Golf Course Superintendnet Promotional Campaign

Top golfers support 2015 promotional campaign by Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

Nicklaus, McIlroy and others join in asking golfers to "Thank a golf course superintendent"


Since the days of Old Tom Morris, golf course superintendents have been giving golfers a reason to love their great game. Now, some of the best players in golf – from Jack Nicklaus to Rory McIlroy - are taking part in a pro-motional campaign to "thank a golf course superintendent."

The tagline will be used in television and radio commercials, as well as 2015 print and online advertising by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). There will even be a sweepstakes to offer golfers the opportunity to win prizes by actually thanking a golf course superintendent.

"It is rewarding to know that superintendents are held in high esteem by golfers of all ages and abilities," said Rhett Evans, GCSAA chief executive officer. "When Jack Nicklaus says, ‘If you love golf like I do, thank a golf course superintendent,’ it makes all our members around the world feel appreciated and proud of the role they play in providing the excellent playing conditions for this great game."

Thirty-second commercials will begin airing on the Golf Channel in April, and radio, print and online advertising will run in numerous markets across the country, including at the local and regional levels where national adver-tising will be co-branded to support nearly 100 chapter associations.

One television spot features a montage of clips from Nicklaus, McIlroy, Michelle Wie, Nick Faldo, Rickie Fowler, Graeme McDowell and Matt Kuchar. While a second spot features Johnny Miller, Davis Love, Nick Price, Colin Montgomerie, Jason Day and Karrie Webb.

"Golf course superintendents are widely recognized for skillfully managing the biggest asset of any golf facility – the golf course. But when giants of the game support the work we do like this, it makes me boastfully proud to be a certified golf course superintendent (CGCS) for the past 35 years," says John J. O’Keefe, GCSAA president.
www.gcsa.org

#7 Restroom

 #7 restroom is know back into full operation. Although many of you may not have even noticed there was an issue.
 We had discovered the wire had shorted out in several different spots underground, therefore leading to replacement of the entire underground wire. Several steps had to go forward before the replacement could begin. Locating all the underground electrical, cable, gas, and telephone was our start. After everything was located we were able to begin the digging process, the trenching was the easy part, digging the area where Center Point connects to there box was a bear!!! The homeowner had planted a oak tree there some 20 years ago and that tree was no longer 2" round, the roots were massive but the contractor did manage to get through it and get connected into the Center Point Power box.
 We also had to dig through another massive group of roots located at the #7 restroom, they Cypress trees planted 21 years ago have grown quite well and have very nice roots. However, we did manage to get through and the wire has been ran into the meter and the sewer system is back up and running.
 Many thanks to our new golf pro for offering his generator to run the septic system as needed. Now we can move on and get to the next project!!!


Thanks
Willy Plowman
Golf Course Superintendent

Golf Course Coditions in Late Winter Months

 Generally this time of the year I begin to get comments and/or feedback that the golf course is in bad shape and/or we have let the golf course go and have developed "the public golf course maintenance standards".
 I am going to break down winter time, so there's a better understanding of the conditions in turf depending on weather issues.


