Temporary Greens

 Anyone who's read the forecast in the last few days has no doubt had their jaw dropped by this weekends predicted highs in the 50's, with Monday boasting a high in the low 60's. Those who have not already asked about the flags being put back in the greens are surely wondering, however, the flags must remain in the temporary positions. There are a hand full of reasons for this, all of which I found well and succinctly stated in this U.S.G.A. article. Though the format may be out of date, the information within is still quite current.

I understand the frustration that this necessity may generate, but what we do this late in the season directly effects what we receive in the coming spring. Enjoy the weather, enjoy the course, and have a great weekend!

Respectfully submitted,
Elliott Dowling

Scouting Report for October 19

~~The following is the C.D.G.A. scouting report as posted by Derek Settle, PhD. Don't forget to follow the link!~~ October 19, 2012 Scouting Report Needed Rain Arrives: A Mild Week Of Temperature, Very Few Issues, Dollar Spot Is Active Again, Meanwhile Tim Says Fall Fungicides AND Dollar Spot Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle This week was a temperature zig zag, so to speak. Best of all, it was in the right direction of up! Following our coldest period since spring which ended annual flowers in the landscape, Mother Nature relented. Instead she delivered a reprieve in a big way and our high temperatures climbed considerably. For example, on one day we touched 70° with two other days coming pretty darn close to that mark as well. Meanwhile, nights also jumped and all 7 were without freezing. Few if any issues are now troubling turf, although dollar spot has continued to nag - redeveloping on creeping bentgrass surfaces for golf. Biting our nails, dancing for rain and going to church finally paid off... needed rain fell with 1.7 inches this week's tally on Sunshine Course in Lemont. The main feature of the landscape continues to be excellent fall color of trees. Never mind it follows an otherwise difficult growing season and that some individuals had speculated this summer that 2012 wouldn't see much fall color. Shew, it turns out they were wrong. Our most recent splash of color over the past week or two has been spectacular and not surprisingly some have enjoyed more attention than others - luminescent orange sugar maples. Not to be outdone, ginkos, American elms, and lindens began to peak with golden color. This week in a nutshell? The return of rain, few issues and spectacular fall color. As you might expect, there are few complaints. Click here to view the October 19, 2012 Scouting Report. Have a good weekend and enjoy THAT fall color. Derek Settle, PhD Director of Turfgrass Program

Rock Retaining Wall

I mentioned our work on the rock walls to help stabilize certain parts of the pond banks on holes three and eight. I wanted to share a picture of the finished product. This is number three.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

A Few Course Notes

Germination on the re-seeded portion of 18

There are a couple of things on the course that I wanted to call attention to. Th first is the area of eighteen fairway that was re-seeded earlier this month. Germination has been wide spread, with a much higher percentage of coverage than with the original seeding. Anyone who's seen it recently will undoubtedly have noticed the green tint of tiny leaf blades.

On numbers three and eight, we have been working on stabilizing certain areas of the pond banks. You will notice a "rock wall" has been put in place on both holes. This structure is meant to retard the deterioration of these areas, which were slowly giving way to the water.

And while we are on the subject of water, you may notice as you putt out on number five green that the crew is hard at work on the rear bank. Rain, shade, and immense amounts of clay have lead to that bank growing soggy, and the turf there has begun to suffer. We are currently installing additional drainage, and will be sodding the entire area once the drainage is complete. Until then, please excuse of mess!


See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Scouting Report for October 12

~~The following is the C.D.G.A. scouting report as posted by Derek Settle, PhD. Don't forget to follow the link!~~

October 12, 2012 Scouting Report It Feels Like Fall: Light Jackets Can't Cut It, Few Issues, Residual Dollar Spot, Rust Is Mild So Far and Tim Teaches Turf Students About Research Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle We were feeling 20s early on Monday, October 8 and it meant the coldest temperatures since April had come true as forecast. At this point we had to accept our flowers and vegetable gardens were no more. On the turf-side, the grass is still green (or maybe a purple-green) but its use has also tapered - cool temperatures and shortened day length naturally slows the game of golf, but not greens! We saw the fewest numbers of golfers playing the game in a season that otherwise had a lot (a warm, long lasting, dry season was 2012). Still, we don't quite want to accept it, the end of a growing season. Some even continued a tendency of going outdoors unprepared (from experience...my light jacket thing). Meanwhile, some good news this week. The landscape did pick up some needed rain, but the bad news is that it still wasn't near enough in a season who's current total is half of normal. And so irrigation and necessary hand watering were still required in an otherwise low water demand period for turf. And golf courses still saw other activity. They saw numerous projects either finished or in their final stretch prior to winter. They saw more tree leaves had senesced, now finding a place among the blades of grass, streams of water, lakes and paths. They saw a golden glow of shag bark hickory, honeylocust, green ash, basswood, elm and maples begin their orange. They saw a most beautiful sky. They saw an exclamation mark in the landscape, the peak purple-red leaf color of white ashes. Man oh man, fall in Illinois is sure nice. Click here to view the October 12, 2012 Scouting Report. Enjoy your weekend and those fantastic fall colors. Derek Settle, PhD Director of Turfgrass Program

Scouting Report for October 5

~~The following is the C.D.G.A. scouting report as posted by Derek Settle, PhD. Don't forget to follow the link!~~

October 5, 2012 Scouting Report Fall Color Says Pow, Pow, Pow: Coldest Night in 7 Months, Chicago's Turf Very Healthy, Dollar Spot Fires Up (briefly) and Tim talks Poa Control? Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle Wait a minute, how did THAT happen so fast? It's October. Well it happened and just to show you...on Thursday of this week we lost something like 27 degrees in 6 hours - from 80° at 2 pm to near 50° by 8 pm. Friday morning it hit me when I found myself in Naperville at a couple of courses unprepared - two light jackets didn't cut it. This growing season suddenly seems striking in it's contrast of 'degrees' in just a few months. As far as pest 'issues' and things of plant health, very few now exist given nighttime lows are rhythmically falling to the 40s. The bigger issue at hand is a realization that we continue to be way behind on annual rainfall and current lake level information is the perfect illustrator. Versus the same time a year ago, the Great Lakes tell the 2012 story of drought (Superior -2", Ontario -11", Huron -13", Michigan -13" and Erie -17"). Besides Lake Michigan being down 13 inches from a year ago, drought is serious because it also effects needed soil moisture reserves for crops and the landscape and this can last into the next growing season (e.g., the severe drought of 1988 meant 1989's growing season was also negatively affected). Currently we are holding our heads up more and more. Not just because we did a good job in season 2012. Ha! Mainly it is because the canopy of the landscape has begun to change rapidly. Talk about nice fall color. White ashes are a reddish burgundy purple and green ashes are golden. A group of honeylocusts today... I found myself forming the word "electric". Click here to view the October 5, 2012 Scouting Report. Have a good weekend and don't forget to put on your 'good' jacket! Derek Settle, PhD Director of Turfgrass Program

Seedling Update

As a whole, the current state of our seed projects, the practice tee, the approach fairway on number 8 and the whole of 18 fairway, for the most part, are progressing on schedule.  However, some of you will notice that some work has been done on number 18. While the rest of the fairway is filling in nicely, I've noticed in the past few weeks that the front right portion of this fairway was not keeping up. Upon closer inspection it was revealed that the seed there had not reached proper depth, and was struggling to perform. 

