A Little Perspective, What it Means, What's Happening and Back on Track!





Hello and welcome to "The Greenkeeper"! Today is Friday, July 26th and Mother Nature continues to remind us we are at her mercy.  For those of you unfamiliar I have been a golf course superintendent for the past 11 years and have been working in this industry since 1988 and I don't recall a season like this, at least not in Charlotte!  The big talk this year has been the abundant rainfall but has anyone else noticed the absence of extreme high temperatures?  I'm sure most of us recall the past three summers and their sweltering temperatures so I looked up the total number of days the temperature reached 90 degrees or above for the months of May, June and July 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and what I found may surprise you.  In 2010 we had experienced 47 total days of 90 degrees or more with several hitting triple digits and 2011 brought us 51 days also with several topping 100 degrees.  Last year at this time we only suffered through 36 days 90 degrees or above and so far this year we have a grand total of 8 (that's right, I said EIGHT) and nothing above 93 degrees.  With the high humidity levels typical of summer's dog days it is easy to assume it is always 90 degrees or more and the heat index has certainly exceeded 90 on numerous occasions this year but the reality is thus far 2013 is the year without a summer (I shouldn't have said that, now I have jinxed us and August will probably be brutal).

I won't bore you with rain totals and details but you know the old saying, "when it rains, it pours"?  Well, when dealing with turf, and your home lawn too when it rains weed pressure becomes excessive.  You see, grassy weeds such as crabgrass and goosegrass are prevented using herbicides that create a barrier in the soil.  The weed seed still germinates but the plant is unable to survive growing through the barrier.  These chemical compounds have a residual that keeps them in place for months and they typically provide season long control.  However, these compounds do break down over time and conditions such as heavier than normal rainfall erode this barrier quicker than usual and this leads to the emergence of undesirable weeds before the season ends.  I would be willing to wager if you look closely at the lawns on your street you will probably see more crabgrass than normal.  Wet years are weedy years and not only does the pre-emergent herbicides breakdown quicker but the wet conditions make treatments with post-emergent products difficult because the rain either washes the product away or just makes the area so wet you aren't able to get application equipment into certain areas.  Ok, enough lamenting but I just wanted you to understand the differences you see in turf caused by the prevalent weather conditions.  Wet years leads to lush, green turf but weeds and diseases are more prevalent.  Dry years leads to firmer, healthier turf with weeds and diseases less prevalent.

So, you're wondering what that big ugly scar running adjacent to the 9th hole is.  The Greens Committee and the Board of Governors decided to remove the last remaining overhead power lines on the property to enhance the club's entrance, etc.  This project was approved back in the winter and originally scheduled for March but you can imagine what working with public utilities can be like thus this past Monday crews from Pike Electric Company were on site to install a new transformer and bury new cables that will provide the club's new power service.




Pulling Cable

New Transformer



What Ditch?

The next step in this project is making all the connections necessary with the new cables and transferring the service from the old, overhead lines to the new underground lines.  Once this step is complete a separate crew will come in and remove the overhead lines and power poles.  When the poles are removed my staff and I will repair the area and establish grass.  I will keep you posted...

When I first started in this business I remember the feeling of satisfaction that would come over me on Friday afternoons as I would take in the overall appearance of the golf course and recognize how all the work we had completed that week had come together to produce a beautiful picture.  After well over 20 years in this business I still get that feeling... and after numerous weeks of being unable to mow the golf course as frequently as necessary it feels good today to look across Carolina and see the beautiful results of a great week of production by the staff...enjoy!

See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton
Golf Course Superintendent

The Old Man is Snoring and A New Tee!

Hello and welcome to "The Greenkeeper"! Today is Friday, July 5th and the course just reopened for play a few hours ago.  Yes, I said reopened.  Earlier this morning a pop-up shower parked over the course and quickly dumped close to an inch of rain causing massive surface flooding and prompting a brief closure of the golf course.  Now you are asking yourself how is it possible only an inch of rain could cause such problems.  Our course has taken on more rain on numerous occasions, heck our course surface drains better than most on the planet (especially in the hot summer months) and we rarely have to restrict cart traffic.  The answer is saturation. 

It's Raining It's Pouring...

