Return of Rainy Conditions Postpones Greens Topdressing/Drainage Restoration Sodding

By noon today, showers are supposed to return and continue this afternoon.  We have postponed the greens topdressing until a later date hopefully Thursday this week.

Yesterday was a good day with the sun shining.  The sod crew returned to work on the drainage restoration and installed a load of sod between 5 and 7 (where the old ditch once was) plus along the road on 2 and 8, and by the 3rd forward tee.  A second load of sod is planned before the end of the week (weather permitting).

Ditch between 5 and 6 filled in and sodded

 

Please remember to repair ball marks!

Repairing ball marks is one of the easiest ways that golfers can help superintendents deliver high-quality playing conditions. After hitting a great shot onto the putting green, fixing your ball mark and a couple nearby is an excellent way to celebrate.  A ball mark that is repaired immediately takes 2-3 days to recover, whereas an unrepaired ball mark takes weeks to heal.  A good practice is to fix your ball mark plus one or two others if possible.  With the recent wet conditions, the greens are a lot softer, and the marks are more prone to happening.

District of Muskoka Installs stakes along road

During the second week of July, we saw the installation of red stakes along Ferndale Road by the District of Muskoka.  These stakes were installed to mark the centre line of the road for when construction begins later in August/early September by the company awarded with the contract.  No need to be alarmed.  Ditching will be done where existing ditches exist and will not impact areas where the ditches have been filled for greater playability across the road.   Before any resurfacing begins early this fall, culverts along the road will be first replaced and installed at the correct elevations which will aid with the outflow of course drainage.

Have a great round!

Muskoka Lakes Golf and Country Club Will Be Buzzing This Summer!!

    The Turf Care Department is trying to do our part in promoting a healthy environment for bees and other pollinators. As you may be aware, there has been a steady decline in the population of pollinators around the world. Pollinators are essential for the well-being of our environment, biodiversity, food sources, crop production, wild plant growth and wildlife habitats.      

Beehives seen at back right of driving range

    With the Help of Muskoka Craft Honey we have introduced four new beehives to the back of the driving range. We will promote a healthy environment for the bees to grow and pollinate. The fine people from Muskoka Craft Honey will be visiting the beehives and checking on them on a regular basis. We will also be working with Syngenta Canada for their Operation Pollination program which will provide us with wildflower seeds to plant around the golf course.

    We do not anticipate there will be any interruptions to the driving range, and as an added benefit we will have locally sourced honey for sale at the end of the season. We will provide more details about how to purchase your Muskoka Lakes Hole In One Honey at a later date.

    In other news we are having delays in the turf restoration from XGD Fairway drainage project due to the continued amount of rainfall we've received in the last couple of weeks.  The progress has been slower that we would like. During the next week we may have to make some temporary tee modifications on the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th hole to avoid the dangers of hitting the sodding crew.  Please make sure to follow instructions as provided by the Turf Care Department or Pro Shop. If you are unsure where your carts should go, the safest bet is to stay on the cart path when possible and avoid driving in areas where construction soil grading or fresh sod is installed.

Rainfall delays the progress on turf restoration from drainage project

Stripping and grading area for sod between #5 and #6

    During the next week we will be giving the greens a breath of fresh air by venting and topdressing after this long stretch of excessive rainfall.  We will do our best to  minimize disruption to the golfers. These practices are vital to the overall health of the greens. We apologize in advance for any disruption this may cause and appreciate your understanding and patience.

The new mechanic shop hoist bay has now all the electrical installed. We are waiting on the arrival and installation of the fuel/water separator on back order before the cement floor can be poured.

Enjoy your round!

New Fairway Drainage System Proves Worth After Week of Wet Weather

2 Fairway with XGD Fairway drainage slits installed

Happy Canada Day everyone!  July 2021 is officially here!

The drought finally ended!  After receiving 111 mm of rain on the course since last Friday, the new fairway XGD drainage system was finally put to the test and performed exceptionally well.  Areas on holes 2, 5, 6 and 7 that would normally be saturated for days with that much rainfall, now have no standing water after a few hours!

This is a huge game changer for playability and cart usage on the course plus the enhanced turf quality and future prevention of winter kill.

Following the completion of the drainage project installation last Friday, the restoration of the drainage construction began on Monday.  However, the 20mm of rain that fell early Tuesday morning has postponed the cleanup process until early next week to allow the saturated area between 5, 6 and 7 to dry to allow the grading process in the rough to continue.  

Prepping areas for sod 

We appreciate your patience during this important infrastructure upgrade.  The membership will benefit from the impact of this new drainage improvement for decades to come.  The fairway drainage slits will take a little time to fill in with grass.  The bentgrass stolons will slowly spread over the trenches similar to the way they do over the granite fairway permanent yardage markers.  The header lines across fairways will be regraded and sodded where they have settled or where re-layed turf didn't survive. 

