There was a very rapid change in weather we went from a wet April & May to an average June and now a bone dry July. The squeggee's were packed away and the hoses were drug out.We have a very solid crew that has done large amounts of handwatering to make up for the defeciencies of our irrigation system.
Here are some additional jobs completed this past month.

We once again had problems with zebra muscles plugging up the siphon line, which fills our irrigation pipe. A high pressure flush is done, but now the elevation of the canal is dropping rapidly and we may need to make alternative arrangements to get our water.


Servicing of the golf carts is completed monthly during the offseason and every 3 weeks during the summer. We check the battery terminals, water level, tire pressure and neutralize acid on the battery tops.

This is a picture of some insect damage we had on the collars of some greens. The insect pest is called Annual Bluegrass Weevil and feeds on the weedy grass. If not controlled the insect will feed on the bentgrass. We had to make a treatment for this pest as well as Cutworm.

The tee signs were weeded and mulched. Between all the maintenance items on the golf course it's very difficult for us to maintain these areas as we should. Some areas still have very maintenance intensive plants and this adds to the labor issue.

Henry our equipment manager has had his hands full to say the least. Here he is tearing down 75% of the mower to repair internal components of a hydraulic pump. Jacobsen the manufacturer only had 2 options for us. option 1 was to replace the pump @ a cost of $2500. Option 2 was a small re-build kit of unnecessary parts for $900. Henry took it upon himself to cross a number with a direct ditributor at a cost of $90. Outsourcing this job would have cost $4000. Henry has been with us for 6 years and is a huge asset to the club.

Staffing

It took all available resources this spring to keep up with mowing and limit the amount of damage to wet saturated soils. As a result we are behind on many of the aesthetic touches that bring out the most LTCC has to offer. We apologize for the lack of definition in many areas of the golf course, but are getting caught up very quickly. The main focus has been greens, tees, fairways, rough and bunkers. Now the attention is being directed toward peripheral areas of the golf course eg. tree stumps, OB stakes, trimming and landscape beds. The landscape beds are the most tedious and time consuming especially without the assistance of a horticulturalist on staff. We will do our best and are now at full staff. The additional staffing will ease some of the burden as many helping hands make much lighter work.

#12 Construction

Due to the inclement weather this spring the bunker construction was put on hold until August. By no means is the hole completed, but rather was finished in a way to make it playable as soon as possible with costs taken into consideration. The fairway on the right hand playing side was not expanded or sodded, so we have temporarily overseeded the area with ryegrass. In August construction will once again begin where the fairway will be widened by as much as 10 yards in some locations. Accompanying the widening of the fairway 2 bunkers will be added on the left hand playing side of the hole. We are sorry for the inconvenience and any interuptions in play.

Aerification Scheduled for Monday June 6th

As you all know aerification was postponed due to the wet weather. Since we are so far into the golf season a less invasive process will begin to the greens on Monday. This process WILL NOT remove any thatch, but rather relieve surface compaction and increase air exchange through the soil. This season we will be topdressing the greens with sand to dilute the organic matter levels and firm the putting surfaces more frequently. Here's a video of the process we will be performing on Monday. The greens will be firmer, faster and roll truer after this process because of the rolling and the addition of the sand to the profile of the greens. Please don't be scared off by the word aerification next week. The weather looks great!!

Wet Weather

Looks like the wet weather is past us, for now. Saturated soils are prone to compaction, which is detrimental to soil structure. As soils become compacted there is a reduction in air space, which is essential for micro-organisms and the infiltration of water. Basically, the soils can dry out very easily and it's impossible to "re-wet" the soils without the addition of wetting agents (make water "wetter")or aerification. Due to these conditions we have begun lightly irrigating areas to ensure that the soils do not dry out too quickly and sealing off the surface.

Edging Bunkers

During this inclement weather we have begun the process of edging and moving sand.
The first step is to edge the encroaching grass back with a weedeater. Next the material is removed by hand and all weeds are pulled.

Lastly, sand depths are checked and sand is smoothed to ensure proper playability.

#12 Bunker Construction

We have begun to remove the bunkers, but were once again caught by the rain. 1/2 of the area was completed prior to the 3 inches of rain. The remaining area will be completed as soon as the weather co-operates. Bunker construction may not be completed until the fall due to the weather.