Getting ready for Spring to Arrive

2 Green March 17th
Low area in the middle of green severely stressed after this harsh winter.
Desprite being stressed this turf should grow out once weather allows for growth

Finally, it is starting to look like spring at Rockville Links.  Snow and ice only remain in a few pockets throughout the course allowing us to finally get out see The Links.  Although, there are many patches that look beaten up from the harsh winter, I have not seen any areas where we suffered any WinterKill.  Deciding to clear greens to accelerate the ice melt really helped relieve stress from many struggling areas.  (This Process is further details in the previous March 9 blog post)

So what does this mean for the membership of Rockville Links?

The Links needs to continue to dry out and firm up.  Besides walking the crew is not able to get off the main roads and paths.  Hopefully later in the week we are able to venture off road. There is plenty to clean throughout the course, especially from all the geese activity the last 10 days.  

Once we do dry out we still have to keep traffic off areas that were severely stressed this winter.  I would like to see growth and recovery before we add any more stress.  

This same idea applies to greens.  Our greens will be the first turf ready for play this spring.  This is because of internal drainage, better sandier soils, and fewer shade issues than other playing surfaces.  Our greens are also predominately Poa Annua, which is a grass that comes out of dormancy quicker and is better suited for spring conditions than other grasses. 

The 7-Day forecast has every night dropping below freezing and a chance of snow Friday.  Coming into this week I would say we are 10 days behind last season, which had first round of golf played in late March.  Once we get through this next wave of cold weather, we should have a better idea how the season is shaping up.    

The course has come a long way in one week.  Hopefully we dry out, and the weather catches up to spring in the next week!

10 green March 10th/March 17th
Low areas accumulated ice first and held on longer adding extra stress to the turf

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