New Irrigation Line Complete

Last week we were able to complete our supplemental irrigation line to improve irrigation coverage to the renovated area on hole 13. The area did not previously have solid irrigation coverage, because the left side of the hole was inhabited by primarily trees and bare ground. The newly renovated area is growing on very sandy soil and is still subject to cart traffic and root intrusion. With all of these drying factors at play, the installation of this new line will ensure that the work done to improve the hole is successful in the future. We replaced sod where it was possible to pull solid pieces, but in many areas along the path, the root intrusion made harvesting sod impossible. In these areas, the dirt on the trench line will be given time to settle, and sod will be purchased to cover these areas in the late winter / early spring months. As a reminder, the cart rule on holes 13 and 14 will remain Path Only during the winter months. 

 Below are some pictures of the process of adding our new irrigation line to 13.

Measurements, plans, marking the existing line and shutting down water begin the project

The existing irrigation is hand dug to confirm pipe size and prepare for tie ins

Tie ins to the irrigation line are set before trenching begins

It's always nice when the trencher can easily blaze the trail

Nice and easy.......right?

But sometimes you need the back ho

And in cases like this, the stump grinder acts as the trencher

Pipe and swing joints are installed

Wires are set properly in trench and connected to satellite box

Irrigation heads are installed and wired up

The trench is then back filled and the edges are cleaned up

Water is turned back on and........Success!

You've Got Questions, We've Got Answers

Why is the rough so thick?

With the weather this year we were able to achieve some of the healthiest Bermudagrass conditions we have seen here at GCC in quite a while. During the summer the rough was growing so vigorously that we made a slight adjustment to the height of cut (quarter inch) to be able to keep up with the rough. Given the recent history of winter kill, we have decided to leave the rough at this slightly higher height so that we can capitalize on the successful growing season and ensure that the Bermuda will transition well this coming spring.Damon and I have both played the course in the past week and feel that some of the challenges finding golf balls are related to leaf litter and the low angle of the sun at this time of year. In the spring we will be mowing the rough shorter than we have in the past to give ourselves room for adjustment in the event that we run into an extremely hot summer again next year. We do not believe that the rough will be this thick every year, but feel that we have an opportunity to take advantage of the growing season we had by leaving the height where it currently sits. As the cold has a greater impact on the rough throughout the winter, and we continue to circle the course with the mowers to mulch leaves, we suspect the rough will not seem as thick as it currently does. We will also continue to monitor the situation by playing the course ourselves to maintain the perspective of a golfer. We will continue to strive to balance healthy turf conditions with fair playing conditions.

What happened on Holes 3 and 4? 

On Sunday there were multiple fires set on Holes 3 and 4. The fire department and police responded and believe that the fires were intentionally set. The areas affected by the fires are all in the rough, and we do not anticipate any significant turf loss. To clean the ash we will run a mower over the area, and allow upcoming rains to knock the ash down. We intend to be patient in this process. A brush or more aggressive method might make the area appear cleaner, faster, but could also damage the dormant turf. Outside of being a bit aesthetically displeasing, the areas should not have a negative affect on play ability. If anyone has any information regarding the fires or previous vandalism to #4 green, please contact the Chesapeake Police Department.

Why is there so much digging and trenching going on on Hole 13?

We are very pleased with the results of our renovation to the left side of hole 13, but our work is not done. In order to ensure that all of the work we did this summer is successful in future, we are installing a supplemental irrigation line along the cart path to improve irrigation coverage to the renovated 

area. Once we have the line installed and the newly sodded area makes it through its first winter, we will be able to open the hole to cart traffic again. As you can see in the picture of the trench line to the right, this area is very sandy. Sandy soil in conjunction with cart traffic and tree root intrusion certainly warrant the installation of this line.

Thick tree roots along the cart path will require a back ho to dig the line and are evidence of one the contributing factors to years of poor turf health on #13

Why did we aerate the greens so late? Will they continue to grow in?


Unfortunately we had to push back our aeration date twice this year due to extreme weather events. Even though there was a risk that the greens would not fully recover in time for winter, we understand how crucial this process is to the long term health of our greens, and felt that the risk was justified. We have been fertilizing aggressively to capitalize on the last bit of growing season we have available. We believe that the greens are currently not perfect, but still very playable. While the rate of growth has slowed on our greens, we can still anticipate at least marginal improvement as long as conditions remain consistent with the annual norms here in Chesapeake.

Former Golf Course Superintendent Ben Pritchett was aerating greens 3 times a year, and this picture gives a great illustration of why. Many of our greens have a pre-existing issue with a buried layer of organic material. This dense mat of muck can restrict root growth. Many of the areas that thinned out during the extreme heat of this summer had a significantly more dense layer than pictured above. The continued incorporation of sand through this layer is essential to the health of our greens.

The greens are still a little bumpy in spots, but we feel they still provide an acceptable playing surface until they fully heal.

Winter Preparations

As the weather pushes the course into dormancy and the off season, there are a number of practices and applications that we implement to improve playing conditions for the winter months, and make sure transition in the spring goes smooth. Here are some of the things we do to prepare for winter.

