Forest Hill Field Club Turf Management

Drainage work

2011-12-13T11:26:00.000-05:00

While we wait on a pipe delivery for the next part of our drainage project on the 11th hole we decided to tackle a relatively small project on the 9th. I am sure you have all seen and had to play around the water that collects in the approach after a heavy rain. We decided to (finally) do something about it. We are installing a surface drainage grate and a small amount of pipe that will channel this standing water away from this high play area. We should have this project completed by the end of the day and with rain in the forecast on Thursday it will not take us long to see if it works successfully. One of the goals we have going forward is to address areas such as this and chip away at our drainage problems. These little projects add up and will make a big difference in the condition of the course.

First we sod cut the trench line where the drain will be run.

Fernando is working on the area where
the drainage box will be placed.

Drainage

2011-12-08T07:54:00.001-05:00

Though not 100% complete the drainage that the green staff installed on the 10th and 11th holes has made a huge difference. In the past with the amount of rain we received yesterday this area would have been a lake. Now we only have a few puddles. These puddles will be addressed when we begin work on the second stage of this project. All in all, the few puddles that were in this area was a welcome sight compared to what we have dealt with in the past.

Drainage

2011-12-08T07:41:00.001-05:00

The second hole has a lake in the middle of the fairway. I posted this to give you an idea on how much rain we received yesterday and last night.

Vault on 10

2011-11-10T10:51:00.000-05:00

Manny and Mike working in the vault on the 10th.

This guy means business!

2011-11-10T10:48:00.001-05:00

Newly married Chris De Salvia is all business installing pipe in the vault on 10.

Tamping the trench

2011-11-10T10:45:00.000-05:00

Our MVP of the week Manny operating the tamper on the trench going across the 10th hole.0

Drainage on #10

2011-11-10T10:43:00.001-05:00

The drainage project on the 10th and 11th holes has begun. We have trenched across the 10th fairway the past few days and are continuing up the hill today. We hope to have the pump on the 10th hole running by the end of next week.

Congratulations are in order

2011-11-04T11:10:00.000-04:00

This week marks milestones for my two assistants. First off a big congratulations to Chris De Salvia on his wedding today to Ruth DeGeso. I hope you two both have a great day and great life together. Congratulations Chris! Ruth, I will try to have him home by dinner on most days. The second milestone that has been reached is for Mike Weber. Mike has recently accepted the position of Golf Course Superintendent at the Ashbrook Golf Course in Scotch Plains. Mike has been with FHFC since 2007 and has done a fabulous job for us at FHFC. It seems like only yesterday when Mike started, we were in the middle of our irrigation project and his first day on the job he asked me what to do. I looked at him and said "take care of the golf course because I have a project to run". Well he took getting thrown into the fire quite well since the maintenance of the golf course didn't miss a beat and we got our project finished. Since that first day Mike has continually worked at improving both the golf course and himself in preparation for when it was time to take the next step in his career. I am very happy to say that time has come! Ashbrook Golf Course is getting a first class individual to take over there property and our loss is certainly their gain. Mike has left some big shoes to fill but I am sure Chris will make it a seamless transition into the role of first assistant. I must say that I am extremely proud of the two assistants here at FHFC, they have worked together extremely well and have developed a great friendship. Having them both achieve these milestones in the same week makes yours truly extremely proud. Congratulations guys!

Chris De Salvia & Mike Weber

Storm damage

2011-10-31T14:49:00.000-04:00

The storm from the past weekend has wreaked havoc on the Metropolitan area and we at FHFC have not been spared. Nearly every tree on the course has been affected in some way. In some areas only slight debris has fallen in other cases structural damage to trees is quite apparent. The staff has been working all day to try to prepare the course for players as soon as the snow melts but there is much work to be done. Currently the staff is concentrating on clearing cart paths and providing access for equipment. I must say that the course will be messy for a quite awhile but where the snow has melted the turf looks great! We will try to get the course open as soon as possible but there are limitations to what we can get done. I personally want to thank you all for your patience while the crew does theirc best to restore the course.

Drainage Project

2011-10-27T11:58:00.000-04:00

Beginning on Monday the green staff will be working on the drainage project on the 10th and 11th holes. While this work is being performed the 10th and 11th holes will be played as par 3's. This will help speed up our progress and more importantly assure the safety of our staff. We appreciate your patience while we upgrade the drainage systems in this area of the course.

Course Update

2011-10-21T07:04:00.000-04:00

Well it has been awhile since I posted and my apologies for the lack of updates but with the last outing of the year occurring yesterday and closing day scheduled for Saturday I figured now would be as good a time as any to give a brief update. The weather or should I say the rain has continued to curtail many of our efforts on the course but with the cooler temperatures that we have been experiencing the course has made a nice recovery following Hurricane Irene and the subsequent rain events. We have also seen an improvement to the overall conditioning due to the addition of our new equipment technician, Eric Booth. Eric has brought a fine attention to detail and great experience (Winged Foot, Hamilton Farms to name a few) which will enhance our operation. The better quality of cut will lead to healthier turf and better appearance. Welcome aboard Eric! Ok, now onto the course. While the rain and busy schedule has not helped us the board of directors has. Starting next week we will begin work on drainage on the 10th and 11th holes which was approved by the Board. These holes have been plauged by poor drainage for years and now we are going to rectify the situation. Following the 10th and 11th holes we will begin drainage work on the 7th and 8th holes. Now I know some of you may be thinking what about 3 and 4, well we are looking at improving the drainage on those holes hopefully in the spring. We are concentrating on 10 and 11 due to the lack of cart paths on these holes and the subsequent need to close them when we have heavy rains like we have had throughout the late summer and fall. While we will not address bunker drainage with this project we are designing the system so when address the bunkers there will be available connections to tie bunkers in thus avoiding double work. The 3rd and 4th holes have cart paths and though conditions may not be perfect when they get wet they are playable. We have also picked the 10th and 11th holes as we feel these may be a bit easier to work on and give us a better feeling on how much work we can get accomplished in a given amount of time. This time study will be important to know when we begin planning drainage on the 3rd and 4th holes which will be more extensive. With out going into too much detail our approach on the 3rd and 4th holes will be threefold. 1. We will look at intercepting water from hills and cart paths before it gets onto these fairways. 2. We will look at improving surface drainage so the "birdbaths" that accumulate on these fairways can be drained. 3. The final, and most disruptive, phase would be to install seepage drainage on these holes. The seepage drainage would in effect help drain the root zone and produce a better growing environment and also firmer conditions. The final stage would only be done if we feel that the conditions are still not where we need them to be after the completion of stage 1 and 2. All of this work is scheduled to be done "in house"which will keep costs to the minimum but will no doubt make for some long days for yours truly and my staff. While we are performing work on the 10th and 11th holes we will be playing these holes as par 3's so that the staff can work efficiently and much more importantly, safely. We appreciate your cooperation.

Some hard working guys!

2011-09-30T09:58:00.000-04:00

The guys were out early this morning preparing for the fall member-member tournament. These gentlemen were all working on the ninth hole this morning when I snapped this photo. They are truly the unsung heroes of FHFC.

Pictured from left Jorge, Manny, Fernando, Juan, and Jay

Pythium in late September?????

2011-09-26T08:30:00.001-04:00

Found this disease popping up on an area of the the 14th fairway that is problematic due to drainage issues. This area is in our long term drainage plan. What surprises me is that if it is pythium it is by far the latest I have ever seen it in a calendar year. This shouldn't surprise me considering what 2011 has been like.

Old pipe on 4

2011-09-14T12:50:00.000-04:00

This is pandora's box! We went to fix a drain line that was backed up and the water hasn't stopped in 2 days. Wish us luck!

11 Fairway

2011-09-08T07:30:00.000-04:00

To top it all off our trash pump's engine seized!

Third hole this morning

2011-09-08T07:29:00.000-04:00

This is getting very depressing!

Is it ever going to stop raining?

2011-09-08T07:27:00.000-04:00

More News from Irene

2011-09-05T18:17:00.000-04:00

Article in Todays Star Ledger

Q&A

2011-09-04T18:48:00.002-04:00

I received quite a few compliments this weekend on the condition of the course considering what it looked like last week at this time. While I would like to take all the credit it actually goes to the men that comprise the green staff. From my assistants to our newest employees, all of these guys did a super job doing some real back breaking work. They all deserve a big thank you. I also received a number of questions about how the storm affected us and how we handled the cleanup. Here are some of the most memorable.

Vince Ramagali: When are we going to be open?

