Everything in moderation...

If only the weather would heed those words from long ago... My mom used to say, 'everything in moderation, son!'; usually at the cookie jar or in the candy aisle.

It seems to be feast or famine lately in the rainfall category. Currently, we are sitting on the north side of a low pressure. This translates to waves of rain showers blowing off the Atlantic.

Along with astronomical high tides and the substantial winds from the ENE, the canals and ditches are at capacity, running over in some areas... But thankfully, hurricane Joaquin seems to be turning out to sea.

Stay dry over the next few days, we will playing golf again before you know it.

Fox hole...

When you see this on the golf course, most superintendent's immediately ask themselves, 'What is this critter looking to eat?' Usually, it is damage from an animal looking to eat some grubs. Grubs have been extremely prevalent on Delmarva late this summer and early fall.

This is more than likely damage from a fox looking to burrow a new place of residence or a new entrance/exit to an existing one. This is the first time he/she has chosen to dig on the green.

Fortunately, this occurred out of play on the 19th hole. We consistently repair damage to the surrounding bunkers on this hole but for some reason or another, the fox decided to move up to the putting surface last night.

Turf growth regulator...

Turf growth regulators are used in the industry to help lower labor costs and fuel consumption. Some say they may even push lateral growth, making divot recovery a more speedy process. Here at Ocean Pines, the turf seems to be extremely sensitive to the use of these products.

Notice the greener streaks in this fairway? That is a clogged nozzle located directly behind the tank, which is nearly impossible to notice while operating the machine. No turf discoloration occurred where the product was not applied.

The damage is only superficial tip burn to the older leaves and the new leaves are coming in just fine. We will have to live with the unsightliness for another week or so... Which brings into question whether the labor and fuel savings are really worth it or not? 

Battling kyllinga...

Kyllinga is a grassy weed from the sedge family. It thrives in warm, moist climates and poorly drained soils. It has a rhizomatous and stoloniferous growth habit. These stolons and rhizomes will intertwine and create thick mats that will choke out the competing and more desirable turf.

The maintenance staff will apply multiple applications of a selective herbicide at a low rate throughout the growing season to keep this invasive weed from gaining a stronghold in our fairways, approaches and tees.

You may notice some discolored spots around the golf course over the next few weeks as we are making these applications to keep this pesky weed out of our playing surfaces.

Welcome Back!

It has been a while since my last post! A lot has happened since then... If you haven't been out to the course lately, you are missing a treat. 

This week, your maintenance staff has begun to recapture some fairway space that has disappeared over that past decade.

Various areas were cut out to the irrigation line where it was originally installed along the edge of the fairway. These areas were then seeded with rye grass. The turf density will continue to thicken this fall and by next spring, the playing surface should be pretty good.

Coastal Flood advisory...

Coastal Flood Advisory

Expires 11:00 AM EDT on October 23, 2014

Statement as of 6:02 am EDT on October 23, 2014

... Coastal Flood Advisory remains in effect until 11 am EDT this
morning... 

* location... Worcester County... mainly along the shorelines of 
Assawoman and Chincoteague bays and adjacent ocean inlets.

* Coastal flooding... minor flooding possible within 1 to 2 hours 
on either side of high tide this morning.

* levels... tidal departures will average around 1.5 ft above
normal during high tide this morning. At Ocean City... high tide
occurs at 738 am EDT. A peak water level of around 4.2 feet
MLLW is expected. Minor flooding begins at 4.0 feet MLLW.

Precautionary/preparedness actions... 

A coastal Flood Advisory indicates that onshore winds... tides and
/ or wave action will combine to create flooding of low areas
along the shore... and near tidal rivers and creeks. Be prepared
for the possibility of Road closures and minor flooding of
properties. If travel is necessary... do not attempt to drive
through water of unknown depth.

All tide heights are relative to mean lower low water.
Time of high total tides are approximate to the nearest hour.
Flood category based on total tide.

Ocean City Inlet MD
minor 4.0 ft, moderate 5.0 ft, severe 6.0 ft

                total astro
    day/time tide tide surge waves flood
                 /ft/ /ft/ /ft/ /ft/ category
   ---------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ----------
    23/08 am 4.2 2.6 1.6 5-6 minor
    23/08 PM 3.4 2.3 1.1 4 none
    24/08 am 3.3 2.6 0.8 3 none
    24/09 PM 2.8 2.2 0.6 2 none
    25/10 am 3.2 2.7 0.6 2 none
    25/10 PM 2.4 2.2 0.2 2 none

This was put out by the Natiomal Weather Serice this morning. The pictures were added to show some of the lowest points on the course where water is actually pushed back on us during these events. As you can see, #10/18, #11, and behind #3 green are some of these locations.

Wet, sloppy, messy...

Those are some of the words used to describe the current golf course conditions. Over the past couple of weeks, the course has received a substantial amount of rain.

Walk up areas to the tees can be slippery and unstable. This tee in particular gets limited sunlight at this time of the year due to the lower sun angle throughout the day and the abundance of trees. It receives less than an hour of sunlight per day.

When combined with the mucky soil structure of a marshland environment, drying of the soil becomes a definite issue for the turf. Coincidentally, the tides are running at their highest point of the year causing everything on the eastern shore to drain more slowly.

Seed is being applied now to help fill in some of these spots throughout the course. Tree work will continue throughout the winter to help alleviate some of the airflow and sunlight penetration issues.