Example of Bentgrass stolons spreading across the ground

Have a great weekend!

A Great Long Season of Golf Coming To An End

The summer of 2020 is now in the rear view mirror as we enter middle of October following an pretty nice Thanksgiving weekend.  The Proshop closes this coming Sunday evening October 18th.  However, pull carts will be made available beyond Monday October 19th, for those who wish to still get out and play amongst the year-end winter prep work well underway.  

COURSE CLOSED - TUES OCT 20 & 21 - FOR IRRIGATION SYSTEM BLOW OUT

Normally there is no golfers around during the 3rd week of October while we are doing this process. With more golfers around due to COVID-19, we will be forced to close the course for two days while we complete this important operation.  A large air compressor is rented well in advance for two days.  Compressed air is blown through the irrigation lines to remove all the water from the pipes and sprinklers.  Water is shot out of the sprinklers randomly as the computer loops through the various holes pushing water out of the pipes and sprinkler nozzles.  The noise from the compressed air is pretty loud and annoying as well, so it's best if no golfers are on the property during this process to avoid getting anyone soaked!

Click below to see a quick video clip of what you will be missing during next week's blowout...

COUNTDOWN TO WINTER IS ON!

The end of the long golf season is in the air with the cooler temperatures, frost and falling leaves.  For the Greens Maintenance Staff the countdown for winter is on.  Within a month we will have completed our long list of turf winter protection practices and the greens will be covered for winter.  There is no time left to let off the gas pedal with only so many good weather days left.  After Thanksgiving, golf at this point is more of a "walk in the park" with less emphasis on daily course setup and conditioning and a focus on winterization and doing what is needed to put the course to bed and help guarantee good turf next season.

This week will see the completion of our fairway solid tine aerification followed by fairway sand topdressing into the open holes for increased rooting, drainage and overall plant health.  The greens are getting "deep tine aerated" today (Thursday) using the Vertidrain aerator to penetrate down 10" with a slight "kick" at the end to bust up any compacted layers, and allow air, water and nutrients down for promoting healthy soils and necessary drainage.

Click on the video below to view the benefits of Vertidraining...

See what the Vertidrain machine looks like in slow motion (click below)

WEEK OF OCTOBER 19TH COULD BE LAST WEEK OPEN FOR GOLF

During the week after next week (week of Oct 26th) we plan to spray out our final preventative snow mould fungicides on the greens, tees and fairways during days where no rain is in the forecast.  This means the course will have to be closed so we can apply these chemicals uninterrupted and avoid exposure and tracking of this product and help ensure it's effectiveness for controlling the snow mould disease for start of next season.

Also this time of year the grass is not growing much anymore with the cooler temperatures.  The turf has a tough time recovering from the wear and tear of heavy traffic from golfers, especially if it is busy.  If heavy traffic is anticipated, we should pull the pins off the greens and place temporary greens out on the approaches, to limit excessive wear that won't recover before winter and affect next year's outcome of turf conditions.

Summer Challenges and Fall Opportunities

What a crazy summer it's been!  Looking back not too long ago to early April, the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 led us to believe there may not be a golf season.  The threat at the time forced myself and the other Club department managers to re-evaluate our approved budgets and find ways to save the Club money in the event we were shut down to only essential services for the season.  Fortunately by mid-May, golf was given the green light to get ready to open.  However, there was still the fear of a potential shutdown which forced us to continue cautiously and limit spending to help offset any revenue short falls.

Seeding vs. Sodding on #10 and Driving Range Tee Renovations

Over $75k was saved in the decision to seed the tees and fairway on #10 and the tee deck on the driving range vs. sodding.  The 10th hole was re-opened for play mid-July after being played as a par 3 since the beginning of the season.  There has been concern from members regarding crabgrass on #10 fairway.  Crabgrass seed naturally contained in the native soils on #10 unfortunately germinated and flourished during the favourable hot, dry conditions throughout June/July.  No pre-emergent grass killer could have been applied earlier this spring prior to the fairway seeding this season without harming the emerging bentgrass.  Fortunately, next spring a pre-emergent herbicide can and will be applied to kill any emerging crabgrass with no harm to the established bentgrass which will transform it from our worst to our best fairway!

Crabgrass on #10 Fairway

The driving range tee was seeded with low-mow Kentucky bluegrass and periennial ryegrass instead of sodding which saved $30k.  Seeded low-mow bluegrass will ultimately make a superior driving range tee turf vs bentgrass, but is very slow to establish. Members need to be patient for this year and give the turf the time it needs to grow in for next season and for now enjoy the newly installed top of the line EZ Tee mats for the balance of this year.