Frank Tichenor (FT): Not sure Vince we are doing our best and I will let you know.

Member: How much rain did we get?

FT: We got 9.5” which made it not only the wettest August on record but the wettest month on record.

Member: How many trees did we lose?

FT: We lost one large oak tree on the left of the thirteenth fairway.

Member on Tuesday: Why are there only nine holes open?

Mike Spendley: Did you hear about the HURRICANE?????

Vince Ramagali: When will we have all 18 open?

FT: Not sure Vince we are doing our best and I will let you know.

Member: Why can’t we put a berm up on the 4th hole to stop the water?

FT: The area in question is in a flood plain and the DEP would not allow it.

Member: Why were holes 1& 2 closed for so long.

FT: Unlike flooding in the past the huge amount of water caused us to pump over these two holes.

Member: Why were you draining the irrigation system behind #5 last Saturday?

FT: Actually we were lowering the pond on the 13th hole in anticipation of the large amount rainfall we would recieve. In retrospect we could have lowered the pond even more as it almost overflowed its banks. By lowering the pond and reducing the amount of overflow into the pond on the 3rd hole we reduce the amount of water going through this area.

Vince Ramagali: When will we have all 18 open?

FT: Not sure Vince we are doing our best and I will let you know.

Member: What did you do in preperation for the storm?

FT: Aside from gassing up all of our equipment in case of a power outage we checked to make sure our pump was in working order and the generator was working before it was returned to the clubhouse. We applied a soil penatrant to help move water through the soil, cleaned all of our drains, powered down all of the irrigation system, applied systemic fungicide and growth regulators to greens, tees, and fairways.

Member: What are the biggest problems now?

FT: Obviously the seedlings that showed such promise on the 3rd and 4th holes are now dead. We lost one bunker on the 4th hole and had severe damage to two others. There is a large amount of turf loss on the 10th and 11th fairways where the water accumulated.

Member: What are you doing about these issues?

FT: First and foremost we still have some cleanup to do on the course and need to get back to some basic maintenance tasks that have been pushed back due to the storm. The green staff management team and members of the green committee have already begun prioritizing recovery work.

Vince Ramagali: When will we have all 18 open?

FT 2:45 PM on Friday: Vince they are all open.

All kidding aside I must say Vince Ramagali was one of the first people to arrive at the course on Sunday and showed genuine concern throughout the week. The entire professional, bag room and clubhouse staff was extremely understanding of what we were going through to try to get the course back in shape. I have been told at times I can be a bit grumpy and somewhat gruff. I really can’t see that in myself and think I must be just misunderstood but for anyone I was short with my apologies. This was one of the toughest weeks I have spent on a golf course stress wise. Again a big thank you to my staff and the membership in general for being so understanding. Irene you didn’t beat us!

Tree on 13 lost to Irene

2011-08-30T20:03:00.000-04:00

Mike Weber and Chris Desalvia removing the tree that we lost on 13.

More Irene photos

2011-08-29T18:10:00.000-04:00

10th and 11th fairways

More Irene photos

2011-08-29T18:08:00.000-04:00

Photo from the 4th green looking back towards fairway

More Irene photos

2011-08-29T18:07:00.000-04:00

5th green

More Irene photos

2011-08-29T18:06:00.000-04:00

Another view of the third hole

More Irene photos

2011-08-29T18:05:00.000-04:00

Middle of 2 fairway

More Irene photos

2011-08-29T18:04:00.000-04:00

In front of 7 tee

Our own Paul Bunyon

2011-08-29T13:06:00.000-04:00

Mike Weber is the man!

Irene

2011-08-28T11:31:00.000-04:00

By the 4th green

Irene

2011-08-28T11:30:00.000-04:00

Pond on 13 nearly overflowed

Irene

2011-08-28T11:29:00.000-04:00

Tree on 13

Irene 12th hole

2011-08-28T11:28:00.000-04:00

Irene 8th hole

2011-08-28T11:27:00.002-04:00

Irene

2011-08-28T11:27:00.001-04:00

Rascal chasing ducks on the 11th fairway

Irene 4th hole

2011-08-28T11:25:00.000-04:00

Irene

2011-08-28T11:24:00.001-04:00

Course Update

2011-08-04T20:45:00.001-04:00

The old wetting agent trick.

2011-07-25T10:03:00.000-04:00

Well I don't know how long this trick has been around but I first started using it last year. When we have an area that gets very dry due to lack of irrigation, poor soils, or lack of rainfall the area becomes hydrophobic. Hydrophobic means that water has a tough time penetrating these areas and they become very hard to rewet. When this becomes an issue I use a trick that I read on Turfnet, a website community that I belong to. The photos below show the process. Wetting agents help alleviate the problems associated with hydrophobic conditions. maybe the best way to explain it is they make "wetter water".

An area that has gotten dry and hydrophobic

The volumetric water content is only 7.5% which is very dry according to our
moisture meter.

We begin by removing the rotor on the sprinkler head for this area.

Next we use a wetting agent pellet designed for a hose applicator.

The pellet is then put inside the sprinkler head.

The rotor is put back in place. It will be in the raised position until the pellet
dissolves after the water is turned on.
No harm is done to the sprinkler and the areas bounce back
much quicker.

Proper Divot Repair

2011-07-25T08:40:00.000-04:00

I am sure you have heard the old saying "everything in moderation", well that goes for divot mix also. All in all the golf course is in good shape for late July but we are having big problems with divot repair and replacement. The followings an animation on divot repair etiquette. USGA Divot Repair Below are some photos I shot on the course last week and they show what happens when players get over zealous with divot mix.

The mix here was over applied and covered the surrounding turf

The turf after the excess divot mix was cleared away.
Notice the size of the divot that was filled.

The same area a few days later.
The turf under the divot mix is browned out and cooked.

Trees

2011-07-20T11:37:00.000-04:00

To all who think we take trees down just cause we don't like them here is an example of one that had to come down for safety reasons. This tree was in proximity of the pump house and could have potentially fell on it. I think we made the right call don't you?

The Heat is On!

2011-07-18T06:45:00.001-04:00

The forecast for the next two weeks is every Superintendents nightmare. Highs in the 90's, high humidity, high nighttime temps and this Thursday and Friday heat index values around 105 in the afternoon. It is with this in mind that ask for your patience when the green staff is performing tasks out on the course. If someone from the green staff is watering a green with a hose give him time to finish the task and please be patient. Remember you are playing golf they are working so who has it tougher?

We will be doing a number of things to battle the heat and try to lessen the stress on the course:

We will raise the height on the greens slightly to relieve stress on the plant.
We will roll greens more and mow less
We will reduce the amount of fairway mowing
We will be venting fairways
We will be using the hydrojects to vent the greens
We will be hand watering many areas
We are applying a penetrant to help water move through the root zone quicker
We will have fairway sprinklers going at certain times in the afternoon
Judicious use of water course wide

There are many other ways that we combat the stress of this weather and we will try get through this stretch relatively unharmed but we need your cooperation. If the greens are a little slower than usual or the fairways don't seem quite as crisply cut as in May be patient. We are doing this for the health of the course. My old boss and mentor Pete Pedrazzi used to say "Do you want slow greens or fast browns?". I think we all know the answer to that one.

Water Locations

2011-07-10T19:43:00.000-04:00

While it seems the majority of the comments we have recieved so far this year have been positive we have had some complaints and the one we have heard the most is lack of drinking water on the course. I guess we should be thankful that no one is complaining about dead greens or unplayable conditions so this is one of those "good" problems to have. We have moved around some of the coolers and think you will find the water situation more agreeable. For the record we now have:

Cooler on 3 tee
Fountain next to ladies bathroom on 5 tee
Snack bar at 8 tee
Fountain on 10 tee
Water station on 12 tee
Cooler on 14 tee
Cooler on 16 tee
Cooler on driving range

I think this provides water on practicaly every other hole which should be adequete and eliminates the need for bottled water on the course. Think about it folks does the earth really need more empty plastic water bottles? Not to mention the unneeded additional cost to the club....... oops I guess I just did. Below is an map with the locations.

Insect repellent kills

2011-07-09T09:49:00.000-04:00

This is the effect of insect repellent on grass. This area will turn brown and may die. Notice the two foot prints where it was applied. If you need to apply insect repellent ease apply it before your round on a hard surface. Thanks

Now that's what I'm talking about!

2011-07-06T14:05:00.000-04:00

Cass Gilbert and "The Bear" were on the prowl today filling divots and no they were not filling their own. These two senior members took it upon themselves to go fill divots on the golf course they take pride in even though they were not playing. Talk about leading by example. Thank you gentlemen. Thank you very much!

