More Tree Stuff, Lawn Care Tips and Vegas!

Hello and welcome to "The Greenkeeper"!  Today is February 27, 2012 and if you are here then either you were paying attention yesterday when I said check back or you found your way here by accident.  In the case of the latter, you may want to scroll down and read yesterday's post first (Trees, Cart Paths, Weed Control and New Greens Committee!) in order to better understand the context of today's post!  Either way, I am glad you are here!

I received several questions yesterday regarding the size and species of the trees we planted.  We planted a variety of oaks (White, Red, Schumard and Chestnut) as well as a few Red and Sugar maples.  The trees ranged in caliper size from 3.5 inches up to 6 inches with root balls 54 inches in size!  We also planted two larger oaks (8 inches in caliper size) with root balls measuring 80 inches!

General Manager Roger Wolfe is the perfect frame of reference with the two largest oaks!

The Telehandler transports the tree with ease!

Easing it into place under a watchful eye!

The large Schumard oak was planted along the left side of the tenth fairway directly replacing the large tulip poplar we lost last April (uprooted during severe storm).  The large Chestnut oak was planted to the right of the thirteenth fairway as a replacement for the large American beech which unfortunately did not survive the reconstruction of the golf course!

Yesterday I promised you some home lawn care tips.  I have always tried to answer any questions and give advice when solicited for my opinion but I thought today I would share some ideas that would be beneficial to all you DIY'ers (including yours truly).  The information below was reprinted with my permission...

Now is an excellent time to kill any winter annual weeds lingering in your lawn.  Winter annuals germinate in late fall and establish themselves rather quietly over the winter.  The most prevalent weed pressure right now is from henbit, chickweed, mouse-ear chickweed and common groundsel or ragwort.  The henbit can be recognized by a tall stem when rolled between your finger and thumb feels square in shape.  Chickweed and mouse-ear chickweed are low growing, compact winter annuals.  The mouse-ear variety has hairy leaves opposed to the larger common variety.  Common groundsel or ragwort is characterized by its tiny yellow flowers sitting atop a very upright, leafy stalk.  In the spring they will compete against your lawn for water and nutrients and then flower and produce seed before dying at the onset of hot weather.  If you have a bermudagrass lawn you can use RoundUp (glyphosate) to treat for winter weeds (carefully follow label directions for applications to dormant turf).  If your lawn is tall fescue you will need to use a product that kills weeds but is safe on desirable grass.  Ortho and Bayer Environmental Science both produce similar products that will get the job done.   

One thing I noticed this weekend while in my local home improvement store is both companies now market these products with the claim of controlling crabgrass.  Crabgrass is a summer annual grassy weed.  It germinates in the spring and competes against your lawn turf all summer before producing seed and dying at the onset of frost in the fall.  Neither of these products will have any effect on crabgrass now because no crabgrass is actively growing.  The products are a combination of three chemical compounds (2, 4-D, Dicamba and Quinclorac).  The 2, 4-D and Dicamba are chemicals that have been used for broadleaf weed control for years.  The Quinclorac component is a newer compound developed to kill crabgrass after it germinates.     

I wanted you to understand if you use either of these products now thinking you will not have any crabgrass in your lawn later this year you will be sadly mistaken.  You will still need to treat your lawn relatively soon with either a pre-emergent herbicide to prevent crabgrass from germinating or retreat with the same product later in the season when the crabgrass emerges.  Quinclorac works best on small, juvenile crabgrass plants.  It is important to also understand any product that prevents the germination and emergence of crabgrass will also prevent any desirable grass seed from doing the same.  Therefore, if you have areas in your lawn in need of reseeding this spring, you will not be able to treat those areas with a product marketed for crabgrass prevention.  I know, all this information seems a little overwhelming and is making you think twice about throwing away the flyer Chemlawn left on your mailbox last week.  The important thing is to take your time.  Ask questions when at your local home improvement store and you’re always welcome to send those questions to me if you wish.

