Dry, Hot Conditions
So far this summer it has been extremely dry. As I write this, the Tri-State area is under "Abnormally Dry" conditions according to the U.S. drought monitor. This is the second drought period to occur within a year, with the last dry event occurring in September and October of 2022, which had over 40 days without significant moisture. Currently, we are at 20 days without any substantial rainfall. May and June are typically wet months, and the lack of rainfall is, in some ways, more concerning than in the fall. Evapotranspiration rates are .20 and above because of wind, hot temperatures, low dewpoint temperatures and extended daylight hours. This means between evaporation and transpiration around 1/4" of moisture is being lost daily. Add in the 90 degree temperatures, and we are experiencing drought stress that is typically not seen in this area until the heat of late July and August. This is setting the course up for a difficult road ahead. Obviously, we are utilizing the irrigation system; however, even with nightly irrigation cycles many localized dry areas are forming. To combat this, we are applying wetting agents in our spray applications and our hand watering procedures, raising mowing heights, and lowering the amount of PGRs used. The turf is hanging on, but many areas are starting to wilt and decline. Poa annua, in particular, has a hard time surviving in these conditions (click here for a previous post on poa annua). The grounds department will continue to implement strategies to mitigate turf loss; however, we are at the mercy of Mother Nature and without rainfall and cooler temperatures some poa annua will be lost. Click here for a post from Ohio State about current dry turf conditions.
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| Poa annua staring to stress under the current conditions |
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| Close up of stressing poa annua on #9 fairway. |
Aeration and the North Tee
The deep tine aeration of the putting surfaces was completed in early May. All the greens were solid tine aerated to a depth of 8" and a heavy topdressing application followed. The conditions during the aeration were not ideal with temperatures in the 40s and light, misty rain; however, I am glad we pulled through and completed the process before the hot, dry temperatures occurred. The greens took about two weeks to heal and are now rolling to the WHCC course standards.
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| Deep-tine aeration of the putting green |
The new north driving range tee is now open. The finishing work was completed in early May with the completion of cart path paving, the installation of a parking lot area, and a new 8' safety fence installed. The new tee looked healthy and full before the first practice shots were taken. Big chunks will come out with divot shots on the newly seeded tee until the grass matures and builds a bigger thatch layer. We will switch back to the south tee in late June or early July. The South practice tee has been solid tine aerated, topdressed, and overseeded while the north tee is in use. Moving forward, the plan is to have the north tee open for early spring and late fall with the south tee open for the summer months.
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| Installing the new parking area by the north tee |
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| Extending the sides of the north tee cart path. |
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| The north tee before practice shots. The best it will ever look! |
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| Chris Wheeler aerating the south tee. |
Bunkers and Tees
The WHCC bunkers are over 20 years old and starting to show their age. We have measured the sand depth in all of the bunkers on the course and are adding sand where needed. This along with the newer raking style has helped give a new, better look and play to these old surfaces. Still, washouts continue to be a problem with sand consistency and soil contamination. Many courses have installed hard liners (comprised of gravel and a spray on polymer) under the bunker sand to keep it in place and reduce contamination. However, this procedure is expensive and will require the closure of holes for the installation. We are working with the Green Committee on all possible solutions and I will update if/when anything is decided.
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| Ricardo edging the #8 bunker with a weed whip. This is done once a month to give the bunkers a nice, crisp edge. |
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| Adding sand to a bunker |
Tee leveling will take place this fall. The scope of the work is still to be determined with budget constraints and the exact tee locations to level at the fore front. Over time, tees become unlevel because of wear patterns and filling in divots with sand. Most of the use on tees occurs in the middle areas that, consequently, become crowned and uneven. We aerate, topdress, and try to move the markers evenly around the tees to help smooth them out, but eventually they become crowned enough to warrant a renovation procedure. Once the scope of this work is finalized I will update (click here for a USGA video on why tees become uneven).
Honey Dew
Many members have noticed the sticky residue that is coating many vehicles parked by the white oak trees in the parking lot. The sticky substance is called honey dew. It is produced by aphids that feed off plant sap. The excrement from these aphids produces a sticky, sugar filled substance called "honey dew". These are cool season bugs that typically feed in the late spring and early summer months. This usually coincides with an abundant amount of rainfall that washes the aphids and the sticky honey dew off of the trees and surrounding landscapes. Since rainfall has been scarce, these feeders are able to produce more sticky residue and whatever it sticks too becomes coated like a syrup glazed flapjack until washed off by a hose (click here for an Ohio State extension article about honey dew).
Landscaping
The summer annuals are planted. Increased watering and fertilizing will occur until the annuals become rooted in. The honor garden located by the fountain has added a nice new area for members to enjoy a drink, listen to the fountain, and take in the beautiful scenery. Many tropical plants have been incorporated into the clubhouse annual design and they are loving the hot summer conditions. The landscape bed behind the chipping green survived the winter months well and is beginning to put on new growth. It adds a nice screen and backdrop to the chipping green hillside. The horticulture team will continue to maintain the annuals and they should fill in throughout the summer months.
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| Honor garden consisting of fragrant return daylilies, silver mound artemisia, azure snow salvia, stewartstonian azalea, limelight prime hydrangeas, sunshine bluebeard, and bubblegum petunias. |
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| Roses by the fountain in full bloom |
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| Landscape bed behind the chipping green consisting of karl foerster feather reed grass, blue pacific junipers, and spring grove arborvitaes. |
Finally, on a sad note, the Grounds Department is heartbroken by the sudden death of Stan Berry, WHCC's longtime morning Sous Chef. Typically, the agronomy team has limited contact with many other departments because of the early morning work hours and our 127 acre workspace; however, Stan worked an early shift and we had many early morning interactions. We always enjoyed talking about his newly purchased vehicles or his future goals of starting his food truck business. He was a fun loving guy, a good chef, and we always loved sampling his legendary pecan rolls. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. Rest In Peace Stan!
Brad Piecuch
Grounds Superintendent