Root Pruning

2011-07-06T06:13:00.002-04:00

It's your golf course.

2011-06-16T06:58:00.000-04:00

I found this this morning. Seven divots from where someone was practicing yesterday on 2 fairway. None of the divots where replaced or filled. Folks it's your golf course and we simply don't have the man power to fill divots everyday nor should we. Treat it like it is your own be because it is!

What a week!

2011-06-05T19:27:00.003-04:00

A little bit of an exhausting week here for your truly. To begin with it was a short week with Memorial Day falling on Monday and The Heritage tournament taking place on Friday and Saturday. We began drying out over the weekend and by Tuesday I began monitoring for wilt. On Wednesday I programed the irrigation system and monitored it from home on my ipad to see if all was running correctly. It wasn't. I went back down to the course at about 8:30 and went straight to the pumphouse. While driving down the cart path on 7 I stopped and texted Cheryl our GM to not be alarmed that a car on the course was just me. About 3 minutes later I got a text back that read "too late". Apparently one of our members had a keen eye and called the police. I had barely turned the lights on in the pump house when 3 police cars had arrived asking me for ID, all I could say was "that was quick". After I assured the police that I was not some crazed lunatic out to see how my car stimped on the greens I showed them how to get back to the clubhouse and thanked them for their quick response. After looking at some readings at the pumphouse I readjusted some settings turned off a problematic pump and called it a night at 10:30. Thursday I called for some help and Atlantic Irrigation came in the afternoon. After doing a a good amount of troubleshooting the initial prognosis was we may be having a power supply problem and I was advised to call PSE&G our power supplier. I was told by the PSE&G rep that some one would be there by 5. 5 turned into 6 which turned into 8 which turned into 10. I was told by the PSE&G rep the reason for the delay was that they were dealing with multiple fires and power outages for over a thousand customers. At about 10:15 PSE&G guy showed up, at 10:20 the PSE&G guy was leaving after informing me that he could only read voltage and not amperage and that he was the only guy on call. As that PSE&G man drove away I realized I had just been in the presence of greatness as this man had just battled several fires, restored power to over a thousand customers, and had time to come by and visit me. Wow what a guy! It was at this time I started to hit the panic button as the PSE&G guy said they would refer it to the engineering department and I would be getting a call in the morning. At this point the pumps were basically not running and all I could use was my jockey pump.

Not what I wanted to see.

Friday morning came and The Heritage Tournament, our two day member member, went off in high and really dry conditions and I was on the phone calling everyone I knew that could help. Bob Hinkle from Atlantic Irrigation assured me that they would be back by noon. I also called Jim Barrett our irrigation designer, Fred Rapp from Atlantic Irrigation, and George Derrick from Langan engineering our engineer for the irrigation project. George got back to me first and said he would send over an electrical engineer along with an electrician to do some tests. Armand, the electrical engineer, felt there was may be problem with one of the contacts and we may have a blockage in the intake as the motors were not drawing the correct amps. Scott from Atlantic arrived as did Fred Rapp and Jim Barrett who said he got a few strange looks from the tournament partcipants as he drove his car down the same path the police came down 2 nights before. Scott did a number of tests and found a problem with the estop on the control panel and suddenly we were getting the amperage back but still not getting the correct gallons per minute. We tried flushing the intake line with our supply line. I would explain it here but it would take too long. We finally isolated the problem to the supply line in the pump station. Not good! This meant we had to disassemble the piping in the pump station. The initial suspect was a butterfly valve that may be hung up. Scott and my assitants Mike and Chris took the piping apart which is not a small job. When the piping was off we checked the butterfly valve and it worked properly. My heart sank as this meant there was a blockage in a supply line that was roughly 900 ft long. At this time Scott asked for a flashlight and shined in the supply line of the pumpstation and low and behold there he was. The remains of a turtle.

There he lies at the end of the pipe.
The 3 pipes on the left are the intakes for our pumps.

We flushed the remains out the supply line but our pumps were still not performing as they should which meant the impellers had been fouled by the turtle shell. We did however get enough out of one of our pumps to put some much needed water on our course after a very windy and dry day. Day 2 of The Heritage went off as shotgun and as soon as it was off we began pulling the motor on one of our pumps to get at the impeller. Rich Camacho, our mechanic, Mike Weber, and myself wrestled with the motor until we got it off and sure enough the impeller was clogged with turtle shell. We cleaned it out and put the motor and pump back.

The turtle that ruined my week!

When the tournament was finished I was able to run some tests to see if the pumps were working correctly and ............

Now thats more like it!

We have two more motors to pull tomorrow, I have to find a diver to check our screen on the supply line and I could go on and on about what a great job the green staff did this week but I have some thank you notes to write. Oh and if you were wondering yes I am still waiting on that return call from PSE&G.

It starts today!

2011-05-27T06:22:00.001-04:00

Memorial Day weekend starts what many superintendents in the Northeast call "the horrible hundred". The horrible hundred is the roughly 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day. This is the time period that separates the men from the boys.

Each year at this time I reflect back to an article my old friend Ted Horton gave me called "M.I.G.S". Ted was the superintendent at Winged Foot back in the day of "The massacre at Winged Foot". Ted was and still is one of the tops in our field and has always been willing to help a fellow superintendent out. When Ted gave me the article he said that if I followed it's principles the "horrible hundred" would be a little more bearable. The article was written by a gentleman named Mr. Bill Smart and though I never met the man his words are just as true today as they were back in the seventies when it was written.

M.I.G.S stands for Mow, Irrigate, Groom, Spray. Mr. Smart stated that if you concentrate on these four areas during the summer your chances for a well conditioned golf course will increase dramatically.

The mowing aspect of "M.I.G.S." focuses on keeping an eye on mowing heights, reel and blade sharpness, timing, and frequency. The article says to watch your mowing heights and in times of stress raise them to reduce stress on the turf. Slow greens are better than fast browns! Make sure your blades and reels are sharp to reduce stress on the plant and also reduce disease pressure. In wet conditions when the quality of cut may be compromised skip mowing so as to reduce stress.

The irrigate portion of the article states to watch your watering. It is sometimes like walking a tightrope in the summer when it comes to irrigation. Too much water and your disease pressure increases, too little and wilt can take grass out. Mr. Smart recommended keeping turf on the drier side and to use supplemental irrigation to keep the turf healthy. If you have a hot spot on a green use a hose to water just that spot and try to keep the overheads off for as long as possible. Syringe the turf as needed but keep it on the drier side for a healthier and more enjoyable golf course.

The grooming aspect deals with details and cultural practices. The details include checking ballwashers, clean tee markers, wipe down benches, trash collection etc. The cultural practices concentrates on topdressing, aerification, verticutting, and other aspects to keep the turf healthy.

The spray section deals with plant protectants. The article states to have your spray program planned out well in advance. If weather dictates that changes be made, make them! Do not sacrifice the health of the golf course to save a few bucks as the long term cost of diseased turf is far greater than the cost of an unforeseen application. In short plan your spray program and stick with it.

I know I have written about this in the past but I am writing about it again so to remind myself of these thoughts as they are some of the most sound principles I have ever been taught. Thanks Ted, and thanks Mr. Smart you were aptly named!

Getting things done.

2011-05-17T14:57:00.000-04:00

The weather didn't cooperate with us in the mowing department but we did get things done today. The area by the entrance of the cart path on 18 has been plagued by ruts over the last few years but now that we have the proper equipment we have addressed it. Installed today was roughly 100' of pipe and an interceptor drain. If the weather cooperates tomorrow we should finish this long overdue project. Nice job guys!

What is that stuff?

2011-05-14T21:39:00.000-04:00

I was asked by quite a few people today "what is the white stuff on the greens?". Well that white stuff is foam and we have used it when spraying as a marker and just recently we outfitted our rotary spreaders with foamers also. The foamers allow us to apply granular products in a precise manner which eliminates skips and overlaps. The two foamers cost about $100 for both and considering the fertilizer costs about $50 a bag I think it's a good investment.

