Goodbye Avondale

To everyone in the Avondale family I would like to wish a farewell.

It has been my extremely pleasure to call Avondale my "work" home for the past 9+ years.  Good luck with the future of the Club.

There will be no more postings on this blog.

Jeff Comer

This Monday, Last Day of the Month

Tomorrow is going to be a extremely busy day but that is normal for GCM in the summer months.  We have the oleander trimming crew starting up the trimming along El Dorado, and also finishing the aerification of the fairways of 12 and 14.

This week also will be used to be caught back up on those little details that are pushed to the side while we focus our efforts on aerification.  But this will be a tall order with the week being a short week due to the holidays, and then getting ready again to start the aerification of the roughs starting on the 7th. 

So busy ... oh yes, we are extremely busy to improve the golf course for today, tomorrow and for years to come.

Aerification Continues

Aerifying 5's Fairway

We have almost gotten there in the aerification process but still have a ways to go.  The tees and greens have been completed (with some minor touch up on the greens), and all but 5 & 9 on the front nine fairways has been completed.

Felix is Pulling Plugs on 7, Second Pass

We have also started on the back nine fairways but still have a few more left.  We are projecting we will have been completed by Monday at the latest since Friday is the big mow day too.  Next week however, is a short staff week thanks to the holiday but we are doing pretty darn well considering.

Additionally next week will be a major repair on the equipment week thank to the abuse the equipment thanks to aerification.  We have to get the pull behind aerifiers ready for the second round of rough aerification starting on July 7th.

Gabriel Drags the 6th Fairway

Currently, we have two plug draggers breaking up the cores, but this year we have to wait on placing the sweepers and blowers to "polish" afterwards since our staff is lower ... but never fear it is slated to be done on the conclusion.

This morning we started on hole 5, then heading 9, then to the back nine.  There is going to be a flurry of activity on the greens from spiking out some algal spots, to filling some missed holes.  We had some issues with our topdresser but not a big deal we will touch up here and there, pretty as we do every year.

Please remember that next week do to the holiday we will be short staffed, but all services will remain intact.

Course Opens at 9:00 am

First Mowing of 4's Green

Greens are finished and we have quite the jump on the tees, fairways and approaches.  This morning we will be working first to finish the tees so we can place the markers back on the and project that we should be finished by 9:00 am.  The fairways and approaches are a different issue but we will do our best to be out of the way of the members.

Prepping the Small PG

Please remember the aerification holes are considered GUR and free relief is given.  Please check with the pro shop about any other rules or concerns.

Day Three -- Last Closed Day

Well today is going to be a busy day cleaning up after the aerification and working hard to get as far as we can on the fairways, tees and approaches.  The third day always seems to be the busiest but when we also start getting things caught back up again.

Day Two - Conclusion of the Day

The "Darker" Patterns are Last Year's Sod

As we are going through the aerification process I have been noticing a darker pattern being exhibited on the greens where we sodded last year.  Not to worry the bermudagrass is quite healthy in these areas just not as mature as ours.  This will stabilize out over time.

Topdressing 9's Green

It would not be aerification without problems.  Today is no exception to that rule ... the loader we borrowed from Desert Falls broke down (for those keeping count that is two loaders), and the topdresser adjustment bar got stuck to a point it will required complete disassembly to repair.  The good news is we fixed the loader and finished the greens, and we figured a way to compensate for the adjustment bar issue until we have time to repair.

Look Out Towards 6's Green

We have applied the fertilizers to the greens (K-Mag (a potassium source), Gypsum (a calcium source), and 21-0-0 (a nitrogen source) to aid in expediting recovery.  Additionally, today we got a major jump on the aerification of the tees and the par 3's approaches which that part will be done by tomorrow.

Final Green Topdressed - 1's Green

Speaking of tomorrow our plan is to apply wetting agent, grub and fairy ring control, and salt removal.  We also will be mowing the greens for the first time after the aerification.  Spot plugging continues on greens 4 (finished), 5 (finished), 9 (finished), 1, Lg PG, 12 & 13, with the goal being done by Friday.

Could not be more proud of the team overcoming all of the aerification challenges and getting the job done ... even at 15 total team members with two of those on vacation ... leaving 13 team members ... very impressive.

