Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Three Tropical Storms Walk Into a Bar!

Hello and welcome to The Greenkeeper!  Today is Wednesday, October 14th.  Stop me if you've heard this one before.  Three tropical storms walk into a bar...  No wait, that can't be right because bars currently remain closed in North Carolina due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  But did you know we've had three tropical systems impact Carolina Golf Club since my last post?

Ironically, it was during that same last post when I referenced how we were impacted by two storms (Florence and Michael) less than four weeks apart just two years ago.  This year we had three named storms, Sally, Beta and Delta make their way to the Queen City after coming ashore in the Gulf.  

Sally's remnants dropped a total of 1.90 inches rainfall at Carolina Golf Club between September 17th and 18th.  Beta was just one week behind and brought us 1.43 inches rainfall over the 25th and 26th.  Watching the forecasts for Delta last week I wasn't too concerned.  Predicted rainfall totals weren't overly alarming, and as I just stated the two previous storms weren't overly impressive.  Add in the fact we had yet to receive any rainfall in October (9 days), we were due a good soak.   

In fact, the agronomy team took advantage of those dry days to make preemergent herbicide treatments to the golf course.  Twice yearly we treat 100 acres of Bermudagrass (tees, fairways, rough and practice areas) with preemergent herbicides.  The spring application targets crabgrass and goosegrass and the fall application targets annual bluegrass (AKA poa annua).  Without a fall application our playing surfaces would become overrun with clumpy annual bluegrass requiring extensive post emergent applications to rectify.

So, we had a golf course that was sufficiently dry and perfect weather last week to make our application.  Treating 100 acres takes several days.  Our product of choice is manufactured by Bayer Environmental Science and the label stated to irrigate with 1/8 to 1/4 inch water if sufficient rainfall wasn't expected within 21 days.  I knew Delta was coming and expected more than sufficient rainfall, so we did irrigate on both Wednesday and Thursday evenings to activate the product applied and have it bind in the upper soil profile.

Delta arrived late Saturday afternoon, a little before 4:00 pm and shortly after my Virginia Tech Hokies fell short in their valiant effort at Chapel Hill.  I tip my cap to all you UNC alums and fans this year.  Well played.  

When I arrived at the course Sunday morning I discovered 1.93 inches of rainfall and thought, okay, Delta was what I expected.  Especially when compared to the outcomes of Sally and Beta.  But the rainfall wasn't over and before we completed course setup Sunday morning I was soaked, and opening drainage inlets.  When the rainfall finally stopped Sunday and they were miraculously able to run the Nascar race at Charlotte Motor Speedway later that day we had received another 1.5 inches of rain at Carolina Golf Club.

Delta's grand total was 3.56 inches rainfall, which is more than Sally and Beta combined (3.33").  Needless to say I made a phone call to the technical service representative of Bayer in our region to discuss our recent applications and potential implications.  The good news is we have several factors in our favor.  The fact our soils were dry and not saturated at the time of application.  The fact we irrigated to activate and bind prior to the onset of rainfall.  And the fact the 3.56 inches of rain from the storm did not fall all at once but was spread out over multiple days.  Definitely reassuring news.

One byproduct of these tropical systems is the flush of growth that accompany them.  Depending on the timing this surge may or may not be wanted.  Two years ago when we were preparing the golf course for the U.S. MidAm we had to work hard to overcome the growth surge following Florence in order to achieve the desired green speed and firmness the USGA requested.

Yesterday, during our closed maintenance day we mowed greens twice in order to help get the greens back to desirable levels.  And today we are making an application of plant growth regulator to slow the plant's response to the "free nitrogen" recently made available. Post rain nitrogen

Next on our agenda is making our annual fungicide application to tees and fairways for the management of Spring Dead Spot.  This application has been temporarily postponed because the fungicide must be watered-in immediately to move the product past the canopy and into the rootzone where the fungus is active.  Although the course is dry enough today to permit cart traffic, it is too wet to be irrigating so we will wait for conditions to improve before we proceed.

And finally, last week I had the good fortune to play golf with Stephen Proctor, author of Monarch of the Green.  He was traveling from his home in Florida to visit his Brother-in-law at Lake Lure.  He absolutely loved the course and donated a signed copy of his book to the club library.  So if you're interested in learning more about Young Tom, check it out. No pun intended. :) 

That's all for now.  We are continuing to clean up the course following Delta and we're hopeful we will be dry enough to mow some bermudagrass tomorrow and Friday.  Fall is here again as the 10-day forecast below shows some cool mornings ahead.  Enjoy!