Golf Course Update

2011-05-07T23:28:00.000-04:00

With the more favorable weather that we have experienced recently we have finally been able get the golf course in respectable shape. Judging from the amount of play that I witnessed today it seems the membership is enjoying the course also. To borrow a Martha Stewart line... its a good thing. The month of May will be a busy one for the green staff as outings fill up most Mondays and Thursdays and regular member play will most likely be heavier than normal on the other days we are open. We have some upcoming events that will allow us to show off our Tillinghast course to other in the golf community. One of these events will be a meeting of the Golf Course Superintendents of New Jersey on the 19th. This meeting will have up to 120 superintendents and industry professionals playing our course. We will also have those players critiquing it as we will be surveying these folks after there round. While I hope all who attend enjoy the course I am really looking forward to hearing where these golf course management professionals think we can improve. I am a big boy and can take any criticisms with an open mind. On the operations side of things I want to thank the membership for allowing the green staff the block of tee times after the women's play on Tuesday mornings this season. This past Tuesday we were able to topdress greens, mow fairways, mow the step cut, mow approaches all while the turf was dry. The key part of this is that the turf is dry when we are able perform these activities. Mowing when the turf is dry equates into a cleaner and crisper cut which translates into better after cut appearance and better plant health. An analogy that I have used in a few green committee meetings when discussing quality of cut is: if you where scheduled for surgery would you want the Dr. using a scalpel or a steak knife? Mowing when the turf is dry is more akin to the scalpel. We will expand some of our work during these Tuesday mornings and expect to get a good amount of work accomplished while not disturbing play. In the past week or two we have gotten most of our annual flowers planted and also have made some improvements to the landscaping by the cart barn. In the next week or two we expect to have the rest of the annuals planted and most of the beds mulched. Regarding irrigation we have started trimming the turf around the heads so the yardage will be visible and should have this finished by the end of the week. We will begin conducting an irrigation walk through this week to check that all heads are functioning properly and will begin making adjustments and fixing any malfunctioning sprinklers. We have had the fertigation system serviced this past week and it is in good working order. The last item regarding the irrigation system is to clean out the transfer pump intake on the fourth hole so if you see our crew working by the old pump house on the 4th hole this week thats what they are doing. Other than the clubhouse itself the irrigation system is the most valuable piece of infrastructure at FHFC so we have been, and will continue to be very proactive with preventive maintenance. An ounce of prevention..... In the coming weeks we will be installing some drainage by the 18th green side cart path. We hope that this drain will improve the condition of the turf near the entrance of this path. Speaking of drainage one of our long term plans is to address the 3rd and 4th holes and we will be formulated a drainage plan and estimating costs this season. Last but not least, this week we will be scalping down some of the areas (3rd tee, 5th tee, 7th tee, 9th tee) where we planted fine fescue last year. While I am somewhat disappointed about the amount of Poa annua that has spread in these areas I am certainly not giving up on them. After speaking with several Dr's at Rutgers and Cornell Universities we will make adjustments to our plan and expect to make progress throughout the season. It is my opinion that the more contrasts in the form of height, color, and texture of turfgrass on a golf course make that course more visually appealing and interesting. Judging by the positive comments that I have gotten on the walk through area that was developed last fall between the 2nd green and 3rd tee it seems the majority of you agree with me. With that in mind I ask you for your patience while we develop these areas.

Fwd: foxes

2011-05-07T09:20:00.000-04:00

These photos were sent to me by Mr. Engelhardt yesterday afternoon. The den is to the right of 13 tee. If you are lucky you can see the little ones playing. I have counted 8 but there may be more.

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:
>

> Hi Frank,
> You probably have seen these critters already, but in case you haven't, here they are.
> Allan

Wrong!

2011-05-03T16:18:00.000-04:00

Please do not use the divot mix on anything other than fairways and tees. This mix contains bent grass which is not a desired species in the rough.

Details, details, details

2011-05-01T10:47:00.000-04:00

Contrary to my assistant Chris Desalvia's beliefs, I do know how to use a sod cutter and every once in awhile I come up with a good idea. The gravel path on the third hole was looking a bit ragged with a large amount of Poa annua plants populating the edges. I, yes yours truly, took a sod cutter and ran it along the edge of the cart path and some of the crew, including my doubting assistant, raked the Poa annua away. Whats the old saying? Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile.

Before

After

Superstars!

2011-04-29T19:35:00.000-04:00

I have to give a big thank you to the green staff this week. We had another week of wet soggy conditions which translates into wet socks, shoes, and sweat shirts yet they still got all of their work accomplished. I think you will find the course very playable this weekend and the staff not myself deserves all the credit. Great job guys!!!!!!

Bunker Bootcamp

2011-04-29T11:28:00.000-04:00

Sgt. Weber was running bunker bootcamp today. We built a new trailer earlier in the year so we can condense our crew and get these areas done more efficiently. Sgt. Weber seems to have the troops in tip top shape!

A congressman who gets it!

2011-04-15T17:24:00.000-04:00

A long overdue project.

2011-04-15T11:51:00.000-04:00

If you are playing over the next few days you may notice that the yardage blocks have been taken out of the tees. We have brought them inside for refinishing and yes it should have been done awhile ago but sometimes things slip through the cracks. We hope to have them finished and back in the ground by next Friday. I think you will like them.

BEFORE

AFTER

Preferred Divot Pattern on Grass Tee

2011-04-15T07:50:00.000-04:00

Excellent Video by Dan Meersman of the Philadelphia Cricket Club on the proper divot pattern for grass practice tee. Great job Dan!

Please watch this!

Divot Repair Etiquette

2011-04-15T07:32:00.000-04:00

Animation from USGA on proper divot repair.
Divot Repair

Rutgers University Research @ FHFC

2011-04-12T12:14:00.000-04:00

Golf course update

2011-04-09T15:19:00.002-04:00

It's "moving day" at The Masters and opening day at FHFC so everyone is getting revved up for the upcoming golf season. The weather forecast for the week looks favorable with highs in the mid sixties most days and the turf is starting to show signs of awakening from it's winter dormancy. In short it's time to get out and enjoy the golf course. We, the green staff, have been busy over the past few weeks with cleanup, aerification, and some other projects. While there is still some cleanup to do we are now getting into "maintenance mode". In the next few weeks we will be applying organic fertilizer to the fairways and tees (please pardon the smell),fertilizer to the roughs, pre-emergent herbicide to tees, fairways and roughs. We will be over-seeding our natural areas in an effort to increase the desirable turf populations and decrease weed competition. The pond on the 13th hole will be lowered so that we may treat the cattails on the edges, while some cattails may look desirable it is our feeling that the population has gotten a bit out of control so we will be reducing it. The ninth upper tee will be closed for the next several weeks while we over-seed it and push growth on it. This tee is highly shaded and we are attempting to grow creeping red and chewings fescue on it as these turf types are more shade tolerant. We are very encouraged by the apparent survivial rate of the seeedlings that were established in the rough last fall. In many areas you can see the dark green dots of new plants that will mature this season. This turf will be much more tolerant to summer heat stress and the rough will be healthier because of it. We plan to continue this program again in the late summer. As far as projects go we are limiting the amount of items we are planning this year due to a very busy schedule of golf events. Because of this busy golf schedule the board of directors has blocked out two and half hours of tee times immediately following the women golfers on Tuesday mornings. This will allow the green staff the ability to perform various cultural practices that will benefit all who play golf here. Following this time for maintenance players will only be allowed off of the first tee. I personally would like to thank you for your cooperation while work. The last item I will mention here is the area by the cart/pool facility. We will be installing some new plant material in this area as soon as it becomes available. We think this will put the finishing touch on an area that has gotten a face lift this spring. Well I think I have covered enough here and I don't want to take up too much of your time when you could be working on your game so by all means go out play some golf!

Git-r-done

2011-04-05T15:13:00.000-04:00

Scott Lane aka "Larry the cable guy" from Atlantic Irrigation came by today to get the pump station up and running for the season. Scott checked all of the components, greased all the fittings, and made sure our pump station was ready. Scott not only looks similar to "Larry the Cable Guy" he sounds just like him too. The big difference is Scott is a factory authorized Rainbird pump technician and "Larry the Cable Guy" is ........well a multimillionaire. Sorry Scott!

Rutgers Turf!

2011-04-02T20:33:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to Dr. Stacy Bonos on being named one of Golf magazines 40 most influential people in golf under the age of 40! 40 under 40

New Tee Signs

2011-03-31T14:55:00.000-04:00

The staff was installing new tee signs on the course today. We purchased these signs last year at the GCSAA silent auction and saved 66% off of list price. The signs are simple yet elegant and have both the FHFC logo and A.W. Tillinhast's signature. I think they are a great addition at a great price. That's a win win for everyone!

These are not new hazards!