1. #1 rule is the 150 DEGREE RULE--What is the 150 degree rule? Take the night time and day time temperature, add them together and you want 150 to be in prime growing conditions. So far this winter hasn't been that bad in the temperature range compared to last year however the combined averaged temperatures has only been between 90 to 115 in February--and that is nowhere near the 150 degrees combined rule. We have been on quite a roller coaster rides with temperatures this year, just when the turf is feeling some love by receiving some heat provided by Mother Nature, she then slams a cold front on us and shuts the plant completely down again. Turf is a lot like humans, it needs the sun, heat, and rain to survive and I might add the word CONSISTENCY--consistent sunlight, consistent heat, & consistent rainfall.
2. fertilizer-The last fertilizer application to the roughs and fairways was in June. Typically we do one fertilizer application per year. The timing of the application deeply depends on soil and air temperatures. The cost for this application runs between $10,000 to $15,000, so we want to get our bang for the buck and timing is critical. This application is scheduled for the month of May. We want our turf to be green and growing at the time of the application. I'm quite sure if any of us was going to spend (what the cost of the fertilizer application costs) we would do it correctly so that we got our moneys worth!!!
3. Weed Control-During the later winter months we experience Poa Annua, Clover, and many other weeds that we really don't care to look at. A pre-emergent application is sprayed three times a year on 125 acres out of the 150 acres. From what I can see so far this winter most of the area that received the pre emergent application is free of weeds, there's never a 100% solution. If  there was, everyone else would be out of business. The next scheduled Pre emergent application is scheduled for March and then 45 to 60 days later a second application will be applied, the cost of this application is $11,450.00. In November we do the pre emergent application for winter weeds and the cost for that application $13,600.00. On top of the pre emergent applications additional herbicide applications are made as needed. For the greens, the Poa Annua has taken a hard hit this year with herbicide applications, it still has not completely removed the plant but certainly has put the hurt on it. There is a new product out starting in 2015 for Poa control on putting surfaces, so we'll see???
4. Overall conditions-When the turf is brown, no leaves on the trees, and everything just seems to be BLAH--that's when it's late winter. The golf course maintenance staff is into winter projects such as tree trimming, any building repairs to the restroom facility and/or shop area, pump station rebuilding,
golf course maintenance equipment rebuilding, concrete work, basically doing all the odd and end projects so that when the warmer temperatures arrive and the turf gets to growing we can focus on mowing and giving our membership a consistent golf course to enjoy.
5. Upcoming jobs-Just today I spoke with a member that mentioned pot holes around the course-so we will get right on that project and hope to meet a satisfaction level with all the membership in golf course conditions. New landscaping at the golf shop and the large tri-angle planter on the way to #1 & #10 tee box. Tree trimming to the front of the clubhouse, golf shop, and the scoring area. I'm sure more will happen between now and the arrival of growing temperatures.
6. Membership-How many golfing members really follow the 90 degree rule? How many members drive the carts on the turf as soon as they pass the ladies tee? How many members drive there carts on the opposite side of the green that the cart path is located on? How many members when they come to the tee box and/or the green and park two wheels on the turf and two wheel on the cart path? How many members park there golf cart on the green slope? Rather than on the cart path? All these area's I have touched base on, is simply a way the membership could be pro-active in improving the golf course conditions.


 Overall, if you ever have any comments or feedback-don't hesitate to contact me. This is the way I can understand how the membership is thinking and/or feeling about the golf course conditions. My goal is to meet as many expectations as I can, I do realize I can't meet them all but if I can hit the majority-that will make an impact.
 Also, please feel free to contact you Greens Committee representative's, there's a representative for the Board of Directors, Ladies, Seniors, and Men's Golf Association. They can bring the comments to the meeting and we can discuss what's going on and get it resolved. Basically the better communication between the membership, greens committee and the golf course superintendent the better.


THANK YOU FOR BEING A MEMBER!!!


Willy Plowman
Golf Course Superintendnet

#7 Restroom

Please take our apology for the disruption of the restroom at #7 tee box.


I am working on getting this resolved, so please be patient!


The issue is the electrical wire that is buried underground. Looks as if the entire wire is needing to be replaced. The wire runs from the restroom to the back yard of a homeowner located near #4 ladies tee. and is quite an expense.


In the meantime, I will rent a generator to help in operating the septic system so that we can open the restroom facility for usage.


Thank you for your patience!


Willy Plowman
Golf Course superintendent

Poa Annua on Greens

 We all remember last year greens #1,2,9,18 and the putting green had something different growing on it that we had not experienced before. The type of weed is called Poa Annua and/or Annual Bluegrass, it occurs during cool season months only and in the south it is considered a weed. Where as in other parts of the country many golf course greens are a Poa Annua/Bluegrass variety, Many of the courses along the Pacific Coast are Poa Annua greens.
 Willow Fork had not seen this type of weed on the greens before-- although it has been around for sometime out in the roughs where a pre-emerge control was not applied. The reason the greens in the past were always clean of this type of weed was due to a pre-emerge product called Rubigan. Cost of this application ranged in the $4000.00 area.
 When the new varieties of turf for the greens came out in the late 1990 to early 2000's, overseeding greens was not necessary. This type of turf can withstand colder temperatures at a much higher level than the original turf variety type could handle. Therefore, Superintendents were no longer spraying the pre emerge product (Rubigan) because of the cost and simply spraying a herbicide at a relatively low cost on the putting surfaces. This was awesome!
 Now that 5 to 10 years have gone by removing Poa Annua isn't happening by using the same 1 or 2 of the herbicides available to remove any existing Poa Annua. In 2014 6 herbicide application were made to our greens and ZERO kill took place. So in 2015 changes have to be made in order to keep this weed under control.
 The types of herbicides that have been used in the last 7 years are a contact herbicide. We simply spray it on the greens and leaf blade would intake the herbicide and kill the plant-no more. This generation of plants have now become resistant to these herbicides and last year proves the case. In 2015, a new plan was being brewed up to control Poa Annua. One of the two herbicides we actually started applying back in August and continued spraying an application every 30 days along with a growth regulator before the plant ever sprouted, hoping for better control. Everything was looking promising till the week of Christmas and that's when we found the Poa Annua scattered all over #1 green, and get this, the putting green is clean this year-remember last year, it was bad.


