View From Above

We are now 6 weeks into drought restrictions at Pasatiempo Golf Club.  This continues to be a huge learning experience for the staff at Pasatiempo and we continue to modify our approach to irrigation.  Recently we significantly reduced the amount of water in the roughs and reallocated it to the fairways.  Our goal is to maintain the existing turf in the fairways and fill in some of our weaker areas in the landing zones. 

Hopefully many of you had an opportunity to watch the United State Open Championship this past weekend.  The conditions at Pinehurst show the playability of the golf course does not always correspond to the aesthetics.  There seems to be a shift in golf course conditioning and restoration.  The Championship at Pinehurst may be the beginning of a much needed change in our perception of what a well maintained golf course really is.  Next year we will most likely see similar conditions when Chambers Bay plays host to the 115th U.S. Open Championship.  

Last month we started documenting the golf course from above with a drone.  Below are pictures from today showing the current state of the golf course.  

3D Digital Terrain Modeling

This week we are very excited to have Scott Pool, GreenScan 3D DBA Terra Shapers LLC, onsite developing a 3D digital terrain model of the greens and bunkers.  Our goal is to preserve the work completed during the restoration and to not repeat the difficult task of using old black and white photos for future restoration.

The accuracy of the 3D as-built model will be +/- .01 feet or 1/8".  The data will include the following,

1.     3D Digital Terrain Model (DTM) of each putting surface and surrounds in AutoCAD  DWG format.

2.     Color Slope Analysis map of putting surfaces at .1’ contour interval plotted to 1”=10’ scale

3.     Color Contour Map and Satellite Image .5' contour interval for green complex area surrounds and fairway bunkers.

I would like to thank Dean Gump for proposing this project last year.  The hard work of Tom Doak, Jim Urbina, Dean Gump, the board of directors and many others will now be preserved forever.  

Recycled Water Retrofits

Water security at Pasatiempo Golf Club is vital for our long term sustainability.  Our current drought restrictions are having a significant impact on the visual vistas we all enjoy.  Part of our long term water plan is to secure recycled water from Scotts Valley.  We are set to submit a plan to the California State Department of Health for approval to receive recycled water within the next month.  Once the plan is approved we will host an onsite inspection of the property.

Our staff has been working on retrofits to the domestic water supply that will prevent any possible cross connection issues with recycled water.  This week we installed a new back-flow device that will protect the Hollins House domestic water supply from the surrounding landscape.  Several additional retrofits will need to be completed before our final site inspection.  

A detailed update of our water plan will be discussed during our annual meeting this Friday.  Please join us for this important meeting regarding the current state of the club and future water security.

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!  

Heat Wave

It's hot!  The heat wave is exposing the areas we turned off a few weeks ago.  We ask all golfers to avoid driving golf carts in these areas.  Enjoy the conditions and stay hydrated!  

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 

Water Restrictions Start Today

Superintendent Office

Today we begin stage 3 water restrictions in Santa Cruz.  Our allotment during stage 3 is 50% and based on a formula using real time weather data.  The allotment is not based on historical water usage or defined amounts.  Our current heat wave may seem like a bad time to start water rationing but our allotment increases when temperature rises.

We also turned off 225 irrigation heads today which equals 10% of our system.  This includes the driving range and the first 50-100 feet of most holes.  The greens, green surrounds and tees will continue to be irrigated at 100%.  The playability of the golf course should improve for most looking for longer drives and challenging approach shots.  

We ask all members and guests to avoid driving through stressed areas of the golf course.  We prefer you do not drive backwards when entering the fairway after you pass the ropes along the cart path and continue to avoid the native areas.

We are working on several long term alternative water sources.  We feel real progress is being made on several fronts.  Thank you for reading and check back soon!