GROUNDS
Greenkeeper's Update:
WINTER COURSE MAINTENANCE
To date, the weather has been ideal to complete numerous tasks on the Club’s courses as we only received 1.35" of rain in November and .63" in December. Ground conditions were dry and firm, which has been ideal to complete tree work throughout the property, focusing mainly on trees that are safety hazards. Dead and dying trees pose a threat to members, guests, and staff. Like last year, we will be replanting a new tree to the left of #7 East to replace the two dying trees depicted below.
Additional plantings will also take place on both sides of the driving range tees, adjacent to the fence along Mays Chapel and Jenifer Roads, near the barn hole on #6 (replace oak tree extensively damaged by cicadas), and to the right of #14 East green where a large oak had died. In December, conditions were ideal to complete fairway aeration on both 10
February 2022
courses, as well as core aeration and topdressing the East greens. In late December, our team installed turf covers on the bermudagrass playing areas established this past summer (with the exception of the Driving Range fairway). While there is no guaranteed way to prevent winter injury, covers provide the best level of protection for bermudagrass grown on a sand base during freezing temperatures. Extreme cold temperatures can be lethal to warm-season grass (below 20 degrees for an extended period). These special covers also allow air, water, and sunlight to penetrate, which act similar to a greenhouse effect by increasing the surface and soil temperatures. This will also benefit the perennial ryegrass which was overseeded into the IronCutter Bermuda turf.
Regarding cold temperatures on the bentgrass fairways and greens, the 007 creeping bentgrass is incredibly tolerant of freezing temperatures and unaffected by the cold temperatures. However, we will be installing covers on heavily divoted areas (collection areas at bottom of slopes) on #14 and #15 East to insure these areas have recovered and are ready for the coming golf season.
#14 turf cover
#15 turf cover
Finally, if you have driven by our Five Farms campus in December, you may have seen sprinklers running throughout the property. You may ask yourself if we really need water since growth has slowed and the grass has gone offcolor. The answer is yes, due to the low amounts of rain we received. While the grass has slowed and somewhat offcolor, it is still growing very slowly and the cold, dry, and windy weather can rapidly dry out the soil and plant tissue. This is especially true on all the surfaces which have been recently aerated. As a result of this drying or desiccation, damage can happen and it’s often not visible until spring. ◆
Tim Kennelly, CGCS Head Greenkeeper