For just over a month (we received 7.48 inches rain in June) we have been stuck in a quirky weather pattern which is bringing tropical moisture (high humidity) along with daily showers and thunderstorms and even now the 10 day forecast doesn't show any signs of letup.  The constant moisture is making it extremely challenging to dry the course for necessary mowing and play.  Unfortunately all this water has no place to go as the soil is completely saturated like a sponge unable to absorb another single drop.  Each morning this week I have emptied the rain gauge and watched our fairways take on the appearance of a lush, tropical oasis while lamenting the fact I am unable to mow them.  July is only 5 days old and the rain total for the month is already close to two inches!  #goodgrief!

In other news, Kris Spence was on site recently to look at some potential course modifications he has proposed to the Greens Committee for their consideration.  One involves a new tee on the 14th hole for use when playing the hole as short, drivable par 4 (we currently use the existing forward tee for this purpose during some tournaments).  Kris chose a location to the left and nearer the cart path.  He suggested we go ahead and mow the existing rough down to a playable tee height and give the area a try to see if we like it.  My staff and I layed out the tee this past Monday.

Mowing It Out!

Ready for Topdressing!

It looks pretty rough right now but give it another week or so and you will be surprised.  I plan to put the area in play for the British Open Shootout on the 20th.  The hole will measure somewhere between 285 to 295 yards but the angle creates an interesting perspective of the landing area.  Also, the tee's location brings the trouble on the right side of the hole more into play for those players choosing to go for the green.

See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton
Golf Course Superintendent

Labor of Love!

Hello and welcome to "The Greenkeeper"! Today is Tuesday, June 18th and Mother Nature continues to disrupt the aeration schedule.  Remember when you were younger...no much younger than that, and your mother would take you to see the doctor.  You would get that strange feeling, you know of anxiety (that pit in your stomach) because you knew there was a very good chance the doctor was going to give you a shot.  Funny thing is I still get that feeling, every time I aerate the fairways.  You dreaded the shot even though it was going to make you better and I dread fairway aeration for many reasons even though I know in the long run it is what makes our fairways great! 

I want to shed some light on the fairway aeration process but first I need to bring everyone up to speed on where we stand with the task and how it affects your course access tomorrow.  Yesterday we were hit with a thunderstorm just before 6:00 pm that brought our operation to a halt shy of completing the first nine holes.  Today started slowly with dark, gloomy skies and lingering wet conditions from last night's storm.  We picked up where we left off with the aeration but the clean-up process (more on that later) was placed on hold.  Just prior to mid-day the sky appeared to be clearing and a breeze picked up (both of these extremely helpful in the clean-up process) but then suddenly we were clipped by a small, passing shower that dampened the day.  Fortunately once that system passed the clouds did part bringing bright sunshine and windy conditions.  Around 2:00 pm we were able to start back with the clean-up process and we began to make noticeable progress.  With the crew's spirit picking up and plans in place for a late night Mother Nature showed once again golf is an outdoor sport and those of us trusted to care for her playing fields are at her mercy. 

Two Days In A Row!

A thunderstorm unloaded on us just prior to 6:30 pm halting operations once again.  As it currently stands we will only open the front 9 holes tomorrow at 12:00 noon along with the driving range and short game practice area.  The back 9 holes will remained closed until Mother Nature permits my staff and I to complete the task (sometime later in the day).  The problem isn't necessarily the aeration process (we only have three more fairways to go) so much as it is the clean-up process associated with aeration.  The cores have to be dragged in order to break them apart and then chopped (mowed using an old mower) to break them apart even more.  The playing surface then has to be blown in order to remove any lingering chaff and debris before the hole is playable.  When dealing with Piedmont clay soils you cannot perform the above mentioned tasks in wet conditions unless you want to make mud pies, thus it is a little like Goldilocks (this fairway is too wet and this fairway is too dry but this fairway is just right!)

Why do I aerate the bermudagrass fairways, especially when they seem to be perfect?  The answer is simple, to make them better.  Aerating the fairways and roughs alleviates compaction, allows for greater water infiltration to the roots, allows oxygen to enter the root zone, prevents thatch build-up and promotes an overall healthier turf. 

Right in the Action!