I hope that helps!  Now I must wrap things up and finish tying up all loose ends because I am leaving tomorrow to attend the 2012 GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show in Las Vegas.  I will be attending accredited seminars and lectures on a variety of topics as well as viewing the largest collection of golf course maintenance needs on display at the GIS.  It was originally my intention to blog daily about the GIS but it is my understanding the Las Vegas Convention Visitors Bureau has a strict policy prohibiting the dissemination of information about the goings on in their city...something about what happens there stays...I don't know.  Anyway, I will be back next week!  Until then...

See you on the course...next week

"Did I remember to enable the automated out-of-office reply on my email?"  "Come Solomon, Daddy needs to turn off the lights."

Matthew Wharton

Golf Course Superintendent

Trees, Cart Paths, Weed Control and New Greens Committee!

Hello and welcome to "The Greenkeeper"!  Today is February 26, 2012.  Sorry it took so long to get this update posted but it took two weeks for my fingers to thaw from the final round of the Ross Retreat.  We spent most of last week planting trees.  You may recall I traveled to Liberty, North Carolina (home of Gilmore Plant & Bulb, Inc.) earlier this month to meet with Kris Spence (hand select the trees for planting as we begin implementation of the Master Tree Plan) and Kris was on site February 8th to select and mark the planting locations.  With trees arriving this past Monday (20th), Tuesday (21st) and Thursday (23rd) we actually started digging on Friday (17th) the week before in preparation...

Nathan Lance operates our 36" auger attachment with our Cat 277D to start the hole.

JR Bailey operates our backhoe attachment with our Kubota tractor to enlarge the hole to the proper size and depth.

The trees arrive.

Trees are off-loaded at the shop using a rented Telehandler (Cat TH580B).

 

Trees are planted with either the 277D or the Telehandler depending on the size.

We planted a total of 16 trees on the golf course this past week.  Ten trees were planted in the natural areas along the 1st, 9th, 10th,11th and 13th holes as landscape enhancements and six trees were planted as specific replacements for lost trees on the 10th, 13th and 14th holes.  Nineteen more trees are scheduled to be planted next week to establish a "tree nursery" for future transplanting.  The area selected for this nursery is to the right of the cart path along the 7th hole.

In other news, we recently completed our annual cart path edging (we edge the bermudagrass encroachment back every winter).  With several miles of asphalt cart paths the project usually lasts anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks depending on the number of workers assigned.  This sentence has no relevance to the cart path project but my high school English teacher would kill me if I wrote a paragraph with less than three sentences so this one is for Mrs. Wallace! 

Earlier this month we sprayed the golf course with glyphosate (chemical compound in RoundUp) to kill any lingering winter annual weeds (most notably poa annua).  Now we are treating with oxadiazon (chemical compound in Ronstar).  Oxadiazon is a pre-emergent herbicide that prevents the germination of crabgrass and goosegrass in our lush bermudagrass tees, fairways and roughs.  All this talk about weed control reminds me I should reprint last year's info for home lawn care.  I will upload it to the blog tomorrow so be sure and check back!

The Greens Committee for 2012 will be chaired by Stephen Woodard (SWoodard@mpvre.com).  The committee also consists of repeat offenders (TIC) Brett Boner, Ed Oden and Maury Rapp.  They are joined by newcomers Jack Kirby (new to me) and David Miller along with Roger Wolfe (GM) and myself.  Our next scheduled meeting is Wednesday, March 14th and if you have any questions, comments or concerns about the golf course feel free to express those to either me or Stephen.  Thanks!

See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton

Golf Course Superintendent

Winter Conditions and Flags, Topdressing and Trees, Alanis Morissette!

Hello and welcome to "The Greenkeeper"!  Today is Thursday, February 9, 2012.  WCNC's Brad Panovich told me (and every other viewer watching the evening of February 1st) the Charlotte metro area had one day with high temperatures above 70 degrees during the months of December and January combined.  We had experienced 13 days with high temperatures of 60 degrees or more during that same time span and a whopping 52 days of the mercury rising to at least 50 degrees or more!  That's right, 52 out of a possible 62 days during December 2011 and January 2012 we had high temperatures reach at least 50 degrees.  Throw on top the combined rainfall during those two months (5.61 inches) and you realize why we have had a soggy golf course mostly this winter.