After allowing the seed some time to progress, it was clear that this area would be germinating sparsely if at all, and I opted to reseed the area to the proper depth. This is a better option than waiting because it allows us to maximize what sun we have left in this season, as ungerminated seed does not use nor require sun.  This also allows us to take advantage of sun in the coming months, should we find ourselves in the middle of a mild spell this winter, and to utilize everything from the very first rays of sun and heat in the coming spring.

See you on the course,
Elliott Dowling

Scouting Report for September 28

~~The following is the C.D.G.A. scouting report as posted by Derek Settle, PhD. Don't forget to follow the link!~~

September 28, 2012 Scouting Report

Fall Color Begins: First Real Frost, Other Than Grubs...Few Issues, Ryder Cup Sees Perfect Weather and Tim says Fairway Creeping Bentgrass

Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle

And on the fourth week of September, the Ryder Cup came to Chicago - nice weather would be on tap! After all it is fall, and we had just recorded our first two frost events. In other words the weather was perfect with tree color appearing in the landscape early, some of our deciduous trees like maples and honey locusts already had turned gold to orange. For cool season turf things just line up nicely in the fall. For example, the natural growth of turf begins to slow and soil temperatures are at optimal levels for root growth (60s). Also this scouting report gets kinda brief - as we cool there are fewer and fewer pest issues in the landscape. For creeping bentgrass golfing surfaces it means perfection personified - good health both above and below ground.

Ahh September. By September we have reclaimed quite a bit of our lost roots due to summer's heat (all-time record heat that is). By September, if you manage turf, you can now look back on a season and her lessons to better prepare for next season. By September you have more time to volunteer on the grounds crew for things like the Ryder Cup! And so we remember the 2012 season for all its challenges present during regular day to day play as well as during numerous tournaments and events. At the end of each growing season it's hard not to be in awe...especially in 2012 when you find yourself working with a team at Medinah under Curtis Tyrrell. Go USA!

Click here to view the September 28, 2012 Scouting Report.

Have a good weekend and... if you can't be in Chicago this weekend, enjoy the Ryder Cup at Medinah on TV!

Derek Settle, PhD
Director of Turfgrass Program

Scouting Report for September 21

~~The following is the C.D.G.A. scouting report as posted by Derek Settle, PhD. Don't forget to follow the link!~~ September 21, 2012 Scouting Report It's Fall: Residual Dollar Spot of Bentgrass and Summer Patch of Bluegrass, Animals/Grubs Rough Up the Rough, and Tim says Cultivar A B C D E F G Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle Midweek, a light frost on Chicago's blades of turf. I would take a look at my weather archives only to discover we hadn't been that cold since the 3rd week of May. So now the growing season works in reverse as we lose day length by about 3 minutes a day - it all happens too quickly. To be clear we had wished for our first fall day of September 22nd months ago. For most (those in the growing season trenches of 2012) that wish was about mid-July when extreme weather events had brought us to our knees both mentally and physically. Olympics weren't just on TV because we were living it! It was record pace stuff - an early green up in March segue into extreme summer drought/heat and later meteorologists would report clocking the hottest summer month ever in the United States. If you ask some they will say we were just fine. Actually we had begun to panic, but of course we can never publicly say so. Nevertheless by about late summer (regardless of year) both human beings and plants seem to say, "What summer?" Our human mind is forgetful and plants in the landscape are just amazingly resilient. Still we should know otherwise - the watchful superintendent continues to monitor and report surface water levels are still quite low. But alas we are now well progressed into our end of season project phase. In a week a certain camera was focused less on being a scout in the name of integrated pest management (IPM). Click would follow the hum of engines that propel heavy equipment to renovate areas. Click would follow the silent germination and emergence of turf. Yep, it's fall. Click here to view the September 21, 2012 Scouting Report. Enjoy your cool, with a dash of a little wet, weekend. Derek Settle, PhD Director of Turfgrass Program

Scouting Report for September 14

~~The following is the C.D.G.A. scouting report as posted by Derek Settle, PhD. Don't forget to follow the link!~~ September 14, 2012 Scouting Report Cool Nights Mean Normal: Dollar Spot, Rust, White Grubs, Sod Rolling Up (animals search for said grubs) and Tim says Festuca arundinacea Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle This week, temperatures were both warm and cool. Plants said Huh? Actually it meant our season was acting right again for a change as the calendar is now pretty much between summer and fall. Our jaws would drop wide open when lows dropped to 47° twice in Lemont - we've now experienced our first really cool period since June. It's a real joy when nights hold the mercury to 50° or less. The surprise/enthusiasm if you manage turf? Well if jackets are on, the trend of FEWER issues will only accelerate. Rewind. Just a week ago the landscape looked and felt like a lot of trouble. Midsummer had briefly returned to 5th gear when our nights remained warm and humid. My Everything word last week meant all major fungal diseases of turf were banging their pots and pans - should've said Yikes as eyes get real big seeing nuclear dollar spot. But it's September and so fast-forward to normal. Normal would be dealing with moderate levels of foliar rust and dollar spot affecting Kentucky bluegrass roughs. Normal would be root damage from things like annual white grubs. Normal would be waking up to see the amazing sod rolling ability of hungry animals - grubs!?! Normal would be catching up with paperwork. Ahh, normal. Click here to view the September 14, 2012 Scouting Report. Enjoy normal and what is to be a beautiful weekend of weather! Derek Settle, PhD Director of Turfgrass Program

Seedling Update

September 16, 2012

Germination is well underway on fairways 8 and 18 with the first wave of green leaf tips finding the sun and more on the way. Mild weather and a steady supply of rain have meant that irrigation from our system has not been needed as much as we originally anticipated. This is a mixed blessing however: while mild temperatures mean less moisture lost from the soil, they also mean lower soil temperatures and less heat for the plants. Remember that our time frame for a full scale re-seeding of fairways would be undertaken three to four weeks sooner than this project was, in order to provide maximum heat and sunlight for our seedlings.

