Stow Acres Turf

There are many factors one must consider when talking about green speed.  Factors such as type of soil, soil moisture content, weather, morning dew, time of year, fertility, height of cut, grass variety, amount of topdressing, and rolling the green can all contribute to how far the ball will roll.  However, the biggest factor that is sometimes uncontrollable is the weather.  Unpredicted rain events can sometimes make managing the soil moisture content very difficult.  To fight against these weather events, research and science has provided the turf industry with products such as wetting agents.  Wetting agents have multiple purposes, but the most important role is drawing the water down in the soil profile, firming the surface, and providing a re-wetting factor for the soil and turf. It is extra important this time of year due to increased humidity and surface temperature. Two of the most favorable conditions for turfgrass disease are warm and moist. Applying a wetting agent (soil spray) will not help pull the water through the soil profile, but putting some extra specials ingredients in the tank will help feed the soil bugs and roots. 

From approximately Memorial Day to Labor Day, we try to maintain the green speed at a very consistent level; only changing consistency to make the greens faster for major events.  There a few ways to increase speed, but the most important factor is making sure your turf can handle this change.  Root stability, overall plant health, and the right amount of moisture everyday will help allow for the turf to be tweaked during the time of an event or time of season. 

For a majority of the season, turf health has been our primary concern and taking the plant to a “fast” speed just really hasn’t been a thought. Well, the good news is that our attention to health has really paid off. Most areas have completely healed and speed will begin to increase over the next few weeks. Weather will also be on our side in regards to humidity. By spraying our usual monthly wetting agent, greens will continue to redistribute the water within the profile, and you may just start draining more putts (hopefully)! Thanks for your continued support this season! See you on the course!

-Jason VanBuskirk, Superintendent

If you played the North course today, then you may have been asking yourself or your playing partner what these little dimples are all over the greens. In fact, I even received a question as to why we were aerating in July. Well, I can assure that we are not aerating in July. We have however, poked some holes. This process is referred to as proseeding or overseeding. We have proseeded the weaker greens (in terms of turf density) in preparation for the hot/humid weather. The proseed dimple is done by a drum pulled behind a tractor. On top of the drum is a seed basket. Each time the drum rotates, the seed basket drops seed into the dimple. The dimple is the perfect seed bed keeping the seed moist and away from the elements. If treated properly, we could see germination in as early as 5-7 days. This new bentgrass plant will continue to mature and help fill in the “gaps” throughout the putting surface. Although most of these “gaps” can’t really be seen with the naked eye, they are present. If not taken care of, these “gaps” could eventually turn into one that can be seen by the naked eye. Although visible, the dimples should not interfere with your putting. We appreciate your patience while we carry out a such a crucial cultural practice. Greens will be rolled tomorrow and the dimples will be gone in a few days. See you on the course!

Below, 12 North green is on the left and 2 North green is on the right.

Jason VanBuskirk, Superintendent

After a long winter, the South course is open for play today. Tees, fairways, and greens are cleaned and playable. Cups have been cut, tee markers placed, trash barrels out, and a surprising opening with carts being able to go on the back 9. Even though there is only one temporary green on 3 and tees pushed forward to a par 3 on 4, nature was pretty good to us. We actually spent a few minutes during lunch today discussing past years that have dealt us torrential rains, heavy snowfall at the end of March, and even the year that had 7″ of snow all winter (leaving us with crazy desiccation on some greens). This year, however, there was a decent melt out during the third week of January. That allowed most of the snow to clear, freeing us from anaerobic concern, but another snow storm shortly followed packing more snow onto the turf. We dealt with a very slow melt over the past month, and although this was good for keeping soil saturation down, it allowed snow/ice to linger on the turf (especially in the shade). Despite the diligent effort of our dedicated staff applying 100s of pounds of sunflower seeds to ice on greens, 3 South green is a temporary green strictly because of turf weakness. It sits in the shade and is surrounded by some massive pines. It has a few pockets on the green, mainly comprised of Poa annua, that collected water this winter, turned to ice, and then suffocated the plant. However, if you get real close, there are many baby Poa annua plants on the rebound. I am confident that within a few weeks, 3 South green will have a healthy, green sheen to it. You may also notice this minor discoloration in a few other greens as the Poa annua is slow to rebound from a long, snow-packed winter. These greens will regain color once the turf breaks dormancy and microbes become more active in the soil. 4 South tee has been moved up to the 200 yard marker and will be playing as a par 3. As usual in the spring, the fairway on 4 is very wet, and we would like you to avoid losing your ball in the middle of the fairway if you played off the normal tee. This fairway is actually level with a peat bog. When the water table is high or the ground is thawing from winter, this fairway is pretty soggy.

The North course is melting out nicely and will be ready for play sometime next week. We are happy to report that the turf on the North is a little healthier (not as many pockets on the greens). When it does open, there will not be any temporary greens or tees. All that is left over there is course setup and course cleanup, and there is a lot of it. We will be doing our best over the next week to bring you two clean and playable golf courses.

5 North benefiting from sunflower seeds.

One last thing I would like to mention as a hurdle from the long, snow-packed winter is gray snow mold. Some of you may be wondering what gray snow mold is or even why the turf is green in some areas and brown in others as you play on the facility. Gray snow mold is a fungal pathogen that lies dormant in the surface layer of the turf until the proper conditions allow for the disease to begin to grow. If snow cover occurs for more than 45 – 60 days and the area is moist, snow mold spores may start to reproduce and form a 3 – 12 inch patch. Mainly a leaf blade disease, the turf will quickly grow out once the temperatures warm up and soil microbial activity becomes active. A spring fertilizer application will also help get the turf growing, and a mower will easily cut off the infected leaf blades. You can also look for this disease in your home lawns as the snow starts to melt. Do not be alarmed. Some of you may notice that some of your turf is actually brown. For most, the turf is lying dormant until the soil temperatures warm up. A late March/early April fertilizer application of a balanced nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium ratio will give your lawn a nice jump start this spring.

Thank you for your continued support, as I enter my 7th season as the golf course superintendent. We are excited to begin another golf season and very eager to get back into the regular routine of golf course maintenance. Play well! See you on the course!

Jason VanBuskirk, Superintendent

Yes, this is my golf course blog. It’s an avenue for me to explain, communicate, brag, and even sometimes vent about what we are doing on the property. I haven’t done that in some time now. I didn’t even put together an “end of the year” recap for 2013. Yes, don’t worry, the golf courses were put to bed just fine and from what I can remember are in good winter shape. I say “from what I can remember” because I haven’t been on the property since December 11th. Very strange for me. I’m usually always at work. Even through the winter. The only thing that comes before work is my family. And, unfortunately right now, my wife is very sick.

This sudden illness has left me with “living in the moment”. I am very blessed to have an owner like we do at Stow Acres CC who has allowed me to focus on one thing only right now, my wife. I’ll be back at the course in the future, but right now, I can’t plan for when.

I have created a blog about my wife’s illness. I will provide consistent updates of her condition. For these updates, I just ask that you spread this story as far as you can. Doctors are having a difficult time finding a diagnosis for her and comments on this post with every similar story would help. Thanks for your support!

Gloria’s updates: http://bidmcgvb.wordpress.com

-Jason VanBuskirk, Superintendent