Post aeration...

Here we are one week out from aerating greens, tees and approaches.

The greens are by no means at their pre aeration state but they are healing well and should be back to the smooth playing surface very soon.

The tees and approaches are almost healed. Sand top dressing was applied and broomed in this week. It should help to provide a firmer playing surface later this fall.

My favorite season...

It's one of my favorite times of the year again. It's football time in Tennessee!

You Vol fans out there will understand. Three more weeks 'til college football begins. Growing up in a college town, Saturdays in the fall became sacred at a very early age.

Aeration of the course begins next week. The sand top dressing is being delivered this week. The soil amendments are here and the staff is ready to get it done. Greens, tees and approaches will be the focus next week.

The fairways will get deep tine treatment later in the fall as temperatures continue to cool.

I realize core aeration is an inconvenience to the golfers but it is a crucial step in the overall health of the turf. Removing thatch and replacing it with sand will provide better playing conditions for the upcoming months.

Drip lines...

The drip line of a tree is defined as where water would roll off the outer edges of the limbs. In theory, the root mass of a tree is approximately the width or diameter of that drip line. Trees and turfgrass compete for nutrients and moisture from the soil and sunlight from the sky.

The only wilted spot on the 12th fairway is under the tree's drip line at about 200 yards out. This picture helps validate the fact that trees and turf are in competition with each other.

Blue green algae...

Blue green algae is a common problem on newer bentgrass greens.

It is a discoloration in the plant due to what is believed to be a release of a toxin by the algae that causes the chlorotic look of the plant. It is not deadly but is merely unsightly.

You will notice it in the shaded areas of the greens mainly in the morning hours. Chemical controls are being applied to suppress the algae and mask the effects. Again, let it be known that it does not kill the plant.

What a difference a month makes...

Remember this past winter and early spring??? Three words best describe it: Cold, wet, and cold, or wait maybe that's just two words... Anyway, replacing that this late spring and early summer are: dry, hot, and dry! June was a very dry month here at the course, recording a mere seven tenths of an inch of rainfall.

This requires irrigation to be run almost constantly. We water to capacity at night and then hit hot spots throughout the day.

Occasionally, this will require golfers to dodge a little shower even when the sun is shining especially on those windy days. Please bare with is during this minor inconvenience! All in all, the course is holding up well.

Also, be aware that carts may need to be restricted to path only a few days to give the turf a break.

Cart traffic...

It's that time of year again... As temperatures rise and the dew points continue to climb, cool season turf begins to show signs of stress. The good news is that the days are getting shorter since we have passed the summer solstice!

There is no doubt about it, cart traffic is a contributing factor to stress on cool season turf. Notice the turf fifty yards past the sign where cart traffic is consistently restricted; it has one less variable compared to the rest of the turf.

Here is another example on one of the older fairways. The green line across the fairway looks like it was caused by cloud cover but in fact it is the line where carts exit the fairway.

With all of this in mind, there may be a few days over the next couple of months that carts will be restricted to path only to give the turf a break and allow some recovery.

Crabgrass!!!

The worst enemy of our sprig trials in various fairways has begun to rear its ugly head...

Crabgrass is beginning to invade some of the areas that were sprigged with bermudagrass a few weeks back. We will continue to monitor and treat chemically over the next few weeks to tip the scale back in favor of the young sprigs.