I have been asked on several occasions why the turf killed with Roundup prior to seeding was not removed prior to seeding. While it may appear counter-productive, this layer of material serves multiple vital functions. This layer forms a barrier against erosion should we receive heavy rain or wind, and predators who would make a meal of our precious seed. It also holds moisture and keeps it available to the infant plants as they develop. Anytime you've seen seed covered with mulch or straw, (the thriving seed to the left of 18 approach is a prime example) the material was added to serve these very same purposes. To strip this layer only to replace it with another material to serve the same purpose would cost unneeded time, money, and effort.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Scouting Report for September 7

~~The following is the C.D.G.A. scouting report as posted by Derek Settle, PhD. Don't forget to follow the link!~~ September 7, 2012 Scouting Report Everything: Anthracnose, Bipolaris of Bent, Brown Patch, Dollar Spot, Pythium Blight, Summer Patch, and Tim's Data Says Brown Patch and Dollar Spot Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle September begins to Lights, Camera, Action. In other words this summer didn't quite stop when I said so! We would see everything in a week and along the way we just kept on learning more and more. And do you know what I decided? It appears that the MOST impressive fungus on planet earth is arguably Sclerotinia homoeocarpa or dollar spot. In just a few days we saw it's developement double in untreated research plots on our creeping bentgrass greens at Sunshine Course in Lemont (30-40% blighted area became 60-80%). Furthermore, any creeping bentgrass varieties which lacked genetic resistance to dollar spot were observed to light up like a Christmas tree. Only it's not December though Santa Claus early sounded really good to most of us back in July. Still, golf courses remain on a relatively smooth road to recovery as roots continue their deligent downward return to home (a moist and nutrient-rich rootzone is waiting). "Good health" are recent reports of greens and fairways and it means core aerification can begin on schedule for many (nothing promotes root growth/penetration more than poking holes). We continue to round what feels like the last quarter lap of the longest marathon ever run and continue to be tested. Our brains, experience and artistry has gotten a workout in 2012. I cannot remember seeing more fungal disease varieity in a week...I just relearned turf plant pathology 101, everything in 4 days! Click here to view the September 7, 2012 Scouting Report. Have a nice cooler feeling weekend. I for one will be listening to the roots grow! Derek Settle, PhD Director of Turfgrass Program

Aerification Update

Nelson aerifys one fairway.

As aerification week comes to a close it is in now way hyperbole to call it a success. In spite of repeated rains and temperatures in the nineties, the greens were deep-tined, topdressed, dragged and fertilized. Cores were pulled on every tee, the cores were broken up via drag mats, and the tees were fertilized. The time consuming process of aerifying fairways began yesterday with holes one, two, nine, and the main body of eight. This process will continue throughout the next week and amidst play and only one fairway will be worked on at a time. Should you find your ball surrounded by pulled cores, simply clear enough area around your ball for you to swing and have at it.

The eighteenth fairway and number eight approach fairway were seeded Wednesday and Thursday! I must remind everyone that both of these areas will be closed to carts until further notice.  This is being done for the safety of our seedlings; players should also be aware that both of these areas will be irrigated every hour on the hour. Seedlings have very little root structure, and must have near constant access to water to survive. Remember that our irrigation program runs heads in a progression from green to tee. So if you're facing the green, standing over an irrigation head and there's a head on in front of you, you have less than five minutes to decide whether you'd like to stay dry.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

 

Scouting Report for August 10

~~The following is the C.D.G.A. scouting report as posted by Derek Settle, PhD. Don't forget to follow the link!~~

August 10, 2012 Scouting Report August is Nice: Recovery, Physiological Decline Dissipates, Type 1 Fairy Ring, More Summer Patch, Bad Poa triv, Peter's Dollar Spot, Tim's Bluegrass cvs. Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle Recovery. So now we can say it, because it is over (peak midsummer heat). July, 2012 will be remembered as one of the worst summer months for growing things like turf - ever. It turned out to be the hottest July ever, as well as the hottest month EVER for our entire country (since 1895). Week to week, what we saw and felt on golf courses was bad, but it was much worse in other situations where automatic irrigation is not the norm. In Illinois, the phrase "total crop loss" was heard. Our farmland in central and southern Illinois would witness odd looking cornfields which were stunted and wilted on a backdrop of powder dry, hard soils having developed large, deep cracks. For city dwellers it was watching our lush urban landscape take a big hit - Chicago's golf courses just survived one of the most extreme summer seasons ever (1988 hot with drought; 1995 hot with humidity). However, often forgotten is that this summer of mayham represents 3-in-a-row. Our two preceding summers were also out of control (2010 and 2011 hot with floods). Such super-hot weather is maybe only seen once or twice in a lifetime - we hope! It makes managing plant health both challenging and memorable. But it's over. As I write, an entire morning of cool air follows a day of cool rain. Our extended forecast is for more of the same. If you happen to manage cool-season turf... this turn of events is just what the doctor ordered. Yes! Click here to view the August 10, 2012 Scouting Report. Enjoy every morning of jacket wearing this weekend = a summer scorched landscape is now on the mend. Derek Settle, PhD Director of Turfgrass Program

Clarification

I wanted to make a few points of clarification in regards to yesterday's blog which, it would seem, has caused a bit of confusion. First and foremost I would like to apologize for posting the wrong dates.  Our intention was always to follow the same schedule as posted, but to do so starting with the first Roundup spray on August 27, not August 6.  That said, no work will be started until the Board of Directors meets on August 22 and has a chance to discuss the parameters of the project.

Second, I made a poor choose of words by using the word "renovation".  I recognize now that this word is loaded, and brings with it a scary connotation. The two areas being targeted, the short fairways on eight and eighteen, are in need of improvement. Our goal is to show you what the process would be to convert our fairways to a pure bentgrass stand. All of the work will be done in-house, under the grounds budget. It should be kept in mind that the two areas that would be treated represent less than a half acre of the 30 acres of fairway on the golf course (1.7%)

We on the grounds want the same thing as you: the best possible playing conditions and healthy turf. Our fifty year-old fairways simply cannot stand up to the newly renovated fairways that surround us here in the southwest suburbs.

Respectfully submitted,
Elliott Dowling

Hopes of a Renovation on the Horizon

Next week we will begin what we hope will be a course wide renovation. For now, our work will be limited to the approach fairways on holes eight and eighteen. This coming Monday, August 6, these fairways will be sprayed with Roundup, and then roped off. Play will be allowed in both areas until further notice, but carts will be off limits for sometime following this application.. The following Monday we will give them another dose of Roundup, and again carts will be off limits. Tuesday and Wednesday, August 14 and 15, we will seed both fairways.  As always, we will keep you updated.

