Scouting Report for November 18

~~The following is the C.D.G.A. scouting report as posted by Derek Settle, PhD. I think the first three sentences really sum up the main theme of this past week .~~ November 18, 2011 Scouting Report Snow Is Up Next: Weekly Updates Conclude, Winter Conferences and Education Begins and Tim ends by saying "Winter Research Project" Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle It's cold. In a week we saw nights drop to 20˚ F, their lowest yet on Sunshine Course. We've now stopped field scouting as the growing season has ended. The basis of the weekly Scouting Report is to keep superintendents abreast of what we see and do. In 2011 we wrote a total of 36 reports which ran from 18 Mar to 18 Nov. Diagnostics: Using an education with an emphasis on plant pathology I said things like Tufts, Rings, Spots, Patches and in this difficult summer I said Kitchen Sink. Research: Some E=MC2 (energy is equal to mass times the speed of light squared). Actually, it's just turf but it is complicated and can be diffiucult to understand as it encompasses genetics, plant science, entomology, plant pathology, weed science, and plant physiology. This year some of what Tim had to say included, Agrostis stolonifera, Poa annua, Poa pratensis, Festuca arundinacea, Digetaria spp., Zoysia japonica, Sclerotinia homoecarpa, Rhizoctonia solani, Waitea circinata var. circintata, Sclerophthora macrocarpa, and Photorespiration. Weather: We look at weather daily to understand effects on pest development, plant physiology and overall environmental conditions. I said things like ET, High T, Low T, Soil T, Inches, and in this growing season I said Flood. We're about to say Snow and so the Scouting Reports now conclude. Thank you for your support in 2011 as we really needed it. P.S. Enjoy your holidays! Click here to view the November 18, 2011 Scouting Report. Even though it was difficult...we enjoyed another growing season. I hope you did too! Derek Settle, PhD Director of Turfgrass Program

Exposure Therapy

With more cold weather on the way next week and the most frigid of seasons just around the corner, everyone in the grounds department is finding their own way to prepare themselves for winter's arrival.

Think warm thoughts.

Elliott Dowling

Frozen Ground

The greens froze over night as the temperature fell to 23 degrees.  The ground will thaw today but until then, we will not be able to allow golfers.  The low for tonight is 27 degrees so anticipate a long delay in the morning.  My best guess is it will be late morning before the ground thaws enough to allow players.  The lows over the weekend are above freezing, I would anticipate a frost delay at most. 

Looking forward at the 10 day forecast, the lows will be below freezing for most of the week.  If this is the case, this could be the last weekend for play to the greens.  We have cut our temporary holes in the approaches, they are marked by yellow marking flags.  Please be cautious when walking, I do not want anyone to get tripped up by them. 

Thank you for your understanding.

Elliott

Scouting Report for November 11

~~The following is the C.D.G.A. scouting report as posted by Derek Settle, PhD~~

November 11, 2011 Scouting Report Triple 11 is Good Luck Somewhere? First Snow, Few Issues, Hindsight is 20/20, and Tim says Scleropthora macrospora Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle It snowed in northern Illinois! It was what we had been waiting for - all around first reports had occurred. In Chicago early November had been cruising along with few periods of frost, but on Thursday all would change when clouds combined with freezing temperatures would deliver a more solid substance. For most Midwesterners it was nothing new and reports of snow had already occurred in Wisconsin and south in places like Kansas. Old Man Winter now has at least one foot in the door, but we're ok. Golf courses have been diligent in preparations for winter and most deciduous trees are now without leaves. It's just the few maples and elms that continue to linger with a golden canopy, not to mention those stubborn oaks. Still, outdoors a few color standouts remain like the bright reds of burning bush, Euonymous alata, and the usual splash of green courtesy of dormant turf. We'll continue to see some color until snow cover, but it's always amazing to see the speed by which our landscape becomes a monochrome of browns and grays. As far as scouting and research goes - not too much to say this week. We put out final applications on a study for selective removal of Poa annua from bentgrass, but we'll have to wait until next spring to get a good estimate of what worked. In the meantime final research reports are going out and, at times, I clog my email. When will I ever learn to use fewer images? Click here to view the November 11, 2011 Scouting Report.  Have a good weekend and... is it really time to begin embracing snow again? Derek Settle, PhD Director of Turfgrass Program