It seems from all the surveying I have done with my peers at other courses around the area it has been soggy everywhere!  All of my superintendent buddies have exclaimed how their courses are wetter this winter than most.  With the extremely soggy conditions in our region we have spent quite a bit of time restricting carts to the paths at all times.  Even flags (waivers for certain riders to access the fairways when normally closed) have been hard to come by this season!  One very important thing for all golf car operators to understand (flagged rider or not) is anytime access to the fairways is granted that does not translate to an open invitation to ride anywhere and everywhere at your discretion.  It is always imperative when riding the fairways to use common sense and avoid the lower lying and wet areas.  Sometimes when cart restrictions have been lifted the lower areas may still be marginal yet we are trying our best to accommodate you and allow you to ride the fairways for better pace of play.  We are counting on you to avoid damaging the golf course by using good judgement.  So thank you for your cooperation!

What's that "white stuff" on the fairways and approaches you ask.  It is sand topdressing.  We have been diligently applying light amounts of sand topdressing to problem areas (poor soil, etc.) on the course this entire winter.  This practice helps improve the existing soil profile of these areas as well as help firm the approaches fronting the putting surfaces.  We have also been making a concerted effort to topdress the areas exhibiting the highest amount of earthworm activity (higher than normal due to the warmer than normal winter conditions).  Although earthworms are beneficial organisms in the soil (nature's aerators) they can be problematic on the surface when their populations get too high.  The abrasiveness of the sand topdressing is unpleasant and forces them to relocate helping to redistribute the population to more manageable levels.

Back on February 1st I had the pleasure of meeting our architect Kris Spence along with Tom Gilmore at Gilmore Plant and Bulb, Inc. in Liberty, NC to select trees.  Last year the club contracted Kris to produce a Master Tree Plan for the golf course in response to the loss of trees experienced the past four years to construction, drought and storms.  The Greens Committee carefully reviewed the plan Kris submitted and elected to plant several of the proposed trees this year.  Yesterday Kris was on site to mark the actual planting locations for the trees we selected.  That concludes the tree update portion of this blog.  Check back for future updates once more progress is made.

As I wrap up this edition of The Greenkeeper I am eager to get home and pack my clubs for the Ross Retreat!  I am privileged to accompany so many of our esteemed members to the Pinecrest Inn for camaraderie and golf on some classic Donald Ross gems this weekend.  However, isn't it ironic we experience such a warmer than normal winter, plan a golf trip and the bottom falls out of the mercury (forecasted Sunday morning low of 23 degrees in Pinehurst).  Good grief!     

See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton
Golf Course Superintendent

Taste of Victory, State of the Union, No Balls and New Faces

Hello and welcome to "The Greenkeeper"!  Today is Friday, January 27, 2012 and this is my first post in - in 17 days! Sorry!  I don't have an excuse this time so we will just move on to the portion where I brag about my golf fantasy team.  I would be remiss if I didn't give a shout out to Mark Wilson, winner of the PGA Tour's 2012 Humana Challenge and member of my golf fantasy team...wooohooo!  It's been so long since my fantasy partners and I have had a winner we don't remember what victory tastes like so last week was a pleasant surprise!

It was a pleasure to once again present the Greens Committee "Year in Review" at the Annual Meeting this past Tuesday.  It is never easy to give such an important address opposite the President's State of the Union but I think overall, my message was well received...at least it did not require a Republican response.  In case you were unable to attend, the entire presentation is available (contact Roger Wolfe) and if you have any questions regarding the information contained in any of my slides do not hesitate to contact me.

