HIGHLAND CC GROUNDS

We are always up for different ideas and methods of improving conditions at HCC. Today we tested a method of amending the root zone of certain areas on greens. There is a process known as the Drill and Fill. This is a machine that through one step process drills deep holes, usually 3/4" thick and immediately fills the deep channel with sand. This is a very aggressive process to root zone amendment, however necessary in some greens. Today we tried a simpled down version of this process on our upper putting green. There is a perpetual wet spot on the south side of the green that was on our hit list. We first laid down a sheet of plywood with 3/4" holes drilled out ever 4" square. Then with an 18" long auger drill bit we drilled out the root zone material. Once that was cleaned up, we filled all of the holes with topdressing sand. Now, time will tell if the area firms and dries up. If so, we can then continue the process on the few remaining perpetually wet spots on gr...

Today (Monday) we will be venting our greens. This process involves using our greens aerifiers to punch very small holes with solid tines. This process does not affect play or the roll of the golf ball. However, it does greatly affect the amount of beneficial air that we can get into the root zone of our greens. This season we are using a very precise moisture meter to measure moisture in our greens. The maximum % that our greens should ever read is approximately 35% (at field capacity). Currently we are getting readings of anywhere from 40-59%. This tells us that the soil has reached complete saturation and cannot take on any more water. Our greens are drained, but the amount of precipitation that we have received is overwhelming to the soils and drainage system. With this much water holding in our greens profile, there is little room for vital root growth. The heat and humidity that is upon us now coupled with these high moisture levels can be very detrimental to the health of our gr...

Needless to say the rain events of the past 2 months have been troublesome for the management of the golf course and grounds. As mentioned in a previous post, we are very behind on our spring tasks and jobs. To date we have yet to touch up our bunkers with new sand. Shifting and adding new sand with the consistent rains to date makes little sense. With the forecast looking better, we will be looking at some bunker work in the next week or so. Mowing has been sporadic . The rough is very thick and lush, our mowing has been haltered by saturated soils. We have yet to have a solid week of our regular mowing routine in all playable areas. Let's hope for a great June!!

Since my last post the golf course and grounds dept. has been very busy. Last Sunday/Monday we were able to complete our spring aeration on greens. With the saturated soils that we have been dealing with this spring, we decided to use our newly acquired Verti -Drain deep tine aerifier in place of our standard greens aerifiers . This machine allows us to create deep channels in our putting surfaces. These channels not only allow water to drain freely to the bottom of the root zone, they create a perfect opportunity for air, sand and nutrients to reach deep into the root zone. During this practice we were able to top dress with a large quantity of sand (actually 45 tons for 3 acres of greens surface). Sand topdressing not only dilutes organic matter levels, but it also helps to speed up recovery and provides a firm and smooth putting surface. Our membership's patience is greatly appreciated during these processes as well as during the recovery time. In this instance, recovery time w...