Nov/Dec 2017
We hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season. A happy
belated Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas form the Agronomy Department.
The weather is finally cooling after a prolonged warm
fall with above average temperatures into December. The prolonged warmer
temperatures have presented challenges to the ryegrass overseed and have helped the Bermuda substantially recover and compete with the
ryegrass. Due to the competition, the
overseeded ryegrass has had challenging time establishing a mature root and
does not allow the ryegrass to tiller out multiple leaf blades. (see picture below) The ryegrass can be crowded and choked, reducing its ability to
survive. To promote the ryegrass ability to out compete the Bermuda we keep the
golf course on the wetter side with increased irrigation. The ryegrass is very susceptible
to drying out because of the shallow roots and deceased leaf production due to
the Bermuda competition. We understand the increased irrigation does not help
present the best playing conditions. Fortunately, now that the temperatures have dropped we will
be able to reduce the irrigation and help dry the golf course down to a better
moisture level.
The bermuda competition also has the potential to turn the
golf course off color during the frost season of December and January. Once we
reach frost temperatures the Bermuda under the overseed can turn yellow and enter dormancy during these cold months. We have
been anticipating these onditions and have been applying foliar and
granular fertilizer applications to help the ryegrass excel in growth and
reduce this effect.
Pinnacle Peak is not the only club dealing with the challenge of the prolonged warm temperatures.. We have spoken with several of our neighbor courses and have found
that this has been a consistent condition around the valley. We are constantly managing our daily operations of mowing, watering, and
fertility to help produce the best conditions for our members and guests.
Once we have a couple of frosts you can expect the non-overseeded roughs and bunkers to go off color into a dormant yellow or brown color. To
produce a consistent dormant look, we will spray a product that will take all of the green color out of the leaves of the Bermuda grass and help create a consistent golden yellow look.
This application will give a stark contrast against the overseed areas. We do
ask that players DO NOT fill the divots in the Bermuda rough through the winter
season. Please fill divots in the overseeded areas only.
Now that the greens have had a year of maturing we are starting
to see a much higher density in the turf. This has helped to keep the greens at faster and more consistent speeds. We have been able to keep the
stimp reading between 11-12 daily. While the performance of the greens continues
to improve, the greens are still very young and have not yet developed a mature mat
layer below the green leaf tissue. This mat layer is the layer of living stems and
leaf tissue that creates the padding between the leaf tissue and the sand the
greens are built on. This is also the layer that helps absorb the impact of a
golf ball and reduce the severity of the ball mark. This
layer will continue to improve over time and will continue to firm and strengthen our
young greens. This layer will eventually turn to what is known as thatch or the
layer of dead leaf and stems tissue. Too much thatch and not enough thatch both
impact performance of the green in terms of ball marks, firmness and speed. Over
time it is our challenge to manage the greens to a “happy medium” to consistently
produce the best playing surfaces for our members.
We have recently introduced an additonal practice to help improve the
ball marks. You may have noticed green sand in the ball marks. We have been
sending several staff members out daily to repair ball marks and use a “micro
top dresser” with green painted USGA sand mixed with a bentgrass seed. The top
dresser is being used on larger ball marks either poorly fixed or where the
turf is too damaged to recover on its own. The small top-dress also help to
level the ball mark to improve putting conditions.We appreciate everyone's help in diligently repairing their ball marks.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!!
