Rain, Rain, Go Away... Come Back When You Are Needed

With 6" of rain over the past 3 days and 12"+ over the past 2 weeks, I am not very excited to see this radar image.

The Grass IS Greener

This week the clubhouse lawn got a facelift. New sod was laid to freshen the look of the area. Excess sod left over from the project was used to extend the left tee on #5 back to the cartpath as well as to improve the collar along the right side of 18 green. 

   New sod at clubhouse

   New sod extending the left tee on 5

   Grounds crew preparing for sod on 18

Drainage Update

Earlier this summer the grounds department at Isla installed almost 4000 feet of drain lines. The locations targeted some of the worst draining areas on the golf course that would often hold standing water for days following rain events. Of course, this year Isla experienced one of the driest summers in years! It's difficult to evaluate the success of a drainage project without rain. This past week the drainage finally got its test. Over a few days we received just under 6" of rainfall. The results were encouraging. We were under cart path only restrictions on Saturday following 2.75" of rainfall experienced on Friday. However, the areas with newly installed drainage were in much better condition than many other areas on the course, and by Sunday the restrictions were lifted. No standing water was found in the newly drained areas but puddles could be found elsewhere. After seeing the positive results, talks have already started about future drainage projects.

   Area on #16 without drainage

   Area on 16 with newly added drainage

   Area on 14 prior to drainage installation

   Same area on 14 after drainage installation 

Not More Holes?!?

You may notice over the next few days that we have punched more aerification holes in select locations. Yes, our last major aerification was two weeks ago but as part of our ongoing maintenance program we continue to focus on key areas that will benefit from additional aerification. Most of these locations are areas that receive heavy cart traffic resulting in compacted soils. Aerification of these areas promotes stronger plants to better withstand traffic. Other key areas receiving supplemental aerification are some of the sandier spots with poorer soil quality. Following the aerification of these areas, an organic fertilizer will be applied to improve soil structure and water retaining ability as well as important nutrients for the grass.

Disruption of the golf course should be minimal and only be noticeable for a few days.

Before and After

Just a quick update to show you the recovery progress from aerification. While things are not back to 100% they are well on their way. The pictures below do a great job showing how far things have recovered in the past week. 

    #13 Green 9/5/14

    #13 Green 9/12/14

    #9 Fairway 9/5/14

    #9 Fairway 9/12/14

Brown = Green

Last week was a busy week for the Isla Del Sol grounds maintenance department. The course was closed September 2nd thru 5th to allow for the 2nd and final Aerification of the year. During the closure the greens were aggressively aerified along with tees and walk-up areas to tees and greens. Tees and fairways were verticut to remove thatch and stems. Much of the course has a brown tint to it resulting from the aggressive cultural practices performed. Unfortunately, these practices are a necessary evil required to provide healthy grass and a beautiful golf course the remainder of the year.

This link refers to an USGA article explaining the processes involved. Brown Now Will Bring In The New Green

Click on the following link to watch a video of the Isla Del Sol grounds crew in action aerifying greens.  Watch The Crew in Action

In the video you will see the following steps performed:
1- 1st coat of sand applied to the greens
2- 2nd coat of sand applied to the greens
3- 1st direction of aerification. The holes being punched are 5/8" in diameter spaced every 2"x 2". The cores are dragged to the edge of the green leaving the sand behind.
4- 2nd direction of aerification
5- Blowers are used to redistribute the sand and work it into the open holes. The sand helps to maintain hole integrity allowing for long-term benefits of aeration.
6- The greens are really soft and bumpy following the significant aeration work performed. A large roller is used to help smooth the surface.

Finished Product

Please be patient while the greens recover. As you can see they have been through a lot! Ultimately, they will be better for having gone through the process and will soon return to the same beautiful greens we have become accustomed to here at Isla.

Fairway After Being Verticut

18 Tee and Walk-up to 17 Green Following Aefification