How Much Ryegrass is Left?

A side note about transition:  You may ask "How much ryegrass is left in this heat?"  Well the picture above is glaring proof that we are still transitioning from ryegrass to bermudagrass, and why new "hot spots" will continue to pop up.  Two weeks ago we sprayed to remove some nutsedge (the world's worst weed) around 1's green.  The chemical used also takes out ryegrass and is used as a transitioning tool at high end golf courses including Avondale a few years ago. 

The approach and the green grass remaining is healthy bermudagrass, while the "dead" is the ryegrass.  The straight line between the two grasses is where the spray boom was turned on ... this chemical had no effect on the newly laid 328 bermudagrass in the approach of 1.  The good news is that this area will not fill in quicker and recover faster than the non sprayed areas ... plus it will be stronger for years to come.

Day Two Aerification

As we get ready to start the second day we start them off with a couple of challenges.  This is always expected and we rise to meet them as they come.  Thankfully, Desert Falls has been there to help and today is no exception.

Our goal is to finish the greens today and get a jump on the fairways, tee, and approaches.  More to come later in the day. 

Starting on the Third Green

We started on the third green and the fifth tee for the pull behind part.  If everything goes well we should be close to done by lunch of the greens.

First Mowing Then Aerification

Day One Continued- End of Day Status

After Getting Units Working We Started Aerifying 4's Green

As usual, we had our start up issues on day one of the aerification - seems that this never changes no matter how much prep is done.  But after getting the aerification started we moved along quite nicely finishing 11 greens today, even with have our loader going down on the last two greens.

This June we shifted the deep drill and fill to July which will allow the greens to recover quicker than before.  Plus with having lower staffing levels than any other summer in the past, this made what we did possible today.

See the Patterns -- That Was Sod We Di Late in the Summer Last Summer - No 100 Days

The greens are in the best shape they have even been in going into aerification.  Most are 100% after the weather has improved and the fact that last year we repaired greens such as 11 - 13 with 100 days of growth.  Good practices yield good results. 

The best change we did this year was put our efforts into three time per week verticutting and select needle tining of the greens in advance.  These practices will pay off for years to come, but were not received well.  We will look to alter to find the win-win to the transition issues.


Finished the Aerification of 14

The only thing we did not get done today like we usually do, is the start of the aerification of the tees, fairways and approaches.  We will start tomorrow but with the shifting of the drill and fill my hope is that we are back on schedule by week's end.

Started Aerifying 6's Green -- This Is the Healthiest I Have Gotten the Green Going Into Aerification

Looking at 6's greens (double click picture to enlarge) I can remember three years ago when we got hit by bermudagrass decline ... and now, it is almost perfectly filled.  WOW. 

Tomorrow, we will hit the ground running with working our plan and adjusting for whatever is thrown at us.  The good news is that we got a nice jump today and even started our bi-weekly tilling of the greenside bunkers per Green Committee request.

The plan is to open the course again on Thursday at 9:00 am.  I see no reason why that will change.

Day One - Aerification

This morning we start the first day of aerification.  It always seems to be a challenge because you have to work the bugs out and figure what is working this year compared to what is not.  More to come over the next couple of days.

Fertilizations and Aerification

As I would expect, the team continues to rise to whatever is needed to complete any given tasks. 

The aerification of the roughs has started and is progressing pretty much as planned with very little hiccups.  With only on machine in the field it is slower than desired but still progressing on target.  Part of the process of aerifying the roughs includes exposing the heads and valve boxes to decrease the chance of the aerifier running over them causing damage and added costs.  That is a important and time consuming step that saves money and repair time.

Additionally, we have finished fertilizing the pass on the fairways and tees with the first fertilization of the summer.  We apply the fertilizer at a lower rate this week and we will do the same next - spoon feeding.  This conserves our resources while aiding the turf to recover.  Additionally we are heavy fertilizing the greens this week too.  This also aids in the recovery while filling in the turf thus smoothing out the greens.

The sad part of the greens fertilization is that is also slows down the green speed.  To combat this effect we are double mowing the greens and after aerification we will be applying a growth regulator. 