Courtesy of Brad Panovich, WCNC


See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton, CGCS, MG

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Thursday, September 17, 2020

One Eye on Sally, One Eye on Winged Foot!

Hello and welcome to The Greenkeeper!  Today is Thursday, September 17th and the beginning of the 120th United States Open Championship at Winged Foot Golf Club.  I don't know about you but that sounds bizarre to me, a U.S. Open in mid September.  2020 just continues to defy all things we had come to know and expect.  

It's just a little before 6:00 am and light rain is falling at Carolina Golf Club.  I received a text yesterday afternoon from a member asking if I thought we would "get pounded" with rain all day.  I replied that's what all the experts say.  If you aren't aware Hurricane Sally made landfall along the Mississippi Gulf Coast yesterday morning and is now tracking northeast.  Charlotte is under a flash flood outlook through tomorrow and estimated rainfall totals could equal anywhere between 3 to 7 inches.

This isn't the first tropical system to pass across the North Carolina Piedmont and it won't be the last.  It was just two years ago Michael made landfall along the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 storm and then made its way to the Queen City prior to our Fall Member-Guest.  Yes, that is the same year Florence made her presence felt just prior to the U.S. Mid-Am a month prior.

I'm sorry if my view of Sally is a little jaded, but when we've experienced rain events the past two years that led to totals just shy of 60 inches each year (Charlotte only averages about 40 inches yearly), you can understand why I view this as just another rainy day at the course.  Like with all weather systems, we prepare the course to come through the event as best as possible and fingers crossed any potential damage will be minimal.  My understanding there is not a high wind threat with Sally so I expect today to be soggy, all day.

Considering I was watching Mat Goggin hit lob wedges yesterday, he was landing the ball short of the first target green on the right, and the ball was bouncing twelve feet or more in the air before landing on the green and stopping near the hole.  Yes, it has been relatively dry the past two weeks with less than two-tenths inch rainfall over the past fifteen days, so we could use, and the course is ready to take on a good soak.

Since my last update it looks like Summer left town for the season.  I had an exchange with our good friend Brad Panovich on Monday.  He had shared this graphic with me prior to the Member-Member when we hit 90 plus degrees on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before the holiday weekend.

I asked where we stood for the year and he informed me after hitting 91 degrees officially on September 11th we were now at 54 days for 2020.  Think about that for more than a second, 54 is 31 fewer than last year's total of 85.  That's an entire month less of oppressive heat, and we're thankful.

Fans have been removed from the course and stowed for the season.  Height of cuts have been adjusted slightly on our Bermudagrass surfaces and we have a potash fertilizer application upcoming as we prepare the plant for the approaching dormant season.  We will also be making fall preemergent herbicide applications as well as Spring Dead Spot preventative fungicide application soon.  Our work is never done. :)

So, today is the first round of the 120th United States Open at Winged Foot Golf Club.  I believe most of you when you hear the name Winged Foot either think of 2006 and Phil Mickelson blowing a one-shot lead on the 18th hole of the final round, or you think of the Massacre at Winged Foot, the 1974 U.S. Open won by Hale Irwin with a score of 287 (+7).

Both the East and West courses underwent restoration/renovation under the supervision of golf course architect Gil Hanse in recent years so this year's championship will look different for any competitors that teed it up in 2006.  There's been some great content floating around the web leading up to this tournament showcasing the course, the '74 massacre mentioned earlier, and even a behind the scenes look at the grounds crew produced by Barstool.  

But to have a better understanding of the challenge the competitors face I suggest you watch this brief video produced by Andy Johnson of The Fried Egg Winged Foot West Greens where Gil Hanse and 2006 U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy discuss the difficulties and complexities of these A.W. Tillinghast putting surfaces.

Oh, and don't forget, Carolina Golf Club is forever linked to Winged Foot lore thanks to the stellar play of our own Stephen Woodard and Brett Boner back in 2018. :)  Stay dry today and enjoy the U.S. Open at Winged Foot.  I don't have a prediction other than the course will win and the winning score will be over par.  I would gladly take four rounds of 71 and wait inside that lovely clubhouse, wouldn't you. ;)



See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton, CGCS, MG


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Tuesday, August 25, 2020

SubAir Explanation!

