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