Rough Aerification

Tomorrow the rough aerification begins as a second assignment.  The challenges every aerification is to complete this task with the minimal interference to our members and the guests of Avondale.  It is a big process that usually requires more than a week to complete since we do not stop the other services too.  This year is going to be even more of a challenge thanks to the loss of key experienced employees and overall reductions, but as we have done all season so far we will keep rising to the challenges, and we will continue to do so.

We will continue to find the most successful way of completing our tasks to enhance the experience of our golfers.  Some of this will be trial and error as we re-think our approach to the new realities. but the good news is that we have continued to work on those details such as edging bunkers, double cutting greens and cleaning the presentation around the clubhouse that have become the expectations of our members.

On Tuesday we will be fertilizing the fairways and tees thanks to a surprise rebate for one of our vendors.  This along with spot fertilizations will continue the recovery of the transitional areas that appear this time of year.

Bunkers Tilled, 4's Green Topdressed

Yesterday we finished the tilling of the bunkers and this morning we will be addressing the smoothing.  It usually takes a couple of days to smooth them back out but we will attempt to reduce the time window.

Additionally, yesterday we finished the topdressing of the new sod on 4.  This area was mowed for the first time yesterday and will recovery quite quickly.  The good news is that it has been laid with enough time to allow a 100 days plus of growth.

We will start today with the triplexing of the greens.  I tested the machine yesterday and we should enjoy the quality of cut ... but as always we will tweak as needed.

Avondale's Greens During Transition

The "Green" Spots are Where We Recently Aerified 4's Green's Bad Area

Sometimes I get asked why we aerify and more over why we transition on the greens the way we do here at Avondale compared to other places.  It is a simple answer the addresses both questions - relieve compaction, and thanks to compaction.  The picture above shows the "green" dots where the aerifier pulled the compacted core and was filled with looser sand.  This allows air movement to the root zone thus allowing the plant to breath and thrive.

Some other golf course do not have the compaction issues that we have here at Avondale, thus it isn't as difficult to transition the greens.  We sadly have "heavy" soils with 40 years of overturned organic matter ... so we face those compaction issues.  The good news is that I know how to address those issues that use to kill Avondale's greens every summer before my arrival.


Back of 15's Green - Best It Has Looked Ever at this Time of Year

Last year the Green Committee, GM and the Board allowed the maintenance staff to repair the greens of 11 - 13, and the back of 15 early in May.  This year, that decision has resulted in the best that those greens have looked since converting them to bermudagrass.  Are they flawless, no ... but they have very dynamic differences compared to last year.

12's Green - WOW, 100 days of Growth Last Year Has Positive Results This Year

The differences in year's past especially on 12's green are amazing.  There has been discussion in the Green Committee and Board level about re-constructing 12's green correctly with a potential cost of $15 - 25K that may not be necessary for quite some time.  This is great news.


5's Fairway - Starting Transition

Transition was started somewhat earlier this year thanks to 60 - 70 mph winds at the end of April and start of May, but will really start in full force very soon.  We are handling these transition issues as soon as they come.

12's Fairway

Lastly, today we are tilling the greenside bunkers and with the projects mostly done we will go to a two week rotation as per request of the Green Committee.  Additionally, hopefully starting tomorrow we will start the triplexing of the greens along with double cutting them.  This will not speed them up since we are in heavy fertilization mode to fill them in, but it will help smooth them out.

4's Green Repair This Week

Wind Deposition Damage

Back at the end of April the heavy winds deposited layers of fine dust on the green of 4.  Lots of efforts were given to address this issue and our efforts had a very successful Golden State event in mid May.

Removal of the Damaged Area

But those efforts fell short because the Poa Triv was irreversibility damaged and the voids left behind began to form algae do to the poor percolation rates of our greens.  So after several efforts to needle tine this area we went ahead and spot aerified the bad areas.

Sodding Out the Damage

Then the weather changed again dropping almost 30 degrees practically over night.  This combined with the damage and the poor percolation even after spot aerification allowed some recovery but not quick enough to be ready for aerification coming in a week ... so we sodded ONLY the bad area.