2011-03-28T16:00:00.000-04:00

If you play over the next week or so you will notice paint around the collar and green edges. We paint these areas prior to the first mowing of the spring to establish the edges that have a tendency to get larger or smaller throughout the season. One of our goals this year is to keep our collars a consistent width so this is the time of year to do it.

Found on the Tillinghast Association's website

2011-03-26T13:00:00.001-04:00

I strongly encourage those who are interested in Tillinghast to visit the tillinghast association. There is a ton of information about this historic golf figure. The letter below was written while Tillinghast was a consultant for the PGA of America.

What do those guys do when it snows?

2011-03-24T20:21:00.000-04:00

With the lousy weather we had over the past few days it was time for me to put my thinking cap on and keep the crew productive. The cart barn appearance has been a source of irritation to yours truly for quite awhile and this year we did something about it. The pictures below tell the story better than I can but I will add that this was a team effort. Leading this particular team was Rich Camacho our equipment technician but the whole crew pitched in some way or another. I think this little project will give both members and guests a better first impression for some time to come.

The cart barn entrance as it has looked in the past.

Jay staining the podium while Rich starts construction on the trash can and divot mix bin.

Rich measuring for trim

The finished product. Now with a little power washing on the doors this area will look much better.

Rain at FHFC

2011-03-11T11:27:00.001-05:00

Great interview with Trevino from Geoff Shackleford.com

2011-03-10T09:50:00.002-05:00

Trevino: "But Herb and I have the greatest record of all. Twice, he and I have gone through a onesome."

Few days get any better than today's if you are a golf writer. The fine folks at the Champions Tour and Brenner-Zwikel brought Ian Baker-Finch, Tom Watson and Lee Trevino into the Toshiba Classic media center to talk about whatever us four scribblers present asked.

Watson and Baker-Finch were great as are most of the old geezers at the festive Toshiba, one of their favorite stops for good reason (fun old style course, well run event, great weather and even better location).

But it was Trevino, making one of only two Champions appearances this year, who reminded us that he's a national treasure. As you read this, try and imagine him in full Merry Mex storytelling mode and pretty much non-stop laughter from the four scribblers, because the transcript doesn't do his performance justice.

I asked about slow play and whether Trevino misses the five hour (plus!) rounds they are playing on thePGA Tour.

LEE TREVINO: They just won't do anything about that, you know. If you gave a 2‑shot penalty instead of $100 fine, they would speed up. You got to put the two shots on them. And they wouldn't do them. That two shots could cost four or $500,000.

If you are in second place, and you get a 2‑shot penalty for slow play and you end up 5th ‑‑ that kid, I was watching the AT&T at Pebble Beach. I don't remember who it was, did he double bogey? He double bogeyed 18. Marino. He was in second place. He ended up 5th.

And I looked it up. I showed it to my son. I said, this is what you got to do. He went crazy. He says, he hit a hell of a shot. He pulled the 5‑iron a little bit and it went in the water. It cost him $432,000 that double bogey. If he pars the hole he can't win, understand? But he could finish second by himself. It cost him $432,000, you see?
Slow play, the only way that you can fix slow play is you got to be consistent. When I went out on TOUR, when I went years ago, they gave you two shots automatic. Nicklaus got two shots right away, 1960 up at Portland. Joe Black gave it to him. I never forget it. He was slow playing. He said you got 2. He won it anyway. He still won. But he got 2. You got to do the two shots. They give you a fine. These guys are making $10 million a year. What the hell is a fine? You understand? I don't care if it's a $10,000 fine, that's not anything.

Q. But they put the group on the clock and it usually is one guy?

LEE TREVINO: They know who it is. Listen to me. These guys are professionals. Our officials are professionals. They know exactly who is playing slow. They know who it is. You don't have to put the 3‑some on the clock, you can go to the individual.

Every time I got ‑‑ you know how fast I am? And I get in a fast group, they would come to me and say listen, you are out of position. Come to me! I said go tell that SOB that slow plays in the group. But they would tell me. I'm a fast player. You got to go to two shots.

Our officials are professionals. Understand? Now whether they can do this or not, you have to understand that this TOUR is run by the board, the board of professional golfers. They are the ones that have to vote on this, to my knowledge. To my knowledge they would have to vote on that. And they are not going to.
And this is when the Commissioner should take over, if you want to go faster. You understand?

Of course, the Commissioner has said he doesn't believe that is necessary.

I guarantee you, after you give a couple of them, these guys will be running up No. 1. They will hit their driver. They will be jogging out there.They will be wearing Fred Couples shoes, those Eccos, where you could run and everything.

You got to go to the 2 shot. But our officials are professionals, all you have to do is tell them. They can't do it. They tried. They are out there. They are clocking everybody. They are working their buns off. You see them out there all the time. Their hands are tied to give the guy a 2‑shot, you know. They give them $100 fine, $200 fine. It's crazy.

That was like ‑‑ who was the crazy one that just died? Tommy Bolt. When you practice, you could only hit one ball on the green. Tommy would hit two or three, and one of the officials came up to him and said, ‘Tommy, you can't do that.’ Why not? ‘It's a $25 fine if you hit more than one ball on the green.’ He handed him $200, and he said, ‘Keep the change, I'm going to hit three more.’ That's the way it is. That's how crazy it is with an itty-bitty fine like that.

Randy Youngman asked about his back problems starting with getting struck by lightening.

LEE TREVINO: It ripped my back out. I had a disc removed. Then I had another problem with a nerve hitting a bone. I had a procedure which burns the nerves and I was okay.

Then I reinjured it in '03, and I couldn't do anything. I lost all of the compression of the disk in 3, 4. The nerve was actually trapped. And they found this apparatus called X Stop, it wasn't legal in this country. I went to Germany, to Cologne to have it done.

It's a little roller with wings, and it goes into your back. It's not attached to anything. It goings in between the little bones and it lifts up the vertebrae to where you get your space back.

I have 2 of them in. I've never had a spasm or my back hurt since '04. I had them put in in May of '04. I lift weights. I do everything. I can't run. They don't want me pounding.

But it was a miracle. This thing. It's called an X Stop. People that are interested in this, it's for spinal stenosis is what it is. When people start going down and they start losing compression in the back. The reason you see people leaning over all the time, they have no room, no space. When you they lean forward it opens it which relieves the pressure.As they try to straighten up, it closes and this is what pinches the nerve.

But they can Google this by going X Stop spacer.com. Very simple. They will tell you. Not everybody is a candidate for it. Bone density has a lot to do with it.

Q. Do you think all of your back problems were from lightning that day or hitting balls?

LEE TREVINO: Probably hitting balls and the lightning and stuff. It probably was. I ruptured the disk right after I got hit by lightning. I ruptured it picking up a pot. It wasn't that it just ruptured. I remember picking up a flower pot over in the corner and my wife wanted me to move it. So I go over and pick the damn thing up and I remember when I popped it. I remember when I did it.

I did the one in the neck, too. The 7 in the neck, I have a plate behind my throat, I have a small plate in there with 6 screws in it in my neck. I still have pretty good motion.

But I ruptured that one hitting balls. It popped also. I heard it, boom. And they went in through here and put a plate in behind my throat.

I'm a bionic man. I told my wife I was going to be cremated. I said, ‘When I die and they bring you the ashes you put your hand in the urn, if you don't get 2 rollers and a plate, Damn, they are not mine!’ That's what I told her. ‘You reach in those ashes, and if there is not 2 X Stop rollers in there and a plate with 6 screws, those are not my ashes.’ That's what I told her.

We were guffawing at his point...not that you could tell by the transcript. I asked about the 1986 Masters and where Trevino watched it from.

LEE TREVINO: Oh, when he won. We got completely inebriated at the Atlanta airport. We left Augusta to the airport. No, I drove. What the hell? I'm first off.

So when I finished, Jack hadn't teed off. My wife and I are driving to the airport. Jack is on 14. And then he eagles 15. And the airline, there was a bar across from the gate in Atlanta, and I am drinking double scotches. I mean I hit a wall when I went in that airport. And he won that tournament. Hold the plane, hold the plane. We are screaming at this guy to hold the plane. Everybody is watching. The airport is going nuts. My wife and I are there and I'm hitting it hard, I'm hitting it hard, come on, Jack. I'm hitting it hard.

He originally thought my question was about Jack's last Masters and finishing on the 9th hole Saturday.

What I was talking about, what a mistake Augusta made there. God, almighty. I begged him to go back. I begged him to go back one more year and so did Barbara, but he didn't For the greatest player that won that tournament six times, Augusta, he finishes on 9.

