The Benefits Of Sand TopdressingDECEMBER 02, 2015By Todd Lowe, agronomist, Southeast Region

There are a variety of maintenance practices used to provide desirable playing conditions on golf course putting greens, with sand topdressing being one of the more common practices. Sand topdressing also is one of the more misunderstood practices among golfers, who feel that sanded greens play poorly. Understanding the benefits of sand topdressing may help reduce golfer frustration when they see the “silver sheen” on greens during their next round of golf. The benefits of topdressing include:

• Improved Smoothness – Voids exist within the turf canopy between turfgrass leaves and stems, causing inconsistent ball roll. Sand topdressing helps fill these voids to provide smoother and truer putts.
• Thatch Dilution – The layer of organic debris, stems, crowns and roots in the upper rootzone – i.e., thatch – can become concentrated and encourage mower scalping and localized dry spots. Thatch should be diluted with sand through practices like verticutting and sand topdressing to maintain good turf quality.
• Improved Turf Recovery – Occasional turf thinning can occur on putting greens. Sand helps cushion leaf tips and crowns and reduces algae.
• Increased Firmness – Turf produces organic matter in the upper rootzone that creates soft, spongy playing conditions. Regular sand topdressing, along with core aeration, improves surface firmness and resiliency.
• Improved Rootzone – Sand drains well and resists soil compaction. The accumulation of sand from multiple topdressings over many years can improve soil physical properties.

 

The amount of sand applied depends on the time of year and growth rate of the turfgrass. At courses with bermudagrass putting greens, more sand is applied during summer when the turf is actively growing; however, lighter rates of sand also may be applied during cooler months. Putting greens in the Deep South are topdressed with sand all year but generally are only “dusted” with lighter sand rates when turf growth slows as soil temperatures decrease.

Source: Todd Lowe (tlowe@usga.org)

Agronomy Department and Course Weekly Update

December 29, 2015

So far, December 2015 is the warmest on record (57.3F)… just nosing out 1889 (57.2F) (Justin Farmer, WSB, Twitter). It also included 7.5” inches of rain with 1-2” inches expected on Wednesday the 30^th. These heavy rains coupled with the record breaking heat, has our MiniVerde greens breaking dormancy (UNREAL!). Typically, we only mow once or twice per month in December and we are currently attempting (rain depending) to mow daily. The rains have saturated the soils/turf surrounding the greens and this past weekend in attempting to mow and roll the greens for increased playablity, some equipment got stuck in the wet turf. A majority of what you saw was cosmetic and with some light tamping and rains, the visible ruts have disappeared. We learned a lesson this weekend, sometimes it just too wet to get equipment on the greens!

As the turf begins to dry over the upcoming week, you will see the Maintenance Team out attacking the weeds that have exploded on property. The warm and wet weather has been an ideal growing environment for the annual winter weeds. Our plan is to begin hand spraying until the turf dries enough to have our big spray rigs out. At that point we will apply our “wall to wall” Pre/Post emergent herbicide application.     

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 you on the course,

Kyle Macdonald, GCS, Class A

These are the clippings from #1 green this morning. This is from a single cut at .160

Agronomy Department and Course Weekly Update

December 22, 2015

Yesterday in front of the rain, I challenged our maintenance team, to finish the drainage on #14 red tees AND haul/install the remaining 9 loads of the sand into the greenside bunker on #3. It was a big challenge considering the upcoming holidays and forecasted weather the next 10 days. The team knocked it out of the park! They completed both tasks and challenges. In total, the bunker on #3 took 22 loads of sand, which is approximately 40 tons. The drainage on #14 will provide a positive impact on the aesthetics of the turf throughout the year.  

The next 2 weeks the team will be taking time off property to spend it with family and friends. Typically, our staff works a 6 day work week; it is always nice to see them get away from the property to recharge the batteries.  

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 you on the course,

Kyle Macdonald, GCS, Class A

Great 15 minute read on bunkers...

http://golfclubatlas.com/best-of-golf/on-bunkers-by-ian-andrew/

Agronomy Department and Course Weekly Update

December 17, 2015

The staff has been busy adding sand to the greenside bunker right of #3 green (MEGA BUNKER). Unfortunately, the rain halted our progress; due to wet turf conditions the tractor can not get close enough to the bunker without causing damage. Prior to the rain this week, 13 loads of sand (approx 25 tons) have already been installed and I approximate the bunker is about 75% complete. The team’s goal is to finish on Monday, December 21 before the Holidays, if the weather cooperates. The team didn’t sit around once the bunker was put on hold! They installed a drainage line by the red tee box on #14. This area routinely holds water due to it design, this drain line will aid in drying the area up in a more timely fashion, which should reduce/eliminate the amount of tracking we see in this area. The 1.25” of rain on Wednesday night halted this project as well and will need some time to dry before adding the gravel, drain pipe, sand and new sod.

The team wanted me to give the membership a big thank you for Holiday Bonus they received! I know everyone is looking forward to spending time with family over the next few weeks and recharging the batteries.

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 you on the course,

Kyle Macdonald, GCS, Class A 

My radio debut

I was honored to be asked by the Georgia GCSA to be a guest interview on 92.9. Click on the link if you'd like to listen.


92.9 interview

Agronomy Department and Course Weekly Update

December 9, 2015

This extremely mild early winter has been the perfect environment for winter weeds to germinate and get healthy. Chris Graves, Asst. Golf Course Superintendent, successfully sprayed 17 acres of winter weeds around the course this past week!  It will take approx 14-21 days for the herbicide to kick in and begin to kill the weeds. This will clean up a majority of the winter weeds until we can begin our big Pre/Post emergent application January 4^th.

Speaking of mild winters… The forecast for this weekend is calling for the low 70’s!! I hope you have a tee time booked, I have a feeling this will be the last hoo-rah before the cold temperatures set in across the state. The past few years we had already pulled covers over the greens a few times. We have not pulled the covers this year and the greens have not gone into dormancy. This season has been quite a challenge in regards to green speeds. Typically, during the fall months, the greens are prepped for winter, this includes; raising the HOC (height of cut), increasing fertilizer/fungicide applications and reducing topdressing applications. Our goal going into winter is to be a 1-1.5 ft slower on the stimpmeter than our target speed, once the greens go dormant the speed picks up considerably and there is no way to slow them down once dormant. In past seasons, we have already reached dormancy in early December; therefore, the reduced speeds only had to last a few weeks. However, we have not reached dormancy this year and therefore we have to hold 10-10.25 for a longer window.

December is also the time we switch back to the plastic cup liners. These liners hold the sharp edge of the cup better during dormancy. They also give the club the flexibility to change hole locations less frequently, if play dictates that as an option.

Please remember to be courteous to the group behind you and when removing the pin, lift the flag stick straight up as this won’t lift the cup and the liner. 

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 you on the course,

Kyle Macdonald, GCS, Class A