actively growing, the disease can still occur. There are some patches here and there, but they are not wide spread at this point. As always, we will be monitoring the disease daily, and take appropriate action as necessary. The drier weather in the forecast should help quite a bit.

Deer munching grass this morning on hole 13

The deer have been out on the course quite a bit lately. In about three weeks or so, we may get to enjoy some new fawns, roaming the course. This is always a great time of year to see all sorts of wildlife during your round, so you may want to bring your camera next time you play.

I captured the video above on Monday afternoon when we were aerating the driving range tee. If you watch closely, you can see dry sand coming up with some of the cores. This happens when the hydrophobic areas are aerated. Keep in mind, it was raining while I was making this video, and it hasn't exactly been a dry start to the year so far. The hydrophobic areas on the course are dry year round, they only show up as dry spots when the course begins to dry out. It is amazing to think the sand could be that dry despite all the rain we have had.

2 green

Last weekend the weather was fantastic and the tee sheet was busy. I received multiple compliments about the condition of the greens, which was great considering we had aerated them earlier the same week. So far this week, the weather has been very spring like. While there has been sunshine, there have also been a few showers. Thankfully, the weather for the weekend is looking good.

Steven is changing the cup and Jim is mowing the collar on hole 12

This week the fairways received a fertilization, which was long over due. The greens were top dressed. The greens, tees, collars, approaches, rough, and surrounds were all mowed. The grass growth has really picked up, and consequently so has our mowing frequency.

Crane fly larva

There have been a few crane fly larvae on the greens lately. The numbers of larvae have not been great enough to cause damage, so we just remove them with the greens mower. On occasion, I hand pick the larvae off the greens and feed them to my son's lizard. I am not sure if that technically qualifies as biological control or not, but the lizard and I enjoy the results just the same.

Curlew hanging out next to 16 tees

The curlew are here for their annual trip to Sandpines. They can typically be seen somewhere on holes 16, 17, or 18. The curlew usually only stay for a few weeks before they are off to their next destination.

14 green soaking up some sun

The week began with less than perfect weather for greens aeration. It began raining Sunday evening, and did not stop until around 10 am on Monday. The rain gauge had registered just over an inch of rain between Sunday evening and 6 am when we were scheduled to start aerating greens on the back nine. It was clearly too wet to complete greens aeration the way we would typically go about it. We modified the process a bit in order to get the aeration accomplished. Rather than use core harvesters, which makes the process much more efficient, we used a core hog. Think of a core hog as a snow plow that is attached to the front of a walk behind greens mower. Luckily, we purchased a core hog a few year ago in order to clear aeration cores off the clubhouse practice green, which is located in an area that is too tight to use core harvesters.

Core Hog mounted to a Toro 1000 Mower

Using a core hog to push cores off the green eliminates the need to drive core harvesters across the greens. It was important to keep the heavy equipment off the saturated greens in order to prevent rutting from occurring. Unfortunately, using the core hog requires about 3 extra people, and significantly more manual labor in order to keep up with the aerator. This worked out alright, because it was too wet to top dress and brush the greens anyway. I was really happy with the way we were able to deal with the huge weather curve ball on Monday. The agronomy staff did a nice job making lemonade with the lemons the weather had provided.

On Tuesday, the weather was just fine, and we were able to use the core harvesters on the front nine greens without any problems. We also rolled, top dressed, brushed in the sand, and cut new cups on all holes ahead of play (barely). As I was walking off the last green after cutting the cup, the first group of golfers was just arriving to hit shots into the green.

I made a short video of our aeration process. I failed to get a video while I was brushing the greens, so I included a picture of the brush from earlier this year. A huge THANK YOU goes out to the agronomy staff for getting the aeration done despite the awful weather we experienced on Monday.

I was happy to see some of you using our preferred divot pattern on the driving range tee. I appreciate those who are making an effort to help us keep the driving range tee in the best condition possible. If you have not tried practicing using our preferred divot pattern, please try it out on your next trip to the driving range.

Thank you to those that are practicing with the divot pattern in the picture.  I really appreciate  your effort.

Holes 16 & 17

Spring has arrived! There has been quite a few sun breaks throughout the week, as well as a couple of showers. So far this week, Sandpines has received less than a half inch of rain, which has come mostly at night. The grass growth started picking up a bit this week. The weather forecast is looking good, so come out and play some golf.

John aerating the clubhouse practice green

We were able to get quite a bit of mowing done this week thanks to the drier weather. The greens, collars, tees, approaches, fairways, and rough were all mowed. The greens were groomed a couple of times, and are rolling nicely. The practice greens were aerated with 1/4" tines on Thursday. The greens on the golf course will be aerated next week. The back nine greens will  be aerated on Monday, and front nine greens will be aerated on Tuesday. We will also be using 1/4" tines, and the holes will heal pretty quickly. All 18 holes will be open for play during both aeration days. Our starting times will be delayed both days so we can complete the process ahead of play. Using smaller tines is much less disruptive with regards to putting, but not nearly as beneficial as using large tines. Our greens have been handling all the water we have received over the past few months better than expected. Given the slow start to the golf season this year due to the lousy weather, we have made the choice to use the 1/4" tines in order to minimize the impact on play. We will perform this process again at the end of July in order to keep the greens in good condition throughout the growing season. In the fall, it will be imperative to use the larger tines again in order to keep our greens draining throughout the winter.

Look at the size of the aeration cores compared to the golf ball