Hello and welcome to The Greenkeeper!  Today is Tuesday, August 25th and I have received a few questions following this morning's post about our recent SubAir installation on Hole 12 so I thought I would provide a little clarification.  Many of you probably recall seeing the image below in a member email on March 6th when we announced the decision to install SubAir on Hole 12 this season.


The components of the SubAir system in the above picture are the Vault, Separator, and Dual Valves.  They are connected to the green's existing internal drainage network.  I think based on the questions I have been receiving many of you thought everything depicted needed to be installed and you were left wondering how we managed to do so without disturbing the putting green.

All 22 of our greens on property are USGA Construction with internal drainage.  They already possess a network of 4-inch dual wall perforated pipe aligned in a herringbone pattern beneath the rootzoone.  That network then connects to a single solid pipe which carries excess water away to the nearest catch basin before it is transported to the nearest retention pond.  From the as-built legend below you can see our bunkers also have internal drainage.  

As-Built Legend

Below is Hole 12 and you should recognize two main "trunk" lines.  Recall there's a ridge at both the front and rear of the green separating the two halves.  For this project we only needed to locate the terminal ends of the two trunk lines at the back of the green and make our connections.  

Hole 12 Drainage As-Built

And this next photo shows us installing new pipe from the vault and separator up to the back of the green connecting to those existing internal drain lines.

Hopefully that clears up any confusion.  For a little more info on how the system operates once connected here's a brief product video explaining the benefits of vacuum and pressure mode.  I've been using both since we got power connected fifteen days ago.  If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to reach out, I love talking turf! 


See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton, CGCS, MG


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Catching Up!

Hello and welcome to The Greenkeeper!  Today is Tuesday, August 25th and for the first time in months the team and I are beginning to feel like we are catching up!  Between record heat and drought, projects, and recent heavy rainfall, at times it felt like we were running in place.  I think this past Friday was the first time I found myself breathing a sigh of relief as the last pieces of new sod went on the ground to button up a few undesirable areas.  Here's a look back at the work helping usher in fall. Yes, September 1st, the start of meteorological fall is only one week away.  ;)

At the first of this month we were still in the grips of a heat wave with unbearable humidity and elevated nighttime temperatures.  As a result, we battled some fungal pathogens on our creeping bentgrass greens that called for treatment.  The right combination of curative plant protectant applications in conjunction with our fans, including the portable used at hole 9 made a tremendous impact and we successfully turned things around.

Portable Fan Hole 9
Now obviously we didn't place the fan in front of the green during play, but we did take advantage of a closed course on Maintenance Mondays to reposition and get better airflow to the far side.  Our recent reprieve from the intense heat allowed us to remove the fan temporarily but you will most likely see it returned tomorrow as temperatures are expected once again to rise into the 90's and remain through this coming weekend.

Prior to August 15th the golf course had only received about 3/4 inch total rainfall this month.  Then the tropical downpours hit that same Saturday afternoon dropping over two inches!  In fact, since the 15th we've had eight measurable rain events totaling 4.6 inches and bringing our monthly total up to 5.39 inches.  That is more than June and July combined (5.21 inches).  

With the recent wet period it sure is nice having the new SubAir unit on Hole 12 operational!  Big thanks to the folks at SubAir/TurfBreeze for all their assistance in getting us squared away on our most challenging microclimate.  The vault is behind the green in the native area.  We wrapped up this project by topdressing with compost and reseeding with Spence Blend fine fescue.  The unit has been quickly put through its paces as noted by the rainfall just in the past ten days.

Top of Vault


Ready for Seed

Looking Better Each Day

With that off our plate we focused on wrapping up the final fairway topdressing for this season.  Between August 10th and 12th we spread 300 tons of utility sand across our 30 acres of tees, fairways, and approaches.  This application brought our grand total since inception in 2015 up to 3900 tons or 130 tons per acre.  Thankfully we had dry weather while spreading and the plentiful rainfall since has sufficiently helped work all the sand into the canopy.

