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