November Grounds Report

Wow, much has happened since the last post! Including a historic drought, a hurricane, another drought, and finally some monsoons. In between Mother Nature's inconsistency we managed to stay busy. Here is an update.

Hurricane Helene

In the previous post I mentioned that the only relief for the drought would have to come from a tropical disturbance. Hurricane Helene was that disturbance and it dropped over 4" of rainfall along with sustained 30 to 40 mph winds. When rating the destruction of storms, none can compare to the 2008 hurricane Ike that decimated the WHCC tree population and closed down the course for over a week so the crew could clean up the massive amount of debris. The 2018 ice storm was another catastrophic event that snapped many trees in half due to the early freezing rain that occurred while leaves were still on the oak branches. Hurricane Helene was definitely not as bad as these two storms, but it probably made the top 5 in my 23 year tenure.

The high hurricane winds snapped 3 trees in half and produced an enormous amount of cleanup work. The crew spent 4, 8-10 hour days, cutting wood, cleaning up branches, blowing off surfaces, and chopping leaves. Even after the cleanup the storm was still leaving its mark when it was discovered that the large pin oak tree by #8 red tee had an enormous crack down its entire side, and the pin oak next to #18 green was rotting out in the center. Both of these trees had to be removed because of their immediate safety concerns.  

After the storm, the drought conditions continued. Even though Helene left the course in a mess, without the much needed rainfall the already historic drought would have been epic. As for the grounds budget it seems we were either going to take a hit from the water bill or tree removal. 

Hurricane Helene Damage Pictures

Helene brush piled at #2 dump

Chipping up the debris

Large crack noticed by #8 red tee. This pin oak needed to be removed 

Another view of  the #8 pin oak crack.

Removing #18 pin oak

 .A picture of #18 pin oak after the branch fell out.

Aeration

Helene hit on a Friday night and when I talked to the aeration contractor that weekend I made the mistake of stating that the rainfall looks to be over by Sunday and the fairways should dry out nicely by the fairway aeration date the following Thursday, making for an almost perfect scenario-which almost never happens! Sensing my optimism, Mother Nature proceeded to park the remnants of Helene over the tri-state for the next 5 days creating some of the wettest conditions I have ever encountered. When I called later in the week about possibly postponing, it was brought to my attention that the next available date wouldn't be for at least a couple of months. Knowing that December tends to be a very wet month, and wanting to utilize the course closed day to get this accomplished, we decided to trudge forward. Luckily, that Wednesday was dry and sunny and it dried out just enough for us to get the deep-tine aeration completed. We did have to skip some wet areas, and some locations were torn up, but it was nice to check this important maintenance practice off the list for this year.

The aeration of the tees, south practice tee, and rough were completed in late September and October. Overseeding the Bermuda grass fairway patches also occurred during this period. It has germinated and is currently filling in. In addition, fall fertilization of the tees, greens, and rough is completed. On the horizon will be fertilization of the fairways and aeration of the north practice tees.

Aerating #1 rough

Deep tine aerating #1 fairway

overseeding Bermuda grass on #10. 

 Tee Leveling

The topography of some of the WHCC tee boxes has been a topic of discussion lately. Tees become unlevel because of over use in the center and the subsequent filling of divots with too much sand. Overtime the tees begin to crown and become bumpy. Typically this occurs more on par 3 tees because of the amount of divots caused by the use of iron shots (click here for more information on the reasons for tee leveling from the USGA).  Once the tee becomes unlevel the only way to fix the issue is by stripping the entire surface and leveling out the soil underneath. 

In conjunction with the green committee 4 tees were chosen for leveling this year based on golfer's input and budgetary constraints. For fairness, one of each tee color was chosen. The tees included, #12 green tee, #4 white/green tee, combining and leveling #14 blue/black tee, and #17 black tee. Golf Construction Associates was the contractor used for this project, and to keep the cost down, most of the labor was completed in house.

Tee leveling is a long and labor intensive process. It begins by stripping the sod and surrounding grass. Then mix is added and the tee reshaped. After the tee is level new sod is put back on. Finally, the process of topdressing, rolling, watering and mowing begins. If the tees are leveled in late summer/early fall the sod will root in much quicker; however, because of the golf schedule and the contractor's availability, we leveled in November and it will take the sod until the spring before the grass will be ready for iron shots. 

