Blue dots around the greens..

       You may have seen the blue dots along the edge of the greens since we converted the surfaces. This isn't a new process here at St. James. We have always marked the edges, even when we had clearer

definition with the bentgrass. The only difference now is the increased importance of keeping the original green-collar interface.

        

        When we resurfaced the greens last season we needed to located the original edges of the greens. Here is a  link to our summary video from two years ago. The 419 bermudagrass can be very invasive under the right conditions, especially when competing with bentgrass. Although the new MiniVerde surfaces growth habit is relatively the same, the management practices at the collar interface demand that we keep our edges marked. 

        Another factor in marking the edges is to maintain the original shape of the green. Below you can see a picture from the sixth green. This is the original green shape.  

        

        Often times our mowers tend to mow into the collars on sharp curves. This causes the putting surface and collar to lose their shape. Here is a edited photo of what can gradually happen if we do not mark the edges.

       Once we begin to mow into the collars we lose perspective of the original green size and shape. Now that we have located the original edges it is our job to insure that we don't lose them again. Painting the edges with blue dots, on a regular basis, helps everyone stay on the same page to keep the greens consistent with the original architecture.

PC Update - Collars

      We have fielded a few questions over the past week regarding the collars. I am going to address those concerns here today.
      The area in question is between the new putting surface and the remaining collar turf. Here is a picture of how they appear now.

      In the picture you see that we sprayed our roundup 16-20" outside of our proposed green surface. This was not by accident. We sprayed outside the green to provide a buffer for the MiniVerde during grow-in. Our collar turf, 419 bermudagrass, is extremely aggressive. The buffer provides the MiniVerde time to establish without the risk of 419 bermudagrass invasion.

      Next week we plan to re sod the collars. The edges of the green's have matured enough to reduce the risk of encroachment. We will begin by removing our buffer zone. We will cut this out and reuse the waste on other areas of the course, (i.e. cart path edges, low spots). Next we will add new soil where needed throughout the void. Finally, we will lay the sod and level. We will start this project next week and hope to be finished by week's end. We will provide a detailed summary of exactly how we completed this task on the blog next week.

     

     

What to expect from the Players Club herbicide spray

      This past week was our first application of herbicide for the green conversion at the Players Club. We sprayed a combo product on the perimeters of the green surfaces. Our target for this application was the bermudagrass that has encroached onto the bentgrass putting surface. We need to spray this area prior to being 'officially' closed to achieve absolute eradication. First, let me explain in more detail the area that we are spraying.

  
      In the above picture you see #6 green at the Players Club. The blue line is the current mowed green edge. The black line is the bermudagrass encroachment onto the putting surface. The orange line is the original green edge. This picture illustrates how much the bermudagrass has encroached over the years since initial construction. The area between the orange line and the black line is our target for this herbicide application. This area extends, variably, around all of the greens at the Players Club.

      Now that you know where to expect a change, let me show you what you can expect. In mid-April we performed a trial of various combination products. We did this trial on the rear of #14 green at the Players Club. This trial allowed us to predict the effectiveness and timing of each product. With some illustrations I will show you exactly how the sprayed turf should appear over the coming weeks.





To the right you can see our trial plot. There are three squares in the photo. The center is the combination herbicide we used for the application. This photo was taken on April 12th.

The photo on the left was taken five days later on April 17th. I have highlighted the square in yellow. You can see a slight discoloration of the turf. Since we sprayed on May 29th, considering all circumstances are equal, this is how the perimeters should appear on Sunday, June 3rd.

At right, you see a photo from April 19th. This would be a week removed from the application. Conversely, this is what you can expect from the perimeters on Tuesday, June 5th. At this point the application will become noticeable to the naked eye. Playability, however, will not be affected. 

 The picture to the left shows our plots on April 23rd. This is eleven days removed from application. And again, all factors equal, this is what you can expect on Saturday, June 9th. You can see that the turf is now completely yellow. This should not affect playability. If so, all measures will be taken to ensure the best possible playing conditions.

Finally, here is a picture taken on May 8th. You can see that our product has completely eliminated the turf. Fortunately this date converts to June 24th and we will have been closed for one week.





     We are hopeful that this article will help explain exactly what is happening on the course. The dates and appearance of the turf are subject to change. Variables such as heat, humidity, rain and wind all contribute to the efficacy of a herbicide. Performing a trial in April helped us in establishing the proper timing for this application. The golf schedule and post-app playability where vital in the decision to make our application on May 29th. We hope that this information will provide you with a better understanding of our planning and execution.

Edges

Here is a new video illustrating how we find the original green's perimeter.