The Benefits of Aerification

The Rim Golf Club is a unique club. The breath taking views from every hole are like no other golf club in Arizona. The idea that we live in a desert climate is sometimes forgotten when we live among the largest forest of Ponderosa Pines in America. There is no doubt; it is tough to find a better environment to enjoy playing the game of golf.

Growing grass in Payson is much different than anywhere in the State of Arizona. Cool season grasses grown on decomposed granite is not accomplished anywhere else in the State. Sedona, Flagstaff, The White Mountains, all have more desirable soils to work with. Sedona is the closest to our climate with warmer summers to cause substantial disease pressure in the Monsoon months. The northern courses will never experience destructive disease like we do. Cooler overnight temperatures keep pathogens in check.

A frequently discussed subject among members is our soil or lack of. Adding soil or organic matter has been a topic for as long as I can remember. This could sound like I am contradicting myself, but we don’t have a problem with not having enough organic matter, actually we grow all of our grass in a two inch thick blanket of organic matter (thatch) that caps our native granite soil. We can utilize this organic layer by incorporating inorganic sand to create an optimum playing field. An ideal soil is shown in this diagram. If you notice mineral (rock, gravel) is a key ingredient. Organic is only a minor piece of the pie.

Building a soil is a slow process. The inability to make use of our native soil has become a reality. Making use of the organic matter (thatch) we have in place and mixing in sand through aerification and topdressing we can create a decent growing medium for turf. It is a slow process. I have been here for four seasons and three years ago we started a consistent cultivation program. The benefits of incorporating sand have been fairways that are more firm, slightly better water infiltration through the organic matter and a healthier root structure. Benefits we will see with continued cultivation will be less disease pressure due to better drainage, deeper roots that will endure drought better and utilize nutrients and water more efficiently. Aerification can be a dirty word in the golf community, but to a turf manager it is literally a breath of fresh air.

In my opinion, Payson is located in the most beautiful area in Arizona. Complementing the surrounding environment is quite a challenge as a turfgrass manager. Grass, being a living organism, needs adequate oxygen, water, and light. Aerification is the most important practice to oxygenate the soil, a practice that is needed twice a year to enhance the course’s future. Conditions will only improve over the years with consistent cultivation.

Aerification Dates

September 20th Greens

September 21st – 24th Fairways

If you have any questions about our upcoming aerification practices please feel free to contact me at any time.
Justin Ruiz, CGCS
jruiz@therimgolfclub.org
928-951-3421

Watering The Rim Golf Club

Applying water to the golf course is the most important practice we perform every season. With limited storage, it is imperative that we make sure every drop is used properly. To ensure optimum efficiency when scheduling our irrigation events, we use evapotranspiration (ET).
ET is the combination of evaporation from the soil surface and the transpiration from the turf plant. The ET is the amount of water used by the plant in a 24 hour period accounting for wind, humidity, temperature and solar radiation. Our goal is to replace the amount water used in a single day.

The height of cut also makes a difference in the rate at which water is used by the plant. The lower the cut the more evaporation loss from water applied. As the height of cut increases, the evaporation portion of the plant water use decreases. Transpiration from the plant increases as the plant gets bigger. The relationship between the two values is not equal. That is why the larger plants will use less water. We expect to see some savings with the new height of cut in the fairways.

The way many people apply water today is by using time intervals. Watering 5 to twenty minutes per station per night is common practice. Our computer uses ET so we can water to the second, replacing the water used that day. The computer’s database contains information about each head’s makeup. Gallons per minute, area covered, arc pattern in degrees and spacing with other heads to calculate a specific precipitation rate for that designated head. This information was what we were working on three years ago to make sure the computer could accurately make watering decisions using the ET. Each night the run time is changed to meet the plant’s water usage and throughout the year adds up to a sizeable amount of savings due to the accuracy of water application.

The central control system that we use is by far, one of the most important and most powerful tools in our arsenal. Minor inconsistencies in programming can lead to major watering inefficiencies. Incorrect adjustments in the field that are not corrected in the computer can also contribute to poor use of water. There is no doubt, each year we are close on the amount of water needed to maintain the turf and the amount of water in our storage lakes, but with the efforts made over the past three years, we have lessened the our historic water shortages.

Water is our most precious resource. Making sure to apply it in the most efficient way is important to the sustainability of our club. Superintendents still make use of time interval irrigation, but calculating the actual plant water use and replenishing that water, is the most accurate application method available today. When you are out on the course enjoying the summer weather, you can appreciate the science behind the way we use our water.

If you have any questions about ET or how we apply water to the golf course please feel free to contact me.