In addition, the combining of #14 blue/black tee provided us with some issues. First, the lower (blue) tee needed to be shaved down 7" to make it level with the black tee. After accomplishing this the base soil was exposed and it consisted of hard, blue clay that was probably plowed up from the construction of #13/#14 pond. The hard panned clay was full of moisture from recent rainfalls and was not conducive to shaping. So we had to remove another 10" of the clay and replace with new fill dirt and add another layer of mix to facilitate turf health. All this was accomplished in between a couple 1" rainstorms, but as of this writing we have the bentgrass top sodded and we are waiting for it to dry out so the sod producer can cut and deliver the remaining fescue sod this Monday. Fingers crossed!

Moving forward, understand that we move tee markers to spread out wear patterns. This will help to keep tees level by forcing shots to be hit from different locations on the tees- not just in the same areas in the tee's center. Also, we will begin to increase some cultural practices, such as more frequent topdressing, as time allows to try and keep the tees level for as long as possible. In addition, the agronomy team will continue to work with the green committee to level the most problematic tees annually.

Digging drainage for #14 tee expansion

Removing sod #4 white/green tee

removing sod #14 black tee

removing sod #17 black tee

Putting excess sod on the fairway nursery

Leveling #17 black tee

Leveling #4 white/green tee

Shaping #14 tee. Exposing the clay underneath,

Tarping #14 tee before a rainstorm

New soil #14 tee

Moving the new topsoil

Laying new sod on #12 tee

Washout on #14 tee

Half of the sod laid on #14 

Winter Tree Work

We are in the process of selecting trees to be removed this winter. A tree assessment is accomplished in October every year and diseased/dying trees are located and scheduled for removal. Earlier this year, the USGA agronomist conducted a tree evaluation and recommended trees for removal based on turf health and playability (click here for the report). On page 29 of the report, Zach highlighted, in red, trees recommended for immediate removal. We plan on beginning to remove some of these trees. (namely 1.8 and 16.5 labeled on page 28 and 29). Both of these trees are negatively impacting greens. The nightly irrigation cycle needs to be increased by 70% around these locations in addition to daily hand watering. This is just one of the many issues that trees close to greens create and I invite everyone to read the USGA report for a more in-depth look at how trees impact turf. This will be a slow process to implement. We will only remove trees that the green committee agrees upon and that our tree budget allows. This report will give us a roadmap to follow to help turf health, improve playability, and allow labor to become more focused on other aspects of the golf course.

Miscellaneous Fall Projects

Also included in the USGA tree report were areas where new trees could be planted. We planted three new trees in one of these areas between #8/#9. This location became very open after the removal of the pin oak tree next to #8 red tee. The three trees chosen were a Kentucky coffee 'espresso', a little leaf linden, and a redpointe maple.

Steps were constructed next to #13 green tee to help golfers navigate that area after rainstorms. The summer annuals are getting pulled out and the spring time tulip bulbs are being planted in their place. And leaf removal is in full swing with 8 to 9 crew members blowing and chopping on a daily basis.

The greens have rolled well all year. With the cooler temperatures we will begin to put the greens to bed for the winter by raising the mowing heights, fertilizing, and spraying fungicides for winter protection. Please understand that green speed will start to decrease due to these practices, but these are necessary procedures to keep the bentgrass healthy through the colder months.

Planting the trees between 8/9

Constructing the stepping stones #13 green tee.

Finally, I would like to thank Brad Chaffin for his six years of service as the green committee chairman. Mr. Chaffin's friendly demeanor, organizational skills, and leadership helped to improve the WHCC golf course and our maintenance practices. He oversaw many projects including implementing greens drainage on 4 greens, the rebuilding of the practice facilities, expansion of the putting green, leveling of #13 green, upgrading the grounds building, lighting up the champion overcup oak, and many more. Mr. Chaffin understood the importance of golf course maintenance for improving conditions and was instrumental in helping us implement procedures that have upgraded the course's playability and aesthetic value. In addition, his annual pizza party appreciation lunch for the grounds department has been much appreciated! The agronomy team is grateful for Mr. Chaffin's leadership and looks forward to working with the new administration; continuing to enhance the golf course grounds for environmental improvements and member enjoyment.

As we progress into early winter, the crew will be busy winterizing the irrigation system, rebuilding and grinding mowers, oil changes, tree work, staff recruitment for next season, and of course leaf cleanup. I will continue to update as the 2024 season comes to a close and hopefully the droughts and hurricanes are behind us!