SO NOW WHAT???


There is a herbicide out there with a completely different active ingredient however there is some risk in damaging the turf to the greens if sprayed at full rates and/or overlapping occurs. We will be spraying at half rates and repeating in 30 days. This herbicide is required to be watered in, it's purely a soil activated driven herbicide. By watering it in, the herbicide will move into the soil and the roots will intake the herbicide for the kill. By having a different active ingredient we have now changed to a different family in the herbicide group. This Poa Annua has never been in contact with this type of active ingredient. Once it has been watered in, it will need to dry before play is allowed to walk on it, mainly because this product is easy to move by footsteps, mowers, rainfall. We want this product to completely dry onto the soil and then go to work and kill the DAMN POA ANNUA!!!!


Willy Plowman
Golf Course Superintendent

Winter Time Greens

During the winter months a great amount of protection is provided for our putting surfaces regardless whether the winter time temperatures are at freezing or above. several precautions are taken to help in protecting the plant so that when the spring rolls around the turf is healthy and ready to begin it new growth cycle during the warm season months.


Here's a few examples that you may recognize:


*   Height of cut is raised-during the summer months we typically mow the greens between .117 and .109-that's just above a tenth of an inch. During the winter months the HOC is raised to .151 which is equal to 5/32". There's a tremendous amount of difference in turf now available to uptake sunlight, fertilizer, chemical, and protection against freezing weather.


*   Growth Regulator is removed-During the warm season months I use a growth regulator to help in growth management which reduces the frequency of mowing and the amount of grass clippings by reducing the vertical growth of the turf. Imagine this; hold you hand up and spread your fingers far apart-this is the size of a leaf blade during the winter months----now, bring your fingers into a fist shape-this is the size of the leaf blade during the summer months under the management of a growth regulator. If you can imagine this magnify this across the entire putting surface. During winter months there's a lot of turf reaching out to grab everything it can to live. During the summer months those leaf blades are shrunk down and in height and width, the smooth rolling know begins and consistentency sets in.
Some of you may say that in the winter time, the ball rolls better and/or faster. Keep in mind that's during cold temperatures, when temperatures start warming up, putting speeds slow down.


*   Fertilizers-during the winter months, a granular product is applied every 30 days. I tend to favor the phosphorus and potassium along with micro-nutrients rather than the nitrogen. As an example we apply a 10-20-20 in December, January, and February, 1/2 pound p/1000 sq. ft. of Nitrogen is applied and 1.0 pound p/1000 sq. ft. of phosphorus and potassium is applied. That equals out to 600 pounds of granular fertilizer applied per month. Once March rolls around a decision is based on temperatures, soil moisture levels, has it been a dry year or wet year so far? Then comes soil testing to find out the deficiency in nutrients in the soil and leaf blades.


*   Fungicides-For all of you that have been members here for years, I'm sure you can remember the years when #3,4,5, 14, greens & the putting green would lose turf in the late winter months. After the third year of my complications with these same greens plus a few more, I TOOK ACTION. 18 out of 20 greens we found damage drainage and after all the drainage issues were fixed all 20 greens today have held up nicely throughout the year. What a relief!!!
 With all that said, a fungicide program was established to help in controlling leaf spot diseases. Every two weeks an preventative fungicide application is made. Once the warm season rolls around I shift to different types of fungicides spraying every 30 days targeting root rot diseases and fairy ring diseases.


There's so much detail that I can go into that has not even been mentioned, but I just wanted to share the basics. I hope you got something out of it and if you really want to get in depth, well come and find me.


Thanks
Willy Plowman
Golf Course Superintendent

Expected frost delays

As all of you know cold weather has moved in and and is sticking around.

 Just a heads up to all:

EXPECT FROST DELAYS 

Tuesday November 18th
&
Wednesday November 19th

Tuesday low is forecasted for 28 degrees. Possible frost delays up to 9:00 or later.

Wednesday low is forecasted for 31 degrees. Possible frost delays up to 8:00 or later.

Of course depending on which local station you prefer or the weather channel; all of them seem to forecast a little different. Let's hope it stays above freezing and only minor delay may take place.

Thanks for your understanding.

Willy Plowman

Golf Course Superintendent