For now I would like to draw your attention to a video recently posted on the G.C.S.A.A. website. The video discusses Black Wolf Run's journey to the 2012 Women's Open and features an interview with Bob Vavrek, the head agronomist for the Midwest Region of the U.S.G.A. Mr. Vavrek is also the agronomist who came to visit the course a few weeks ago. While the entire video is interesting, I wanted to point out the comments on how their fairway renovation has given them an edge in dealing with years like these where Superintendent's are trying to manage turf in a furnace.

This is an exciting development and we will be keeping you in the know on our work as much as possible.

See you on the course!

Elliott Dowling

Scouting Report for July 27

~~The following is the C.D.G.A. scouting report as posted by Derek Settle, PhD. Don't forget to follow the link!~~ July 27, 2012 Scouting Report Three periods of Bentgrass Decline: Soil Temps Hover at 80°, Anthracnose, Pythium, Fairy Ring, Drought, Peter says Turf Field Day and Tim likes Flowers Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle As July ends, we've learned a few things that a record-hot-brutal-summer can teach you! It turns our July, 2012 had three periods of bentgrass decline. In Chicago the first of our stressful periods began with the wondrous July 4th weather (a string of 100s pounded a cool humid landscape). Let's not forget the blessed rain! Severe thunderstorms are quite common for the upper midwest in summer and Chicago is wettest in July or August - just flip a coin to see. Quite probably it could be August in 2012...unfortunately. But I digress. Back to physiological decline of creeping bentgrass. It is something that is well documented by plant physiologists by use of controlled growth chambers. They found extended periods of supraoptimal temperatures meant presto - a slow to rapid decline of creeping bentgrass plant health. Soil temperature is key because it directly effects the rootzone environment and roots are not only responsible for water and nutrient uptake, but also other things like production of plant hormones and storage of photosynthetic carbohydrates. Once we realize bentgrass isn't creeping bentwondergrass, pieces of a sometimes confusing summertime puzzle make sense. A newer disease to blame? Nope. Instead the senario is likely: physiological decline predisposes bentgrass to some new and unusual 'diseases' or disorders. However, as was true in other unusual Chicago growing seasons (1988 and 1995) certain cultural practices help greens BIG time. Read on for more physiology... Click here to view the July 27, 2012 Scouting Report. Have a wonderful weekend - moderate Sat/Sun temps. Oh, and rest up for the month of August? Derek Settle, PhD Director of Turfgrass Program

Signs of Recovery

As a follow up to yesterday's post highlighting Dr. Settle's mention of our course's and many other course's in the area struggle with dormant Poa trivialis, I thought this picture might be worth sharing. You can see green leaf blades beginning to protrude from plants that might have appeared dead but most certainly were not.  With this past week's few days of rain and a break from the blistering heat (yesterday not included) the Poa trivialis is timidly stepping back into the light.

In the upper right corner of the photo you can see our lush, green Bentgrass -the intended species- hanging tough after months of abuse. While there is still plenty of summer left and more blazing hot days in our future, this happening again is not impossible- but as you can see the spots will recover.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

A Rather Relevant Report

By now all of you who follow the blog are aware of the Scouting Report, a newsletter issued by Dr. Derek Settle, head agronomist for the Chicago District Golf Association. I cannot say, however, how many of you are aware that what is posted is not the full report. Subscribers receive an email that gives a brief summary of Dr. Settle's thoughts and provides a link that takes readers to view the full report. When I re-post what I receive from Dr. Settle, I include both the summary and the link to the full report, but I fear many people are unaware of the latter.

In this past week's Scouting Report, Dr. Settle addresses briefly but directly an issue that we are dealing with here at Cress Creek with a species called Poa trivialis that has established itself in our fairways and is now languishing in this year's brutal (and unprecedented) summer weather.  In his report Dr. Settle says: "Drought plus hot summer temps means Poa trivialis may now be very dormant." He also includes a pair of pictures that I am re-posting here with his comments.  While the lower picture was taken during his visit to Cress Creek earlier this month, the upper picture is not a Cress Creek fairway.

"Poa trivialis  that looks completely dead may still be alive if you take a closer look. Settle 7-17-12"

"A fairway looks very dead, but it isn’t. Bronze patches is sometimes dormant turf. Settle 7-17-12"

Click here to view the Scouting Report in it's entirety, and don't forget to follow the link on any future Scouting Report posts!

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Trial by Fire

With no outing to contend with yesterday, grounds got out the tractors and and did some digging.  Drainage was installed on 13 fairway, near the approach on the left side of the fairway.  Barely 12 hours later mother nature saw fit to test our work, sending a storm our way that saw benches blown into ponds and more than a half inch dropped on the course in 15 minutes. The video shows how we fared.  I think it's safe to say: "Objective Accomplished", though we can't forget that with drainage there is no such thing as "Mission Completed".

Trouble playing the video? Click here.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Scouting Report for July 20

~~The following is the C.D.G.A. scouting report as posted by Derek Settle, PhD~~
July 20, 2012 Scouting Report

Record Hot and Dry: Soil Temps Reach 85°, Highs +90°, Needed Rain Returns, Peter says Tall Fescue & Tim's phrase is Drought Tolerance of Bentgrass

Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle

July began hot, then eased for about a day but once again was over-the-top hot this week. Besides gaining an additional five days to tack onto that Chicago record of 26 days with highs +90°, the biggest story this week was what fell from the sky. It was rain, and in one evening and into the next morning some suburbs would record 2+ inches. For example, Sunshine Course in Lemont would total 2.3 inches of rain from July 18 to July 19. But in-between rare rain events our outdoor reality is that we've begun to accept a different look. Brown lawns and leaf-scorched trees are now common and has become our landscape look in 2012. The only alleviation is through use of automatic irrigation systems or alternative practices such as the labor intensive hand watering that superintendents and staff must do to maintain sand-based golf greens. In addition to the constant visual monitoring of midday wilt stress, today we maintain plant health with newer technology. Soil probes that we use to physically sample the root-zone to understand the below ground dynamics of soil and roots are now supplemented with electronic sensors used to generate maps of soil moisture across areas. This allows greater accuracy of water management this season, very necessary when average soil temperatures at a 2 inch depth touch 85 degrees or more (saw again this week). When too wet, soils cannot adequately release heat at night and roots can plain cook - just part of the story as oxygen is necessary for root life and wet soils also work against us by trapping toxic gas byproducts like CO2. The bottom line is summer 2012 has so far produced some of the warmest and driest growing conditions ever recorded. Our work continues as we advance through this record hot, dry summer and boy, it's gotten real ugly.

With the return of rain, we thought maybe just maybe we'll see the return of a normal summer? What we were thinking until a super-hot forecast appeared for next week. In the meantime, try and have a good weekend.