Brad Piecuch

Grounds Superintendent

Dry September

 Dry January gets all the hype at the beginning of the season for people abstaining from alcohol after a long and festive holiday season. However, another annual occurrence for the tri-state area is drought conditions after the end of the summer season. September is the driest month of the year, for Cincinnati, and this year is turning out to be even drier than previous years-with very little rainfall in the last three weeks, and even less expected in the next month. Many experts are predicting this year’s drought will be the worst to impact the state of Ohio in 36 years.

The summer months were a roller coaster; with a dry and hot end of June; a wet and humid end of July; and a hot and dry end of August. The WHCC weather station, so far, has had 17 days of 90℉+. The hottest day of the year was on August 30th with a high temperature of  97.3℉. With very little rain in the immediate forecast the temperature extremes will probably continue. A popular saying is "drought begets drought", because with very little moisture to draw from the atmosphere continues to stay dry until a drought buster, such as a tropical system, finally breaks its hold. Moreover, dry air and dry soil heat up and cool down much quicker than wet/humid conditions making for extreme temperature swings- cool mornings and very hot September afternoons. 

The cool season turf is reflecting the hot summer with brown patches beginning to show up, especially under the tree canopies. We have begun to slit seed many brown/dead rough patches, but keeping enough moisture in the ground for the seed to begin germination is a challenge. The tees, fairways, and greens are fairing a bit better but we could still have many more weeks of these conditions.

Click here for a video link of the current drought conditions from the OSU Buckeye Turf team. 

Watering in topdressing sand.

A good picture showing the effectiveness of  the summer time spray applications. One pass is sprayed around the fairways with fungicides and fertilizers and it is noticeable in this picture. Outside of the spray the turf is in worse shape. 

Cart damage during the early August conditions. This warranted a change to rough day.

Lydia slit seeding an area left of #4 green.

The Cost of Trees

I tend to agree with most superintendents who believe dry conditions are better than wet environments because we can control the amount of water being applied. However, the difference between WHCC and many other golf courses is the size and amount of trees that dot the property. The 75'+ foot tall pin oak trees have an extensive root system and in the late summer and early fall they tend to win the moisture battle with the cool season turf. This results in more moisture needing to be applied to keep the cool season turf healthy and alive during dry spells. Also, WHCC has to pay for water, instead of pulling from a lake or reservoir, and city water isn't cheap.

Last year, I put together some numbers to quantify how much water these large trees are using up during the summer season. Using a formula based on tree canopy width, it is estimated that around 30% of the water from irrigation or rainfall is being utilized by tree roots. The champion overcup oak alone uses around 600 gallons a day. This equates to about an inch of water needed per week to maintain its health and vigor. The large number of pin oaks located throughout the grounds, with their root systems stretching under the turf around the entire golf course, brings into focus the enormous amount of water needed for both to survive. 

When the cost of watering, pruning, storm cleanup, fall leaf cleanup, tree removals, daily blowing off debris on playing surfaces, increased inputs for stressed turf, and over seeding under tree canopies comes together it represents a hefty part of the grounds budget-in the range of 35% to 40%. Having this many trees on the property comes with a significant cost and reduced turf quality. Hopefully, everyone understands the cost of trees on the golf course and we will continue to work with the green committee to either reduce the number of trees or continue to allocate this much time and resources for a heavily tree lined property.

In addition, the lightning stuck tree by #2 red tee was removed. Another tree (on #16) turned into a lightning rod in late August and we will monitor the health of this tree, but it will probably need to be removed this winter.

If you look closely, notice the dew is gone parallel to the tree line. This is indicating the presence of tree roots fighting for moisture. The little bit of moisture the dew is providing is quickly taken up by the thirsty trees leaving little left for the bentgrass fairway turf. Supplemental irrigation was needed in addition to the nightly watering schedule to keep this area alive. This is one example of many locations where tree roots are impacting turf quality.

The same picture as above with the tree root area that is impacting the fairways outlined in blue.

Shade, at 11:00 am from a pin oak tree right of #13 green. This amount of shade on the green for the entire morning encourages the establishment of poa annua and decreases turf quality on the putting surface.

Removing the pin oak struck by lightning by #2 red tee.

The newest victim of lightning, left of #16 fairway.

A picture I took a couple years ago of the Pete Dye Course at French Lick in Indiana. One of the top rated courses in the country. Not many trees to contend with here!

