Pond Windows - A Work In Progress

Last season we purchased a piece of equipment called a Ventrac. The Ventrac is a very versatile piece of equipment with numerous applications and attachments that was purchased to replace an old rough mower we used to mow what we refer to as "native areas". These "native areas", like the banks of the pond on #1 & #9, the section of rough between #14 green & #15 tee's, are areas that prior to the purchase of the new Ventrac, were mowed with older rough mowers that had now been retired to native mowing, as these areas are typically very rough and rock & stump ridden.

Enrique mowing with the Ventrac along the steep pond edge on #3

When we first took it out and mowed the pond banks on #1 & #9 we found out just how versatile  the tractor really was. It allowed us to cut back years of encroaching vegetation including aquatic bulrush and cattail's. In doing so we opened up "windows" on both pond edges which we now plan to enhance and maintain.

We always knew these banks were not properly irrigated to sustain desirable turfgrass and had been on our irrigation expansion list for quite some time. However the old vegetation obscured the banks from view of the clubhouse or restaurant so irrigation expansion in the area maintained a B to C level of priority. Now that the area's had been opened up, this irrigation expansion rose to an A level priority because,  first things first, we need adequate irrigation coverage to have good turfgrass and these areas are very visible and exposed.

GBGC installing adequate irrigation to pond edges on #1 & #9 earlier this year 

New irrigation in operation on #1 pond bank.

Once the irrigation was installed and in use, it became obvious that for this change to be truly successful we would need to eradicate the weeds prior to seeding, in particular the nasty Dallasgrass infestation, which was the dominant weed species on these pond banks. Dallasgrass is very difficult to eradicate as it is a perennial weed that need's eradication from the leaves and stems all the way down to the roots or it will just come back.

A dallasgrass plant that escaped recent treatment on the pond bank of #9. You recognize it now dont you! This stuff is nasty and almost impossible to play golf out of. 

 # 9 bank in its current state after a few treatments to eradicate the dallasgrass. 

We still have some weed eradication to do and some minor grading work near the new left-hand fairway bunker on #9. Again to be totally successful, we really need to eradicate all the weeds, especially the dallasgrass.  This like everything else we are trying to wrap up on the course takes time.

I think we are all going to enjoy the aesthetics of this project when complete. It might even keep balls from traveling into the pond. Time will tell. We just wanted to let everyone know what's going on over there.

23 Days Left of Summer

New Assistant Superintendents - Miguel & Ryan

We began the search for Jogi's replacement immediately after he announced he was leaving Granite Bay to take a new Golf Course Superintendent position at Empire Ranch Golf Club. We didn't have to look far as Miguel Machuca was already in place and eager to accept the added responsibility. Miguel and I have been working together for 15 years taking care of golf courses locally with Club Corp and he joined the staff here at Granite Bay in 2010. Miguel is well respected by the GCM staff as well as the GBGC Membership and has a "lead by example approach" to training and instructing young greenskeepers. I refer to him as the "meticulous one" because of his tireless attention to detail.

Ryan Mooney & Miguel Machuca

To fill Miguel's spot we went outside of the GBGC golf course maintenance department and were fortunate to land Ryan Mooney from most recently Woodcreek Golf Club in Roseville.  Ryan worked summer jobs at Cobblestone Creek CC in Victor, NY while pursuing his BA degree in History from St. John Fischer College. He couldn't get golf out of his system while pursing a teaching or museum position to go along with that history degree, so  he decided to go back to school and get a turf degree and pursue a career as a Golf Course Superintendent. His Turf Certificate from UC Riverside lead him to a internship at the Riviera CC for a couple of years and a season at Valley Hi in Elk Grove. One of  Ryan's primary task's will be selective perennial weed control here at GBGC so we are very much looking forward to his success in this area and his addition to our GCM staff.

Summer Blues - Only 23 Days Left!

Jogi's has always said that 1996 was the hottest year we ever experienced here at Granite Bay Golf Club logging 35 days over 100 degrees. However by all measurements 2017 has been the hottest in at least the last 9 years.  Our weather station here the the club has recorded 24 days above 100 degrees so far. Of those 100 degree days 7 were 105 degrees, 1 was 106 degrees and 3 were 107 degrees. What made these numbers even worse was the intensity of two distinct heat waves. The first one was in the very first part of June (6/18 - 6/23) where we had 6 days where the average high temperature was 106 degrees. There was somewhat a reprieve through the rest of  June, then we got hit with the second distinct heat wave in early July (7/6 - 7/10) which lasted 5 days that averaged 103 degrees for the high. 90 degree Summer heat records were set in Sacramento and reflected at the course as there was not one day in the month of July where the high temperature was below 90 degrees. In fact the lowest high temperature we recorded in July was 93 degrees on 7/1. It never got any better then that.

Above is a synopsis of summer heat weather data compiled from our weather station for the last 9 years. The data for 2017 YTD is through August 28. Accuweather forecast for Granite Bay has another 6 days of triple digits in their forecast which will move 2017 numbers even higher. 

