Mind the Gap

As our work continues with the drainage installation project, you will be seeing more and more fairways with lines of seed and soil. These areas, like the expansions, must be avoid by any traffic or play. We have run rope along the length of each line to keep carts from crossing over them and we ask that foot traffic be kept off them as well. I would hope that there is no need for these areas to be completely enclosed with rope and stake; that one line of rope indicating that they are there will be enough. Please do not prove me wrong!

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

The New Aerification Schedule

With yesterday proving to be another washout I have no confidence that we will be able to complete our aerification by Thursday.  This would be an unrealistic deadline even if we could have begun this morning, which could not happen with the course still trying to drain more than an inch and a half of precipitation. I have discussed the issue with Dave Gould and he agrees that there is no point in attempting to continue at the cost of member access to the course when we would not be able to finish regardless.

As such, the course will be open Wednesday (today), Thursday and throughout the weekend as normal. 

Aerification will begin Monday October 3rd and continue into next week. I will be working with Wally to ensure that the Ladies Road Runner event on Tuesday has nine holes to play. Outside of this event the golf course will be closed Monday and Tuesday of next week, with the goal being to have nine holes open by Wednesday.

Even the best laid plans can easily fall prey to the whims of mother nature.  The forecast for next week is clear and hopefully it will stay that way.  We thank you for your understanding and patience while we adapt to whatever the weather throws at us.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Turf Advisory Service Report

Early this month the U.S.G.A. head agronomist for our region, Ty McClellan, payed a very enlightening visit to Cress Creek Country Club. Anyone who was able to accompany us was treated to an informative tour of the property.  He has since sent me his formal report (called a Turf Advisory Service Report) and I am posting a link that will allow you to read it in it's entirety. I strongly encourage you to not only read it, but share it with any of your fellow members who many not follow the blog- and while your at it, get them to start following the blog!  Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

Turf Advisory Service Report

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Rain!

What was a small chance of rain at the end of last week became a malevolent force by Sunday night, washing out what was meant to be our first day of aerification week. What's more, tomorrow's forecast is not offering much of a respite, calling for rain throughout the night and a 60% chance of rain during the day. For now we can make no promises about the schedule for the rest of the week.

If we can begin tomorrow, it has been agreed that the course will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Our goal will be to have at least 9 holes open for play come Thursday. I want to make it clear that even if tomorrow does not prove to be a wash the more time consuming requirements of this week, namely the solid tine aerification of the fairways, will not only go on during play but will most likely spill into next week.

David Gould and I will be emailing and posting updates as they come. We thank you for your patience and your understanding.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

A Turfgrass Medley

Certainly some of you have noticed that the area between the final pair of fairway bunkers as Eighteen fairway meets the approach is a collection of three or four different varieties of turfgrass. As the temperature has changed, each of these varieties has responded according to it's own natural programming, which has made the differences much more prominent than they were at the height of the season.  These variations have also helped bring to light the fact that these separate varieties are not coincidental transplanting; they were laid as sod in prior years. The picture below shows clearly the almost perfect right-angles that mark the edges of sod.

It is because of this that our typical approach of weakening invasive species and allowing our bentgrass to out compete them will not be affective here.  Our only option is to strip the entire area and sod it with the proper turf. This means a small amount of extra work, but it is unavoidable if we want to make this area right. 

See you on the course!

Elliott Dowling

Strange Bedfellows

Heavy rain may have washed aerification out today, but we still managed to get a bit of work done. The image above was taken on the right side of one approach. This is yet another instance of sod from previous years having been laid directly atop gravel. There is only one thing that can result from this, and that is the slow death of sod. I'm sure most of you can remember how this area looked before we stripped it- just like every other area where sod and gravel have been laid together.  Number one is the just the latest on the list of areas like this that we have stripped and repaired- and it is far from the last.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Scouting Report for September 23

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


September 23, 2011 Scouting Report

Sunshine Course Hosts iTurf Expo: We String and Sign Turf Research Plots, Dollar Spot Ebbs, and Tim tells of a Multi-State Evaluation

Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle

As I write, today is Friday, but it's not just any Friday. At 4 am it quietly became fall when most of us were still alseep and it was dark out. It means our summer season is offically over and our golf courses now have a look that is not just green. For example, I've begun to notice yellows, oranges and even occasional hints of red quietly arriving on deciduous tree branches (as fall begins I like to watch maples and honeylocusts). It means the landscape is about to wrap up this growing season. On Sunshine Course we wrapped up our year of turfgrass research by hosting an event called the iTurf Expo for the Illinios Turfgrass Foundation. Thanks to Chris Painter and Niki Munroe, Sunshine Course had become a green gem of paradise and it sparkled as guest speakers arrived from Wisconsin (Dr. Jim Kerns), Indiana (Dr. Aaron Patton) and Missouri (Dr. Lee Miller). They would complement speakers from across Illinois. Let me tell you that story...

Illinois is a state with a shape different than where I grew up - Kansas. North to south, Illinois is longer than wide and that has significance as we enjoy more than one zone of plant adaptation. That is why we feel a turfgrass research field day in Lemont is strengthened by representation of turf scientists from each distinct region. It allows us to discuss and learn of our similarities and differences of turf research efforts from southern (Dr. Ken Diesburg), central (Dr. Bruce Branham) and northern (CDGA) Illinois. To everyone who has helped the CDGA Turf Program this year with the necessary encouragement to keep doing what we do, we say THANK YOU!

Click here to view the September 23, 2011 Scouting Report. 

Enjoy your first weekend of fall. I am.

Derek Settle, PhD
Director of Turfgrass Program