Tees

Observations. Looking back at the original report it is amazing how much improvement there has been on the tee surfaces. Mr. Robertson’s maintenance program continues to improve your tee surfaces and I have found them to be drier and the turf was much healthier. The majority of the tees are holding up well, with the exception of the back tee on # 2 and the back tee on #5.

Recommendations. The following can help tee renovation projects and also improve existing problematic tees.

• Overseed existing tees that are wearing thin. Continue using the Champion seed, which is a combination of 3 different perennial ryegrasses, SR 4100, SR 4200, and SR 4050. Each of these has their own strong characteristics, but when combined together they can combat many turf related stress such as shade, moisture, traffic, and drought. Since my last visit the 1^st tee has improved dramatically. Any of the tees with a thin turf canopy and have a tendency to be moist can benefit from regular light sand topdressing.

• Intensify cultural practices. As mentioned in the earlier report I would continue to intensify the cultural practices such as aeration, sand topdressing, and a balanced fertility program.

• Change sand used during aeration. I looked at the sand that Mr. Robertson has switched to and this should be acceptable for the tees.

Greens

Observations. Once again I was extremely impressed with the conditions of the greens. The greens were thick, healthy, and they rolled well. There was no sign of disease on greens with the exception of #5 which I will comment on later. The course received approximately 18 mm of rain the night before so the greens were a little soft under foot. I did look at some profiles of different greens to look for potential problematic areas. I noticed that there was drainage added to the left side of #3 green and to the right side of # 6 green. These drains have allowed water to move out of the profile rather than water moving through the profile and pushing up the sod because it has no where to go. In my review of different green profiles I noticed a common denominator, an excessive thatch layer in the greens. This is the underlying problem of your greens from being firmer and faster.

Thatch -is a layer of organic matter caused from grass clippings, decaying plant matter such as roots, shoots, and leaves. Thatch is similar to a sponge, if you pour a pitcher of water into a sponge it will absorb the water, it is not until the sponge is saturated when gravitational water will drain out of the sponge. The only problem is the sponge will always be wet and soft. The same can be said about an excessive thatch layer. I removed an old hole-plug and there was approximately 2 inches of thatch. In front of Mr. Frank Gregg I was able to squeeze the water out of it similar to a sponge. Below the thatch the sand layer had no water in it. To combat thatch we topdress and aerate our greens to do two things, remove thatch and allow oxygen in, and to incorporate a USGA specified sand in that will maintain porosity so water can flow freely through into the sand medium below. Thatch levels increase when the rate of organic matter production (growth) is quicker than the rate of decomposition. Decomposition is performed by microbes. Decomposition rates can be decreased by; cool temperatures, excessive moisture, and a lack of oxygen (anaerobic respiration). When the soil is anaerobic, microbes only perform at 20% of their potential which causes slow decomposition rates of thatch. The results are greens that foot print easily and have a tendency to be moist, susceptible to disease, hydrophobic spots, and a general decline in plant health. The previous sand used over the years has a high silt content that will hold more water and reduce air movement. The combination of this sand and heavy thatch layers causes the greens to be soft.