Healthier turfs can be mowed more closely and more frequently providing superior playing conditions.  Healthier turfs can better withstand traffic and recover from wear which is critical considering the number of rounds played annually at Carolina.  Having said all that the process isn't easy.  For one thing, aeration is SLOW!  When aerating fairways the proper speed is just under two miles per hour!  Granted the machine itself is large (able to aerate a swath 80 inches wide in one pass).


Blazing Speed...Not! (1.95 MPH)

Big Machine!

However we have approximately 26 acres of fairways which equates to 1,132,560 square feet and our machine can aerate approximately 66,924 square feet an hour thus you see where I'm going.  Not to mention you have to stop to refuel and change the tines because it takes three sets of tines in order to complete the fairways and it takes approximately 30 minutes to change all the tines thus you see where I'm going.  Just like the pain and soreness associated with a new exercise regimen (No Pain, No Gain) nothing but good things come out of the pain of aeration.  It is our commitment to the basic agronomic practices at Carolina that permit us to have fairways others tweet to the rest of the cyber world are second to none and therefore that is how I overcome that pit in my stomach this time each year!

If you search the archives of The Greenkeeper you will see on June 5, 2012 I posted about last year's fairway aeration and there is a picture of yours truly doing my best Mike Rowe (Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs) impersonation.  This year one of my newer staff members Ernest Brooks (Ernest relocated to Charlotte from near Richmond, VA and worked for one of my good friends at Lake Chesdin GC) was relegated to that task and here are a couple of shots of Ernest in action earlier today.

Ernest Brooks

Pig Pen!



See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton
Golf Course Superintendent

My Saturated Apologies, The US Open, What Did He Say and The NC Amateur!

Hello and welcome to "The Greenkeeper"! Today is Tuesday, June 11th and I am sincerely sorry so much time has past since my last post.  Of course I could describe in detail multiple reasons why but the reality is I just didn't realize it had been so long.  Webster's defines saturated as "full of moisture, thoroughly wet".  I would say that is pretty accurate right now.  On June 3rd the golf course took on nearly 2.5 inches rain overnight.  Prior to that event we had managed to keep things firm and dry so the golf course soaked that rain up like a sponge.  After a few spotty showers Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday kept things moist at the surface we took over an inch of rain Friday (June 7th), 1.35" to be exact.  Unfortunately prior to sunrise Saturday morning we were hit by another thunderstorm dropping 0.75" rain.  Yesterday brought us off-and-on showers before a final storm hit just before 4:00 pm and left us with another 0.8" in our gauges. 

I know, I lost you at spotty showers...to summarize the golf course has received 5.5" rain in the past 8 days!  That is nearly two month's worth and the golf course has gone from a lean, mean fighting machine to lush, tropical oasis. 


#goodgrief

Of course most of the rain that fell on us moved northeastward and lots of it found its way to Ardmore, Pennsylvania and Merion Golf Club, site of this week's 113th United States Open Championship. 

Our own Webb Simpson is the defending champion and I am looking forward to watching the best players in the world take on the challenge of such a classic and highly regarded course.  My heart goes out to Matt Schaffer and his staff as I know they are disappointed the rains have softened their baby and took some of the bite out of the layout.  Here's hoping we don't see another 2011 and the course can begin to dry out and firm up before the conclusion of play...#hopingfor18holeplayoff.

We aerated the putting greens two weeks ago (after the conclusion of the Member-Member).  Despite a slow start out of the gate this spring I firmly believe the putting surfaces were the best they have ever been for our spring tournament season!  I am happy to report they have healed nicely from the small aeration and we are transitioning from our tournament maintenance regime towards our summer survival practices.  I am referring to mowing heights are raised in the humid summer months, we replace grooved rollers on the walk-behind mowers with smooth rollers and we closely monitor the soil and canopy temperatures.  We also closely monitor soil moisture levels and desperately try to keep the greens as dry as possible (water conducts heat and wet soils elevate soil temperatures to lethal levels for bentgrass roots) by hand watering and hand syringing when and where appropriate... #pleasebepatientwhenwesyringe.   