Justin C. Ruiz, CGCS

jruiz@therimgolfclub.org

Green Speed

Recently, I was able to watch a little bit of the U.S. Open. Pebble Beach was the host this year and one of the topics mentioned quite a bit from the newscasters was green speed. The greens were rolling 13 at Pebble Beach during the week. Of course, pretty much every golfer in America knows that “13” is fast. Did you know that that number is measured with a tool called a Stimp meter? The Stimp meter was originally designed to give the superintendent a way to measure consistency among all eighteen greens. It wasn’t until recently in golf’s history that the tool was used for speed.

There is no doubt the Stimp meter has changed the way we manage greens and green speed. Rolling the greens has become a management tool rather than a cultural practice. We roll on average two to three times per week to give the greens a break from cutting and maintain speed. The greens are being cut higher than past years, but our speeds have remained similar. With a higher cut, more plant is available for photosynthesis, resulting in healthier root structure.

So, next time you hear the number that so many people use to describe greens, you will know that the Stimp meter was originally intended to achieve consistency over all the greens on the course, not necessarily speed.

If you have any questions about green speed or other course issues please feel free to contact me.

jruiz@therimgolfclub.org

Did you Know Vol. 1

Did you know that the mowing equipment we use to cut greens is adjusted to thousandths of an inch?
Yes, the mowing equipment used on the greens is adjusted with a tool called an accugauge.  This tool measures the distance from the bedknife to the bottom of the rollers in thousandths of an inch.  For example the greens are currently cut at 120/1000".  In the past, to get the greens speeds fast for tournament play, the greens have been cut as low as 80/1000".

When the mechanics set the greens mowers up, they have many variables that apply to their adjustments.  They must maintain a 5 degree angle on the face of the bed knife for the mower to properly stand the leaf blade upright for cutting.  The must obtain the proper clearance between bedknife and reel at .002" to allow for heat expansion under operation.  And finally they must maintain a parallel relationship between the reel and the rollers to ensure an even cut across the width of the mower and to avoid uneven wear of the reel causing a cone shape.

With that being said it is imparitive that the mowers are checked daily for adjustment.  Quality of cut and proper height of cut can be compromised by loading and unloading the mower or even a small particle of sand can cause havoc on the cutting integrity.

Now, with the importance of proper adjustments made daily to the mowing equipment also affects the turf as well.  Turf when mowed with a sharp mower is much more healthy.  The plant has a better opportunity to heal and a better ability to sustain the damage caused by mowing.  As for a dull mower, it will leave the leaf blade shreaded.  The plant uses energy made from essential nutrients to repair the damage.  All grasses prefers the production of leaves over roots.  So in the case of dull mower damage the plant will expend it's energy trying to produce more top growth to ensure the efficient production of energy made from photosynthesis. "Shoots before Roots"

What does that mean?

The plant will then use more resources to make this process happen.  The plant will require more water, more fertilizer and more plant protectants to outgrow any stress that the plant is under.

So, back to the important role of our equipment managers.  These guys are critical in the overall health of the golf course.  In turn the health of the golf course will dictate nutrient and water needs.  We rely on their precise and persistent adjustments made everyday to the mowing equipment.

Probably a little more than you needed to know about mowing equipment, but none the less it is an integral part of our golf course maintenance.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Justin C. Ruiz, CGCS
jruiz@therimgolfclub.org

Poa Annua, Taking Over?

Poa annua is the number one talked about grass in America. Courses throughout the country experience Poa invasion at all levels. The Northwest golf courses are nearly all 100% Poa annua including greens. We are currently looking at about 30% contamination on the golf course and less than 1% contamination on the greens.

Poa has been slowly invading the golf course since the construction. Poa is a very efficient annual grass plant. A prolific seeding capability has generated a substantial seed bank over the years since construction. The turf was compromised by disease three and four years ago giving the Poa a great opportunity to germinate with less competition.  This has in turn given us enough of a population to become more noticeable each season.

We have used Trimmit, a plant growth regulator that regulates the Poa plant enough to give a slight advantage to the host turf, the idea being to potentially out compete the vulnerable Poa. We have tried increasing rates of this product, but have only succeeded in making an uneven playing surface in the spring from the patches of Poa being sunken into the surrounding turf. I have not seen the expected regression on the larger patches of Poa. Now, on the greens we are nearly 100% clean. I would have to say Trimmit has some impact on the smaller patches within the creeping bentgrass. We also use hand picking for the small plants in the spring. Trimmit has done a great job on the pinky sized plants on the greens and we have been successful in keeping the bentgrass clean.