Everything we do in the summer is a reaction to heat and what it does to our cool season turf. Heat is what drives us to rope off areas to mitigate the effects of traffic. Heat is the main contributor of weeds, disease and insects thriving in the summer and the reaction from GCM to mitigate their damages despite all of our proactive measures to prevent them. It is unfortunate that the effort to hold on to what turf we have through the summer conflict with fast and firm playing surfaces that golfers desire. However finishing up the summer with a viable stand of turf where we don't need to do massive amounts of reseeding is in everyone's best interest.

Summer Weeds

Last year in July, I wrote about  Granite Bay Golf Club Perennial Weed Control and have linked those articles above. The details regarding perennial weed varieties we battle here at Granite Bay and options for control  were actually outlined pretty well so if you are interested in those details click on the link.

Some weed control updates are worth addressing however that reveal more insight into the control task at hand. The Knotgrass mentioned in the above updates has gotten worse, not better this season likely due to the intensity of the summer, fertility levels and moisture content. We are currently using the same strategy of spot treating areas with a selective herbicide  however we are going to step up application frequency's and rates. This might seem like the "definition of insanity" but it is all we are resourced to do at the moment. Hopefully the intensified strategy will push this weed back enough to mitigate the amount of re-sodding we plan on doing next season, which is the strategy we will be budgeting for in 2018.

Recent selective herbicide application on Knotgrass is doing it's job.

Dallisgrass is another perennial weed we fight here at GBGC however I'm not as concerned about it as it's somewhat slow to spread. Still difficult to control with selective herbicides but we don't have large populations in the primary playing surfaces and Typically control it in those areas by just digging it out and covering hole with divot mix and seed. We do apply the same  herbicide strategy for Knotgrass to Dallisgrass in the periphery and have had some containment success.

Dallisgrass at GBGC

Goosegrass being controlled selectively

Only 23 More Days!

Golf Course Maintenance Weekly 7/21/16

Summer Weeds

Much has been written about summer being the hardest time of the year for the turf here at Granite Bay Golf Club. In addition to the heat and long days of summer being hard on the cool season turf that encompasses most of the course, these summer conditions facilitate every type of pest as well. Disease, insects and weeds all prosper when the weather gets hot. Therefore our task to maintain healthy cool season turf in the summer goes beyond managing irrigation and into prevention of disease, insects and annual weeds but reacting and pushing back on perennial weeds. 

Crabgrass near #10. Crabgrass is the easiest type of weed to control because we actually prevent it from germinating. It is an annual weed therefore applying pre-emergent products at the proper time prevents the weed from ever getting established. Above recent picture at GB is an example of an area where the pre-emergent product was missed.

Annual weeds such as crabgrass are much easier to prevent so are not as much of a problem as perennial weeds. Annual weeds emerge from the seed they produced the previous year(s). Pre emergent products that prevent the weed from germinating, establishing and producing seed interrupts the cycle and keeps that pest problem in check. 

Perennial weeds return every year from both seed and root and stem system's that have overwintered. If they are not prevented or eradicated their spread will just continue. Preventing and eradicating is easier said then done with some of the weeds we that have taken a foothold here at Granite Bay. A picture is worth a thousand words so below are some illustrations of the various weed issues and control strategies for those who are interested.

Dallas Grass (paspalum dilatatum)

Dallas grass is one of the most obnoxious weeds and difficult to control as it is a perennial weed that comes back year after year from it's roots. Isolated patches like this it is almost easier to dig it out. There are selective herbicides           ( products that hurt the weed but not the desirable turf)   that can eradicate this nasty weed but you have to remain diligent.

Dallas grass in a bunker finger on #12.
We will just dig these out and hope we get all of the roots.

Dallas grass near creek on #16.
This area has become so inundated that we will have to treat with a non-selective herbicide ( products that kill whatever they are applied to. Most common non selective herbicide is Round-Up ) or be diligent with selective products that are marginally effective.  When selective products are used in a aggressive manner, which means frequent re-application's, we have been able to push the encroachment back.

 Dallas Grass in the bank directly in front of #16 green and the fairway side of the creek where we have treated with selective products on multiple occasions  and multiple years. We are gaining a little bit of ground but mostly just pushing it back and not losing ground.

Knotgrass (paspalum distichum L)

Untreated knot grass in #18 FW.
Knot grass is another perennial weed that has the potential to be even more of a problem for us then Dallas Grass in that it has started to infiltrate the playing surfaces. The most successful strategy to date is using the same limited selective product that we use for Dallas Grass remaining diligent on reapplications while it is actively growing. we have not eradicated the problem as effective selective products just don't exist at the present time but we have been successful in mitigating and pushing the problem back

Knot Grass in the process of selective control.

Closeup

Example of slight discoloration of the desirable grass while using selective products to control knotgrass in #9 FW

A few years back we attempted the non-selective approach of controlling Knot Grass in #9FW. After the knotgrass was dead along with all surrounding desirable grass we seeded and topdressed. 

The following year we still had Knot Grass reemerging in the areas we had seeded. Needless to say the non selective approach of eradication was scrapped.