I was asked about the recent disappearance of practice balls at the short game area during the Annual Meeting.  My apologies for not addressing this issue in this forum sooner but the decision was made by both the Golf Committee and the Greens Committee to remove the den caddies from the short game area during the winter off-season.  Over the past three years when the driving range tee is closed for use during the dormant period some individuals have used the turf at the short game area for full shots (warm-up and practice) causing great damage to the short game area and hindering its winter recovery.  It was determined if the practice balls were not readily available this would serve as a deterrent to this type of behavior.  You are welcome to use the chipping green and practice bunkers but the unlimited supply of practice balls will not be reinstated until spring.  Until then, you will need to use a ball or two or sleeve of three to chip and putt.  Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

In other news, if you have been on the course the past two weeks you may have seen some unfamiliar faces on the golf course maintenance team.  I recently added two new hires to my staff and I would like to introduce them to you now:

Chad Taylor is originally from Florida.  His family moved to Monroe, NC when he was 8 years old.  He is a 2007 graduate of Sun Valley High School in Monroe where he studied Advanced Turfgrass Management.  Chad previously worked in the landscaping industry before a stint at The Club at Longview in 2009 led to a position on the maintenance crew at Providence Country Club where he spent the past two years.

Brett Stowers is a native of Virginia and recent (2011) graduate of Virginia Tech's Crop & Soil Environmental Science program (yes, more Hokies!).  He interned at the Olde Farm Golf Club in Bristol, VA in 2010 and most recently working as the 2nd Assistant Superintendent on the Manakin Course at Hermitage Country Club in Richmond, VA.  Brett relocated to Charlotte to be with his "soon to be fiance", Michelle who works for Balfour Beatty Construction as a project engineer.  Brett is my new Assistant in Training.

That's all for now!  Until next time...

See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton
Golf Course Superintendent

Aerosmith, Jim Cantore, Peggy and Trolleys

Hello and welcome to "The Greenkeeper"!  Today is Tuesday, January 10, 2012 and this is my first post of the new year! ...sorry for the delay.  I sincerely hoped to have posted long before now however I am blaming a period of winter solstice induced depression prolonged by cold and flu viruses, Christmas overeating and field goal kickers.  I am happy to report my "funk" finally receded like Jonathan Byrd's hairline and I am now "Back in the Saddle" so here we go!

Sometimes I think if I wasn't an agronomist and a golf course superintendent I might have been a meteorologist.  Of course my profession as your golf course superintendent necessitates my constant weather watching and who knows if I would even have an "inner Jim Cantore" if I had pursued other career options.  Regardless, I found it interesting to note 2011 ended as the second wettest year during my tenure at CGC with 48.79 inches total rain.  The most was when 2009 brought us 54.77 inches rain. 

Keeping with the Weather Channel theme did you know December ended at nearly 10 degrees above normal for the entire month with approximately 3 total days recording below average temperatures and 6 total days recording average temperatures and the remainder recording above average temperatures.  In contrast December 2010 had only 2 total days recording above average temperatures and 29 total days recording below average temperatures.  The entire month of December 2010 ended at nearly 5 degrees below normal!  Thus last month we were nearly 15 degrees above where we were at the same time the year before...no wonder all of our short cut bermudagrass turf was confused with green color lingering this late in the season ("What number on Herbstreit, Mr. Kirk?"..."He's confused.").

At this time I would like to close with something new and useful.  Many of you enjoy walking the golf course with the aid of your pull, push, motorized carts or as our good friends who invented the game say...trolleys.  I am all for the use of trolleys on the golf course and admire each of you that walk this golf course on a regular basis.  However the putting surfaces are no place for trolleys and I want to remind everyone to be careful not to take your trolley across the putting greens.  Yes, tracks were noticed and identified and that is why I am posting this today.  Someone made an innocent mistake and I merely want to prevent it from happening again.  Thank you for your cooperation! 

The Greens Committee will be meeting this coming Friday (January 13th).  Look for my next post to follow a few days later hopefully with something exciting to share.  Until then...

See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton
Golf Course Superintendent

The Winter Solstice, Milli Vanilli and Happy Holidays!

