Springhaven Greens Department Blog

Normally there would be a fear of jinxing myself with a statement like that. In this case however, I am not worried about getting hit with a series of bad snow storms all of the sudden. It appears as though Old Man Winter has decided to follow up two of the worst winters on record, with one that may end up being the mildest on record in the last sixty years. As I stated before, that is great news for the membership here at Springhaven.

What has yet to be seen though, is how this will affect things scientifically. There have already been reports across lower portions of PA that are seeing patterns associated with mid to late March weather in late February. Forsythia’s have begun blooming in some areas, daffodil’s are already a few inches tall, and migratory birds have been seen flying north. These occurrences are generally labeled as phenological indicators, and are a basic way of determining when spring is about to start. We also use phenological indicators and growing degree days (GDD) as a strategy for timing chemical applications, cultural practices, and general golf course prep work. For example, forsythia can begin blooming at 1-27 GDD while a threatening insect like the annual bluegrass weevil (ABW) can become dangerously active at 100-120 GDD.

SO WHY AM I TALKING ABOUT THIS?

In a normal year, we begin our GDD monitoring on March 1st. We generally have very good success when doing so, and are able to use phenological indicators as a way to double check the accuracy of our GDD tables. For example, forsythia’s are generally 50% green and 50% yellow after about 100 GDD. Knowing that ABW adults begin feeding at around 100 -120 GDD, we monitor forsythia bloom for insecticide timing. With this winter being so mild, and the phenological indicators already present, our GDD models may or may not be helpful this year. Fortunately, we are aware of the possible inconsistencies with nature and have already begun a strategy for our spring work load. We will monitor GDD as we do every year, as well as incorporate other techniques we have learned throughout our careers.

Please visit the greens department website for a great “Thru The Green” article on Poa seedheads. It was written by Charlie Miller and is titled April ’09 – Seedhead Suppression.

Quick List of Phenological Indicators:

Forsythia’s bloom, daffodil’s emerge, magnolia trees begin to bud out, Spring Peeper frog becomes noisy, Spring Azure butterfly can be seen in wooded areas, geese fly north, and the ever so popular…the sightings of the Robin.

Not a whole lot to report. It seems as though we are in for another mild week in the middle of winter. For a moment there over this past weekend it felt like winter, but that was very short lived.

Recently we removed two small trees on the right side of #17. The trees that were taken down were up by the approach between the fairway and the cart path. That area looks great now. We are also about 75% down with limbing up trees. We have been limbing up trees for playability, turf health, and to remove any dead wood.

If you have not yet had a chance to read the latest turfGRASS CLIPPINGS from the greens department website, you should take a moment to do so. The topic, the effects of a warm and dry winter, is especially relevant this year. Personally, I don’t think the article does enough to emphasize the effects of our current winter so I am going to expand on that concept here.

Just so you don’t think I am being a downer, I am happy for the membership that they were able to utilize the golf course so much this winter. Last winter the golf course was essentially unusable due to the fact that it seemed to snow once a week.

My first comment is, snow is not bad for turf. Most of you probably already have heard that it insulates the turf and root zone. Snow also covers the plants which protect it from those windy, cold, my face hurts from being outside kind of days. What I also like about the snow, is that it keeps traffic off the course. Ball marks, scuffing, sheared plants, and frost damage do not heal over the winter. Any and all damage that is incurred during the winter, is still there come April. Once you incorporate the size of our greens and the limited variability of foot traffic, you have some areas receiving more damage than they potentially can handle.

Our greens in particular, are a healthy mix of both Bentgrass and Poa(pronounced poe ah). NOW THE SCIENCE…..By nature, and unaffected by cultural inputs, Bentgrass takes an additional 3 to 4 weeks to come out of winter. Bentgrass requires warmer soil temperatures than Poa and that is why the Poa begins growing first. Due to Poa populations, it is necessary that we inhibit seed growth via chemical applications. These chemical applications begin in March, just as the Poa is getting healthy. The chemical is aggressive enough that you significantly reduce growth for up to 7 weeks. So, now you have all this damage on greens, Bentgrass hasn’t started growing yet, and the Poa growth is severely stunted. The end result is potentially a longer period of time before we can return the greens to a higher standard of playability. We are not saying that because of a warm winter our greens will suffer all year, we are simply stating that more effort and resources will be required at the onset of spring.

Some golf courses, and less now because of the economy, do not allow any play on greens during the winter. Whether they cover greens or simply restrict play, the overall premise is that they are trying to ensure they have a quick, healthy start up in the spring. Some professionals in our industry feel that the winter income outweighs the additional maintenance costs, while others feel that no chances should be taken during the winter that could potentially set you back in the spring.

Just a couple points…Although the club is still closed, the pro shop and golf course will remain open. That being said, it’s going to be near 60 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday, so I am expecting a good number of golf rounds to be played. We are making a huge effort to clean up debris on greens, tees, and fairways to hopefully make playability that much better.

Also we have a decent stock pile of firewood for sale. Only roughly a face cord worth is seasoned wood. The rest are from ash trees we cut down a few weeks ago. Let us know if you would like to purchase any.

This past weekend we finally had some snow. It was followed by rain, which led to a messy situation. With the warmer temperatures scheduled for this upcoming week, the greens will have to be evaluated closely. Please check back here or with our website for future playability conditions.

Charlie and Cedric have found another way to improve communication to the members and The Springhaven Country Club. Stay tuned for further posts.