Landscape 8 tee and 7 green area complete

The staff finished installing the plant material this morning. A much better look in my humble opinion, I can't wait until the Azalea's and Rhododendron's bloom in the spring. Then the Red Maples will have awesome red foliage next fall. The surrounding area has been seeded with Tall Fescue and will require some patience as it grows in. We also have some Miscanthis Grass and European Viburnum's planted along the creek to add some definition. Oh I almost forgot, the most important part, the MiniVerde is loving the sunshine!!

Agronomy Department and Course Weekly Update

December 19, 2013

I have just a few quick bullet points this week:

The plant material (trees and shrubs) which will be used to finish the landscape renovations has finally arrived, so you will see our staff installing plants over the next couple of weeks on holes 7, 8, 15 and 16.  I am excited to see the finished product.

This week finally provided a break in the rain and we were able to finish spraying our Pre/Post Emergent Herbicide. This application has taken almost 4 weeks to complete due to the rain, it should have only taken 5 days, very frustrating.

We will also be repainting the gray tee markers as the color we used this summer looks white when it is in the sun and we prefer a gray tone. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at kmacdonald@valleycrest.com and for more information follow us on Twitter @stivescc_vcsup and the Blog: http://vcgmstivescountryclub.blogspot.com/

See y’all on the course,

Kyle Macdonald, GCS, Class A

Agronomy Department and Course Weekly Update

December 12, 2013

Nine days in a row of rain to start off December!  The course was soaked with 3.85 inches of rain over that nine day window.  Between washed out bunkers, wet fairways and weeds germinating, I am ready for some dry days to attack course maintenance.

The maintenance staff was able to spray the Clubhouse, Tennis facility and parking lots turf for weeds on Tuesday and Wednesday.  We are starting to bulk spray the course on Thursday on the holes that are dry enough to ride.  The staff was also back pack spraying in areas that are too wet and good deal of weed break through.  Once the weeds are sprayed it will still take time for the herbicide to completely kill off the weeds, since these cold temperatures affect speed with which the plant metabolizes the herbicide.

With the high amount of rainfall, the greens were starting to hold water and puddle, despite applying a wetting agent and using the SubAir.  So, on Tuesday and Wednesday we used needle tines to open up small holes to allow water to infiltrate into the canopy. We rolled the greens immediately afterwards and saw no disruption to ball roll.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at kmacdonald@valleycrest.com and for more information follow us on Twitter @stivescc_vcsup and the Blog: http://vcgmstivescountryclub.blogspot.com/

See y’all on the course,

Kyle Macdonald, GCS, Class A

RAIN!!

This is the 8th consecutive day with rain at the club. Unfortunately, we are not able to spray the weeds that are emerging in the Fairways and Roughs. As soon as we get at dry day, the maintenance staff will be out in full weed spraying force. The two reasons we can't spray now is because the ground is too wet to get a sprayer out without damaging the turf and we can not treat weeds with Post Emergent herbicide if it is raining because it will wash the herbicide off the leaf blade. If the forecast holds we will be spraying Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Kyle

Agronomy Department and Course Weekly Update

December 5, 2013

I can’t believe it is December already, it seems like yesterday the Club voted to convert to MiniVerde greens.

It has been another rainy week on the course. We have not been able to finish spraying our PreEmergent tank due to the rain.  No worries, we have plenty of time to finish. We have been testing different paint/pigments to use on the greens once they go completely dormant.  We have used the Nursery Green as our trial green testing 4-5 products and it is beginning to look like a checkered quilt.  The goal is to paint the greens once they go completely dormant, so if we have a warm winter, there is a possibility we do not paint at all.

I hope everyone is enjoying the new greens; I have been pleasantly surprised how great they are putting for being almost dormant.  It gets us excited in the Agronomy Dept, to focus on attacking the golf course this summer while the greens are running this quick.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at kmacdonald@valleycrest.com and for more information follow us on Twitter @stivescc_vcsup and the Blog: http://vcgmstivescountryclub.blogspot.com/

See y’all on the course,

Kyle Macdonald, GCS, Class A

LATE ADDITION!!

Agronomy Department and Course Weekly Update

November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone gets to enjoy some great food and time with family.