We raise the mowing heights on our high maintenance Bermudagrass areas. We do this to help bolster the health of the Bermuda as it heads into its most stressful season, and help improve play ability through the winter months. Dormant Bermuda can create some tight lies in fairways.

We perform many chemical and fertilizer applications. Potassium can help "toughen up" the Bermudagrass for the stressful winter that lays ahead. Pre-emergent herbicides can help suppress winter weeds, which can stand out like a sore thumb in dormant Bermuda. We also do some selective fungicide applications to help prevent disease which may not even manifest itself until spring. Many of these application need to be watered in, so if you see irrigation running on a cold day and wonder why, this is a likely explanation.

Another exciting part of winter preparation is assessing areas in need of improvement, and coming up with a comprehensive plan of what we hope to accomplish in the off-season.


All of the things we do now influence how the course will look for 2017!

Aeration Complete....Finally

New topdresser attachment provided excellent sand distribution

Yesterday we were able to complete aeration of our greens after the date was pushed back twice as result of the tumultuous weather we've been having this fall. The process went very well and we were able to incorporate quite a bit of sand back into our soil profile. An extremely hot summer such as the one we experienced here in the Tidewater this year is a great reminder of the importance of this procedure. Maintaining turf at a low mowing height like we do on our greens can shorten the root system and put stress on the turf. One of the most important factors in the survival of these roots during the heat of the summer is having a growing medium that allows enough pore space for both water and oxygen. The large particle size of sand creates ample pore space that not only helps the health of our greens, but also creates a more firm and playable surface for golfers. This is why an aggressive aeration regiment is so important here in Chesapeake, VA.

The large holes and tight spacing seen above is very aggressive. This may cause grow in to take a bit longer, but will greatly benefit our greens in the long run. The warmer temperatures forecast over the next week may help with the grow-in process. We also fertilize before and after aeration to push for faster recovery.

Hurricane Matthew

Unfortunately Hurricane Matthew made it a bit further North than was originally forecast. We are unsure of exact rain totals, but based on other local estimates we received somewhere between 13 and 14 inches of rain. This was all the more devastating due to the 12 inches we received only ten days prior. As a result aeration will once again be moved back to Tuesday October 25th and Wednesday October 26th. Tomorrow, Tuesday the 11th, we should have the Front 9 available for golf. The Back 9 will be closed so that our cleanup efforts can continue, and the water blocking passage on #11 cart path has time to recede. 

Anyone who drove in a car this weekend is well aware of the impact this storm had on the entire area. Here are pictures of some of the impacts that Matthew had on Greenbrier CC. We will be working diligently through the week to get things back to normal.

Greenside Bunker Update

We recently started edging our greenside bunkers. Because the floors of the newly renovated greenside bunkers are lined with gravel, accuracy in the edging process is extremely important to prevent intrusion from soil outside of the gravel floor. This may slow down the edging process a bit, but will insure consistent sand in our greenside bunkers. This process also involves re-distribution of sand to make sure that sand depths are as consistent as possible. 

Bunker Drainage

We are extremely pleased with the results we have seen from last year's bunker renovation. Overall drainage and play ability of these bunkers is greatly improved. Some members may have noticed that the front left bunker on #3 has had a pool of water in it after heavy rainfall, despite the recently completed renovation. The drainage issue in that particular bunker is caused by a clog in the outfall drainage outside of the bunker. Once we get past the busy season, correction of this issue will be a top priority. Protecting the capital improvements that we have made here at GCC will allow us to continue further improvements to the course without taking any steps in the wrong direction.

Fresh edge on #1 Greenside Bunker

Just Breathe

It is no secret that this has been a tough summer here in Tidewater. With night time temperatures consistently near 80 degrees and hot, humid conditions during the day, the bentgrass on our greens can struggle to get the air it needs to its root system. Some of our pocketed greens which get less air flow, are showing the signs of stress more than others. Today we solid tine aerated the Putting Green and holes 1,5,9,12 and 17. With some cooler nights ahead and and the sprays we have to suppress algae, the condition of these greens should improve very quickly, which should allow us to focus of play ability and green speed in the fall months.

Why now?

Some members may wonder why we  would choose to perform this solid tine aeration on the day on the 2-Man Championship. With the increased chance of rain this weekend, lack of excessive heat today and cooler weather on the way, we saw the perfect window to safely execute this procedure and improve the health of specific greens. We also performed a test yesterday on our nursery to insure that the mow behind the aeration would smooth out any heaving, so the process would have no impact on ball roll. Because of this, we feel extremely confident that there will be no negative detriment to play.

Progress on #13 and #14

The sod on #13 and #14 has rooted. We have fertilized and now put our first mow on it. To ensure its proper establishment we have made #13 and #14 Cart Path Only. 

#13 Before First Mow

#14 Before First Mow

#14 After First Mow

#13 After First Mow

#13

Over the years, shade, tree roots and cart traffic have eroded away at the left side of hole 13. We had the trees removed from this area, removed as many roots as possible, and contracted out the grading and laying of sod. The variety of sod used is North Bridge Bermudagrass. This is a new variety of Bermudagrass that is especially cold and shade tolerant. Please pay close attention to cart restrictions on this hole in the near future.