Hello and welcome to "The Greenkeeper"!  Today is Wednesday, December 21, 2011 and the first official day of winter.  Actually, winter begins precisely at 12:30 am December 22nd this year when the tilt of the earth reaches its southern most point and while we all eagerly await the arrival of the winter solstice, and the official start of winter, it seems enough rain has moved into the region to fuel rumors of a Milli Vanilli reunion.  A trace of rain fell late yesterday evening and this morning it started raining while I was in route to the club.  A quick glance at the radar indicated today was going to be a washout and the forecast for the next several days all show... rain!  In fact at the time of this writing over an inch of rain has already fallen.  As our good friend Charlie Brown would say..."Good Grief"!

Anyway, I know some of you are probably thankful the temperatures are warm enough so rain is all we receive and there are some of you wishing the mercury would fall and we could have a white Christmas!  I guess we can't have our cake and eat it too but at least with the holidays here there should be plenty of cake!  I just wanted to take a moment and wish everyone at CGC a Merry Christmas or a Happy Hanukkah or perhaps you remember Seinfeld and Kramer's holiday, Festivus!!  Whatever your beliefs and celebrations I just wanted you to know my family and I wish you a very happy and joyous time this season.  We are off to the commonwealth just north of here (Virginia) to see our families and I am looking forward to spending time with them and of course eating more than I should.  I will be back the first part of next week but until then I want to wish each of you again a joyous Happy Holidays!! 

See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton
Golf Course Superintendent

Trees, Brown Patch and More "Snow"!

Hello and welcome to "The Greenkeeper"!  Today is Friday, December 9, 2011 and we are enjoying another beautiful afternoon at Carolina Golf Club!  Yesterday I met with the Greens Committee and I wanted to bring you up to date on our discussion as well as point out a couple of other items.  We (CGC) have been working with our architect Kris Spence on a Master Tree Plan for the past few weeks.  A tree plan is a document that provides guidance in selection of both specimen and placement of future tree plantings as well as guidance with any potential future tree removal.  Some of you recall we lost numerous trees the first two years following the restoration of the golf course due to stress from construction as well as drought.  This year we lost several more due to intense thunderstorm damage (lightning and/or high winds).  We contacted Kris to get his thoughts on replacing the lost trees and yesterday we met to review and discuss his plan.  At this time that is where we are... in the discussion stage of the plan and I will share more with you when there is more to share :)

I was asked the other day about some odd, irregular shaped, discolored patches appearing in the bermudagrass turf.  They are occurring most notably in the approach of hole number 9 and the beginning of the fairway of hole number 14.

This is Rhizoctonia Blight or Brown Patch on bermudagrass turf.  This is a foliar blight disease of turfgrass caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani.  The fungus occurs naturally in the soil and when the environmental conditions are ideal (continuous cool, damp weather) an outbreak may occur.  I should note continuous cool, damp weather is the ideal conditions for an outbreak to occur and affect warm-season turfgrasses such as bermudagrass.  Brown Patch is caused by warm, humid weather on cool-season turf (yes, this is the same disease affecting your tall fescue lawns every summer).  It is uncommon for Brown Patch to have long term deleterious effects on bermudagrass and with colder, drier weather on the way I suspect we won't be seeing it much longer.  However, it isn't everyday you can see something that mainly exists in the back pages of text books and to an agronomist like myself...it's kind of cool.

Last time I talked about the covers on selected bunker faces and the reasons why.  I also mentioned we would be covering a few selected tee boxes.  We accomplished that task earlier this week and thus the appearance of more snow exists (especially as you drive into the club). 

I was asked recently if I intended to remove or "peel" the covers back from the bunker faces if the weather became "really nice".  There are no plans to remove the covers from the bunker faces until the end of winter mainly because a ball striking the bunker face will come to rest in the bunker just as it would if the ball encountered the uncovered dormant turf canopy.  In other words, there is nothing to be gained by removing the cover from the bunker faces from the standpoint of playability.  The tees however are a different story.  As you can see in the photo above, provisions have been made with temporary teeing grounds however that space is limited.  I am sure Mother Nature will provide exceptional weather at times over the next three months and when the conditions permit we will "peel" the covers back and allow play from the proper teeing grounds.  In the mean time, please remember these turf blankets have been installed to protect the course and help provide the best playing conditions during the growing season.  Thank you in advance for your understanding!

See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton
Golf Course Superintendent