This is quite a week for the weather… Rain all day on Tuesday, Snow flurries and windy on Wednesday and Sub 20 degrees for Thursday morning. The maintenance staff pulled covers on Wednesday morning and will remove them Friday morning before the shotgun. The weather fell right in line with our protocol to pull covers and keep them on for a day.

We have also started one of our PreEmergent Herbicide applications this week. This application not only kills existing weeds in the Bermuda turf, it also prevents new weeds from germinating. We expect to see 80-85% control this season and have Post Emergent Herbicide’s on hand to control any breakthrough. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at kmacdonald@valleycrest.com and for more information follow us on Twitter @stivescc_vcsup and the Blog: http://vcgmstivescountryclub.blogspot.com/

See y’all on the course,

Kyle Macdonald, GCS, Class A

SUNDAY NOV 24

Due to the expected heavy frost Sunday morning the Tee Sheet is moving to a 12:30 pm Shotgun. Please call the Proshop with any questions.

Agronomy Department and Course Weekly Update

November 21, 2013

We have finalized the protocol for pulling the covers on the greens, I posted it on Twitter and the Blog last week, but I will include it on the Weekly Update so everyone is up to speed. It is as follows: 25 degrees or cooler for two consecutive nights with soil temps less than 40 degrees and expected highs the next day less than 50 degrees. Clear as mud?

The maintenance staff is busy continuing to repair shallow bunkers and exposed fabric, this is a tedious and seemingly never ending process.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at kmacdonald@valleycrest.com and for more information follow us on Twitter @stivescc_vcsup and the Blog: http://vcgmstivescountryclub.blogspot.com/

  17 green (looking down the fairway)

See y’all on the course,

Kyle Macdonald, GCS, Class A

When we pull covers....

This will be our guideline on pulling covers over the greens, I will monitor the forecast and communicate with the membership when the time arises. So, please follow the Blog and Twitter!

25 degrees or cooler for two consecutive nights

Soil temps less than 40 degrees

Highs less than 50 degrees. 

As always when dealing with Mother Nature there will need to be some flexibility.

Agronomy Department and Course Weekly Update

November 13, 2013

We had our first cold snap of the year this week and the Agronomy Department pulled the turf covers over the greens.  If we had someone with a video camera we could have been on “America’s Funniest Home Videos” because the combination of 25 mph winds and tarps tend to drag people around. It took 8 employees 4.5 hours to do our 1^st greens covering; I believe we will become more efficient with practice. This morning I checked the soil temps of the tee boxes vs greens, it was 12 degrees warmer underneath the tarps and that is scientific proof of why we need to cover the greens.  We are still finalizing our protocol on covering greens in regards to temperature and play.  Next week, I will have finalized information, once presented to the Golf and Grounds Committee.  Just for your basic information we look for 25 degrees F or colder.

Medalist has started grading in the landscape area on 7, 8, 15, 16 and sod installation will start on Thursday.  Pricing is almost complete for the plant material that will be installed after the sod is laid.  

We are also working on a basin washout on the left hand side of #3 cart path, so please be careful, as we will have it roped off.     

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at kmacdonald@valleycrest.com and for more information follow us on Twitter @stivescc_vcsup and the Blog: http://vcgmstivescountryclub.blogspot.com/

See y’all on the course,

Kyle Macdonald, GCS, Class A

THIS IS MY OFFICE.... GEORGIA GCSA

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO THE GEORGIA GCSA PRODUCED (http://vimeo.com/78408239) WHICH CONTINUES TO PROMOTE THE PROFESSION AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF GOLF IN GEORGIA.

Agronomy Department and Course Weekly Update

November 6^{th, 2013}

You’ll know autumn is here when you see us sending out 2 tractor blowers, 2 pull-behind blowers daily and the course is still covered in leaves and pine straw.  The staff has been hard at work with daily maintenance of the golf course: mowing, blowing, edging, spraying weeds and repairing irrigation/drainage.  You will notice the wet spot in the 18^th fairway has been repaired this week and a new drain basin installed.  We have also hired Medalist Golf to do all of the grading and sodding work in the areas left from tree removal and thus will allow our staff to continue to focus on the smaller details around the course.  Once Medalist has completed the work, we will install the trees, shrubs and plant fine fescue.  A fertilizer and fungicide were applied to the greens today. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at kmacdonald@valleycrest.com and for more information follow us on Twitter @stivescc_vcsup and the Blog: http://vcgmstivescountryclub.blogspot.com/

See y’all on the course,

Kyle Macdonald, GCS, Class A

Last weeks update....