Aeration

September is the beginning of aeration season and the greens aerification was completed on September 3rd. We have received some questions as to why aeration holes are different sizes. In order to complete the core aeration process we needed to use all of the aerators in the fleet. Two of the walk behind aerators are old Jacobson aerators that pull plugs at a tighter spacing but require the use of smaller tines. The John Deere aerator goes much faster and uses bigger tines. Consequently, the Jacobson units used 1/4" tines (the biggest they can handle) and the John Deere aerator used 1/2" tines (the smallest recommended for this unit). The John Deere unit was utilized on the soil based greens and the Jacobson aerators were used on the sand based greens. All three were utilized in order to aerate the greens in one day. 

Also, another common question was why the holes were not filled completely with sand. Again the time constraint was an issue. We simply do not have enough time in one day to completely fill in the holes. The typical greens aeration procedure starts with pulling the cups, then marking heads, aerating the greens, blowing the core plugs onto the collars, picking up the cores, topdressing with sand, dragging the sand in with a broom mat, watering, fertilizing, and rolling. This is a long process and to get the holes completely filled with sand we need more workers and time to either blow or push the sand into the aeration holes. In addition, the smallest tine size that can be completely filled in with sand is a 1/2". As previously stated only one of the aerator units is equipped to aerate with this size of a tine. Ultimately, core aerating with 1/2" tines and filling them with sand is better for the turf agronomically and will help to heal the putting surfaces quicker leading to better post aeration playing condition. The green committee has approved the purchase of a new aerator, that will lead to more uniform aeration, but with the current supply chain environment we may not receive it until the end of 2025.

Next up will be the aeration of tees. This will take place during the week working around play. The rest of the playing surfaces will be punched as follows:

• Fairways: Deep solid tine aeration, Thursday October 3rd (course closed)
• Play rough: October, when time and weather conditions allow
• Practice tees: After closing in the late fall.

A quick shout-out and thank you to Mr. Graff and the rapid run LaRosa's team for providing the grounds crew with pizza during the greens aerification. I can attest that it didn't last long and was much appreciated!

Topdressing #7 green.

Blowing off core plugs #5 green.

#1 green after a heavy topdressing. Next step was to drag in the sand with a matt, then water it in.

Practice Tees

The good news is that the new WHCC practice facility is being used- a lot. The bad news is the increased usage is taking a toll on the practice facilities. The number of rounds played on the golf course continues to increase, therefore also increasing the usage of the practice facilities. Another aspect, that is not tracked and may be harder to quantify, is the amount of golfers that are coming only to use the practice tees and chipping green. A typical 18 hole private club needs at least 1 acre and preferably 2 (or more) acres of turf on the teeing area. Clubs that have 1 acre or less of teeing space have to limit usage, suffer more wear, and need more aggressive turf management programs. The WHCC practice tees (North and South tees) equal 40,800 square feet, just under an acre (43,560 square feet in an acre).

The architect did a great job utilizing the limited amount of space that was available for expansion of the practice tees during the recent renovation. However, the space is still undersized for the amount of usage it is receiving.

In addition, the late July hot, wet and humid conditions didn't help the situation. During the last week of July we received a good amount of rainfall and experienced very hot conditions. This caused the death of some turf, especially poa annua, in the front right corner of the south tee, where the surface drainage flows to. To combat this we switched to the north tees just before the August member/guest to give the area a chance to heal. After one week on the back north tee the area was completely pulverized forcing us to move back to the south tee sooner than expected. All of this explanation is a longer way of saying it has been a rough year on the WHCC practice tees. Currently, we are utilizing the artificial turf an extra day a week to encourage some recovery. Also, we have vented the tees, increased fertilization, and continue to fill in divots when time allows. We are seeing some much needed recovery, starting to take place. We ask for patience as we continue to combat Mother Nature's curveballs and the increased usage. We will continue to work with the golf professionals and the green committee to reduce wear and still allow golfers to practice tee shots off of healthy turf.

For more information on practice tee management and size click here for an article from the USGA

Example of a bad divot pattern. This will take over a month to heal.

Example of a good linear divot pattern.

The same area 3 weeks later. This pattern heals much quicker.

Filling in divots on a Monday morning on the south driving range tee.

An early morning venting of the south tee.

On the horizon, in addition to aeration, is tee leveling, switching out the summer annuals for fall flowers, fall fertilization, and possibly more landscape projects. I will continue to update as the summer season, mercifully, comes to a close. And if anyone knows a good rain dance, now may be the time to start chanting!

Brad Piecuch

Grounds Superintendent