Aerification & Drill and Fill

The Team Aerifying 111's Green

This week we are aerifying the golf course including the greens.  As usual the first day wasn't too smooth but the second day we made up ground.  The greens are finished.

Topdressing 10's Green

Now comes the fun of cleaning up all the excess sand for this process and continual dragging in the sand into the holes.

Almost Finished Topdressing 16's Green

During this process we utilize around 100+ tons of 30-grade kiln dried sand between the drill and fill process and the actual aerification.

Speaking of drill and filling, this time the process was greatly changed from years past.  In the past my team carried buckets of sand to fill the hoppers of the machine but this year we borrowed the sand hauler from Desert Falls which freed up my team and this was critical was the reduced crew size.



Borrowed Sand Hauler form Desert Falls

The purpose of the drill and fill is to remove low percolation soil and replacing this with the kiln dried sand.  As you can see in the pictures we can make dirt clods with this poor draining soil.

What is Really There

11's Fairway

As members (for the most part) grass is grass, and green is green.  In the picture above you see a nicely filled in area of a mixture of ryegrass and bermudagrass.  So the perception is that the fairways are doing great and look great.

11's Fairway

Now the picture is where the ryegrass has died do to excessive heat and transition.  The perception is that the golf course is dying.  But look again ... the bermudagrass is perfectly healthy and thriving.  This is transition.  One grass (the ryegrass) has to die so the other can fill back in (bermudagrass). 

There is only one way to avoid this fact ... not overseed.  But this isn't the solution.

Team Changing Up

The team is working the last two holes on the bunker creep removal project and by lunch will be working the last hole which is 5.  Most likely we will not finish this big project until Monday.  The overall efforts have been well received.

The greens have been finished and are healing quite nicely.  Overall the comments have improved as transition and the fill in of the voids left behind as the Poa Triv died occurs.  We started the removal process on May 28th and about a week later during the sod repairs the Poa Triv started dying.  During last week on June 5th (after the sodding project was complete) we started the granular fertilization program to promote the bermudagrass to fill in ... and now nine days later those results are now being visualized.

On my team side it has been a sad week.  Francisco Munoz our head irrigator has found new and better employment at Porcupine Creek in Rancho Mirage.  We wish him all of the success in the world.  Additionally we lost two other employees this week as well one to some issues and the other joined the US Army.  It is sad to see these changes but we are in the process of hiring new team members.

Bunkers and Greens On Home Stretch

The greens sodding project has come to its completion yesterday with the last 200 sq ft of sod being laid in the back of 5's green.  The topdressing on the old sodded areas has been completed this week as well.  Now we will continue the twice per week verticutting to remove the remaining Poa Trivilas to expedite the fill in of the bermudagrass.

The bunker project as far as the removal of the edge creeping that has been put on the back burner for the past two years is on its final holes.  Ideally we will only have hole 5 remaining for next week.  This will free the team up to address the maintenance of the bunkers in full force, meaning weed eating and simple edging.

Summer Is in Full Swing for GCM

Francisco Munoz Topdressing 11's Green

This morning we sent the topdresser out into the field to address the leveling of the newly laid sod on 1, 5, 10 - 13 and 15's greens.  This will aid in the improved playability of the greens.  We are also planning tomorrow to address the last couple of small areas on five's green, and we may later this week address one more are on the putting green.

I have been asked "why are we sodding the same areas again this year."  This is a excellent question and there are three answers.  First, the sodding is less than last year and is in the areas that were sodded mid June survived the overseeding process ... should note the aggressive nature of overseeding ALWAYS damages the turf.  Ideally, you should wait one year before overseeding new sod, but in the real world the best we can do usually is at least 100 days ... this year we did that by starting in May.  Second, the timing of the "failed" sod areas from last year were the ones we did in late July.  Lastly, overseeding will always cause the loss of the weakest turf.  This is why we try to get the 100+ days of growth.

Manrique Lopez Attacking Hot Spots on 14's Fairway

This afternoon we are addressing the "hot spots" in the fairways using the thatch master.  These areas have plenty of bermudagrass but the dead ryegrass is impeding the lateral growth.  The thatch master aids in the removal of this dead rye.


Desert Sunshine's Team Trimming the Oleanders

Lastly, all day and the remainder of the week we will be addressing the growth of the oleanders along El Dorado.  This twice per year maintenance is required by Palm Desert code.  At the same time we will be trimming the palm around the clubhouse and the date palm on the golf course.

The Law of Physics

The law of physics states that two articles of mass cannot occupy the same space and the same holds true for turfgrass.  Every year overseeded golf course go through the unpleasant time of transition ... sometimes easy and sometimes not.  Some golf course try desperately to hold on the ryegrass by overwatering which has the effect of temporary holding on but in the long run damaging the underlying bermudagrass and being extremely wasteful in water not to mention the cost, while others force the transition with chemicals ... what a great idea.



Bare Spots that Filled in First with Bermudagrass
The Lighter Grass is the Bermudagrass Which Filled in the Void Where the Ryegrass Died

No matter what is done, transition will occur.  It isn't pretty and definitely hated by all.

Sand Leveling and Aerification

10's Green Sodded Area After Sand Leveling

Yesterday we started on the leveling of the greens where the new sod has been placed.  Between rolling and sand leveling these areas will become very much playable quickly.


Drill & Fill Channels in 15's Green -- Root is From Neighboring Palm Tree

In a couple of weeks the aerification and the drill and fill will be performed to improve the percolation of our greens.  The rough aerification will be starting as early as next week but as with past years we will address the cores quickly ... you also get free relief from these cores.

Bunker Edging Project Continues

With the back nine almost finished the bunker edging for the removal of the "creep" of grass into the bunker continues today and for the next couple of weeks.

Working 16's Fairway Bunker

In some of these cases such as with 16's fairway bunker this incorporates the design requests that were given to the Board last year but mostly it addresses the creeping of the turf into the bunker.  Speaking of bunker project we will be starting soon the design modifications which will begin at the end of June of 13.

Adding the Expansion

Today, we will be verticutting the greens along with finishing the sand leveling of the new sod on the greens.  Still remember these greens are a automatic two-putt as GUR ... the bunkers in work are also GUR and get free relief.

New Site Under Construction

The last site was a success but sadly became so full that it would no longer accept new photos.  I am setting up the new blog to continue where we left off.

Team Working on 12's Green

Prepping the Area for the New Sod

We started the repairs last week on several greens ... 1, 5, 10, 11 - 13 and 15.  These areas were sodded late last year and did not survive the overseeding process, so before they went bare during transition we sodded them early to increase their survivability.

15's Green Repair