Agronomy Department and Course Weekly Update

October 31^th, 2013

Happy Halloween!

The disease from last week has been controlled and the greens are starting the recovery process.  The cooler temperatures coupled with the fact that MiniVerde is a warm season turfgrass means the recovery will be slow, however, the damage will only be cosmetic/aesthetic.  A fertilizer tank was applied to the greens on the 30^th, which will promote new growth.  Last week we applied a pigment to the tee boxes and fairways, which will help the turf hold its color longer into the fall and winter. The goal is to have a sharp contrast between the fairways and the roughs. A second application is scheduled for next week.

The pump station is back online after the pressure reducing valve was installed last week.

 The Maintenance staff is working on detailing beds around the course and increasing bunker maintenance.  The Driving Range Tees (DRT) were also sprayed with a foliar fertilizer tank on the 29^th to encourage a vigorous stand of ryegrass before the cold weather sets in.  Next week we will re-seed the entire tee box to increase our seed bed. Please follow the “mats only” signage so that we can utilize the turf as far into the winter as possible.  I have also attached a few photos of the proper way to take a divot on the DRT.

Preferred Divot Pattern

 This picture is the average divot pattern at St Ives.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at kmacdonald@valleycrest.com and for more information follow us on Twitter @stivescc_vcsup and the Blog: http://vcgmstivescountryclub.blogspot.com/

See y’all on the course,

Kyle Macdonald, GCS, Class A

Disease Information from NCST

http://www.ncstateturfpathology.blogspot.com/

Agronomy Department and Course Weekly Update

October 23^th, 2013

McAlister Tree Company has completed the tree removal for the greens renovation. However, we still have a few dead trees around the course that will be removed sometime in November.

Despite being treated with a preventative fungicide on October 9^th, the greens were infected with a disease called “Leaf Spot” last week.  A breakthough of this kind is common.  We noticed the 1st signs of the breakthrough on Oct 16^th and due to the full day of rain were unable to treat as planned on the 17^th.  Because this is a rapidly spreading disease, this delay in treatment of only one day resulted in an explosion of the disease.  We were however able to apply the necessary fungicide on the 18^th and growth of the pathogen is now under control.   I have attached a link with information on this disease if you are interested in reading more about it. (http://www.usga.org/course_care/regional_updates/regional_reports/florida/Leaf-Spot-Disease-On-Greens---December-2012/)

The greens will be retreated on the 23^rd of this month and we will add a little fertilizer to promote moderate growth.  This will allow the grass to grow out of the “purple damaged” look.  We also applied a calcium fertilizer to the greens on the 22^nd, which will help balance our soil ph.  

All seasonal flowers have been planted and we have a shipment of mulch on back order, which, when it arrives, we will use to finish the beds.  Also, the pressure-reducing valve was installed on the 21^st and will be primed and ready on the 23^rd.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at kmacdonald@valleycrest.com and for more information follow us on Twitter @stivescc_vcsup and the Blog: http://vcgmstivescountryclub.blogspot.com/

See y’all on the course,

Kyle Macdonald, GCS, Class A

Agronomy Department and Course Update

October 16^th, 2013

Wow… What great weather we have had over the last 10 days!  I don’t know about y’all but this is one of the reasons I love Atlanta.  The maintenance staff has accomplished a lot over the past week.  The seasonal color (flower) change is underway and should be completed by the weekend.

We have also started the grading and landscaping behind the tree contractors, who will be finishing up the 16^th hole this week.  Since we are doing all grading and landscaping “in house” it will take a little longer to complete the project.  I appreciate your patience with our progress and I am sure you will enjoy the new looks and views of the golf course.

After an excruciatingly long back order, the new pressure reducing valve for the pump station arrived on the 15th.  Aquarius II will be out on property today to take measurements and begin installation.  This will give us the option of withdrawing water from either the pond on #15 or from the main line along the river.