Speaking of aeration we aerated the tees last week and just yesterday we aerated the collars.  Next up are the fairways and roughs!  That's right our annual aeration of fairways and roughs is this coming Monday and Tuesday (June 17th and 18th).  Please consider this announcement as your friendly reminder the course will be completely closed both days and yes this process is dirty!  The course will take on a stained appearance for a few days (maybe more depending on weather) and you can help us by scheduling your golf accordingly.  It is the early morning tee times typically causing issues with tracking of dirt and mud.  Because of this carts will be restricted to the paths each day until noon to give the turf adequate time to dry from the morning dew... #wearoldgolfshoes.

The 53rd North Carolina Amateur tees off Thursday at Forsyth Country Club.  You may or may not recall Carolina is slated to host the 54th North Carolina Amateur June 5-8, 2014.  I will be travelling to Forsyth CC tomorrow to meet with my good friend, course superintendent Chris DeVane.  Chris and I spoke for a little bit this past Friday and I am looking forward to seeing what he has in store for the competitors this year and making a few notes so we present Carolina in the best condition possible next year.


#reconnaissancemission

See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton
Golf Course Superintendent

Odds and Ends, Interns, No Wheels and What They're Saying!

Hello and welcome to "The Greenkeeper"! Today is Friday, May 17th and finally we have some bermudagrass growing weather!  Funny I say that now considering earlier this week we had morning low temperatures of 41 and 44 degrees respectively Monday and Tuesday.  Temperatures that low this time of year will zap the color right out of bermudagrass (especially the roughs) and like clockwork we were looking peakid by Wednesday.  I swear this has been the strangest spring... it has been so weird I took a photograph of some brown patch in the approach of number 18... in May!



Brown Patch

This is only the second time in my career I have seen this turf disease affect bermudagrass in the month of May (the other was 2002 at my previous golf course in southern Maryland).  Some of you regular readers may recognize this foliar blight from a post back on December 9, 2011 where I mentioned how the fungus, Rhizoctonia solani occurs naturally in the soil and only affects warm-season grasses during times of continuous cool, damp weather (hence a post with pictures in December).  It is also the same fungus that affects your tall fescue lawns every summer as warm, humid conditions are what this fungus needs to affect your cool-season turfs.  With conditions ideal for bermudagrass growth and development moving in to our region I suspect this will be a distant memory.

Freshly Mowed

Interns Applying Sand

Earlier this week we applied a light amount of sand topdressing to the putting surfaces in our continued efforts to manage our organic levels. Light topdressing on a frequent basis works into and below the turf canopy and helps dilute the thatch and organic layers keeping them at acceptable levels. The topdressing also keeps the surface smooth and firm making for perfect putting conditions. Here are some photos I took the other morning of the 18th green as we made the applications.



Our two turfgrass student interns made the applications using small push spreaders calibrated for the right amount.  We followed that with a quick two-minute irrigation cycle to help move the sand down into the turf canopy and then the green was ready for play.

Watering It In

Ready for Play

In other news, have you ever wondered how we mow the turf growing on the sides of the bunkers.  I mean, some of the bunkers have some really steep slopes.  To be honest it is one of the most labor intensive tasks on our course and our seasonal staff from Hidden Creek perform it weekly throughout the growing season.  We use machines commonly called hover mowers or fly mowers.  These mowers do not have wheels but are designed to float on a cushion of air which allows them to be moved from side-to-side without too much difficulty yet their weight and the steepness of the slopes along with the force of gravity make this job a real muscle builder.  Here are a few photos from this week's mowing.

Flymowing

You may not be able to tell the difference from this photo but the two mowers are different in color.  We mow the outside of the bunkers to match the height of cut of the primary rough.  We mow the steeper inside bunker faces lower in an effort to prevent golf balls from remaining on the bunker face.










Teamwork!

The process becomes more challenging and time consuming during the summer months when the bermudagrass grows more vigorously.  We even apply growth regulating compounds to the bunker faces in efforts to assist with the challenge of this task.











Blowing Clippings

As you can see from the photos we use two guys flymowing the bunker faces and two guys flymowing the outer portions surrounding the bunkers.  Two more team members follow blowing the grass clippings from the bunkers and raking out the footprints.  It is a time consuming process for 6 guys to maintain the grass surrounding our 77 bunkers and 2 practice bunkers (close to 60 man hours weekly) so if you have the chance please let them know you appreciate their efforts.