Click here to view the July 20, 2012 Scouting Report.
Derek Settle, PhD
Director of Turfgrass Program

The Stake and the Rake

I wanted to share a couple of quick notes with all of you.  The first is the placement of a red and white indicator stake on hole 9.  This stake is placed at the 60 yard mark, and is meant to help players beyond the rope line discern just how far they are from the green. The stake and it's appearance are not set in stone, we are simply trying a new system asked for by members who were having trouble deciding how to approach this hole.

My second piece of news is that one of our trap rakes, the machines we use to rake the bunkers every morning, is currently out of commission. With 96 bunkers on the course this means that raking each one every morning and still finishing in a timely fashion (i.e. ahead of play) is now out of the question. For the remainder of the week, bunkers will be spot raked only, meaning that any bunker deemed playable without being raked will not be. We ask that you please be extra vigilant in raking yourself out of the bunkers during this time.  Every set of foot prints that is not raked will add even more time to a task that will already be moving at half speed.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Scouting Report for July 13

~~The following is the C.D.G.A. scouting report as posted by Derek Settle, PhD~~ July 13, 2012 Scouting Report A 'Cool' Break: Soil T Falls 10°, Record Heat Meant Poa/Bent Physiological Decline, Dry Means Lawns of Straw, Peter's Brown Patch and Tim says Bluegrass Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle Tired. Not just because record heat has entered our supposed cool, humid environment but also because days are long 'at the end of a hose'. It makes sense when you consider +90° or +100° daytime highs versus the biology of a cool-season turfgrass system (poorly adapted to heat). Turf is tired. Just more item is needed to connect the dots. It's a single short sentence, often ambiguously said, "Fine turfgrass maintained for golf courses." It really means, "Intensive, sometimes extreme cultural practices are required to maintain golf greens." When it is record hot, we must adjust to reduce mechanical stress. We know nothing is more stressful than a sharp blade cutting grass and so it all starts there. It's simple, but it requires frequent monitoring and constant adjustment. If we do not, physiological decline of cool-season turf is certain. You see, a natural and gradual midsummer process of starvation (respiration exceeds photosynthesis) always exists. If we ignore it, one hot afternoon might be turf death. But for a break. Grass blades teetering on the edge of photosynthetic life saw a reprieve on Saturday July 6th when Canada blew a breeze our way (July 5th saw 102.6° versus July 10th saw 81.7°). A very difficult week reversed itself and tired expressions on tanned outdoor faces began to change. The corners of mouths lifted on most superintendents. It was a smile. Still, one of the scariest summer growing seasons continues. When July looks and feels like August, but it's not. What will August look like? Only time will tell, but from my laptop (after I download multitudes of photos at day's end) this summer is no longer so green. Round 2 is about to begin. Here goes something! Click here to view the July 13, 2012 Scouting Report. Have a good weekend and nice to see a smile or two again out in the field this past week! Derek Settle, PhD Director of Turfgrass Program

CCCC Report from Derek Settle, PhD

The Chicago District Golf Association (CDGA) head agronomist came for a brief visit last week. Derek Settle, PhD, is a name you may remember.  Dr. Settle is the man behind the Scouting Reports that I re-post on this blog each week. Saturday morning he came to the course to consult on a areas of Rough Blue Grass (Poa Trivialis) that we reported were going dormant in a post entitled: Trivial Pursuit, at the end of last week. This Link will take you to a copy of Dr. Settle's full report.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Scouting Report for July 6

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

July 6, 2012 Scouting Report Record Heat: Chicago Counts Days of 100s for Highs, All 3!, Dollar Spot, Brown Patch, Pythium Blight, Both Peter and Tim Say Dollar Spot as it Explodes Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle When Chicago's cool, humid environment is no longer either we know it, and so does our landscape. A very difficult week for plant health was just experienced. As is always true, it's all about the weather. It was just last summer when a single daytime high crossed the century mark. That raised eyebrows in Chicago because our last 100 degree high had been in 2005. Chicago is now having one of its hottest summers on record. The last most similar summer dates to 1995. A golf course superintendent never forgets a bad summer and both 1995 and 1988 are at the top of that list. This week brought consecutive 100+ highs which began on July 4th and by day three, Friday, our official temps at airports O'Hare and Midway saw 103 and 105 respectively. On top of that we continue to remain as dry as we've been in a long time. As we look down, we find unirrigated lawns are now straw colored and some have even begun looking somewhat white?!? Golf courses in the upper Midwest deal exclusively with cool-season turf. Although we can have good control of irrigation inputs when it's dry, we have little to no control of temperature. The most troubling aspect is that peak summertime soil temperatures build on themselves during July and August and at the moment our current readings at a two inch depth have crossed into the 80s. In a majority of cases our current troubles are not disease, but instead midsummer physiological decline. Adjustment of cultural practices as needed can only maintain turf health. The heat is on. Click here to view the July 6, 2012 Scouting Report. Derek Settle, PhD Director of Turfgrass Program

A Historic Chapter Comes to a Close

Though temperatures will be rising into the triple digits again, the forecast says today is to be the last day in our current stretch of severe heat. While this still leaves us in the middle of a rather potent drought, next week's temperatures should give the course a chance at some recuperation before Invitational next weekend, which will bring with it more day's in the 90's!


When drought and blazing heat unite in an almost unmatched way as they have for the past week, a Superintendent's response is generally to put their head down and push through.  Just as the coming break in the heat will offer the course a momentary respite, it also allows my staff and I a chance to look back and take stock of what we've just been up against. To that end, I thought I would share a few facts from the Chicago Weather Center on just how unprecedented this past week has been.


1.) Up to the current hot spell, only four years since 1871 had produced four or more daily 100s: 1934, 1947, 1953, 1988. This year (2012) is now among them.


2.) The three back to back 100-degree days just completed here--102-degrees Wednesday and 103-degree highs Thursday and Friday, all record breakers--constitute one of only three such strings over Chicago's 142-year observational record. It was 65 years ago in 1947 that we last experienced three consecutive 100-degree or higher temperatures.


3.) The opening six days of July included within the 10-day period of heat being discussed here, is the hottest in 101 years! The period from July 1-7 has produced an average temperature of 87.4-degrees in Chicago which is an extraordinary 13.8-degrees above normal!    


The good news is: we made it! While there is still plenty of summer left, this particularly harrowing stretch is coming to a close.  Thank you again for your patience as Grounds raced to keep up with the heat. Feel free to join us as we all heave a sigh of relief!


See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Trivial Pursuit

As I'm sure some of you have noticed, select areas in our fairways have gone dormant over the past few days. In the hope of avoiding any confusion, I thought I would explain just what's happening out there.
I have spoken before about the many different types of turf that have invaded our course. The spots you are noticing are a species called Poa trivialis, generally known as Rough Bluegrass. Poa trivialis has a far lower tolerance to heat and drought, and given we are experience quite a bit of both it has gone dormant.