The greens were sprayed with a foliar fertilizer tank on the 15th and will be treated with a granular calcium/lime application on the 17th.  The calcium and lime will increase our PH, increase water infiltration, leach off salts and loosen the soils.  We usually make this application twice per year.  The driving range tee was also treated with a foliar fertilizer application and it appears the overseed has germinated and we will be open for play this coming weekend.

The staff also dredged the creek on #12 in front of the green and we continue to make progress around the course in edging, spraying and installing pine straw in the landscape beds.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at kmacdonald@valleycrest.com and for more information follow us on Twitter @stivescc_vcsup and the Blog: http://vcgmstivescountryclub.blogspot.com/

See y’all on the course,

Kyle Macdonald, GCS, Class A

Agronomy Department and Course Update

October 9^th2013

            What a way to start the week, 2+ inches of rain Sunday night into Monday morning. This obviously put a hamper on a few of our plans, the tree contractor will be delayed a few days and the grading work on 7 and 8 was pushed back. Since the turf was too wet to mow on Monday we took the opportunity to start detailing bunkers for the winter. This will consist of Fly mowing, edging and scuffle hoeing the bunkers. Hopefully, you will notice the difference in the increased detailing.

We continue to have warmer days and the greens are responding with great growth, therefore, we are continuing our topdressing program. We will go heavier than last week, but we will brush the sand into the canopy. This will have no impact on playability and actually make the greens firmer, faster and smoother. The greens will also be treated with Fungicide to prevent Spring Dead Spot (SDS), to treat this disease we use soil temperatures to target the fungi’s activity.

 The overseed (rye grass) has been dropped on the Driving Range Tee, Targets, Teaching Tee and Chipping Green area. We are already seeing some of the seed germinate and we will spray the newly germinated grass with a foliar fertilizer tank to promote growth. We look to open some of the upper tees first to middle of next week (Oct 14-16^th).

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me (kmacdonald@valleycrest.com) and for more information follow us on Twitter @stivescc_vcsup and the Blog: http://vcgmstivescountryclub.blogspot.com/

Agronomy Department and Course Update

October 1^st, 2013

           

            In order to continue great communication with the membership, we decided a weekly email to the membership might be beneficial. I know everyone has inboxes full of emails, so I will keep these short, sweet and hopefully packed with information. The Men’s Club Championship is scheduled for Friday-Sunday; we expect to have the greens rolling between 10.5 and 11 on the Stimpmeter. In order to continue to provide great playing surfaces all of the bunkers will be raked each morning ahead of play.

The greens will be topdressed (sanded) (extremely light) on Tuesday Oct 1 and followed up with an irrigation cycle of ½ inch that night. The irrigation cycle will push the sand down into the canopy and will virtually disappear. A fertilizer application will be applied during the maintenance block on Thursday afternoon. I am sure you have noticed some of the greens have weak spots; we will be solid tining those areas before the fertilizer is applied the holes created will be non disruptive to play (see attached picture), but extremely beneficial to the plant. 

The tee boxes were treated with the 2^nd fall fungicide application, this application prevents Zoysia Patch (also know as Large Patch). The height of cut on the tees has been raised from .250 to .325; this will gives the tees density and cushion to handle the winter stresses. The Driving Range tee tops are currently being overseeded along with the Chipping Green area and Targets. It will take approximately 12-15 days for the seed to germinate and be ready for mowing. 

McAlister Tree Company is still working on holes 15 – 16 and we will begin work on the landscaping on holes 7-8 next week. We have grading work, sod installation, plant material and trees going back into these areas.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me (kmacdonald@valleycrest.com) and for more information follow us on Twitter @stivescc_vcsup and the Blog: http://vcgmstivescountryclub.blogspot.com/

See y’all on the course,

Kyle Macdonald, GCS, Class A

So far, so good.

It is hard to believe that Fall is here and the MiniVerde greens have already been open for a month. Overall, I have been pleased with the establishment and putting quality of the new greens, despite less than ideal weather. A cloudy, wet summer until August 23rd and then a month long drought. Now we have bounced right into Fall, which is a tricky time for UltraDwarf Bermudagrass, we will try and maintain speeds but also need to make sure that we have enough turf density on the greens to protect from us from winter kill. Another side effect of mowing to low this time of year is green speeds late winter. If we don't raise the canopy height the greens could be borderline unplayable in January, February and March. There will be fluctuations in green speeds over the next few weeks until we find our ideal height of cut. There is still plugging around some edges along with weekly fertilizer and topdressing applications. I hope everyone has enjoyed the new greens thus far and I ensure you that they will play great by next summer.