Nutsedge (cyperus rotundus L)

Nutsedge bunker finger #9
Nutsedge is another perennial weed we have to deal with here at Granite Bay. The good news for this weed is we have been able to keep it in check with a different selective product then we use for Dallas Grass and Knot Grass. This particular product is very effective for the selective control of Nutsedge therefore the infestation has never gotten  out of hand.

Yellow Nutsedge patch in the approach of #16

Conclusion

Weed control and prevention will always be something we will deal with in one way or another here at Granite Bay and most of the heavy lifting will occur in the summer months when the perennial weeds are actively growing. Until a effective selective product is available for control and eradication of Dallas Grass and Knot Grass we will have to rely on old school chemistry for control which currently does not  completely eradicate the weeds but keeps them pushed back. 

Friendship Rain

We finally got some  rain on the first day of the GBWGC 2014 Friendship Cup. The rain started falling around 7:30 AM and when when it finally stopped the Granite Bay Golf Club weather station measured a 1/2" of much welcomed rain. Maybe not so welcome for the Ladies, who were delayed for a couple of hours and had to keep carts off the course for a day, but welcome for fire fighters and drought watchers and really all of us in Northern California. 

This 1/2" that we received will bring  our 2013-2014 (Sept.- Oct.) rain season total to 16.40". This will leave us (7.80") below the annual average for our area of  24.20"and more importantly (14.13") below the cumulative 3 year drought  deficit. Folsom Reservoir will finish off the season slightly lower then it did in 2013. There have been various forecasts predicting a La Nina Weather Pattern forming in the pacific this coming rain season. Currently the The NOAA's National Weather Service is forecasting a "65% chance of El Nino emerging in fall and early winter. Forecasters favor a weak event." Any of us who pay any attention at all to weather forecasting know that the predictions are often inaccurate and realize that we are just going to have to wait and see. That being said, this current drought will change the way all of us in Northern CA are going to look at water use moving forward. Broad bi-partisan support of upcoming Water Bonds and Historic Groundwater Legislation along with substantial movement on the California Water Plan indicate that even when Folsom is full again, it wont be business as usual when it comes to water use for all of us in this area.

Granite Bay Golf Clubs 2014 Conservation Efforts

The Clubs efforts in water conservation this year has been successful for all of the water meters we manage on the property. The San Juan Water District (SJWD) had a mandatory 25% reduction in water use in place since the beginning of the fiscal year. We have purchased 31% less non potable water  for golf course irrigation at this point in the season then we purchased in 2013 along with 31% less potable water used in the Clubhouse and Golf Shop. When we compare our 2014 water use to a State of California Maximum Allowable Water Allocation (MAWA) water budget, our golf course irrigation use will be 25% to 28% lower at the end of the year.

Dog Days of Summer

We have spent a lot of time and effort on irrigation management in response to this drought this year and with the help of slightly milder then normal weather this summer the golf course seemed to get through it pretty well. We didn't experience any major health issues with the turf, however conditions at the end of September are still a little summer worn. We did experience some inconsistencies with putting surface performance which we will continue to work through. Perennial weeds such as Dallas Grass and Knotgrass are weeds that we persistently fight at the end of the season because of their perennial nature to reemerge every year from their roots. We have been substantially more aggressive this summer with late season treatments yielding some success and plan on the same continued sustained battle for as long as it takes us to control & eradicate  these nasty weeds.

Knotgrass 

Treated Knotgrass fading

Dyeing weeds surrounded by good turf

Another late summer pest we have to contend with is Skunk & Raccoon damage. These night feeding mammals are primarily going after White Grubs as a food source, which we annually treat the golf course to prevent. Most of the damage we are experiencing this year is in the fairways and from skunks. Its standard operating procedure to check for insect activity when Skunk or Raccoon damage is evident and when checking this year we are finding none. Yet the almost nightly damage continues. We displace the skunks that we are able to catch but more just seem to keep coming. I suspect there are a lot of hungry skunks out there with a limited food and water source's due to three years of drought so our course is the best place to forage.

White Grub

Skunk Damage

Upcoming Aerification

We have been aerating and over seeding tees around club events for the past two weeks since mid September. Now that the Friendship Cup has concluded we can finish the forward tees and hybrid bermuda approaches on #14 & #16. Along with completing the over seeding, below is the 2014 fall aerification schedule.

Week of September 29.          Aerification & Over Seeding of Forward Hybrid Bermuda Tees

Week of October 6.                Greens & Fairway Aerification

                                                              10/7/14 - Putting Surface Aerification

                                                              Course Closed

                                                              10/8/14 - Back 9 Fairway Aerification

                                                              Back 9 Closed

                                                              10/9/14 - Front 9 Fairway Aerification

                                                              Front 9 Closed

Week of October 13.              Completion of Fairway & Green Surrounds Aerification

                                                               10/14/14 - Front 9 Closed

                                                               10/15/14 - Back 9 Closed

                                                               10/16/14 - TBD       
Weeks of October 20 &27     Core Aerification of  All Rough Areas
                                                               No Course Closures

             

Smoky sunrise above a freshly over seeded Granite tee on #10