More to expect in November

Tomorrow's forecast calls for a high in the upper 30's, a first for this fall. Today's frigid winds and tomorrow's low ceiling come as yet another indicator that we are well into the time to prepare for winter.
Soon we will be closing the greens to get them ready to winter the snow.  There are a couple things you will notice when this occurs.

The first is what will look like piles of sand on top of our new expansions.  We will be "burying"these areas to help them overwinter.  The turf in these areas is still new which makes it even more vulnerable to extreme cold and hard frost.  The sand we will cover it with will act as a blanket throughout the winter, helping to keep it safe. Though the sand may look odd, it is completely intentional.

The second set of sights you should expect are the temporary pin placements.  In the coming weeks cups will be cut into the fairways to keep any lingering play away from the greens. It is a sight we all know well, and one that we grudgingly accept in exchange for the increased safety of our greens.

The things we are doing now to prepare the course are meant to protect against all that we can foresee, which- when it comes to mother nature- is usually but a fraction of what we actually get. Many meteorologists and historians are predicting a particularly harsh winter; I wonder if they are including this past winter in that comparison? Nevertheless We will do all we can to ready the course, and then wait out whatever comes just like everyone else. When spring comes (and it will come), we will be here to set any wrongs right.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Misty Eyed

With freezing weather soon approaching (some say as early as the end of the week) it was time to winterize the irrigation system.  This was the scene yesterday as we used compressed air to purge water from the miles of pipe beneath the course. As we all know, substances expand when frozen and a pipe full of water left over the winter will become a broken pipe full of ice. 

In just under four hours every single head on the course was opened and allowed to run, along with our ponds and specific quick couplers (apparatuses that allow hoses to tap into the irrigation system). While winter is a worthy foe that can find ways to cause damage no matter how well you prepare, this preventative maintenance should help keep the damage to our irrigation at a minimum.

As the month grows colder, we will also be making our preventative fungicide applications. These applications are designed to help discourage the establishment of turf diseases that thrive in the cold and beneath snow cover. Again there is no 100% shield against these outbreaks, but we will be doing all that we can to avoid them.

Believe it or not, it is just about that time of year ladies and gentlemen. Attention must be shifted to finishing what projects we can before the inevitable freeze and the long wait for spring.

See you on the course!

Elliott Dowling

The Ice Month Cometh

Believe it or not November is upon us; frost has become a frequent visitor and close at it's heels are ice and snow.  Just as the club has begun to wind down it's hours so too must the course.

Just as in years past, the course will now be closed along with the course on Mondays and Tuesdays. The range tee will be mats only for the remainder of the year as we put the turf to bed. This way it can wake up bright and early for us next season, ready to do it all over again. For the rest of the tees on the course, we will be rounding up all but the ladies and hybrid and/or silver tees. Tee furniture such as benches and ball washers will be making it's way into the grounds shop as well, weary from a hard year and ready for a rest.

Of course, all of this will not be happening in a day, or even a week- but it will be happening. These things must be gathered and ushered inside before the cold touch of winter can damage them. Once extreme cold has chased even the crew and I off the course we will begin restoring and refurbishing it all for the 2012. 

I would also like to take a moment to thank my crew for all their hard work this season. For them it has been a year of big changes and frustrating rain- but for the most part they have persevered. Even after weeks of cold, wet, miserable weather they still put in more than a full days work without complaint- and even find the strength to enjoy the rainbow that comes after the storm.

See you on the Course!
Elliott Dowling