Seeding Recovery on Ice-Damaged Fairways

Ice Damage on #5 Fairway May 12, 2020

Ice Damage Recovery on #5 Fairway Sept 25, 2020

Turf recovery on the ice damaged fairways this season was an ongoing challenge.  Much of the damage was recovered by seed which saved a tremendous amount of $$ towards any lost revenues.  The busy course in June coupled with the extremely hot, dry weather added to the challenge.  After our second go around with aerating/seeding later in July once the hot weather broke, we staked and roped all the areas from cart traffic which really helped on the recovery.   The majority of the fairway damage has now recovered (as seen above) other than the extreme low spots which are getting raised with topsoil and sodded by our staff from our turf nursury through September/October.  The fairway drainage project was just approved through the Board last week for holes 2, 5, 6 and 7 which begins this fall and will help prevent this occurrence in the future! 

Current/Upcoming Projects

#12 Tee Surrounds Right Rock exposed

Rock behind #15 Green being exposed

In an effort to reduce garden maintenance costs and enhance the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape, the formal garden right of #12 tee was removed and the natural rock was exposed and fescue grass seeded.

Behind #15 green, the natural rock face in being exposed and the grass behind the green will be extended upward to reduce the invasion of weeds and saplings in the area.

Upcoming Maintenance

• Tees will be aerated over next couple of weeks
• Fairway sodding will continue over next few weeks
• Greens will be deep-tine aerated on Thursday October 15th.

Greens Verticut and Topdress Scheduled for Tuesday Morning

Just a heads up to all golfers we will be topdressing the greens tomorrow morning (Tuesday) following a vertical mowing using our "Thatch-Away" reels mounted on our greens mower.  

The process of verticutting the greens helps remove excess thatch in the turf canopy leaving the greens smoother and firmer for the golfer's enjoyment.  Unfortunately with the labour restrictions and recent heat wave we haven't had the opportunity to complete this job this season yet.  You should notice an increase in speed and trueness following the treatment.

Thank you for your patience as we carry out this important process.

Enjoy your round!

Course Recovery Requires A Team Effort

2020 has been a peculiar year, to say the least. For both the golf course, and everyone else. This is the second consecutive year where some of our fairways didn't fare well over the winter. There was lots of ice damage and we've been trying to recover them since spring. However, that has been more challenging this year due to the pandemic. 

When the pandemic first happened, there were restrictions on what we could do at the golf course and how many employees we could have on-site. It's one of the many barriers we faced while trying to get the fairways to the conditions we would like them to be. 

There has also been a significant increase in cart traffic compared to previous years and that makes it harder for the grass to grow back in the damaged areas. Prior to the pandemic, two people could ride in carts together and that's no longer the case. The increase in cart traffic comes at a cost. 

However we can offset some of those costs by making an effort to be more conscious to avoid driving on the damaged areas of the fairway. The turf department has been making an effort to drive around areas that are damaged on the golf course. When fairways are cut, the staff are also instructed to drive around the damaged areas. 

We are hoping to get the same cooperation from members who are riding in carts. Yes, it can be inconvenient and it can make your game go a little longer. However, if everyone pitched in and did their part I'm confident there will be better and faster results for the golf course.

5th fairway, where it's cart path only

Cart etiquette goes a long way. The 5th fairway didn't fare well over the long and brutal winter and recovery takes time. We've gone and seeded the damaged areas a couple of times this year and some spots are responding well to the treatment. There are signs of turf growth, however some areas aren't doing as well. With your help, we can speed up the recovery time and get the desired results. 

The grass will struggle to grow back if it is repeatedly driven over by carts and mowers, along with other vehicles. That's why it's important to follow the signs and try and stay on the cart path as much as possible. Even if your ball is on the other side of the fairway, park the cart on the cart path, grab your golf club and then take a little stroll to ball.

Newly seeded area on the 7th fairway

We have also put up stakes and ropes around some of the newly seeded and damaged areas on the fairway, but not every area has been roped off. If you do see a spot like the picture above, please go around that area and give the chance for the grass to grow. Another thing to keep in mind is to respect the par 3s and not drive in the rough or onto the fairways and approaches. Your cart should stay on the cart path for all of the par 3s.

You may also have noticed a white line that has been painted by the approaches and greens. Please do your best to stay outside of that white line. Those high traffic areas are susceptible to damage when everyone drives to that same spot. We understand this has been a year with new rules, new challenges, and new circumstances that we're not familiar with. But we're all in this together and if we take the time to change and adapt to this new reality, we will come out of this better than before. 

The 10th fairway/approach with the newly painted line