Unfortunately, there is not much we can do about this. The amount of moisture we would have to apply to keep the Poa trivialis healthy would pose a danger to the Bentgrass that surrounds it- Bentgrass that you will notice is still going strong. Once temperatures have grown mild once again the dormant turf should return with time, but until then our only viable option is to wait.

I'm supplying links to articles that discuss this subject in depth, one was published by Ohio State University, the other by Purdue University. This latest (and by far most severe) stretch of heat should come to a close this weekend, with the forecast showing Sunday's high as a frigid 82 degrees. Until then, we thank you for your patience as we drag hose and pop on heads. We're in the home stretch!

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Get Out of the Kitchen

 I wanted to quickly share an article I found on Yahoo's news site today, which presents some staggering numbers on this years unprecedented heat.  The figures discussed must be seen to be believed, and even as someone who finds himself exposed to weather for the better part of the day, I was still shocked! Suffice it to say that the heat we are experiencing here is in no way localized.

You can find the article here.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Scouting Report for June 29

~~The following is the C.D.G.A. scouting report as posted by Derek Settle, PhD~~ June 29, 2012 Scouting Report June Ends HOT: 1st Type 2 Fairy Ring on Greens, Dollar Spot Jumps After Rain, Japanese Beetles Build, Peter's 1st Dollar Spot Data and Tim says Tall Fescue Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle Summer just got Record Super Hot. Until now we have been praising our cool-season turf for its deep roots and good color. "Good, nice, wow, terrific." And in response our turf has listened by glowing green and blemish free (given supplemental irrigation). This week things started to change. Peak summer heat entered our Midwest sky above (early) as an ominous forecast of 90s to 100s for highs strung themselves together. Accordingly we began to see signs of plant stress and our miniature boat-shaped leaf blades on greens, Poa annua, gave its first whelp of summer. This recent amber hue is now commonly occurring on Poa greens in Chicago, yet for the average eye all is well and the putting green looks fine. However, for superintendents this all-to-familiar-look means normal plant physiology of fine turf is no longer the same. On golf surfaces, physiological decline has begun and touche, in response they're moderating maintenance on greens. On especially hot days we back off. As far as ball roll or those green speeds you won't be able to tell as natural plant growth regulators are now in place - high temperature, midday wilt stress and high light levels. With plant growth next to nil careful inventory and evaluation of habitual stressors begins. Like the extra mechanical wear which always rings the cleanup laps of greens. Like traffic patterns on turf (the stressful effects of concentrated foot traffic on greens, and harsh traffic patterns of carts on fairways/roughs). Talk about a hot summer huh. Well it is! Click here to view the June 29, 2012 Scouting Report. Have a nice weekend and enjoy your 4th of July. Thankfully rain seems to have returned. Derek Settle, PhD Director of Turfgrass Program

Words of Wisdom

Many of you know the name Steve Cook. He is the certified golf course superintendent and director of agronomy at Oakland Hills Country Club (and if you don't know the name "Steve Cook", you certainly know the name "Oakland Hills Country Club"). Wednesday Steve posted a blog discussing the dichotomy between the mentality that should accompany turf management with temperatures in the 70's or mid 80's, and the mentality that should accompany turf management in extreme weather conditions- I would think that  the worst drought in a quarter century counts as "extreme"!

In his post, Steve uses a driving metaphor to explain what he calls a management "downshift": "...when the temperatures are North of 90 degrees, as in 97 degrees Thursday, it's time to let up on the gas and downshift into a lower gear. That kind of weather is not the time to be a hero and drive over the cliff." The 97 degree Thursday that he mentions is the very same Thursday that brought us into the100's last week- the first 100 degree day in June in 24 years!

After reading what he had to say I felt I couldn't describe how grounds has been operating through this period of intense heat and drought any better. Click here to see the post in it's entirety. And it is important to remember that even though we have been lucky enough to see rain this weekend, our drought is nowhere near broken. We are still inches below the line that we would need to cross for that to be true.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Scouting Report for June 22

Better late than never! ~~The following is the C.D.G.A. scouting report as posted by Derek Settle, PhD~~ June 22, 2012 Scouting Report June Sees A Little Rain: Dollar Spot, 1st Japanese Beetles, Anthracnose BSR, Peter's Billbug versus Kentucky Bluegrass and Tim is still saying Waitea Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle It was hard to keep a ballcap on a few days this week, whether near the striped turf of a baseball diamond (Cubs/Sox) or near the striped turf of a fairway (us). Hot wind meant turf ET climbed to outrageous levels, but our saving grace was rain which had made a dent on a dry landscape (0.5" last weekend for most of Chi). June's third week had brought some change. First, June 21 was hailed 'officially' as summer. Whatever. Second, high humidity returned. Drip, drip and that's not rain. Third, it was super-hot and Chicago scored more highs of 90-something. By Wednesday we had counted thirteen 90° days...and it wasn't even summer yet. Fourth, the good men I know as golf course superintendents began to look oven-baked? To lighten things I use small talk. "What's with the hair?" "You got dark all the sudden!" "Look, deep roots!" "Are you thirsty?" So, how's your summer going? If you are a kid pool-side, you smile. If you are a golfer now experiencing ball roll speeds of your life, you smile. If you happen to be a superintendent you're taking it all in (pats on the back). But, an occasional observant club member has begun to notice something. The Super's smile lost some of it's (broad) character. June just became July, it's Hot! Click here to view the June 22, 2012 Scouting Report. Have a good weekend and we are about to catch another break (cool-down). Whew! Derek Settle, PhD Director of Turfgrass Program

Trees Approved, Rakes Removed

Tuesday night the Board of Directors approved the greens committee's recommendation to remove three willows that inhabit the bank of 15 tee's pond.  These willows have been shedding material for some time, as they are nearing the end of their life cycle. The willows will be brought down Monday (June 25) with the intention of having the area ready for invitational. This fall and spring, we will be installing additional bald cypress at that location, our hope is that more bald cypress will tie in with the existing bald cypress on the south side of the pond, bringing more cohesion to the area.




Also approved was the removal of an Elm on the left side of hole number five where the fairway begins. This tree was suggested for removal because the main body has already begun to split. Should this division be allowed to run it's course a rather large piece of the tree would fall leaving what remains unable to recover, not to mention the chances for property damage and injury. Better we should control when the inevitable fall occurs and minimize the risk.

