Schedule for sand in greenside bunkers

 Naturally we want to deliver sand to the most unloved sand traps out there and where should that list come from. So here's my route in deciding who gets first pick;

Holes #17,16,15,14,13,8,4,5,6 will get first grabs. These traps have never received additional sand since I've been here with the exception of #5 left two traps. Because I do receive alot of static about sand in these two traps I went ahead and included them in the first line up. Up to three or four inches of sand could be added depending on what's there now.

Holes #1,2,3,7, chipping green will get second grabs. These traps had some work done to them since my arrival, therefore additional sand will be added as needed.

Holes #9,10,11,12,18 will have last grabs, these traps were done last year.

A total of 20 loads and/or 598 tons of sand will will be trucked in.

PEST CONTROL OF A CULINARY KIND

Getting hungry? Peruse a menu of bugs from around the world.

Cockroaches, ants, crickets, termites . . . we reach for the insecticide and a sprayer when we see these many-legged creatures in our homes and gardens. But in many cultures around the world, these pests are also mealtime pleasures. The scientific term for this is entomophagy—the consumption of insects.

A brief menu of edible insects from around the world:

•  Thailand: Dishes include fried giant red ants, crickets and
    water beetles

•  Colombia: Fried and salted ants are a popular snack

•  Ghana: Winged termites are fried or roasted, and even made
   into bread

•  Mexico: Enjoy agave worms on tortillas, and toasted or fried
   grasshoppers

•  Cambodia: Locals and tourists alike enjoy deep-fried tarantulas

•  South Africa: Cornmeal porridge, a dietary staple, sometimes
   includes locusts

•  Papua New Guinea: One local delicacy is sago grubs in banana leaves

•  Singapore: Fried scorpions are served on skewers or on pieces of battered fish

Insects have a high amount of protein, vitamins and minerals, and are eaten as both a snack and a meal—but it all depends on where you are. Bugs are not on the menu in most Western countries, where people wouldn’t think to rank them with delicacies such as steak or lobsters, which have a rather buggy appearance, when you think about it!

If interested contact your Golf Course Superintendent Willy Plowman and he can provide such insects as earthworms, mole crickets, grub worms, army worms, ants, and mosquitos

DROPS OF WISDOM

THE VALUE OF TRUST: HOW TO EARN IT AND WHY

 

Making your clients happy should always be an important goal for you. When you do a job professionally and to the best of your ability, you can expect positive responses-and not worry about bad reactions-from your clients. But avoiding an uncomfortable confrontation shouldn't be your motivation to do your best; making your clients happy is the reason to excel.

Trust can go a long way toward helping you build a large, loyal client base. When you have earned a client's trust, you have won more than their loyalty. A client who is satisfied with your work and believes you will continue to do your best will gladly tell others about your business abilities and accomplishments.

Sand in Bunkers

 Be on the look out, the golf course maintenance staff will begin receiving loads of sand for the bunkers. naturally we will start with greenside bunkers and if there's still more to come then we'll move to the fairway traps.
 The maintenance staff finished rolling the sod around the bunker at #17 green right side. So that's where we'll begin, doing #16 & #17 greenside bunkers.
 From here, I'll meet with Greens Committee in moving forward on which greenside bunkers to add sand in. For the most part, three to four inches of sand will be added to the bunker.

ENJOY!

Off-Types in Ultradwarf Putting Greens

Spot infestations of different bermudagrass in putting greens are a resurfacing issue

The ultradwarf bermudagrasses (Champion, Mini-Verde and TifEagle) have been available since the late 1990s and have outperformed their predecessors Tifgreen and Tifdwarf in research trials (Morris, 2003) and on putting greens. Superior surface smoothness and faster putting speeds can be maintained with these grasses because of their finer leaf blade texture, greater shoot density, and tolerance to lower mowing heights. Many golf courses throughout the southern United States have converted to an ultradwarf bermudagrass, and this has raised the bar as far as putting green quality.

Golf courses in the transition zone have also realized benefits of ultradwarf bermudagrasses. Bentgrass has long been favored because of its superior putting characteristics compared to Tifgreen and Tifdwarf. However, bentgrass struggles during the summer months, a time when peak playing conditions are desired in the transition zone. Many bentgrass putting greens have suffered severe turf loss with extreme heat and humidity, as greens are stressed to produce fast speeds at the expense of turf health. Bermudagrass has been viewed by golfers in the transition zone as a second-class citizen, but ultradwarf cultivars have changed this opinion with their excellent playing conditions.

Development of spot infestations of off-type bermudagrasses has also been a longtime problem with Tifgreen and Tifdwarf bermudagrass putting greens, resulting in a change in composition over time from a monostand to a collection of different bermudagrasses (Foy, 1997; Busey, 1997).Typically off-types became noticeable within five years after planting Tifdwarf bermudagrass, growing in size and number over a short period of time. Many Florida golf courses regrassed putting surfaces every 10 to 15 years due to a progressive increase and poor performance of bermudagrass off-types (Foy, 2003).

It was hoped that ultradwarf bermudagrass putting greens were immune to off-types, as there were very few apparent issues within the first seven or more years. In fact, there are ultradwarf bermudagrass putting greens that are more than 12 years old that have no apparent off-types at this time. However, off-types have become a significant issue on golf courses in recent years. This article attempts to shed greater light on bermudagrass off-types on ultradwarf bermudagrass putting greens and offer some insight as to how they are currently being managed