You may recall last time I referenced how we changed grass types on the back tee of hole 13.  We selected Zorro Zoysiagrass for the enhanced shade tolerance as that tee abuts the southeastern property boundary.  This was the same turf used for the newly installed "lawn space" adjacent to the swimming pool.  The new sod rooted in quickly and the tee markers were returned and the tee reopened for play twelve days ago.
In other news we vented greens (needle tines) on August 17th following the Saturday deluge.  It was one of the final tasks our summer intern, Jarrett Price completed last week before heading back to West Lafayette, Indiana for the start of fall classes at Purdue University.  JP was a big part of our team's success this summer and we wish him all the best as he continues his studies.  And hopefully he decides to return next year so we can continue his Jedi training.  :)

Well, that's about all for now.  Dustin Johnson destroyed the field in the first FedEx Cup tournament winning by eleven strokes!  The tour heads to Olympia Fields this week for the BMW Championship then next week they head to Atlanta and East Lake Golf Club for the Tour Championship!  Following a week off after the Tour Championship we get the US Open at Winged Foot!  I don't know about you, but I think it's an exciting time for professional golf!

See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton, CGCS, MG

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Friday, July 31, 2020

July!

Hello and welcome to The Greenkeeper!  Today is Friday, July 31st and we finally got some, albeit mild relief from the heat yesterday!  Everyone knows July is our hottest month annually and this year was no exception, but did you realize our streak of 20 consecutive days with temperatures 90 degrees or above is the fifth longest streak in Charlotte history!  I don't know about you, but when you look at the top 5 pictured below I'm actually surprised the numbers aren't higher.  The streak officially ended yesterday at 20 days when we only reached 89 degrees thanks to early cloud cover.

Courtesy of Brad Panovich, WCNC

And for those of you who've been members since before the restoration you might remember that 2007 streak.  It essentially encompassed the entire month of August including consecutive days when the temperature reached 104 degrees!  Back then the course didn't have full irrigation coverage and we were struggling in those areas thinking how were we going to hang on through October.  The course closed on November first that year to start the eleven month makeover resulting in the course we enjoy today.

We did manage to squeeze out 3.56 inches of rainfall this month, but when close to two of those inches came in one storm late on the 21st you realize it's been mostly dry to go along with the hot and humid conditions.  We only received 1.65 inches all of June so we've experienced more near misses than hits from storms in the region.  But despite these weather related challenges you keep telling me the course is in great shape.  Thank you, the team has worked hard to overcome several obstacles this month and they appreciate the positive feedback.
I know when I posted the tweet above over a couple of weeks ago everyone got excited about the SubAir!  Since then we encountered numerous issues from having to replace and upgrade our electrical service to our technical rep in self quarantine.  But the good news is we are installed, and have power.  The not good news is we are waiting on the arrival of a coupling needed to complete the final hookup and make us operational.  Looks like Monday will be the big day as 2020 continues to frustrate, but we're almost there!  Here are a couple of pics of the work:
Connection to Drainage
Vault


Some other projects we completed this month include new landscaping at the newly renovated pool and we changed the grass on No. 13 Black tee from Celebration bemudagrass to Zorro zoysiagrass.  Despite Celebration having a higher shade tolerance over other bermudagrasses, zoysiagrass has even greater shade tolerance so hopefully we just eliminated our persistent bare patch at this tee which really pushes against the property boundary.

New Zoysia "Lawn"
Fresh Mulch & Stone
Out With the Old
In With the New

Anyway, that about sums up the month.  As August approaches we'll be venting greens this coming Monday and making a plant protectant application for summer stress.  We will also be stockpiling sand next week as the Sandman returns to topdress tees and fairways beginning August 10th.  As we turn another calendar page this year I'm excited for August because it means an end to the Dog Days and the noticeably shorter days in the second half of the month normally means a return of cooler nighttime temperatures.  The greens will definitely be happier with some overnight recovery.

Until then, stay cool and I'll...


See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton, CGCS, MG
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Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Course Update!

Hello and welcome to The Greenkeeper!  Today is Tuesday, June 30th and I can't believe July starts tomorrow!  My goodness this year is flying past.  Considering everything that has happened thus far this year, maybe that's not a bad thing. ;)  

 Since my last update Mother Nature has cranked up the warmth along with the humidity!  Those are the two things Bermudagrass loves the most and the result is a golf course some of you may describe as lush, or even juicy.  The tees have recovered nicely from their core aeration and the fairways are more than 90% recovered from the deep verticutting and topdressing.  