Lastly, the Board of Directors voted to repeal the bunker rake placement rules made earlier this year that required the rakes to be placed inside the bunkers after use.  The rakes are now to be placed in the rough on the far side of the bunker from whatever feature said bunker may inhabit, be it a green or fairway. The grounds crew has already made the change.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

The 2012 Drought

By now you've all noticed just how dry the course has been over the last few weeks. The word “drought” is no hyperbole. We are currently more than four inches short of the average rainfall for this time of year, while temperatures find a way into the nineties each week. This is the season we find Cress Creek in at the moment: July’s temperatures, July’s watering needs, July’s hours- in May and June. Add to this our early start and you have a recipe for one thing: Stress.

Believe it or not, the temperatures have been working with us as much as against us for the most part.  Though the daily highs brought summer-like heat, the nights were still making it down into the forties and fifties.  These night time lows are perfect for the cool-season turf on the course, and as such have saved us from even more wilt and burnout then we are already seeing.  Unfortunately, the daily lows are slowly creeping up the thermometer- as they are known to do in June. beginning Friday the forecast calls for a week straight of night temperatures in the mid to high sixties, and I have little hope that this trend won't continue or rise in the weeks to come.

As such I am writing to make you aware of the things you will be seeing (or seeing more of) from grounds staff. You have already undoubtedly noticed the increased presence of men with hoses on the greens, tees, and fairways. Expect to see even more of this. We will be running irrigation heads and hand watering all over the course, and while we will -as always- endeavor to stay out of the way of play, we ask for your understanding of our increased presence.

Another thing you will notice is an increased amount of dormant areas in the out of play rough. Any irrigation system is a proxy for true, natural precipitation. And as such it will never water as thoroughly and efficiently as rain can. A perfect example of this is our fairway irrigation, which is set up in three parallel rows running the length of each fairway.  While the middle row delivers water to only the fairways, a primary function of the outer rows is putting water into the rough. While all of these heads are called "fairway heads", the outer rows comprise the majority of our rough heads in this "double-duty" manner.

Pair this with the knowledge that blue grass requires more water than bentgrass and a revelation comes to light. The design of our irrigation is such that the outer row heads cannot be allowed to distribute the maximum amount of water that the blue grass can handle, for fear of drowning or making soggy our bentgrass fairways. And since our array of dedicated rough heads is limited, we are left with some areas in the rough that the irrigation system either won't fully irrigate or cannot irrigate period. Were the rough our only concern hand watering could address this easily, but hoses and the men that operate them must give priority to greens and tees first- a sentiment that I'm sure any member would echo.

The application of wetting agents, the suspension of potentially stressful maintenance procedures, alterations to our irrigation system practices; all of these and more are things already being done to help the course through this drought. While I am prepared to begin more drastic measures to ensure the health of our greens through the coming trials, I do not feel they are necessary at this juncture. Should that time come, and it very well may, I will keep you all informed.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Scouting Report for June 8

~~The following is the C.D.G.A. scouting report as posted by Derek Settle, PhD~~ June 8, 2012 Scouting Report June is Nice: Very Dry, Optimum Turf Health, No Dollar Spot, Take-All of Bent Fairways, Peter's Nitrogen Timing and Tim's Kentucky Blue versus Crabgrass Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle If you enjoy the outdoors, this week felt like heaven. After a record plunge in temperature, we began our week and the remaining 7 days and nights provided us with an uncanny cool-season perfection of the turf kind. Though still dangerously dry from a simple reality that it just will not rain, our dry soils also go further back. Back to a winter that lacked snow and an early spring that was way too warm -one could argue evapotranspiration began earlier than ever recorded. It means our soils are dry, something we can take in June when moderate near-ideal temperatures are the norm. So far so good, but in the back of a plantsman's mind something is brewing. What's a dry, hot summer this July and August going to look like? Be prepared for turf color of the brown kind - from experience on golf courses we know inner roughs will be especially hard hit. But, I'm getting ahead of myself again. It's June and birds are singing, animals are playing and things like Hydrangea macrophylla are putting on a show. The other obvious thing I saw this week? Golfers just kept smiling as did turf managers. Our current issues are minor at best. It's just things we've not seen for a number of years, like a root disease of creeping bentgrass called take-all. Like localized dry spot showing us the weak rootzone links beneath. But, we were sort of expecting a dry summer this time around. In 2012, a Chicago without dew was due! Click here to view the June 8, 2012 Scouting Report. It's gonna be a hot weekend, but thankfully it won't last long. So Enjoy! Derek Settle, PhD Director of Turfgrass Program

The Monday Minutes, June 4

This past Monday saw much more ongoing business then new business.  Long running projects like the verticutting of the fairways were continued, as well as the finishing touches being put on our parking lot sod project. As with last week, the greens were dusted with sand which was then washed into the profile with irrigation. My aim is to see this topdressing occur every week, though there will inevitably be Mondays where time constraints from outings simply do not allow for it.

The Fairways and Tees both received their bi-monthly treatment of disease prevention and nutrient products. As we enter into the more stressful months of the season, this mix will be altered slightly to increase the delivery of nutrients when we spray.  While turf can be over fed just like any other organism, the right blend and amount of nutrients can assist in it's ability to cope with the heavy traffic that comes with peak season play. 

The coming week is forecast to have warm but mild highs and cool evenings; also known as good recovery weather. When the mercury climbs into the 90's this weekend, we'll be ready!

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Scouting Report for June 1

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

June 1, 2012 Scouting Report Cool Rain as June Begins: Take-all patch of bentgrass, Fairy ring on fairways, Wet Restarts Dollar Spot and Microdochium, and Tim says that 'W' Word Waitea Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle In a week we were the driest in quite some time - like several years. Of course, my eyes were on the turf and less than normal rain continued to be the look. The brownest looking lawns had appeared very early - it was May! Memorial Day weekend did the trick when a combination of heat and wind dropped a hammer on the landscape and maybe even your head if you manage portions of the outdoor landscape for a living. It was a big thump, but sprinklers and hoses lessened it into a thud (our 1st of the season). You see, last Sunday saw temperature highs approach 100° in Chicago, very unusual during any summer month up this way. But, the best part of our recent 7 day story is that it had a silver lining (two parts). Part I: Long-awaited rain did arrive and it's timing was beyond good as rain has been kinda rare in May -March and April for that matter. Still, Kentucky bluegrass and creeping bentgrass continue to enjoy their deep roots of a 2012 spring without overly saturated soils and flooding. What about Poa did you say? Well, she's been looking a little yellowish. Part II: Then yesterday, things suddenly looked up for whimps like Poa annua given our high temp hit 50-some degrees. Seriously? So, here's to June, the month that lets us say SUMMER. Although we remain confused, on the exact season, our rain gauges are full (momentarily) and our faces are smiling (end-of-week-cool-break-thing). Click here to view the June 1, 2012 Scouting Report. This weekend, keep smiling, with your jacket on. Derek Settle, PhD Director of Turfgrass Program

Post Memorial Day Deeds

Twenty mile per hour winds? Nothing we can't handle. Even with the weather not quite cooperating we managed to get quite a bit done on the course this past Tuesday, though we may have lost a few hats in the process.