Deep Watering

We could have waited and tired to recover this area further, but I decided that we would bite the bullet and get a jump start on this area.  It has been almost a month since this area went bad and waiting another month seemed senseless.

Rolling the New Sod

As the greens are transitioning we will continue to perform plug repair until we can aerify them.  By performing these plug repairs we should come out of aerification for superior than we went in ... but SLOW at first.  The is due to heavy fertilization to expedite recovery.

Fern, Topdressing and Hot Spot Recovery

Removal of the Ferns

The long hated ferns near the garden dining area have been removed and the area was treated with herbicide.  This was the easy step now comes all of the other pieces to transform this area into something else.  Soon we will be removing all the lantanas in the clubhouse big bed as you enter the cart staging area and repairing the irrigation for new vegetation.  We are hoping this project or projects will be completed within a six weeks.  Both of these I am working with Armstrong growers to come up with a new pallet for these areas.

Additionally, this week we finally got time to attack the overgrowth on Country Club drive.  By day's end this almost half a mile run will be completed including the corner of Frank Sinatra and El Dorado.

Topdressing 14's Green

With the transition of the greens the "pockets" left after the Poa Triv has died and been removed tends to lead to "bumpy" greens.  This along with the heavy fertilization rates to instill recovery and prepare for the upcoming aerification intensifies the bumpiness effect.  To combat this we have slightly lowered the HOC and topdressed the greens.

I should note that all of this fertilization to aid our greens in recovery will also greatly slow them down as well.  These are necessary steps to fill in the greens quickly but we will address these issues too. 

Speaking of recovery, 4's green is going to have some sod work performed on Tuesday the 11th.  To minimize the impact to our members we will be having a back nine start and focus all of our efforts and much of the team to complete this task quickly.  No decision as of yet has been made if a temp green is going to be used or not.

"Hot Spot" on 16 Filling in with Bermudagrass

The dreaded "hot spots" caused mostly by normal transition from one turf to another are filling back in with bermudagrass.  But please remember that ALL of the ryegrass will die around the golf course as we transition.  We will address as always this transition as quickly as possible ... and no, I did not forced transition ... we stopped that chemical transition process a couple of years ago.

Topdressing and More

Installing Extra Rock to Prevent Wash Outs

Today we are lightly topdressing the greens to smooth out ball roll during transition.  Normally, we would be doing this process but to enhance the enjoyment of our members here in the summer we are aiding in this issue.

Yesterday, we started spraying out the nutsedge.  This has been a nine year process which has greatly reduced our sedge population from about 40+ acres in the beginning to now less than 1/4 acre.  In most books about weeds, Purple Nutsedge is considered to be the world's worst weed and dominates numerous golf course and HOA's in the Valley.

Still working on transitional repairs on the greens which are a byproduct of the overseeding process due to the aggressive nature of that process.  The good news is that it is better than in most years.

Trees and Walk Up's

Back of 5's Green (Before)

5's Green has always had issues due to the intrusion of tree roots and major shade issues as well.  These areas we have struggled with historically year after year so this time thought we would jump in front of the eight ball.


Removal of Weaker Turf

I had the team selectively cut out and remove areas on the walk up from the cart path and in the back where the palms and olive trees roots extend into the green.

The Walk Up on 5

After getting the area prepped as quickly as possible we pulled sod from our own Tifdrawf nursery on 4 and started sodding the areas.

Sod Repair

Before play even reached us we had finished laying the sod and were in the process of watering and rolling these newly sodded areas.

Area Repaired Before Play Reached Us

Last Year, This Year's Improvements

5's Approach on 7-31-2013

This year we decided to finally try to improve the transition of our approaches by converting to the mostly common bermudagrass that dominates most of our approached to 328 bermudagrass.  We have already converted the approaches of 1 & 5 which we should be playing off of by the coming Friday.


16's Approach on 7-31-2013

Additionally, we will be spriging soon the new nursery which will be used for future conversions.  Transition is a tough time for everyone but we are planning to address the issues as they come and work for the long term outcomes.

There is no stopping transition, you can delay it, prolong, but can't stop it.  We are working an ever changing plan to address this transition to further increase the enjoyment of our members who stay here during the summer months.