As I wrap up this edition I wanted to share with you a few things I found on Twitter shortly after the PGA qualifying tournaments.  It seems we are well thought of and a few individuals decided to share their thoughts with the rest of the digital world.  Now I am not a Twitter follower but I believe each of these tweets are good things.

Played Charlotte qualifier today at Carolina GC, an old Donald Ross course. Nice to walk off greens straight onto next tee, rare these days!
— Nick O'Hern (@nickohern) April 30, 2013

View from 10 tee looking towards downtown Charlotte in the background twitter.com/fieldingPGA/st…
— Fielding Brewbaker (@fieldingPGA) April 24, 2013

Carolina Golf club has hands down the best Bermuda fairways I have ever played out of. No competition. Courses could take a lesson.
— Bryan Bigley (@bryanbigley) April 25, 2013

See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton
Golf Course Superintendent

In Case You Missed It, Refresher and Don't Do That!

Hello and welcome to "The Greenkeeper"! Today is Friday, April 26, 2013 and it is still cold.  Okay, maybe not cold but considering May is just 5 days away it sure felt more like October this morning than late April.  I guess many of you must like the Rolling Stones because my last blog post shattered the record with 208 online views (the previous high was 152 back on October 5th).  Thanks for reading and I hope everyone got the "Paint It Black" reference.  It has been three weeks since my last post but now with The Masters behind us, the PGA Pre-Qualifying Tournament in the books and Men's Guest Day about complete now seemed like a good time to catch my breath and catch you up on a few things.

Although it doesn't feel like spring today, a couple of weeks ago the Yoshino cherry trees in the parking lot were in full bloom.  I snapped a couple of photos early one morning before anyone arrived to share in case you were not able to make it out to the club during that glorious period.

Special Blossoms!

Dawn of a Glorious Day!

My wife and I lived in Northern Virginia for 5 years after I completed graduate school and I remember each spring the local news in Washington D.C. would go crazy about the cherry trees surrounding the tidal basin and when the blossoms would be at their peak.  On this morning I thought our trees looked just as spectacular as those around the tidal basin in our nation's capital.  By the way, I am extremely happy to be in Charlotte and do not miss those days at all!

Moving on, last time I mentioned how everyone should utilize the range space provided and manage their divots by hitting balls placed at the back edge of the divot made from striking the previous ball.  I even shared the following public service announcement:

On the morning the range tee opened for use (April 11th) I took the liberty of hitting 20 balls from two adjacent stalls using the above methods and taking photos with my phone.  I used a 6 iron for each shot and primarily focused on taking a divot more so than striking the ball (funny how that seemed to create excellent contact).  Anyway, the results are below:



20 Balls Total

10 Balls Each Strip!

The long strips will heal more quickly as the turf grows in from both sides and I have left more turf for the next person.  The "shotgun blast" depicted on the right leaves less good turf for the next person and more closely resembles someone in need of a lesson.  Give this method a try, it not only will help the turf on the range tee but it may also improve your ball striking!

Before I wrap up I want to mention a few things about the course.  Despite the abnormally cool spring and lack of rainfall the past three weeks (0.59" total the past 21 days) the golf course is in excellent shape for the current conditions.  The fairways are firm and fast with lots of ball roll.  The greens are firm, yet receptive with smoothness and good speed.  The grasses in the natural/native areas are beginning to seed and overall the golf course is slowly waking from a long winter's nap and coming to life.  I know right now the forecast looks bleak for the qualifying tournament this coming Monday but my staff and I are still planning on presenting your golf course in it's best shape possible.  We will be working late Sunday evening with a full mowing scheduled as we prep the golf course for tournament conditions. 

One final note, be mindful of where you drive your golf cars as traffic is one of the biggest deterrents to bermudagrass green-up, growth and development.  If you don't believe me just pay attention next time to areas that were roped off most of the winter compared to others.  Also, please do not park your golf cars near teeing areas unless you are permitted as a flagged rider.  This person is providing an excellent example of something you should not do:

Don't Park Here!

