PC Conversion Update - 7/28/12

      We have definitely reached the home stretch now. Only two weeks remain until the greens will be unveiled. August 13th is fast approaching and we are gearing all of our attention towards opening the course. With only 10 working days left its time to wrap up ongoing projects and begin prepping the course for play. Here is a recap of last week and a brief look ahead to next.

Last Week 7/22-7/28

• Monday - We mowed the greens at a height of (.150"). We are holding steady at this height until the last week of the grow-in. We are still trying to fill in a few areas and the increased leaf surface will help to accomplish that.

      We also continued our project of scouting the greens for weeds today. Because the turf is still relatively new, we must take precaution on the chemicals we apply. This forces us to remove noxious weeds by hand. Here is a picture of the types of weeds we are removing.

      Although difficult to see, above is a picture of some 419 bermudagrass that has emerged on the surface. Just below the screwdriver you can see the 419 rising above the surface. The 419 has a longer leaf blade and a distinctive growth pattern. These traits help us to isolate it on the MiniVerde surface. We then remove the plant and repair the green like repairing a ball mark. On a typical day we may pull 20-25 weeds from the surface over four acres.
      On Monday we applied an miticide to the greens. This product is designed to decrease nematode populations in the soil. Nematodes are a serious problem in turfgrass, especially in sandy soils. Here is a fact sheet on nematodes and the problems they present.
      We also started fertilizing the tees, fairways and weak areas on Monday. We fertilized with ammonium sulfate (21-0-0). This fertilizer will improve the color, quality and vigor of the turf.   

• Tuesday -  Today we spiked, verticut, topdressed and fertilized the greens. The spiking was to break up the surface algae and allow the turf to cover in. The verticutting was intended to nick the MiniVerde plants, thus encouraging lateral growth. Finally the fertilizer we used was an (22-0-22) product designed to promote growth and replenish the potassium leached in the soil from increased irrigation.

      We also continued to clear sight lines around the course. Today we concentrated our efforts to the left of #1 tee. This area has become overgrown and the cutting back has been long overdue.

• Wednesday - We mowed the surfaces today at a height of (.150"). As stated we will remain at this height until the surfaces are 95% covered.

      Wednesday also saw the completion of our putting green collar restoration. As of today all collars and weak areas around the greens have been sodded. We will continue to hand water them for another week to ensure a successful planting.

• Thursday - Today we started our application of growth regulator to the course. We applied the growth regulator to all the turf sans the putting greens. This application will slow growth, therefore limiting scalping and improving turf quality.
• Friday - We wrapped up all of our ongoing projects today. We finished our fertilizer and growth regulator applications. We also made an application of gypsum (CaSO4) to the greens. The gypsum will aid in flushing the salts from the soil. The increased salts associated with increased fertilization can be extremely detrimental to the turf. We typically apply gypsum twice per year. This year may see an increase to four or five. Here is a website explaining the benefits of gypsum applications.

Next Week 7/29-8/4

• Continue mowing the greens at (.150"). A change in frequency may occur. Mowing everyday as opposed to every other may be necessary according to the health of the turf.
• Fertilize the greens. We will be applying Urea (46-0-0) in liquid form to the surfaces. The different chemistry in Urea will help us to benefit from microbial activity beneath the surface.
• Verticut the greens. One to two times as necessary
• Topdress the surfaces.
• Level sprinkler heads.
• Begin refinishing course hardware. (i.e. tees, 150 pole, etc..)
• Edge sand traps, cart paths, yardage signs, etc..

      Next week we will be devoted completely to reopening the course. We will wrap up any unfinished projects and focus 100% of or manpower on course conditioning. We expect to be in excellent condition on August 13th. Remember to follow the blog for more updates on the Players Club conversion and all things St. James Agronomy.