September Update

The cooler air temperatures and warm soil temperatures make September the best time of year to overseed, aerate, and fertilize cool-season turfgrass. Greens aeration in the fall differs from our spring time practice. In the spring we deep-tine aerate all of the putting surfaces with solid tines (we do not pull a core). In the fall, because of the optimal growing environment, we core aerate (pull plugs). This helps more with decreasing organic matter and  prepares the soil for overseeding. There are many other benefits to core aeration, and for more information click here for an informative USGA article.

The majority of the golf course is core aerated this time of year. We understand this can be a nuisance for golfers; however it is imperative that aeration be accomplished in order to have a healthy, aesthetically pleasing, and well playing golf course. The benefits that occur because of this practice may not be noticed right away, but its positive effects will be enjoyed later this season and next. Some of the noticeable results from core aeration that a golfer would appreciate is faster greens, firmer fairways and tees, and greener, healthier looking turf. The dates for aerating different areas of the course are as follows:

• Greens- September 8th (Course Closed)-Completed
• Tees- mid September, during the week, working around play- Completed
• Play Rough- late September/early October when time and weather conditions dictate- Completed 
• Fairways- September 21st (Course Closed)-Completed

Of course, all this is weather dependent, and we will update if anything changes.

Fairway aeration completed September 21st

Fairway aeration

Fairway core aeration

Tee aeration

Core green aeration completed on September 8th

Topdressing, on greens, will be applied at a heavier rate to fill in aeration holes

Fall is also the best time to fertilize turfgrass. The summer causes a tremendous amount of stress on the cool-season grasses and giving these plants a good amount of supplemental nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium helps the turf recover.  These macro-nutrients are essential to plant development and provide expanded leaf and root growth that help to aid the plant in its biological functions. With the warm days and cool nights, that early autumn provides, the plants are more able to absorb these beneficial nutrients, helping the turfgrass to produce more carbohydrates-which it will need going into the winter months. There are two types of fall fertilization that are equally important- early and late. The early application will be accomplished on greens, tees, fairways, and rough, later this month and into early October, working around play.

Equipment used to fertilize fairways and rough

Overseeding is the third cultural practice done in September. Planting seed this time of year gives grass the best chance of survival, allowing the plant to establish a root system during the fall and spring before the hot summer months arrive again. To accomplish this the soil must first go through some form of cultivation. This is accomplished through slit seeding or aeration. After the soil is prepped the seed is applied and needs to be kept moist before and after germination. We will be overseeding the greens, fairways, and tees with different bentgrass varieties, and the rough with tall fescue.

Along with daily maintenance, the Grounds Department has been busy with other projects during the last month. The dry creek bed in between #15 tee and #16 green is finally completed. The aeration and overseeding of the far practice tee was accomplished in mid August, and the fairway dead poa annua areas that were overseeded are filling in nicely. The summer annuals are at their peak and soon the fall annuals will be taking their place in some of the landscape beds, window boxes, and pots.

Dry creek bed between #15 tee and #16 green

Far practice tee aeration/overseeding completed

                                     

# 13 fairway area healing

Cannas, cleome, and marigolds performing well by baby pool

Its also the time of year that the WHCC tree roots are having a big impact on turf health. They are both competing for available moisture and the areas where the trees are winning the battle are becoming noticeable, with big patches of brown and stressed out turf. We are increasing our irrigation around these areas and hopefully the cooler temperatures along with the trees' impending winter dormancy will help.

Pin Oak winning the moisture battle with #18 fairway
 

With the abundant amount of irrigation heads located throughout the course there is always something to be fixed. Two days before the member/guest tournament was a great time for a creek to form in the middle of #4 fairway. Luckily we have a great irrigation technician (Michael Westendorf) who was able to quickly locate the bell end pipe leak and fix it before the start of the tournament.

Fixing the leak found in the middle of #4 fairway. By the way we did use a bigger shovel to dig the trench 😂  

Finally, the Grounds Department would like to remind everyone of good golf course etiquette. We must all do our part to keep the golf course in great shape. Remember the 3 R's.

• Replace fairway divots. If a divot is taken out of a fairway or tee and still has a good amount of soil attached, place the grass sod back into the divot and firmly step on the grass to ensure good root/soil contact for healing and to make sure it doesn't get pulverized by one of our fairway mowers. If the sod has little or no soil, or if the grass is destroyed into many little pieces, please repair the divot by using the sand bottle that is in every golf cart or the divot sand buckets that are located on every par 3 tee. Put the sand into the divot and use your foot to gently smooth over the surface, so the sand is not above the surrounding grass. If too low, a golf ball could fall in leaving a difficult shot for the next golfer. If too high, it will damage our reel fairway mower blades.
• Repair divots on putting greens. Unrepaired ball marks will take weeks to heal. A properly repaired ball mark will heal in a couple days. Unrepaired marks leave uneven surfaces for the next putter. So next time you leave a mark, repair yours, and a couple more. Being a courteous golfer is something the golf course will definitely thank you for!
• Rake bunkers when exiting. Always rake the bunker upon leaving making sure to rake the sand toward and away from you to smooth out the sand's surface. Always exit out of the low side of the bunker. Also, always knock the sand off your shoes before entering a green.

Also, keep golf carts at least 50 feet away from greens and try to stay on the cart path as much as possible on par 3 holes. These regions get a tremendous amount of traffic and they are areas where the turf needs to look and play it's finest. Golf cart traffic can cause much turf damage so the more you are able to walk to your golf ball the better the turf will look and perform.

Here is a divot repair video from the USGA. (Click here for the link)

Here is an informative article from the USGA on proper golfer etiquette. Click here for the article.

September is an extremely busy month for the agronomy team. Just as the great band Earth, Wind, and Fire stated in their hit song September- "Now December found the love we shared in September"-the TLC we put into the course in September will be found and enjoyed next season and for many seasons to come.  

Brad Piecuch

Grounds Superintendent