After verticutting, before mowing.

 One project that we have been looking forward to finally getting into is the verticutting of the fairways.  This requires a special kind of reel (called a "verticutter"), meant to thin out over grown canopies as well as remove surplus thatch.  Mowing the fairways generally takes two mowers carrying five reels each four or five hours to complete; for this project we must use one mower that carriers only three of these specialized reels. As if that didn't make this process long enough, once they've been verticut the fairways must be mowed again with our standard mowers so as to remove any leaf blades left "standing" by the verticutters. And as a final measure the fairways are blown to remove any debris. Suffice to say this will be an ongoing project, spread across the next few Monday's available to us. In the mean time we ask that you pardon any temporary disruptions in the appearance of the fairways.

Verticutting Reel

The greens received a bit of extra attention as well in the form of an aerification using the smallest tines we have in house and a very gentle topdressing, with only a light dusting of sand being applied.  Where as topdressings are usual followed swiftly by brushes, brooms, and/or blowers, the aim of this light topdressing was to apply a minute amount of sand that could be worked into the soil profile using irrigation alone. The over all goal was to limit disruption as much as possible and keep the process barely noticeable to players. The greens were also sprayed.

Continuing our past few weeks of sod installment, the fairway expansions that have languished since their installation have been sodded into rough.  This has meant a slight re-contouring of the fairways in question but an overall improvement to playability and ease of maintenance. Until these areas have had a chance to root they will remain roped and closed to all play and traffic.

With another full day planned for tomorrow, I wanted to make sure I kept all of you up to date on what we do when you're not around.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Scouting report for May 25

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

May 25, 2012 Scouting Report High Temps Hit 90s Early: Lack of Rain = Dry, Hand-water Management Starts, Peter thinks Root Research, and Tim says "Fairy Ring Research Begins" Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle Memorial Day Weekend Arrives and yet it doesn't seem quite right. So far this season has advanced early, but the poor old calendar just progresses according to numbers. To me and to others, Memorial Day came and went a month ago - this calendar is of growing things. To the uninitiated all seems well, but folks that maintain the landscape are tired - they had to start "doing" a month earlier than usual. What continues to concern us, just a little bit, is exactly just how this growing season will play out since such a spring has never been recorded. March amazed us with 80s for highs - nine consecutive days. Later, April calmed us with more normal temperatures, but a lack of rain meant we were very dry. May saw the usual zig zag of spring as Mother Nature's final cold frosty breaths were exhaled. May's final full week has arrived and already Chicago is counting her first few days above 90 degrees - usually this begins in June. But May is not over when one more piece of awe inspiring meteorological information (AIMI) hits the news, a 100 degree day forecast for Sunday, May 27th. Currently, it isn't even summer and eyebrows (mine especially) begin to look like twin mountain peaks. During summer in Chicago we know the century mark is unusual to cross at any point. For example, we saw 100+ last July, but the last time that had happened was 2005. The earliest 100+ degree day in Chicago (Midway Airport) hails back to May 31, 1934 - dust bowl years. Hang on, summer just arrived. Click here to view the May 25, 2012 Scouting Report. Enjoy your holiday weekend and... summer early! Derek Settle, PhD Director of Turfgrass Program

The Monday Minutes

With no outing on the books for today we took our freedom and ran, biting into a few projects that might be too disruptive were there play on the course.  Most of our man power has been devoted to our ongoing bunker project. Every bunker on the front nine has now been evaluated and corrected, with progress on the back nine continuing as I type.

We also spent some time working on the clubhouse landscaping.  More specifically, the parking lot islands. If you remember, last year we made an effort to soften some of these features; today we continued that effort. A few pallets of sod and just a little more mulch is bringing the whole are together.  Sometimes the best solutions are also the simple solutions.

A course full of players is a course serving it's purpose, but I must admit that I look forward to the few days that we have it all to ourselves and can get knee deep into hardcore projects- sometimes literally.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Cress Creek Grounds has come to Twitter!

Now there is another way to stay up to date on any news coming from grounds!  Please follow @ccccgrounds on twitter for pictures, updates and any other course related info I can share!

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Sod!

Monday the right-side banks of one and nine green received a much needed face lift. In just under one hour and forty-five minutes the crew laid over 6,700 square feet of sod! It was a truly impressive sight. These areas are very high traffic spots and wear to the point of destruction is unavoidable given enough time. On a golf course, where play (and so wear) is the goal, the only way to repair an area like this is to eventually strip and re-sod it. So today we did just that.

In a very real way the most important effort comes now. We will do our part by keeping the sod watered and fed, but the membership must do it's part by respecting the rope, stake, and signs we have put in place around each area. I know I have said before how tender sod is at this stage. Traffic or play of any kind can cause irreparable damage and undo all that hard work.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Scouting Report for May 11

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

May 11, 2012 Scouting Report May's Temperature Zig Zag: Soils are sub-60 again, Fairway fungicide programs begin, Waitea, Microdochium, Dollar spot, and Tim's Waitea data is early! Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle This week did you sit back and enjoy the fruits of ideal growing conditions? ...for cool-season turf? We would have, but were mowing. You see, April frustrated us a bit because we stayed cool and it didn't rain much. Rapid warm-up spring came to a screeching halt. May has us back on track - most trees have now leafed out nicely and birds seem to be everywhere. Canada geese are also increasingly around and on Sunshine Course in Lemont the bluebird houses are already busy with activity - only it's the sparrows and tree swallows making the first move. Meantime, lawns and roughs are growing like no other, helped by alternating days of good rain then bright cloud free sunlight. Interestingly, the landscape continues to remain ahead by about a month based on our historical records of scouting for flora and fauna (that's flowers and fungi for me). If you have liked this unusual spring (March wowed us) then you should also like this knowledge - some of that early solar energy transferred below. Early warmth without too much rain has meant that we are now enjoying our best roots in what might be ages. Root Olympics 2012? It's been very different from springs 2010 and 2011- both were overly cool and wet (I called each rootless/ruthless). It got me thinking, since my arrival to Chicago in 2006 this might be the best spring for root growth yet. That's good news since a dry Chicago summer is kinda-sorta overdue. Click here to view the May 11, 2012 Scouting Report. Enjoy the near-ideal conditions for plant growth AND any opportunity to be outdoors this weekend! Derek Settle, PhD Director of Turfgrass Program