The question becomes, what do we do or what can we do now? My opinion on this subject is more of a realistic approach rather than my normal optimistic approach. Depending on how aggressive our membership would like to tackle this issue, we will have continual spread of the Poa. Using chemical control becomes very expensive and results in less than satisfactory results when it comes to complete eradication of the Poa. We can try to manage seed head production in the spring to not get the puffy broccoli looking turf, but we would be kidding ourselves if we thought that we were making a dent in the Poa seed bank that has accumulated over the years. This would be a purely aesthetic approach for a great deal of money.  Growing up in the Poa capital (Pacific North West) and working on relatively new courses I have seen every kind of control exhausted on Poa and I have yet to see one successful in complete eradication. Some have wiped out a lot of grass, but then you are stuck with trying to beat the Poa from germinating and filling in the spots left from the old dead Poa. It is a very difficult task.

Folklore surrounding Poa is that it will die in the summer heat. This is a common misconception. There is no doubt Poa is a little less drought tolerant than other grasses due to the smaller root structure, but in our climate Poa will not die unless something out of the ordinary happens. There is no doubt Poa has a smaller root system then it's competition but it is a pretty resilient plant, it has started to take over in a pretty difficult growing media and is good at out competing the resident turf. Poa isn't as weak or quick to expire as some of the folklore explains.  (Joe Vargas, Proffesor MSU)

What I can say is, Poa control is very expensive and will only prolong the inevitable. Spending valuable resources on Poa may not be the best answer at this time. If you are not getting complete (100%) control on seed head production or simple eradication, Poa will always prevail. Being a logical thinker, I look at the hundreds of thousands if not millions of poa plants growing on the course, if I spend valuable resources to get 80% or even 90% control then we still realize that we have hundreds of thousands of plants still producing millions of seeds that season.

The seed head production will subside later in the spring and the playing surface is not bad at all. Pebble Beach and Cypress Point are both 100% Poa tee to green. I grew up playing and putting on Poa surfaces and the lie you get on a patch of Poa is like placing the ball on a tee. The greens on the other hand we will make adequate efforts to ensure that they stay as clean as possible since Poa patches on putting greens make putting bumpy and inconsistent.

Discussion will continue about Poa. It comes down to playability and presentation, which is more important, how aggressive do we want to get, and do we feel that some type of control is necessary? This issue will become increasingly more noticeable as the years continue..

If you have any questions, please contact me.

jruiz@therimgolfclub.org

April 2010 Monthly Report

Course Condition

With the weather being cooler than expected this month we are about a week behind on green up and healing from aerification. We even had some snow!

Projects Completed

We have completed the aerification of the Greens. We used ½” quad tines. The USGA recommends that we remove 20% of the surface annually. These tines got us a little over 9%. We are right on track with the Fall aerification planned with larger tines.

The Fairways have also been completed. The tines used were 7/8”. The spacing on the holes is a little farther apart then the greens so we are right around the 9% with our removal.

Recently we installed Barley straw bails in the lakes throughout the golf course. The theory behind the straw is that as they sit in the water they exude a chemical that eliminates algae from growing. Soon, we will spray the existing algae since the bails will not kill algae already surfacing.

Projects in Process

After our fairway aerification was completed, we had many areas that had excess sand. We are working on spraying the sand out of these heavy areas with water. Once the excess sand is removed the affected area recovers quickly. To alleviate this problem for the late summer aerification, we will apply less sand to avoid the build up. We will have some open holes, but we can then come back later and apply another light application to fill the holes and avoid the majority of the sand build up.

We are still working on #13 storm damage on the left side of the hole. We repaired the clogged line and with the heavy winter moisture the area stayed saturated enough to restrict access for our backhoe. Now that the area has dried we are finally putting the project to bed. There was some supplemental drainage that had been installed a few years back that was also clogged and we abandoned the latter section and are going to tie that into our new drainage pipe. This project will be finished shortly.

We have been slowly making our way around the course edging and cleaning out the sprinkler heads and valve boxes, checking pressure at the heads and making any necessary adjustments on the part circle heads.

The weeds in the landscaped areas are also getting sprayed on a daily basis. We are carrying pump sprayers to get weeds as we see them.

Projects Planned

The warmer soil temperatures will be ideal for new seed to germinate and grow. We will target any thin areas in fairways, rough or green surrounds to slice seed a ryegrass/Kentucky bluegrass mix to help these areas move along.

Of course the irrigation system will be a huge part of our jobs this summer as is every summer. We are continually scouting for improperly working heads and heads operating out of specification. The irrigation system is the lifeline for the course. It is important we have everything working properly as quickly as possible.  Read More

Integrated Pest Management

We have controlled for the Billbug adults at around 300 growing degree days. This should reduce the population of reproducing adults and in turn reduce the pressure of larval damage.

This month we are also on the verge of spraying our first preventative application for summer patch. We are monitoring soil temperatures to accurately anticipate pathogen activity.


Read More

Poa!

