Spring?

Overhead view Friday March 6th

This Winter has been very unique.  The first 2 weeks of November was amazing weather, followed by some record lows to finish out the month.  December was beautiful and there was golf played right through New Years Eve.  January was pretty normal, but did begin forming ice layers on playing surfaces.  The end of January also brought a very impressive storm that left 18" on Rockville Links. This snow helped to insulate the original ice layer that formed.  February was the coldest ever recorded in  NYC and Long Island. 

All this weather set up the crazy first week of March.  Two separate rain storms followed immediately by snow and freezing temps in the same week.    

Huge puddle formed on #10 Green on Wednesday March, 4 during the heavy rain storm.  This was followed by 8" snow and temps dropping to 12 degrees.

All this weather formed 3-5" of ice on playing surfaces.  Some greens have been under ice cover for 35-40 days.  So the decision was made Friday March 6 to clear snow off greens to expose the ice.  

Two potential issues led to this decision.  First, ice cover for an extended period of time traps bad gases in the soil that can led to turf loss.  Second, the long term forecast called for a freeze thaw pattern all week, and saturated turf the freezes quickly causes crown hydration.  

Luckily the weather turned out better than predicted this weekend, and now is not going to drop below freezing till late in the week.   The thick ice layers have begun to melt, and we are doing everything we can to help water move from the surface.  In the next few days some frost should lift from the the ground and the Internal Drainage installed in the greens the last few years will really help out!

Using a snow blower to expose thick ice layer on #7 Green

Most greens had 3" of ice with 14-18" of snow on top of the ice

Some greens had 4"+ of ice and close to 3' of snow in spots.  So we had to use larger equipment to clear these greens.

Applied pigments and dark colored amendments to help melt ice. 

Restoration

The last few months at Rockville Links have been a blur.  Many changes have taken place and I am well overdue on a post.

The major project that began in November was working with Jim Urbina to restore holes 2, 3, and 16 to the original 1924 Devereux Emmet design.  The Restoration was done by our crew "in house" along with Jim Urbina and his shapers.  We utilized old overhead photos of Rockville Links to guide us in our Restoration.  

As we rounded out 2014 here at The Links, we really set up 2015 for a New Old Look for the membership.  Hope you all have a Happy New Year, and I will post more from the work so you can see what 2015 will look like at Rockville Links. 

#2 Green during construction

#2 Left Side Fairway Bunker.  Fairway runs right into the bunker now.
All fairway sod was cut and moved to restore original fairway lines. We also wanted sod to match so it blends in seamlessly.

#16 Left Side had 8 trees transplanted to restore the tree lined corner

New #3 Right Side Fairway Bunker

Great care was taken to recreate the sod walkpaths from the original Emmet design.

Aeration: A Necessary Evil

The DryJect process pictured above was completed Wednesday afternoon.  This process blasts water into greens and creates a suction that fills the holes with sand.  Workers must continuously load dry sand into the machine much like the drill-n-fill process we perform in November. 

 The week prior to Dryject we pulled a 1/2" core 5-6" deep into the soil profile followed by a deep verti-cut.  Then seed, sand and soil amendments were applied to the greens.  

So why do we aerate?  

Aeration helps remove thatch, organic matter, and heavy soils that are not desirable to playing surfaces.  It also allows for proper air exchange in the soil.  All this adds up to healthier roots and grass.  This all leads to better more consistent playing conditions.  

There are different goals for each area on the course.  Tee and fairways is to remove as much thatch as possible.  Approaches to remove thatch and incorporate sand for firmness.  Greens are to remove some thatch and organic matter, but need more work at 4 inches and greater in the soil profile.  This will help utilize the new drainage, create healthier deeper roots, and help return playing conditions faster after rain events.  

Thanks for your patience over the last few weeks!  

Faiway Aeration

Blowing and Sweeping Plugs off Fairways

Same Day Finished Product

Using Technology

Moisture Meters

This is our most used piece of technology at The Links.  It measures the % of water content in the soil. This number helps us quantify a number to shoot for when water each morning and also afternoon.  So it helps to find a drier area before it shows signs of stress, and helps improve play-ability by keeping greens consistent throughout the course.

TruFirm

This is the newest addition to our tools.  This firmness meter just became available this spring.  We are still trying to integrate it into our normal practices and find a balance between moisture and level of firmness that provides ideal conditions for the club.  It has also been used to test for differences in bunker play-ability throughout the course

DJI Phantom

I personally purchased the DJI Phanom a month ago.  Besides being something that is fun to operate is has also shown be be a very useful tool here on the golf course.  When used with my GoPro camera it has taken some great overhead photos and videos.  

Through social media it has also been very interesting to see how other superintendents and occupations are using this as a tool.  

GoPro Camera

The GoPro has been the most useful to help document what is being done on the course.  From pictures, videos, and time lapse many photographs posted here, twitter, and the clubs newsletter are taken with this camera.  The small versatile came is also used with the DJI Phantom for overhead photography. 

  

March USGA Green Section Articles

Links to a few good articles from the Northeast USGA Greens Section Agronomists.



USGA: Northeast



USGA: Northeast

Winter at The Links

USGA: Northeast

Mid-Atlantic Region update

These Two Links are From the USGA Green Section.  Both talk about Winter Kill and Crown Hydration

Picture after Winter Storm Hercules left deep drifts all over The Links

Rockville Links has survived all the crazy weather Mother Nature has thrown our way in the last few weeks.  It All began with the big winter storm Hercules, I guess the weatherman likes to name winter storms now too.  This was followed up by warm weather and rain.  This created a very wet sloppy course that still had many pockets of snow and slush throughout.  

These conditions were last Monday January 6th.  The crew worked hard on Monday morning to clear off remaining snow/slush from greens approaches and low fairway spots.  The afternoon was spent squeegeeing puddles on greens and a few fairway spots. This paid off with the Polar Vertex coming in Tuesday night.  The heavy winds that proceeded this cold snap also helped dry playing surfaces.  

Warm wet weather followed by  extreme cold is perfect conditions for Crown Hydration, talked about in both articles above.  All the hard work put in by the crew helped prevent damage that could have occurred. 

Mya enjoyed the snow for the few days it hung around

  

Winter

2013 has just about come to an end.  The golf here at Rockville Links has slowed to a halt, for the time being, because of the snowfall and freezing temps.  

The question I receive most this time of year is; What are you doing for the winter?

There is still plenty of work to be done around Rockville Links all winter, and yes myself, assistants, mechanics, and a few full-time employees are here year round.

I will try to give weekly highlights to what we accomplish throughout the winter months to give membership a better understanding of how much work and course preperation goes on in January, February, and March.

Winter is also the main time for continuing education.  Classes, conferences, and trade shows provide a great opportunity to keep up to date on the latest in the industry.  They also provide credits that are mandatory to renew our NY Pesticide Licences.