7.28.17 – Native Mowing & Employee Highlight

Some dry air finally followed a rain event and we are looking good for the Club Championship weekend! Today we hosted the Pelotonia event on the par 3 course and tomorrow kicks off the two day club championship for all. Last night we received another .45″ of rain putting our July total at 9.8″! 

As we get closer to the start of August we are gearing up for the amstart of Phase 2 with the course restoration project. As a first step to the project we have began cutting down our existing natural areas. Not only because they were getting too tall and out of control but also to help with our weed control and grass transformation that will begin with the project. 
Our plan with current native areas will be a multi-facet approach. We will first cut all native down then begin to evaluate any areas with a fine fescue stand. In areas that are predominately fine fescue we will focus on killing the weeds and thinning out the current stand of turf. Other areas that have no good grass within will be sprayed out with roundup and seeded as a new stand of fine fescue. 

Rick Grundy, full time Greenkeeper II, has been the man behind the madness within the native areas. Rick has been with CCC for 8 years and is one of the few who stays on staff year round. Rick is one of our main operators of specialized equipment and always willing to put the extra effort in to make things right. While riding a tractor through the weeds may seem like an easy mindless task, I can assure you it takes a special person to accomplish what he has this week. While carefully navigating around the stumps and large debris left behind from tree removals, Rick must also be on the constant lookout for any bees, ticks, or chiggers (and a whole slew of other pests). As you see Rick around the course, please thank him for his continued service and hard work to make CCC a special place.

Sincerely,

– J.R. Lynn, GCS

7.24.17 – Dry days are coming

Last weekend we received another 2.5″ of rain. It has been an extremely wet July but thankfully not up to the record yet. To date we have received 9.35″.  The top 3 wettest Julys on record in Columbus are as follows:

1. 1992 – 12.36″ 
2. 1896 – 9.47″ 
3. 1958 – 9.46″

Breaking a record is a pretty cool feat, but hopefully we leave these ones alone. The forecast looks like the night time temperatures will finally drop below 70° and the days will be less humid. Hopefully this holds true as this last weekend provided the highest disease pressure imaginable.

Saturday’s wet weather forced us into a early fairway fungicide application, which we started that evening and finally finished this morning. We typically spray every 14 days with products and rates that should last 14-21 days. The high disease pressure forced us to start this application 10 days after our last application and yet we were still behind. We scout the course for disease every morning and make spot applications to any areas that may breakthrough early, this time the development was so rapid we had to break out the broadcast sprayers.

Due to problems with the persistent rain some fairways received applications at different times. 6 holes were sprays Saturday night, 6 holes sprayed Sunday morning, and 6 holes sprayed this morning. You may notice by the look of the course that some areas have progressed further than others but all have been treated and are in control. 

We should recover quickly from this and will continue to nurture the turf back to health. Most issues will be noticed on tees and fairways but should grow out over the next week or two.

See you on the course this week,

– J.R. Lynn, GCS

7.21.17 – Tough Decisions

Today we received another .75″ of rain. While we wish this would have missed us we were fortunate that we did not get hit by the majority of the passing storm. Unfortunately, this made for some very tough decisions leading up to and after the rain event. 

The past two weeks have provided some of the most challenging circumstances we can imagine while managing turf. Hot & humid conditions, 5.9″ of rain, night time temperatures above 70° (last night was 80°), sunshine between storms, and very little air movement; an absolute nightmare. These conditions create a perfect environment for disease outbreak and we all know how quickly that can take over and ruin the experience for the rest of the year. 

Midwest summers do not provide much assistance in growing roots as soil temperatures can remain above the desired range. We focus our “off season” months trying to grow roots while we fight during the season to maintain the healthiest roots we can to combat any stress. Last weeks flood quickly compromised our turf grass as the saturated soils heated up and roots began to dieback. We worked hard to remove any surface water to minimize the leaf scorching but the soil conditions were out of our control. As we continue to improve our internal drainage we will help to remedy this problem as water will be able to evacuate the soil quicker.

The decision to allow carts or restrict traffic after a rain event always proves to be more challenging than one would imagine. We will always look for alternatives to assist in getting you on the course in a cart and today the best option was to restrict carts to back 9 rough only. I understand that the back 9 rough is likely to have more standing water but there are also far drier areas available to avoid puddles on the back nine than on the front. If we were to allow carts in the fairways we risked the potential to create more depressions and ruts due to the soft soil conditions. With stressed turf leading into the rain and squishy surfaces after, any cart traffic across the fairways would also have set back any recovery we have had since the flood.

Please be patient during the difficult weather with the decisions on carts. If you rely on a cart to play your round, please contact the golf shop prior to your arrival to confirm availability. If you have been delayed due to a storm, stop in the clubhouse and grab a soda and a sandwich while we evaluate and do our best to get you back out! I assure you that we do not like removing carts from the course, but sometimes it’s in our best interest to give the grass a break.

Thank you,

– J.R. Lynn, GCS

7.14.17 – Moving Water

Yesterday we received 3.15″ of rain. The course was pretty flooded until about noon today. Drains are working properly and moving water as quickly as they can but the amount of surface water is far too great for our normal 20-30 minutes after a rain and puddles are gone.