You can't do that. You are supposed to yank his ass out there and say, ‘You are going off the front. I don't give a damn if you are playing by yourself. You are going to finish on 18. You are going to take that walk. He never had a shot to take that walk. I couldn't believe it. I was absolutely dumbfounded.

I said, ‘What in the hell are they thinking about?’ He never got a chance to come up 18. He came up 9. Those people are not going to leave 18 to watch him walk 9. It was too bad.

'86, when he won that tournament, he had a putter that looked like a sailboat. That thing looked like a sailboat. It was made out of aluminum. That thing was light, too. It was big. Hell, my first car wasn't that big. He could putt with it, too. He could putt with anything. Jack, the way he stroked, his mannerisms of putting, he could put with a broom. It didn't make any difference what he putted with.

The subject of today's players and Tiger came up. Trevino brought up the lack of money games. Lee's chances of becoming a USGA spokesman died here.

LEE TREVINO: You can't find them anymore. Nobody plays for money anymore. Nobody plays for money. We played $5.00 yesterday, and I won all three ways and I never got paid. They never paid me. Nobody plays for money anymore. Those games are gone. We used to play $100, $200. Nobody plays.

And the reason – handicaps. Everybody has a handicap. It's not right. The handicap is not true. They turn in scores and get a handicap. You play, I'm a little bit better than you, what do you want? 2 a side? I will give you 2. You beat the guy. You give him 3. He might win, take it back to 2. That's the way you do it.

Now they want handicaps. I'm a 10, when the guy is really a 5. You can't beat him.

But if he is a true handicapper he can't win. He only gets 80 percent out of the 10best scores. He doesn't realize that. He think it's 100%. You take a 5, 6 handicapper, that's an 80 shooter. He thinks he is a 76, 75 shooter. When you turn in 20 scores they only take the best 10. Then you only get 80 percent of that.

So your handicap is not 100%. Me, in my club, I'm actually a plus 2. So now he is really dead because I get him on this side, and I got him on this side.

There is no more games. We play for nothing. I play with Herb Durham twice a week. He is 86. We play in a couple of hours. We have the record at Preston Trails. A guy by the name of Semens and I, we played an hour 38 minutes, 2 carts at 12 o'clock. This is how busy the course was. A day like this, noon we teed off, because they stopped serving lunch at 2, and we wanted to make sure we get the buffet. We teed off at noon. We finished at 1:38, and it was beautiful day like this. We teed off noon and didn't go through a group. We were the only twosome on the golf course.

But Herb and I have the greatest record of all. Twice, he and I have gone through a onesome.

And I believe it!

Finally, the tour's Dave Senko asked about Trevino's win at Shoal Creek, home of this year'sTradition. He specifically asked about the hat Trevino borrowed that week.

LEE TREVINO: I'm in the locker room, and I forgot my hat. My assistant, you remember, he was there with me. I said, go to the pro shop and buy me a hat. A little old man about 80. He had a hat on. He said, Mr. Trevino, use mine. It was beige. You could have deep fried a chicken with all of the oil on this hat.

Really. You could have deep fried something. This thing was oily. It was bad.

So I said, I'll take the hat. So I wore that hat and I won it.

If you see the film it has the little Shoal Creek thing on it. Usually when I finish some kid will say, Mr. Trevino, let me have your hat. And I am signing something, and I will go like this. S***, nobody asked me for this hat. So I'm still wearing the hat. Here it is 10 at night, I walk out of the pressroom, I have had at least 8 beers, and I walk out of there and there is a little lady standing at the edge of the fence there.

And she says Mr. Trevino? I said, yes. Could I have your hat? I said no, ma'am, a gentleman gave me this hat, it was a good luck charm and I am keeping it.

She said, that's why I asking you for the hat. That was my husband's. So I gave her the hat back. But nobody wanted it. It had enough oil in it to fry a chicken. I will tell you, it was unbelievable. Thank you.

No thank you!

Winter Damage

2011-03-03T18:30:00.000-05:00

The photo below shows turf that has suffered winter damage. This turf was taken from a small area on the 3rd green, scanned and then magnified (my eyes are not what they used to be!). From eye level the turf has a straw like appearance but under closer inspection there is some green tissue present which is encouraging. We have taken a plug from this area and will attempt to grow it out indoors. We previously grew out a plug from the sixth green that was more of a concern to us and it is fine. Time will tell on this area but it is small and will not effect play on the hole when we open.

Monday 2/28/2011 Course Conditions

2011-02-28T15:26:00.001-05:00

Battlin' Weevils

2011-02-28T14:50:00.001-05:00

In our never ending battle with the hyperodes weevil we have enlisted Dr. Chuck Silcox (No that"s not Pat Purcell). Dr. Silcox as installed a degree day monitor next to our 11th green to help us get a better idea on when to treat for this insect that feeds on Poa annua. I have posted in the past about these destructive turf insects and with the help of Dr. Silcox hopefully they won't be taking up too much space on here in the future. The degree day monitor tracks the daily temperatures and when used in conjunction with predictive models we will be able to better time our applications. Thanks Dr. Silcox!

The monitor is installed in the fescue area to the right of 11 green.

Dr. Silcox programming the degree day monitor.

Shop floor painting

2011-02-25T07:36:00.000-05:00

The staff is winding up the indoor work for the winter by painting our shop floor. The paint will help brighten up the shop and make it a safer environment for all who work here. The staff in the photo is applying a protective coating which will cure over the weekend. We will the start on the other side of the shop. When the painting is finished we will reorganize, clean, and be ready for the new season.

Snow Mold

2011-02-20T11:41:00.002-05:00

Site dedicated to the restoration work at Pinehurst #2

2011-02-15T10:58:00.001-05:00

This course looks totally different now. In my view a big improvement! Check it out.
Pinehurst #2

Frank Tichenor report to BOD of FHFC on Golf Industry Show

2011-02-13T21:36:00.004-05:00

Gentlemen

I recently attended the Golf Industry Show (GIS) in Orlando. The GIS brings together golf course superintendents, golf course owners, golf course builders, and golf course architects for their annual conference. This years show though not as large as some in the past was still full of educational and networking opportunities. I will outline some of these below.

"Hazardous Duty.....Basic Bunker Maintenance". Robert Randquist CGCS and current president of GCSAA. This class started off with an introduction of the basic issues and controversies regarding bunker maintenance. The class then discussed the historical significance and design strategies of golf course bunkering. Further discussion into golfers perceptions and expectations regarding bunker conditions was wide ranging and at time comical. The class then focused on the methods and costs for maintaining bunkers. Specifically the items that were discussed were the types of sand used in bunkers, depth of sand in bunkers, raking and grooming methods, packing and surface smoothing options, control of sand moisture content, addition of amendments, bunker edging, and overall bunker costs. The last part of the class dealt with solutions for problem bunkers such as recountouring slopes around orin bunkers, repairing or adding drainage lines or systems, and installing and maintaining bunker liners. Some of the take home points were how in general the costs associated with bunkers are mostly driven by more accomplished players. The fact that bunkers are hazards seems to be lost by today's players. The course will help me monitor bunker conditions and taught techniques to make adjustments when needed. A humorous story was shared by the instructor when he was the GCS at Southern Hills. His green chair at the time after listening to green committee members complaining at a green meeting about consistency in the bunkers told the GCS to go an level the base of the creek that runs through the course. The GCS and the committee members questioned him why and with a sly grin the green chair said that he wanted all of the hazards on the course to be consistent. The topic of consistency in hazards was never again brought up during the green chairmanship term!
"Data=Knowledge=Power: Data Collections and their uses for the Golf Course Superintendent" Darrin Batisky GCS. This class focused on the collection of data and what is useful to the course superintendent and decision makers at the club. Labor tracking, fertilizers, chemical applications, capital expenditures equipment repair etc were addressed and suggestions about what is useful and what isn't were given. Prior to taking this class we had begun setting up tracking software and by taking the class we will intensify our efforts on being ready to track data in the fiscal year 2012.
"Tools for Managing Economic Challenges: The IPM Planning Guide and Precision Turf Management" Wendy Gelernter, Ph.D. Larry Stowell Ph. D. This class was developed in conjunction with the golf drive towards sustainability program. The concept of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has been around for quite a few years but this particular program has been only recently developed. The goals of the program are to decrease the incidence of u anticipated turf quality problems, improve the superintendents ability to respond to unexpected problems, be environmentally proactive, develop IPM plans that a dress the unique nature of each golf course, and facilitate communications with co-workers, managers, and golfers regarding the rationale for IPM strategies, the timing and planning of management practices, and progress towards goals. The planning guide has several components to compile information for they are: goal setting, climate appraisal, management zone inventory, pest worksheet for each management zone, an IPM planner form for each management zone, budget worksheet, and quarterly update. Tools to precisely monitor management zones were discussed including soil moisture sensors that can help the superintendent reduce water use, reduce disease pressure, and optimize turf health. This class will help me set both short and long term goals regarding pesticide use reduction and alternative control solutions at FHFC. Not only will this class benefit the course environmentally it may also help reduce costs.
"Advanced Stress Management Strategies for Cool-Season Turfgrasses" Jack D. Fry Ph. D. Bingru Huang Ph. D. This all day seminar focused on basic turf physiology, environmental stresses, and the response to plant growth regulators and fertilizers. Topics included carbon metabolism and how it relates to photosynthesis and respiration. Responses to heat, freezing, and shade stresses. Other topics included drought, irrigation, and turf grass physiology. The section on water included water relations (water absorption and transpiration), turfgrass water use including environmental, plant, cultural factors influencing evapotranspiration, factors to consider when determining irrigation needs, and irrigation frequency management. The final section focused on fertilization responses and plant growth regulators. Obviously I have only touched on the lecture and the above items were discussed in-depth. This class though mostly a refresher course was a good one as I have observed the best turf managers stick with the basics.

