The 2012 summer annual flowers are in and established. This year we utlizied a different variety of flowers around the property. Below are just a few of the new beds which inlcude Pentas, Lanatana, Millet, Wandering Jew, Banana plants, Ginger Lillies and more.
Putting Green Bed
Flag Pole Bed
Front Door BedFront
Front Door Pot
Thanks to everyone who came out to participate in “The Ramble”. The weather worked out great for the entire weekend with full sun and cool temperatures. Congratulations to Chris Boger and is partner for a great win in a playoff on the 18th. Also, congrats to the BYCC Members Bill Thomas, Wade Hickam, Chris George, David Deaton, Benton Dalton, Mike Taylor, Phil Kile, and Jack Hoefker for winning their flights and making the shoot out.
Logo Painted on the Putting Green
Thanks to the efforts of, Billy Henry, Paul Waller, and Bob Parker, the blue birds this year are growing in population. In coordination with our efforts to be an Audubon Certified Golf Course, together we have worked to enhance the wildlife habitat and encourage wildlife to grow. This year we have already seen many of those efforts succeed, like the new bluebird houses around the course. Billy, Paul, and Bob have worked hard to add more houses and keep a constant check on the new arrivals. Almost all of the bluebird houses have had new baby birds hatched and as we continue to clean out the houses, more generations will continue to arrive.
New arrivals
Over the past several months the staff has added over 200 trees and shurubs throughout the property. Some plant material has been concentrated in screening Galltin Road from the golf course and other plant material has been installed to reestablish the tree lines separating each hole. As the mature trees have gotten older, many have died or fallen from storms leaving open voids around the course. Utilizing the Master Tree Plan created last year we have set priorties to follow over the next several years to continue a consistant reestablishment plan.
The staff has begun our first year of applying fertilizers to feed the mature and new trees for increased health and the ability to grow stronger. Our recent goal has been to supply the neccessary water to establish a root system on the new planted trees. By adding tree bags we provide a slow steady supply of water to keep the trees hydrated that we fill a couple times a week.
Tree Bags
Watering the tree bags typically takes one crew member about half a day by using an old sprayer trailer converted to a water tank. The water tank hasn’t been operational for over 5 years and abandoned in the back of the shop. Now the tank has been restored and makes a perfect piece of equipment to provide water for the trees.
The late Spring aerification has already come and gone. Monday April 30th we performed our second aerification of the year. We began in the afternoon following in behind an outing and finished under the light of the moon. Everything went as planned and we are already 75% healed in 8 days. Over the next 2-3 weeks, we will continue to topdress and verticut to resume the ball roll and speed prior to aerification.
Aerification the Day of
8 Days After Aerification
Fun Facts From Aerification:
Many wonder why aerification is so important. Greens aerifications are a necessary practice to ensure the green’s health for the future. Normally aerification on bentgrass takes place when the plants are at their optimum time for growth and when golfers view the greens are at their best. Performing this cultural practice during this time will provide a speedy recovery and allow adequate amounts of oxygen and applied nutrients to the soil for healing and growth.
When selecting a tine size, tine spacing, and amount of organic matter to remove is a lot more than just a guess or how much you want to make the golfers mad. The USGA provides guidelines for the amount of organic matter removed from a green every year (15-20% OM/Year). These guidelines help to prolong the life of a green and ensure the root zone will stay functioning as it should. Typically 3-4 aerifications a year, similar to this fall aerification, will comply with the USGA guidelines. We plan our tine sizes and spacing to remove 3-8% organic matter per aerification for the year using different tine sizes for different periods of the season. Early Spring and summer aerifications use smaller tines on a closer tine spacing to achieve the correct OM% removed. A smaller tine in a closer pattern will be less disruptive to golfers than the larger tines in Summer and Fall.
With the recent warmer temperatures everything has had a flush of growth, including the greens. The recovery period from our recent aerification in March was only approximately 10 days. Since that time, we have been constantly trying to thin out the turf canopies and return the green speeds back to normal. The most recent stimpmeter reading was 11 and rolling true. To get to this point we used many different techniques in our arsenal including frequency of mowing, chemical applications, and verticutting. Verticutting has been our best method for thinning the turf canopy and reducing the amount of larger leaf blades that slow ball roll. Below is a video of Billy Grisard, Foreman, verticutting the 17th green.
We are expected to perform our second aerification practice on April 30th and May 1st which will carry us through the year until September when our next major aerification date is scheduled. We will do minor aerifications and ventings throughout the summer as stressful conditions present their selves.
The Driving Range Tee has had a make over the past several months to improve the overall appearance and curb appeal when you first enter the club. A few changes you will notice is the addition of a two-sided clock, benches, and a water cooler near the entrance point of the range.
Driving Range Tee Station
Also, over the past couple days, we have removed the viburnums along the curb to provide an open view of the range and better access to member’s car and trunks. We will maintain these areas as mulch beds and explore ideas of adding low growing plant material that will add color to the range in the near future.
Driving Tee without the Plant Border