Friday August 30th!!

Finally the wait is over, the greens will open Friday August 30, 2013. There are still a few areas that will need another week or two to finish filling in but for the most part the greens are in great shape. If you spent any time in Atlanta this summer you know it was less than ideal weather for completing a Ultra Dwarf Conversion/Grow-in. However, we were blessed with sunshine and high temps these past few days and greens have responded nicely.

I hope y'all are as excited as I am to get out and play on the new greens. I've hit a few wedges and have been rolling a lot of putts and I am pleasantly surprised at the firmness, speed and smoothness. After a double cut and single roll today they stimped at 10 ft even. Our goal in the Agronomy Department is to have them between 10.5 and 11 for the Grand Opening and Labor Day.

 There are trees falling on the 7th hole as I type and 8, 15 and 16 are soon to follow. Please pardon our progress as the tree contractors open sunlight corridors to enhance the greens growing environment which will make them even better in the long run.

As always, I hope you enjoy your round and follow the Agronomy Staff on Twitter @stivescc_vcsup for daily pictures and information about the course. 

Photos from around the course

Below are a few pictures that I have taken over the last 2 weeks.

Eye level with a putter 

 Hole 17 on Day 55, still have some growing to do

Clipping from 1 1/2 greens on Day 55. You can see that sunshine really does make a difference

Re-Establishing Approaches

When you come out to play over the next week, don't be shocked when you see the approaches looking like this. The approaches grew up to rough height during the renovation and we are out scalping them down to a half inch. With a little fertilizer and routine mowing they will back into shape in no time.

If you have any question feel free to email. 

When the greens reopen.....

The greens are scheduled to reopen August 24th, I wanted to inform everyone of what to expect on the putting surface. WARNING, the greens will not be FAST. They are still in the "grow in" phase and it is imperative to have the greens completely grow in prior to dormancy. If we start managing for speed we take a risk that we will not have 100% turf cover going into winter. 

I would expect the greens to roll between an 8.5 and 9.5 and slightly bumpy once we open, similar to a bent grass aerification. However, as we continue ahead the greens will only get better. If you have any questions, please shoot me an email and I will be happy to respond. 

Day 43 (Tuesday Aug 13)

This is the PG Test Plot at Day 43. I believe we are about 90-95% covered and we are going to bury the greens in topdressing sand this week to help get the smoothness. The brown you see in the picture is due to scalping, which is normal in the "grow in" phase. I will post some pics of the greens being buried later this week. We should also finish the TifGrand around the greens edges this week. 

Fast 36 days!

 1 Day after Sprigging (DAS)

 15 DAS

36 DAS

Day 37

Renovation Update

We are rapidly approaching the 3-week mark after planting the greens and despite the challenging weather we have faced, they are filling in nicely.  Bermuda grass requires sunlight and heat to grow and Atlanta was plagued with 10 days of cloud cover, rain and cooler than average temperatures for the first 17 days after planting (even the coolest July 4^th in 19 years). Although getting hammered by some heavy downpours, the sprigs held tight. It appears our fertilization program has been a success and we are already mowing the greens at a height of .125 (our target is .100-.100).  The weekly topdressing program is also in full swing. The greens edges are becoming well defined we will prep the them for the new collars the week of July 22-26, with sod being placed on July 29 (weather permitting). The city of Johns Creek approved the removal of the trees in the stream bank buffer on holes 7,8,15 and 16, therefore McAlister Tree Service will be back on property to remove the remaining trees.

If you have not been following us on Twitter you are missing out on daily pictures, updates and instant information/feedback. Please follow us on Twitter @stivescc_vcsup

See you on the course,

Kyle Macdonald, GCS, Class A

 Above:

This is #10 at 17 days after planting and it is looking pretty good. We are already mowing at .125, close to our final Height of Cut (HOC) which will be .100-.110

Below:

Omar on the topdresser applying the 2nd application of sand to the PG (putting green). 

Below:

Gaberial is using the pull behind brush to work the sand into the canopy. 