 As a result, some of you may have noticed a little more grass under your ball as we made our first fairway height of cut adjustment of the growing season.  We always start the year lower and creep up as necessary to meet growth during the season.  The same is true for the rough.  Our current HOC in the rough is 1.75 inches and it's typically during mid to late July when we creep even closer to two inches so don't say you haven't been warned. ;)

 This week my team is treating all tees, fairways, approaches, closely mowed surrounds, bunker faces, and even pond banks with a plant growth regulator.  The purpose of this application is to tighten the canopy, but more importantly slow the rate of vertical growth resulting in fewer clippings.  Clipping management is always a struggle during the most humid periods of summer.

One last note about June before we turn the calendar, we only saw 1.65 inches of total rainfall this month!  In an average June our irrigation lake would be down two to three feet with less than two inches rain, but considering the over abundance of soil moisture thanks to the spring rains of April and May (14.98 inches combined) our lake is only a few inches below full pond.

 You may recall last time I referenced other course related projects on the horizon.  We're about halfway complete as all fans have been in place and operating continuously for several weeks and the native mowing has only two areas remaining (right of hole 3 and right of hole 10).  I'm guessing next week will be the pool landscape install as that renovation is nearing the finish line.  
The SubAir install on hole 12 is in a holding pattern as repairs are made to our electric service panel in that corner of the property.  We recently discovered damage to the post supporting the existing service, plus the service is being increased to allow for the addition (existing service powers fans on holes 11 and 12).  Hopefully this will be a brief snag.  

 Before I go I wanted to share the post below for the photograph.  We've received numerous comments about the presentation of the bunkers with this new method and I think this pic captured it best.  Thank you all for the support, the team really appreciates it!
And here's hoping we see many more Fridays like this, as well as the other days of the week as summer continues! :)

 See you on the course,

 Matthew Wharton, CGCS, MG
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Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Aeration Week Recap!

Hello and welcome to The Greenkeeper!  Today is Wednesday, June 10th and much has happened in the three weeks since my last update!  For starters, it rained the next four days following the last post totaling 3.70 inches.  Five days later Tropical Storm Bertha passed over the Queen City dropping another 1.91 inches on the golf course.  When May finally came to a close we had received 7.74 inches rainfall for the month, topping the 7.24 inches that fell in April.  

 Needless to say the course was anything but firm and fast!  But since June arrived the skies have dried long enough for us to complete a long list of cultural practices aimed to improve growing conditions over the coming summer months.  On June 1 and 2 we completed our last planned aerification to the putting greens.  This was the same solid-tine procedure we performed at this time last year.  The greens were topdressed with 50 tons sand prior to the operation followed by hand brooming the sand into the holes.  
Poking Holes
Tight Spacing
The following day we lightly verticut the greens to further aid moving the topdressing sand into the holes.  We applied some needed soil amendments, treated with wetting agent and irrigated thoroughly prior to the resumption of play on Wednesday, June 3rd.    

 While all that was going on, we simultaneously tackled the deep fairway verticutting and topdressing.  You may recall last year the course was closed five consecutive days to allow all these agronomic practices to be completed without interruption.  With club operations still not fully back to pre-coronavirus levels it was decided to only close two days this year resulting in us continuing to peck away at the processes around play Wednesday and Thursday of last week.

In fact, when Maintenance Monday arrived we still needed to verticut the 13th, 17th and 18th fairways plus topdress the 1st, 2nd, 10th and 11th fairways too.  We managed to complete that work two days ago while core aerifying and topdressing all tees.  To be honest, we technically didn't finish fairway topdressing till yesterday, again working around play.  Thank you all for your patience and understanding!  
I also want to thank Mother Nature for turning the spigot off long enough for us to complete our work without delay, and please feel free to turn it back on and help the course recover. ;)  We actually did receive one-quarter inch rain overnight, the first measurable rainfall since May 30.

 Next up on our list is the installation of fans, mowing of all warm-season natural/native areas, and when the pool renovation is complete we will install new landscape material around the perimeter.  You may also recall a club email from early March that referenced the decision to install SubAir at the 12th green.  Prior to the Covid-19 outbreak we had hoped that project would be completed last month.  Obviously, we have been dealing with delays but the good folks at SubAir/TurfBreeze are optimistic we will have everything installed and operational before the end of this month, so stay tuned for more updates!

 That's all for now, time to get the team mowing as the Bermudgrass thrives in these warm, humid conditions.  Feels more like July than June, but then again summer in the Carolinas is always toasty.  You can almost hear the rough getting thicker. ;) 

See you on the course,

 Matthew Wharton, CGCS, MG
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