Last night we closed the drainage system on holes 1,2&3 to help keep the river from backing into the drains. It worked but the 3″ shed of water from all directions was too much for pumps to maintain. The holes are backed up with water and we are still working on getting all water away. This morning we opened the drainage gate back up and are able to naturally let the water drain as the river has receded. We have a lot of debris and sediment built up on the down side of the drainage system which needs to be cleared in order to help water evacuate more quickly. As the day has progressed we have had to play with the pumps and gate valve in order to find the best working partnership to get water out asap!

I know most all of our members have seen the course under much more water but as the first flood in my time I hope the stories remain just that, stories. Let’s hope we can get out of this tropical pattern and bring some dry air around to assist in our efforts on the golf course.

I am hopeful to get carts back out on the course this weekend! Please call to check on availability. Back nine bunkers will remain water filled until we catch up on back 9 drainage. We do not want to add any more water to the course or into the drain pipes to allow more space for water to flow from turf areas. We initially put our efforts into pumping and bailing water from the bunkers but quickly realized there was nowhere for it to go.

I have attached some pictures for your viewing pleasure. If you have any you would like to share please email to jlynn@columbuscc.com

Thank you for your patience as we put the golf course back together.

Sincerely,

– JR Lynn, GCS

7.13.17 – Rain-1 CCC-0

Today we were not fortunate enough to miss any of the storms. We have received over 3″ of rain and potentially more overnight. Squeegees are sleeping tight for the night as we hope they will be working hard in the morning to help remove any excess water.

We have been able to keep the river at bay on 1,2,&3 but have not been able to catch up with the pumps. Our gate valve is closed keeping the river out of our drainage, and when opened slightly the puddles quickly get larger. We know it’s helping but nothing can keep up with the amount of water that has shed across the course this afternoon.

Stay tuned for an update tomorrow with more detail, now we’re headed back out to fill the pumps up with gas

– J.R. Lynn, GCS

7.10 & 7.11 (A.M.)

Good Morning,

1.9″ of rain last night has left the course far too saturated for carts today. We will monitor and update on the status of carts for tomorrow.

Last night we were able to confirm that we have stopped the river from back flowing into the drainage on holes 1,2 & 3. The river was high enough that we had to close the drainage valve and begin pumping the water out of the lift station. It must have been a very nice luxury to have the power and automation in years past.

Most puddles have drained from fairways and those remaining are being removed prior to a fungicide application.

That’s all for now but stay tuned for a course update this afternoon!

Best,

– J.R. Lynn, GCS

7.9.17

Beautiful Sunday morning, overnight temperatures dropped down to 55 and helped to alleviate some of the disease pressure. While we are still fighting dollar spot, cooler night time temps take some of the concerns of brown patch and pythium. We will be making some preventative applications to fight the next bout of heat and humidity.
You may have noticed our friends from AEP have been back out to the property. Friday nights storm knocked power out to the pumphouse again. We have restored power and are hopeful that the surge didn’t cause any additional damage to the pump motors. AEP will be on and off property in the weeks to come as we try to sort through what has been happening. 

– J.R. Lynn, GCS

7.6.17 – Rain

Late morning through mid afternoon we received 1.1″ of rain. Unfortunately, the condition of the course following the rain would not allow carts to head back out but we are hopeful that tomorrow will be fine. We have remained on the dry side in regards to soil conditions and the course absorbed the water quite well. Tomorrow we are presented with more chances of rain in the afternoon so plan on getting your Friday round in as early as your schedule will allow!

The storm did not cause much damage but did leave a mark; we lost a large section of the Maple tree that sits between 10 green and 15 tee. 

The humidity and wet conditions will keep us on edge for the next few days until soil conditions dry back out. These types of showers during the summer heat are a recipe for fungal pathogens but we expect our protection will last through the thick of the weather. We will be monitoring the turf prior to maintenance and golfers to search for any disease breakthrough and treat on an as needed basis. 

Have a great evening and see you tomorrow morning!

– J.R. Lynn, GCS

7.4.17

Again, Happy Independence Day! Hopefully you have been able to spend some quality time with friends and family over this nice long holiday weekend. The course is handling the heat and humidity very well this weekend and we have stayed pretty clean from disease. For those who are playing the Par 3 course; you may notice some small rings/patches on the greens, they have been infected with Brown Patch but have been treated and should not get any worse. With heavy clay soils, humid conditions, and hot weather Brown Patch can be very quick to take over and if not treated in time could be detrimental.

The discovery this morning was not entirely full of bad news. During our team meeting this morning I asked our staff to keep their eyes open for anything that looked different. I asked that everyone be on the lookout for fluffy fungal growth or odd shapes/patterns on turf and was surprised by the pictures I received from our team. Below you will see a picture of disease that was found today on the Par 3 course by first year employee Kyle Hughes. 

An update on 8 Fairway- it looks to be just damage to the leaf blades and should grow out in short time. The grass has a very brown burnt appearance currently but when digging down below the damage the plant seems to be healthy and hardy.

Happy 4th!

Happy Independence Day! I hope you all had a fabulous time at the celebration; what a spectacular display! Please excuse our mess as we complete the clean up process over the next few days. While the show was great it came with a small cost to our 8th fairway. You will notice some burn marks in the center of the fairway near the landing zone. Most of the marks seem to be superficial and should grow out in short time. See picture below – 

As you now know, this is the start to a blog we will keep up with as a Maintenance Team. Please feel free to reach out, ask questions and interact about anything grounds related around the club. We love to hear your feedback and will gladly expand on any questions you may have. 

Thank you for your support,

J.R. Lynn, GCS