Sprigging with MiniVerde

 Greens in a box

 The sprigs were delivered early Monday morning and staged next to the greens. Pike Creek employees loaded the sprigs into a wheel barrel and staged piles of sprigs all over the putting surface. 

 The other Pike Creek employees hand shake sprigs onto the putting surface. 

 A tractor with a planter and roller "cut" the sprigs into the putting surface. This ensures "sprig to soil" contact.

After the sprigs are "cut in" and our starter fertilizer is applied the irrigation heads turn on. Lets hope for some great (hot) weather over the next 6 weeks. 

Some Temperature Information

From Kirk Mellish's Blog: (http://www.wsbradio.com/weblogs/kirk-mellishs-weather-commentary/2013/jun/28/its-been-so-cool-atlanta-not-really/)

Summer starts June 1st for weather and climate scientists. Some are thinking its a cool summer already, but we've just reverted to normal after a string of scorchers-- so it just seems cool, its really running normal so far, as did the spring-- for the most part. The details:

Rainfall for the year is over 13 inches above normal. JUNE rainfall is around 200% higher than average at about 6 inches above normal. Lake Allatoona and Lanier are at their highest levels in 5 years for summer.

JUNE temperatures so far average +0.2 F barely above-normal. The Spring was just slightly cooler than normal but much wetter than normal. THE FIRST 90 was 13 days later than normal (June 1st) but we missed it being two weeks earlier than normal by just one degree. 

This month we've had 3 days of 90, last JUNE we had 7 days in the low 90s by now. And last year June ended with highs around 105. And last MAY we had 4 days in the 90s... this MAY we had none!

However, the summers of 2010, 11, and 2012 were all the top 3 hottest summers on record surpassed only by 1980 and 1993. 2007 was very hot, in fact most summers in this decade have been warmer than the 30 year normal. The year 2011 had the most days of 90 or above at 89 for spring and summer combined. (the year 1980 had 90 days of 90 or higher for the calendar year and 1980 recorded the earliest 90 reading)

A TYPICAL SUMMER IN ATLANTA will produce 37 days with a high of 90 or above, and NINE days of 95 or higher. Most summers in Atlanta do not produce triple digit readings, those temps are historically rare for us. (records go back to 1879)

The most recent summer to fail to produce a reading of 95 or higher was 2005. The FEWEST number of 90 degree days belongs to 1967, when we hit 90 just twice. 

MARCH was 5 degrees cooler than normal with average rain.

APRIL temps were a tad above average and rainfall was 3 inches on the plus side.

MAY was 2 degrees cooler than average and rain was an inch above normal. 

Prepping for Sprigs

The greens were covered for 5 days after the fumigant was applied. A 5 man crew pulled covers off greens on Tuesday and Wednesday, which took approximatley 7 hours.

Once covers were removed a 4 man crew began backfilling the trenches and plate tamping the soil. This will reduce settling of the trenches after we sod with Tif Grand Bermuda Grass mid-July. The next step will be to apply our pre-plant fertilizer ahead of the sprigs Sunday morning.

Fumigation

In a "no till" conversion from Bentgrass to UltraDwarf Bermuda grass you only get one chance to ensure a clean canvas prior to sprigging. St Ives contracted TriEst Ag to apply a fumigant (Methyl Bromide). This will ensure a complete kill of all pests in the profile of the putting green. 

 The fumigant will be applied under a protective plastic barrier and must be secured. To do this we cut a 4 x 6 inch trench around the perimeter of the green. This allowed us to "bury" the edges of the tarp and contain all the fumigant underneath the plastic.

The 6 man crew pulling, gluing, cutting and burying the tarps. 

 The Putting Green once covered and ready for fumigant. 

 The applicator pulling up and attaching his hoses to apply the fumigant. The rate was 1 lb/ 100 ft2. The tarps will remain in place for 5 days and then removed and disposed by TriEst Ag. Once the plastic  tarps are removed the soil will be completely sterile free of all weeds and pests (poa and nematodes!!). The maintenance staff will then pre load the soil with nutrients (fertilizer) prior to the sprigs hitting the soil next week. 