There is definitely some Poa out there on the golf course. This year it has become much more noticeable with the wet winter. The Poa has been around since the course has opened. We will continue to have Poa in the Tees, Fairways, Approaches and Rough. The greens, we will take every measure to make sure we do not start to get contamination. Poa may stand out like a sore thumb in the spring but once the seed heads die down in the early summer it will yield a decent playing surface. I think we all know some of the best courses in America are 100% Poa.

Side Notes

I again was invited on the cover of another magazine for the month of May. The magazine is Golf Course Trades Magazine. This article is dear to my heart and it meant a lot to be able to write.  Read article.


Our National Association, GCSAA is sending out the GCSAA TV crew to film The Rim Golf Club and feature the Case Study written last year on our efforts for water conservation. We may also be highlighted on Turfnet TV. This is a national Website with many members throughout the United States. GCSAAtv


If you have any questions, please contact me or Dan.


Justin Ruiz, CGCS                                                                 Dan Devere, CGCS
jruiz@therimgolfclub.org                                                      ddevere@chaparralpines.org

Golf Course Trades Article

Just wanted to share with everyone the most recent publishing of an article I wrote for Golf Course Trades Magazine.  You can view the article by clicking on this link. Golf Course Trades

Thanks for following the blog.  Please contact me if you have any questions or comments.

March Greens Committee Report

Monthly Greens Committee Report

Presented to The Rim Greens Committee

By

Golf Course Superintendent

Justin C. Ruiz, CGCS

March, 2010

Course Condition

Spring is upon us and we are experiencing some warmer weather after a long winter. The course is now starting to kick dormancy along with the surrounding plant life. Allergy season is on its way.

Projects Completed

We rented a tractor attachment to mow down the native grasses. The machine did make some noticeable markings in the native areas. I had received some comments and concerns about these areas and we are making efforts to smooth these areas out. We will make efforts for the next mowing practice to be less noticeable.

Picking Annual Bluegrass (Poa) out of the greens was also completed one time over. We will stay on this project all season. Removing anything we see as we go through our mowing practices.

#8 has a new bridge for our walking members. With the heavy rains the wash had grown a little larger and the walking members had to jump from a rock to the other side of the shore. Dan made use of the old fence materials on hand to construct a nice looking bridge.

Projects in Process

The bunkers have gone through a lot during the winter storms. We have had multiple wash outs that we have been able to quickly fix but now we are taking our time making sure proper depth is achieved. The USGA recommends 2” on the faces and 4” at the bottom of the bunkers. We make sure the sand is pushed back onto the sides and the recommended measurements are achieved. We also do our best to remove as many rocks as possible and fix the liner as we get to each bunker. These have both been chronic problems that we have dealt with in our bunkers.

Pressure check on our sprinkler heads. Our new intern is picking up where we left off last fall checking sprinkler pressures. This will help the heads apply water more accurately. After these adjustments we will start auditing selected areas. We will do the auditing that was taught to me at the National Conference and Show.

Tee Aerification is currently in process but will be finished Tuesday March, 30th. All 18 holes will be completed and topdressed with sand.

Projects Planned

We have purchased some Barley straw bails for the lakes. It has been proven that when barley straw is placed in the lake it will suppress new algae growth but it will not remove existing algae.

Spray applications are scheduled for Cutworm activity. Yes, it is that time of year and we have begun catching Cutworms in our pitfall traps. They have started around the perimeter of the golf course.

Integrated Pest Management

We have begun our Degree Day counting. If you are interested in our process, please click here. We are also checking soil temperatures for a root infecting disease called Summer Patch. The disease colonizes the plant roots in the spring, but actual symptoms do not appear until the weather conditions get hot and then the disease is very hard to combat since it has had all spring to get established.

Aerification Notice read more

Greens Aerification April 12th.

Fairway Aerification April 26th.

Side Notes

We have been lucky to be invited by Audubon Lifestyles to be a pilot golf course to begin the Sustainable Golf Facility Program. Audubon has asked us to be the first course in Arizona to be enrolled in their program.

I have also been invited to help give advice on our National Associations Drive to Sustainability campaign to change the industry’s approach on golf course management. Along with this program our course is also enrolled in the Environmental Management Systems program that closely resembles the Audubon program. Since the course was originally pursuing the Audubon signature program during construction we have many valuable records that will make these processes much easier to complete.

We have also increased our crew to eleven members. That increase includes an intern Brett Swain from Pennsylvania, who recently graduated from Rutgers, and an Assistant Superintendent Andrew from Washington, who was our intern last year. He graduated from Walla Walla Community College with a turf degree.

If you have any questions, please contact me or Dan.

Justin Ruiz, CGCS                                             Dan Devere, CGCS

justinr@therimgolfclub.org                                  ddevere@chaparralpines.org