Any Given Monday

Have Frost, Will Travel

Certainly no one would have guessed this time last week that spring still had another frost left to go, but by Friday it was clear we had a decent chance at not one, but two! Grounds took this mornings delay in stride however, and used it to do some spring cleaning around the shop and barns. Organizing our out door storage and dump area were the primary goals, and I would say they were met. Hopefully as you all play the course this week you will notice the difference.

As of the end of last week all of the logs in the grounds parking lot are now gone; we also removed all of the remaining aerification sand. This frees up a great deal of space just in time for the return of the tennis season. We are still trying to find a home for the remaining mulch. We have a few areas on the course left to do, but if you or any of your neighbors are interested please feel free to take as much as you need!

Once the course had thawed, we did some work at the chipping green. Years of sand being added to the bunker berm had raised it's height considerably, and burned much of the turf there. Today we shaved that added height off and we will be sodding the bentgrass side of the berm in the days to come.  Quite a bit of sod went down around the rest of the course as well, with more on deck for tomorrow. Please keep your eyes out for ropes and stakes in these areas and respect their need to be left undisturbed.

Those are the high-lights from another Monday with the course all to ourselves. Hopefully everyone had a great weekend, and a happy Mother's Day.

All in a Monday's work!
Ryan A. Dunbar

Weekend Update: May 10-12

While this post will most likely be seen on a rainy Thursday evening, the weekend is forecast to be mild, but sunny. For all of you who will be at Cress Creek celebrating mothers and all they do, I wanted to share a couple notes on things you may notice.

I'm sure many of you have seen that our rough seems to range from "lush" in most areas to "man-eating" in a few, specific places. We are in a sweet spot right now for turf growth, especially turf maintained at rough height. Between spring fertilization, soil temperatures on the rise, and a few shots of rain the rough is growing like crazy! With many acres of rough to maintain and only three mowers and so many hours to mow, completing the entire course is not a single day process- but please rest assured we are doing our best to keep up.

I also wanted to call attention to the pond on 15 fairway. Installation of that ponds aerator (fountain) requires that the water level be low and we have been intentionally letting it run dry all week for this reason. Once we are able to install the aerator, the pond will be refilled. Please pardon it's appearance until then.

Lastly, there is no way to miss the collection of soil in our main parking lot.  This pile is made up of the spoils from the construction of our newly completed patio. The process of removing this pile has already been mostly completed. If all of you could please extend us just a little more patience, the rest will be removed before this weekend. 


Have a happy Mother's Day weekend!
Ryan A. Dunbar
Assistant Superintendent


*Are you receiving two emails of this blog post? Please click the "unsubscribe now" link at the bottom of this email. You will continue to receive blog posts from the new Cress Creek Country Club website. Thank you!*   
 
  

Any Given Monday

Before the sun was out Cress Creek Country Club's crew was hard at work. As many of you know, Monday's with no outings scheduled are often project days for grounds, today was no different.

We started the day on 18 fairway, and the practice tee. Both these areas, along with 8 approach were seeded to improved varieties of turf late last fall. For the most part these areas have established nicely but, just as with any large scale grow in, we were prepared for touch up work. An underwhelming spring ensured that our preparation would be put to use. With the weather shifting in our favor we took today's opportunity to seed. For the most part both areas remain undisturbed and play should not be disrupted.

We have also been mowing these areas with the same interval and equipment as the other features on the course. Mowing newly established turf encourages lateral growth- which in turn helps new turf to fill in any areas that may not have performed as well.

In other establishment news: This year we took a slightly different approach to aerification in an effort to improve efficiency. Cores harvested from the greens were taken to the nursery and planted, cores from the tees went to the rear of 9's left-hand tee a week later. Both areas are now showing new, healthy growth. Should the weather stand by us they will hopefully establish with only a small need for touch up work. Beyond the time and money it saves, renewing the nursery via this method also has one agronomic perk that seeding and sodding do not: Any sod taken from the nursery will have been established from our own unique greens, and cared for from inception using the same practices.

All in a Monday's work!
Ryan A. Dunbar
Assistant Superintendent

*Are you receiving two emails of this blog post? Please click the "unsubscribe now" link at the bottom of this email. You will continue to receive blog posts from the new Cress Creek Country Club website. Thank you!*   

Spring Reminders

With April coming to a close and three beautiful days forecast for this weekend I wanted to give the membership a few reminders for their time on the course.

Already there are a fair amount of ball marks that have not been repaired on the greens. I want to remind everyone that ball mark repair is important, even with the turf actively growing! All of the golf carts have now been stocked with divot mix, with last year's green dye back by popular demand. Divots should be filled with mix and stepped on or patted with a club until flush.

Lastly, some of you will notice that some of the ropes have returned to the course. While our goal is to keep their presence minimal, whether or not we achieve it is out of our hands. The more care taken with cart traffic and parking, the fewer ropes need to be put out. Anyone who remembers the rope placements from last year can use them as a guideline. Whether or not there are ropes in a specific place today, the presence of ropes there last year indicate that that is an area to be avoided.

Let us all remember that repairing ball marks, filling divots, and being mindful of where carts are driven and parked is more than course stewardship- it's good sportsmanship!

