Aeration

Spring aeration is almost complete and once again our maintenance staff pushed through some long days to keep us ahead of schedule.  This year we added an additional procedure to the greens we believe will significantly benefit long term health and playability.  The greens have developed a hard pan layer just below our aeration depth.  Over time the layer will decrease water infiltration rates causing excess moisture to build up in the top layer of the profile.  This can cause numerous issues including; soft conditions, anaerobic soils, decreased microbial populations, excess thatch and disease.  The DryJect Maximus injects high pressure water into the green and fractures the soil at depths well below the layer.  At the same time sand is drawn into the holes creating a pore space for air and water.

putting green 2 days after aeration 4/20/16

DryJect through the bottom of the soil profiler

The rest of our aeration schedule is similar to past aerations

• Greens were aerated with 1/2" hollow tines, top dressed and fertilized
• Fairways tees and approaches were aerated, seeded, top dress and fertilized
• Traffic areas in the roughs were aerated, seeded, top dressed and fertilized.  

first drag #4

DryJect #16

We utilize our 4 days of closure to perform tree maintenance around the golf course.  This year we removed a dead pine between #1 and #9.  Numerous cypress trees were pruned on #9, #10 and #17.  We are now moving on to a few oak trees along #16 and will finish the week working on the oak trees in the parking lot next to the tennis courts.

We can't say enough about our mechanic Mario and what a great job he does.  Another aeration with no major mechanical issues is significant for any operation.

If we want to be better this year we need to make changes in our program from the previous year.  If we do the same thing every year and expect different results we will never reach our goals.  We are confident the changes to our program this year will improve your experience on the golf course.

Maintenance Day

Yesterday was the second of our four summer maintenance days.  We use these days to perform cultural practices which would otherwise be impossible during normal play.

Maintenance Day Goals

• Remove Thatch
• Increase Air Movement
• Push Water Through the Profile
• Flush Salts and Bicarbonates

Order of Operations

1. Mow greens
2. Verti-cut greens ( thick slice for thatch removal )
3. Blow greens
4. Planet-Air (deep cut into the greens for air and water movement)
5. Roll greens
6. Top-Dress greens
7. Spray greens with wetting agent, fertilizers and other amendments to assist with flushing salts and bicarbonates
8. Apply more granular amendments
9. Water greens .2"
10. Water greens Overnight .35"

Planet Air

These procedures are vital to the health and playability of the golf course.  We thank you for allowing these days and apologize for any inconvenience.  The next maintenance day will be Monday, August 10th.  

Aeration

Spring aeration is finally here.  The crew stepped up and put in a full 13 hour day yesterday.  We were able to finish all the greens and the front nine fairways.  We had no mechanical issues yesterday which is unusual for an aeration.  This can be directly attributed to the investment the club has made in new equipment and the great job our service manager Mario does everyday.  We understand this week is an inconvenience to the membership.  We appreciate your understanding during this important and necessary process.

Fairway Top Dressing

We are top dressing the fairways this week.  This will be the first of 4 fairway top dressings this season.  We are confident in our execution and believe the impact is minimal to members and guests. The benefits from frequent fairway top dressing are, reduced thatch accumulation, increased water infiltration, firm playing surfaces and reduced disease severity to name a few.  We appreciate your support during this important application.

Rough Aeration and Seeding

The recent dry weather has given us an opportunity to aerate and seed the areas in the roughs still recovering from the drought.  We identified the areas we felt would have the most impact and then expanded the scope throughout the week.  Once we get some warm rain these areas will germinate and fill in.  Weather permitting, we will continue to aerate throughout the entire property.

Fall Aeration

The golf course is closed today and tomorrow for aeration.  We will be aerating the greens, tees and approaches.  We need several more days of rain before we will consider seeding the fairways.  If given the right conditions we will utilize our new seeder in the fairways and not aerate.  Seeding the fairways two directions with the new seeder will give us the best opportunity to fill in the fairways with the least amount of disruption to members and golfers.  The use of the new seeder this Fall would not substitute future aerations next season.  We are also utilizing these days to trim several trees along #1 and #9.  We thank you for your support during these important maintenance days.  See you on Wednesday.    

 

Maintenance Day

Today is our final maintenance day of the year.  The greens will be vented with a solid tine, top-dressed and flushed.  The maintenance days and cultural practices are having a very positive impact on plant health and playability.  The current root structure and overall plant health is exceptional for Pasatiempo  this time of year.  This was confirmed by the USGA agronomist last week during our annual site visit.  Just a reminder aeration is scheduled October 13th -16th.