The trade show while somewhat smaller this year did have some interesting products. My friends at DMI rolled out a prototype sprayer that potentially can cut chemical usage due to it's unique delivery system. PBI Gordon introduced a new insecticide that may help in my never ending battle with hyperodes weevil. One of the new products we are going to try is Envirohold a spray product that holds mulch in place which we will use to prevent mulch washouts around the clubhouse and in certain beds on the course.

One of the more enlightening experiences that I had was a dinner with Dr. Frank Rossi of Cornell University, Patrick O'Shea of Greenway Golf, and several superintendents including Jeff Carlson of Vineyard Golf Club in Massachusetts who was featured in a NY Times article this summer on organic golf courses. Dr Rossi has been working at Bethpage green course using alternative materials to lessen the environmental impact of the golf course while also reducing costs. As I mentioned previously the times they are changing. The dinner conversation focused on the future trends in golf and what golf may look like. All agreed that golfs drive towards sustainability is not just about the environment but it's economic impact also. It is quite apparent that the Augusta National look is not economically feasible and adjustments in golfers perceptions are needed. To the credit of FHFC the work that we have been doing with Dr. Murphy in the past has been a step in the right direction. I hope to bring Dr. Rossi in to assess FHFC in the spring and hopefully expand on our "drive to sustainability".

Once again I would like to thank the board for the support you have shown towards my continuing education. I am sure the money that has been spent on this will pay large dividends.

Sincerely,

Frank R. Tichenor

Golf Course Superintendent

Forest Hill Field Club

Mike Weber report to BOD of FHFC on Golf industry Show

2011-02-13T21:33:00.001-05:00

GCSAA Education Conference 2011

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend the GCSAA conference in Orlando, FL. It was a nice little break from the snowy, cold weather. I’m hoping to take some of the education and experience back to Forest Hill, as we are constantly trying to improve golf course conditions. This year, I attended seminars on solving drainage issues, incorporating some color on the golf course, and managing turfgrass traffic.

The drainage seminar was very informative. It was presented by Stephen Ami and John Kelly from Kelly Ami Inc. My focus was to try and improve conditions on some of our wetter fairways, mainly number 3 and 4. We discussed different types of drainage problems and remedies for all of them. Bunker drainage was also discussed, and I think this topic applies to one of our courses problems. Now that we have the equipment to do so, I’m looking forward to making some progress in some of these areas in the year to come.

The next day I took a class on annuals and perennials, and how to incorporate the plants into a golf course environment. Dean Bemis and Ken Harr put together a useful presentation on landscape design, maintenance, plant selection, color, and pruning. I thought FHFC could use a little more color and variety on the golf course, especially around some of the tee areas.

The last seminar involved problems associated with traffic, and how to prevent and manage these issues. Our good friend Dr. Murphy was the instructor, and he used some of Forest Hill’s latest and greatest innovations to demonstrate to the class how we manage our traffic on some of the cartpaths. Some of the topics I thought we could take back to FHFC are maintaining some of the traffic stresses we experienced around some of the collars. Also, the areas that get damaged on the entrances and exits of the cart paths are problems I would like to minimize this year.

Frank and I attended the trade show on Thursday. The trade show is always very rewarding in finding new products and ideas for the golf course. It did not disappoint, as Frank and I were able to attain some valuable information that will lead to some nice improvements on the course in 2011.

On top of the scheduled seminars and trade show, some social events were set up from some of the associations and suppliers throughout the industry. These events are always very important for me because I like to network with other superintendents, sales reps., and other people in the industry. The relationships that you establish with these people are significant, whether it’s gaining information about a certain product or piece of equipment, or just having a friend to turn to for advice.

My experience in Orlando was fantastic. It is invaluable for superintendents to keep up with the industry that seems to change every day. It is conferences and education like this that separate superintendents that are looking to just maintain their golf course, from the ones that are looking to improve their course every day. Frank and I have always had the same beliefs about constantly improving, and we wouldn’t be able to do it without the cooperation of the club. Thank you for the opportunity to attend the GCSAA education conference and I’m looking forward to a very successful 2011 at FHFC.

Honoring Tillie's First Design

2011-01-21T14:47:00.002-05:00

The Tillinghast association's page coinciding with the 100th anniversary of A.W. Tillinghast's first design.

http://www.tillinghast.net/Tillinghast/WELCOME_files/shawneebrochure1911.pdf

Trailer

2011-01-19T13:38:00.056-05:00

One of the questions that every superintendent in the Northeast is often asked is "what do you guys do in the winter?". Well I must admit that the work weeks are not like the usual 55-60 hours that are the norm in the middle of the summer but we are here and we are getting things accomplished. One of the things on the to do list every winter is to evaluate our operation and explore ways of making it more efficient. One of the items that we are looking to improve on is our bunker, tee, and green banks maintenance program. After discussing the problem with my two great assistants, Mike and Chris, we decided to go to a team approach when tackling these areas. However one of the problems with this approach was logistics. How do we get the equipment to each location without an army of utility vehicles crowding the area was one of the problems we had. An obvious solution was a trailer but they don't grow on trees and money being what it is we (the resourceful ones) decided to build our own out of some parts that we had and stock steel. I don't know if we would be the correct term as I had absolutely nothing to do with the construction and had some input on design but I will include myself anyway. The credit here needs to go to my aforementioned assistants, our spray technician Paul Haacker, and most of all our Equipment Technician Rich Camacho. For about $225 we now have a trailer that can move around all of the equipment needed to maintain these areas but also aerfiers for doing spot work, project materials, and many more when we think of them. On a side note I priced out a comparable trailer at over $1000. Trailer building is obviously not all we do in the winter and I will touch on some of items that we accomplished in a later post but I do want to assure you that we are not sitting around playing gin.

Laid out and being welded

Rich Camacho tacking down the deck

Finished product ready for work!

Golf: It's not just a game

2011-01-18T20:13:00.000-05:00

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaMR7bt85wI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Frank R.Tichenor
Sent from my iPad

Another self serving shameless plug!

2011-01-17T19:30:00.000-05:00

I promise this will be the last.

http://www.gcsaa.tv/view.php?id=341

Tim, thanks for the kind words.

2010-12-30T07:15:00.000-05:00

I thought you would enjoy this page in Golf Course Industry Magazine - December 2010: (null).

Frank R.Tichenor

Sent from my iPad

Old Photos

2010-12-27T13:19:00.001-05:00

A big thanks goes out to Kevin Farewell for unearthing these old photos of FHFC.

Note the Fescue on the mound off of the 12th tee

The bunkers on 13 are quite different today.

Note that a storm had come through earlier and took out all of the trees on the right side of 12.

A happy foursome on 18. Notice the use of fescue around the bunkers.

Another group on 18. Again notice the bunker edges.

Snow!

2010-12-27T10:53:00.001-05:00

Well this will put a delay on course projects. 27" of snow reported just a few towns over.

No carts today sledders only!

Looking out over the nursery green

Cleaning by the shop

Tree Work

2010-12-21T14:22:00.001-05:00

The crew has been busy the last week removing dead or dying trees. Most notable is the large oak next to the right bunker on the 16th hole. We were sorry to see it go but it had major disease issues and was no longer safe. The green committee will be meeting over the next few months and will develop a plan for this area.