See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton
Golf Course Superintendent

The Rolling Stones, Divot Management and Irish Luck!

Hello and welcome to "The Greenkeeper"! Today is Friday, April 5, 2013 and what a difference a week makes.  This time last week the trees were bare and the course was dormant brown.  Now the trees are either blooming or beginning to produce leaves depending on species and the bermudagrass is beginning to wake from one of the longest winter hibernation periods in decades.  A colleague of mine told me this morning he heard a report this was the 3rd coldest winter on record for our area.  Of course the rapid breaking of dormancy by the bermudagrass this week was assisted thanks to some perfect timing and near perfect conditions.  You may recall during the warm March experienced last year we treated our tees and fairways with Iron Sulfate in order to darken the turf canopy (paint it black).  The darkened surface absorbs the energy from the sun and raises the soil temperatures, which in turn aids the process of bermudagrass green-up (kind of like the effect you feel on your back when wearing a black or navy shirt on a sunny day).  Anyway, the process works best when the turf canopy is wet (the near 0.75" rain that fell over Easter weekend produced the right moisture conditions) and abundant sunshine is available (Monday seemed like the first sunny day in ages). 

 

We sprayed all the fairways this past Monday.  This picture taken on the 5th hole looking back towards the tees shows the effect in the early stages as depicted by the irregular spray pattern along the fairway/rough margin.  The level of darkening has increased each day this week.

 

#5 Fairway

We sprayed all the tees this past Tuesday and again the picture below depicts the effect along the edge of treated vs. untreated.  You can also clearly see a significant amount of green leaf blades in just a short period of time.

 

#5 Back Tee

We received over an inch of rain last night so once again we enter into a weekend with golf car restrictions but the forecasted temperatures for Saturday and Sunday (65 and 71 degrees respectively) along with some sunny skies should continue to produce mass greening of the short cut turf on the course.  These temperatures are also a welcome change for the recovery of our bentgrass putting surfaces.  It has now been 2 1/2 weeks since aeration and the cold conditions kept the grass in check and prevented healing in a timely fashion.  Our mowing this morning was the first where we collected more grass than sand in the buckets so we have turned the corner and I expect rapid healing between now and next weekend!

 

Although the driving range tee appears to be the greenest place on the property when viewed from the back of the clubhouse (it too was treated with iron sulfate this week) up close you can see it needs a little more time before we unleash everyone.  I have discussed the matter with both the Greens Committee and the Golf Professional Staff and we will open the grass tee line on Thursday, April 11th (coincidentally day one of the Masters).  I want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding this year as we have all endured a longer than normal winter for a change.  I also want to take this opportunity to share a photo with you that depicts the proper way to use the range with respect to taking divots.

The Preferred Method!

If we can all utilize the range tee with the divot pattern depicted above we will have the best conditioned range tee in the city!  This method maximizes the use of the entire tee surface and also grows in faster.  So think long, narrow strips!

 

Finally, last time I mentioned I would share more information on the new seasonal staff so I would like to introduce them to you.  These guys come to us from Hidden Creek Contractors, Inc. in Bakersville, NC (the same service provider we have used since 2010). 

Hard Working Lads!

From left to right we have Roman, Anatolie, Viorel, Ion, Paul and Fionnbharr.  Roman, Anatolie, Viorel and Ion are from Moldova while Paul and Finn are from Ireland.  Finn is a very experienced golf course employee having worked for nearly five years at a course back home in his native land.  These guys have been working extremely hard for nearly three weeks and I am most pleased not only with their efforts and work ethic but also their pleasant demeanor and personalities!  Earlier this week they spent close to three days reworking every bunker on the course to ensure proper sand depth, firmness and smoothness to the bunker floors.  I managed to play Wednesday afternoon and unfortunately found myself in multiple greenside and fairway bunkers.  Although this was hazardous (pun intended) to my score it provided the opportunity to test their work and I found the bunkers to be fantastic (firm and smooth with proper depth to play the shot required).  Next week they will be trained to walk mow greens and as the growing season fast approaches so does their responsibilities and duties.  These guys are all far from home but in good spirits so please let them know you appreciate their being here to help me provide you with the best playing conditions in Charlotte!

See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton
Golf Course Superintendent