Maintenance Day

Today is the 3rd scheduled maintenance day of the season.  Maintenance days give us an opportunity to complete cultural practices which would otherwise be difficult during normal play.  Today we vented the greens with a small 1/4" solid tine, lightly top-dressed and flushed.

Order of Operations

1. Mow greens
2. Vent greens
3. Roll greens
4. Top-dress greens
5. Spray greens with products to assist with the flush (remove salts and bicarbonates)
6. Apply granular amendments to assist with the flush
7.  Water in everything (flush)


This time of year is when we start to see a decrease in root mass.  The decrease in root mass makes the greens more susceptible to compaction and thinning caused by casual foot traffic and mechanical wear.  We are also entering the beginning of nematode season.  Historically nematodes at Pasatiempo become active early winter to early spring but other coastal courses frequently experience activity starting now. The best defense against a nematode outbreak will always be a healthy plant.  Maintenance days give us the time to perform cultural practices needed to provide an environment for healthy turf.  We thank you for your understanding and support.  The next maintenance day will be on Monday, September 8th.

Solid 1/4" Tine (Vent)

Before Roll

Amendments 

Flush 

Kitchen Sink

Today we completed several cultural practices on the greens during one of our maintenance days.  The overall goal, as with most cultural practices, is to manage thatch and improve air and water movement through the profile.  The deep verticut will remove thatch and thin out the surface of the greens.  This will give the sand top-dressing a great place to fill and improve the overall firmness of the greens.  The solid vent and flush is part of our monthly cultural program.  This is the first time we have attempted to complete all of these cultural practices at once.  

Today's Kitchen Sink,

1. Mow Greens
2. Double Verticut Greens
3. Blow Greens
4. Hollow Vent Greens 1/4" Tine
5. Roll Greens
6. Top-Dress Greens
7. Apply Amendments
8. Spray Greens with Wetting Agents and Fertilizers
9. Water in Everything at .3"
10. Wait a Few Hours and Roll all the Greens Again


None of this would be possible without our scheduled maintenance days.  The amount of time and labor required makes this procedure impossible during normal business hours.  It is our belief the greens remain very playable and will completely recover within in a few days.  Thank you of your patience and support.

Verticut 1st Time

Verticut 2nd Time

Material pulled from a single green one direction

Hollow Vent

Green after double verticut and hollow vent

After Top-Dress and Flush

After Top-Dress and Flush Closeup

Material Removed From Greens!! 

Hollow Vent

Today marks the first of 4 Mondays we close this summer for maintenance.  The golf course will reopen for play on each of these days at 1pm.  Maintenance Monday's are crucial for our department and the health of the golf course.

Today we vented the greens with a 1/4" hollow tine.  This process will assist with thatch management, gas exchange and water movement.   We follow the venting with a spray to help manage sodium and bicarbonate buildup.  The greens will be lightly top dressed on Wednesday.  We believe this process causes little disruption to the playability of the greens and will significantly help us maintain healthier greens throughout the summer.  We thank you for you understanding and support.

List of Procedures

• Mow Greens
• Vent Greens
• Pickup Plugs and Blow Greens
• Roll Greens
• Spray Greens
• Apply Amendments
• Water Greens
• Roll Greens Again in the Afternoon Just Before Play Resumes

Cleanup

Before the Roller

Jason applying Gypsum

Our goal is to maintain these roots throughout the summer!  

Light Top-Dress

Today we lightly top-dressed the greens at Pasatiempo.  We top-dress every 14-21 days depending on the weather and golf schedule.  Light and frequent top-dressing helps reduce excess thatch.  Excess thatch will prevent water infiltration, reduce air movement through the profile and create an environment favorable for several fungal diseases.  Light and frequent top-dressing is one of the most important cultural practices on golf course greens.  The process is completed overnight with an additional irrigation of the greens.

Before and After Irrigation 

Vent And Flush

This week we vented the greens with a small 1/4" solid tine.  The purpose of the vent is to break the surface and allow air and water to move through the soil profile.  We typically vent the greens once a month and follow with a moderate flush in the morning and a heavy flush overnight.  The flush helps remove excess salts built up in the soil.  

Before and After the Roller