The last weekend of greens

2010-12-10T11:05:00.000-05:00

This will be the last weekend that greens will be open for play. We planned on covering the fifth green this week but our snow mold spray application was delayed due to weather therefore the fifth green will also be available for play this weekend. I will post more on the subject of snow mold in the near future. We plan on topdressing the greens on Monday and "putting them to bed" for the winter.

It's 34 degrees, go enjoy your course!

2010-12-09T21:41:00.003-05:00

The high today was in the mid thirties with a breeze. Time to hang up the clubs for the season? Maybe but believe it or not it's a great time to enjoy the golf course and improve your scores. Now your probably saying "Wait Frank you just said it was in the mid thirties with a breeze!". Well I didn't say go out and play but there are things to do out on the course right now. The first is walk. No one around but you makes the golf course a great place to get away from the anxieties that the holiday season can bring. A brisk walk can be a very good thing for ones physical and mental health. Your companions on the walk may be the foxes, deer, or some ducks so basically it's you and nature in the middle of the metropolitan area. You, as a member, have this at your disposal and I strongly urge you to enjoy it. So now your probably saying "ok but how does this help my golf game?". First off a brisk walk is always going to help you keep more fit and that is pretty self explanatory in terms of helping your golf game but the big help at this time of year is it is a great time to study your course. This is one of my favorite times of the year to look at the course because of the sun angles. The lower angles of the sun tend bring out the nuances in the topography in the form of more shadowing and thus more contrast. These darker shadows magnify the brilliance of A.W.Tillinghast. Look at the fourth green around 2 in the afternoon. Study it. I guarantee you will make more putts on it next year. Look at the 17th fairway and you can see where you need to hit it to get extra yardage. Look at the subtle movements of the 16th green complex and you can see why people fall in love with the golden age architects. Look at how different sides of the 14th fairway around 125 yards out will effect your shot and I am sure you will pay more attention next year. My personal favorite is the 2nd green. There is so much going on with that green it boggles the mind. False front, subtle and not so subtle slopes, and of course the little cupping area in the back right that leaves many people walking off the green shaking their heads. Study all the rise and fall of the land and you will have a much better understanding of how to play your course. So yes it is cold outside and it is more comfortable indoors but a walk on the course at this time of year can be an eye opening enjoyable experience, an experience that I think you should try.
Frank R.Tichenor
Sent from my iPad

Frost Delays on Golf Courses: The Cold, Hard Facts

2010-12-07T07:58:00.000-05:00

Fairway aerified again

2010-11-30T10:38:00.001-05:00

Last month the fairways were aerified for the first time in many years. Budget constraints and lack of equipment made this task impossible. With the addition of the fairway aerifier that was acquired this year we have been able to aerify fairways for a second time this fall. The first go around we were cautious as the turf was not strong enough to handle this aggressive procedure. I am happy to say that the second time around we have been able to go deeper with the holes and tighter with the spacing. As the photo below shows the roots love the air space to grow in. These roots in the photo are the results of last months aerification. I expect the roots to continue to grow as long as the ground is not frozen. This will make for much healthier and sustainable fairways in the future.

greens aerification

2010-11-08T07:37:00.000-05:00

Imagine these footprints on a frost covered green

2010-11-06T09:41:00.000-04:00

The photo shows how many footprints a foursome can make just on one green. This is why we do not let players out when frost is present.

Undestanding Frost Delays

2010-11-06T09:35:00.000-04:00

Understanding Frost Delays

Presented by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

As winter starts to give way to spring-like temperatures, the desire to hit the golf course intensifies. It also signals a change in golf course management activities that can affect one's game and the conditions found on the course.

In many regions of the country, golfers occasionally face frost delays in the spring, thus pushing back starting tee times. When frost is present golf course superintendents delay play until the frost has melted. This is done to prevent damage that affects the quality of the playing surface and could potentially be very expensive to repair.

Frost is basically frozen dew that has crystallized on the grass, making it hard and brittle. A grass blade is actually 90 percent water, therefore it also freezes. Because of the short mowing height (sometimes as low as 1/8 inch) and fragile nature of the turf, putting greens are most affected by frost. Walking on frost-covered greens causes the plant to break and cell walls to rupture, thereby losing its ability to function normally. When the membrane is broken, much like an egg, it cannot be put back together.

Golfers who ignore frost delays will not see immediate damage. The proof generally comes 48-72 hours later as the plant leaves turn brown and die. The result is a thinning of the putting surface and a weakening of the plant. The greens in turn become more susceptible to disease and weeds. While it may not appear to be much of an issue if a foursome begins play early on frost covered greens, consider the number of footprints that may occur on any given hole by one person is approximately 60. Multiply that by 18 holes with an average of 200 rounds per day and the result is 216,000 footprints on greens in a day or 6,480,000 in a month.

As golf enthusiasts superintendents do not like to delay play, but they are more concerned about turf damage and the quality if conditions for the golfer. Frost also creates a hardship on a golf facility's staff as all course preparations are put to a halt until thawing occurs. Golf carts can cause considerable damage, therefore personnel cannot maneuver around the course to mow, change cup positions, collect range balls, etc.

One technique employed to reduce possible frost damage is to raise the cutting height of mowers to create a hardier surface. It may also be possible to reroute play to holes where the frost melts more quickly. But regardless of these methods, the best medicine is for all to understand the hows and whys of the delay and in turn gain a greater appreciation for the golf course. It would also be wise to give the course a phone call before heading out to play to see if tee times have been pushed back due to frost.

For more information regarding golf course maintenance and etiquette, contact your local superintendent or the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America at 800/472-7878 or www.gcsaa.org.

Key points:

• Frost is basically frozen dew that has crystallized on the grass, making it hard and brittle. A grass blade is actually 90 percent water, therefore it also freezes.

• Walking on frost-covered greens causes the plant to break and cell walls to rupture, thereby losing its ability to function normally.

• When damaged, the putting surface weakens and becomes more susceptible to disease and weeds.

• One foursome can leave several hundred footprints on each green, causing extensive damage.

• A short delay while the frost melts can preserve the quality of the greens and prevent needless repairs.

a picture for you

2010-11-05T13:00:00.001-04:00

Mike Weber took some nice photos of the course the other morning. To see
more of Mike's work stop at the reception desk and check out the photos on
the digital picture frame.
You have been sent 1 picture.

PB022172.JPG

These pictures were sent with Picasa, from Google.
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a picture for you

2010-11-05T13:00:00.000-04:00

And another one from Mr. Weber
You have been sent 1 picture.

PB022253.JPG

These pictures were sent with Picasa, from Google.
Try it out here: http://picasa.google.com/

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T13:52:00.000-04:00

USGA Article on the stimpmeter

2010-10-29T17:16:00.000-04:00

Pretty good article on the stimpmeter. Played nine with two members today who are always asking about stimp readings, Rob Keller and Phil Privitere, (Just kidding guys!). I love the part in this article when they talk about the GCS who has his stimpmeter in a five gallon bucket filled with concrete in his office. The article does explain why stimp readings can be both good and bad and why greens at times need to be slower.
Stimpmeter Article

Greens aerification

2010-10-28T18:13:00.001-04:00

We will be aerifying greens on November 8th. We will have 9 holes closed on the 9th for part of or all day depending how the process moves along. We thank you for your cooperation while we perform this vital agronomic practice.

Fairway aerification

2010-10-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

Its Thursday morning and the aerifier is going out to do the 15th fairway and that will be it for this round of fairway aerification. A little over three days and we have finished all the fairways with out disrupting play while doing it in house. When I said in a previous post this machine will be paying dividends for years to come I wasn't exaggerating. Considering that the fairways were contracted out in the past at a cost of $220 per acre plus transportation costs we performed over $5000 of work in the last 3 days. Next week we will start the rough which has never been done before and with that acreage being more than twice that of the fairways you can see the savings starting to add up. I have to say that the Toro 1298 is the Rolls Royce of large area aerifiers. That's if you are into aerifiers.

2010-10-24T18:25:00.000-04:00

Another innovative superintendent.

http://pasatiempogolfclubmaintenance.blogspot.com/2010/10/way-to-goat.html

Frank R.Tichenor
Sent from my iPad

Fairway Aerification

2010-10-22T14:12:00.000-04:00

Mike Weber aerfying the 10th Fairway. This machine is awesome and will be paying dividends for many years to come. BTW Mike is pretty awesome too!