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling


*Are you receiving two emails of this blog post? Please click the "unsubscribe now" link at the bottom of this email. You will continue to receive blog posts from the new Cress Creek Country Club website. Thank you!*  

Aerification Reminder

The forecast is clear, so for now aerification is still on schedule for Monday and Tuesday, April 22 and 23. Should rain become an issue, our backup dates are April 29 and 30, the following Monday and Tuesday.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling


*Are you receiving two emails of this blog post? Please click the "unsubscribe now" link at the bottom of this email. You will continue to receive blog posts from the new Cress Creek Country Club website. Thank you!* 

Weekend Update: April 5

Another weekend has come and the forecast tells us this one will be even more enjoyable then the last. As stated in our last update, the greens are now open.  As the scoring season has officially begun, tee markers are all in place.

You are invited to hit into the re-seeded areas of holes 8 and 18, but we ask that balls be picked up and moved to the rough instead of played where they lay. With all turf yet to begin growing again in earnest and these areas still in their infancy, these re-seeded areas are not yet equipped to recover from divots like the established fairways.We also ask that all ball marks are repaired. Beyond good sportsmanship, any marks left will remain indefinitely as the greens are not yet growing and cannot repair themselves.

I have received some questions about cart availability as last week was walking only. The weather looks good, and we are confident the course can sustain the traffic. There are limited carts available, but carts will be allowed this weekend, though 8 approach and 18 fairway must remain off limits to cart traffic. Ropes have yet to be placed around the course, we ask that you be mindful of where you drive and park your cart. 

Please come out and enjoy this beautiful weekend!

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

*Are you receiving two emails of this blog post? Please click the "unsubscribe now" link at the bottom of this email. You will continue to receive blog posts from the new Cress Creek Country Club website. Thank you!* 

Greens Open Easter Weekend

Flags have now been placed, and the greens will open this weekend. The course is still in winter condition. Tee furniture will not be placed, bunkers have not been raked and will have no rakes present. All course bathrooms will be closed. Tee times will begin at 9:00am with walking groups only permitted, and we ask that all players watch their step as the ground is still too hard to replace the temporary cups cut into the approaches.

You are invited to hit into the re-seeded areas of holes 8 and 18, but we are asking that balls be picked up and moved to the rough instead of played where they lay. With all turf yet to begin growing again and these areas still in their infancy, they are not yet equipped to recover from divots like the established fairways.We also ask that all ball marks are repaired. Beyond good sportsmanship, any marks left will remain indefinitely as the greens are not growing and cannot repair themselves.

The forecast says this is shaping up to be a beautiful weekend, with next weekend looking good as well. Any one who can should join us on the course!

I would also like to mention that with our new club website up and running we will be emailing all of our blog posts through that site to ensure that they reach the entire membership.  For those of you who are also receiving this blog via email from the Blogger service, this means you will be getting each post twice: once from the club site and once from the blogger website.  To avoid this, simply click the unsubscribe link that is at the bottom of the Blogger.com email, and you will be removed from that list. You will still receive notifications via the Cress Creek website and mailing list.

Thank you!
Elliott Dowling

A Quick Update

April is just around the corner and I thought this a good time for a course update. With night time temperatures still averaging below freezing soil temperatures have yet to rise.  My last reading was 30 degrees. A few 40 or 50 degree days come as a huge relief to those of us above ground, but it will take a stretch of warm days to bring that relief below ground. Until the soil temperatures grow warm enough to bring the turf out of dormancy, I must remind everyone that foot traffic on the greens will be detrimental to turf health. The temporary pins are still in place and all players are asked to continue playing to these until further notice. 

Spring is coming!
Elliott Dowling

New Addition

Though belated, I wanted to share some news with all of you: On February 3rd, my wife Jennifer and I welcomed our son Elliott Dowling Jr. into the world. He was 8 lbs, and 21 inches long. Both are home, healthy and happy!

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Winter Work 2013

January 23 and not an inch of snow on the ground. I don't know that any of us could of predicted it, but rest assured that even if you don't see us behind the wheel of a plow or the handle of a snow shovel, we are still hard at work.

The order of the season is maintenance, with or without snow. Every machine you've ever seen on the course (and even a few you may not have) must be torn apart, repaired, cleaned, and reassembled. Phil sees to this with confidence, determination, and no small amount of sweat! Meanwhile, all of the tee and green equipment (e.g. Pins, Ball washers and Benches) must be repainted or refinished, though not before receiving a dis-assembly of their own. And of course there's plenty of administrative work to be done, not the least of which being the ordering of all the products to be used on the course next year- which when done early can save Cress Creek a good deal of expense.

Outside, we all pitch in for winter tree maintenance. I'm sure many of you have noticed the trees marked with pink ribbon scattered about the course. These trees have been chosen by the board for removal, and will all be coming down at some point this winter or in the coming spring.  They were chosen due to poor placement for play, their impact on turf health, or their own waning health status. Which trees will be replaced with more suited varieties is a matter under discussion.

With another early start to the season seemingly on the horizon we've got our work cut out for us, but I have no doubt we'll be ready to welcome players back to Cress Creek for a celebration of it's fiftieth year!

Stay Warm out there!
Elliott Dowling
      

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