Conversion Begins

 Step 1: Verticut greens 2 directions

 Step 2: Aerify 2 directions

 Step 3: Drag in cores/sand

 Step 4: More dragging and blowing

Final product

Greens Conversion

            I can’t believe the wait is actually over. The greens conversion from Crenshaw Bent grass to MiniVerde Ultra Dwarf Bermuda grass starts on Monday 6/10/2013. The greens will be sprayed with RoundUp, so expect extremely firm and fast greens conditions during the week of June 10-16th. There will be a “Superintendents Revenge Day” on Saturday June 15th. On Monday (June 17^th) we will begin the “No-Till” process with an aggressive aerification, verticut and top-dress. This will ensure ideal “sprig to soil” contact, which is of upmost importance. After the cultivation practices are complete, TriEst Ag, has been contracted to apply a Methyl Bromide application. This application will be applied under tarps and will ensure kill of all noxious pests/weeds. Due to the fumigation, the course will be closed from June 17^th - 25^th. The course will reopen with temporary greens, Wednesday June 26th, and the sprigs will be installed Thursday and Friday (June 27^th and 28^th). Once the sprigs are installed the maintenance staff will begin the “grow in” process. This will include lots of watering and fertilization with our first mowing sometime near the 7^th of July. The maintenance staff will post pictures and videos, so please check our Twitter feed (@stivescc_vcsup) and follow the blog (http://vcgmstivescountryclub.blogspot.com/) for the latest pictures and info on the renovation.

A change in plans....

 I have awoken from the winter slumber and decided it would be a perfect time for a Blog entry, so off we go. Since the decision was made to convert our greens to MiniVerde this summer, the maintenance staff changed its direction on bent grass greens maintenance. Below are a couple of tweaks to the Agronomic Plan:

1. No March Aerification: Once the course is closed and before the No-Till Renovation we will do an aggressive aerification. Therefore, we eliminated the spring aerification to promote play and create a better member experience.

2. Limited inputs of fertilizer: The spring fertilizer application was eliminated; normally this would strengthen the greens for the summer heat and stress. Since, we are killing the greens for the No-Till Renovation this was not a necessary application. Also, limiting the amount of fertilizer will greatly increase ball roll and speed.

3. Limited/No inputs of fungicide: We will treat for insects and disease on a curative basis only. The fumigation process will eliminate any/all pests; we have eliminated our preventative spring fungicide/insecticide applications.

4. Reduced PGR applications: Our spring fertilizer application coupled with the cool weather the greens are usually growing and glowing this time of year. We use Plant Growth Regulators, to reduce the vertical growth of the grass and increase the lateral growth. These PGR’s help us maintain speed and drive the energy of the plant to the roots. Since we have limited our fertilizer inputs to the greens they are not growing as aggressively and therefore we eliminated our PGR applications. However, we have seen a downside, the PGR we use (Cutless) also helps control Poa. We have seen an increase in the Poa populations since removing Cutless from our plans. The Poa is an awful eyesore and we made the decision to reintroduce the PGR program until the conversion. This will help us control the Poa until we spray the greens out with Roundup on June 10^th.

Let me know if you have any questions and please follow us on Twitter @stivescc_vcsup

Hydroseeding

Here are a few pictures of the Hydroseeding process. In continuing to minimize our pine straw footprint, the incorporation of native beds is a must. The seed chosen was mixture of Little Bluestem, Love Grass, Switch grass and Indian Grass. These combinations of grasses are warm season, drought tolerant and require little maintenance. The stand of grass will be between 2 and 3 feet tall, which will provide definition between the Bermuda grass rough. The benefit of Hydroseeding to Dry Seeding is in the quality of germination. We expect a germination rate greater than 90%, we previously saw a percentage of around 40-50% through Dry Seeding. As the native areas germinate, please provide feed back.

Photos of "No Till" Greens Renovation

Many thanks to Trey Cutshall at The Farm for sharing photos of their renovation last summer.

The Farm "No Till" Greens Renovation

A few pics from AAC pulling covers

Here are a few action photos courtesy of The Atlanta Atheltic Club pulling covers on their UltraDwarf Bermudagrass Greens.

Pre-Post Emergent Weed Control

The maintenance staff is out spraying for weeds. This application will cover all Bermuda or Zoysia on property. It will add a block any new weeds from germinating and kill any existing weeds that broke through our earlier Pre emergence application. If the weather cooperates we should finish by Jan 21.