#18 Smile Drain Installation

This week we added a smile drain to the front left side of #18 green to address the pooling of water and to alleviate the weak turfgrass conditions that are the result of it.  We also raised and leveled the pair of irrigation sprinklers and quick coupler within close proximity to the project location.

Gypsum Application

With spring approaching, the window of opportunity for natural moisture to aid in the flushing of salt (mainly sodium, Na+) build up in the soils is quickly closing.  Spring in Southern California means the end of the "rainy season" and prelude to the summer heat.  With rain scheduled for Thursday evening through Saturday morning we are going to take advantage of the opportunity to complete one of our gypsum applications.  Please do not fret, the small pebbles seen on the fairway post application are not rocks and will not damage your club.  The particle will quickly soften and "melt down" with moisture and should not be noticeable within a few days.  Applying Gypsum (CaSO4) is a standard practice of applying Calcium to the soil at most golf facilities located in the southwest region of the country.  Typically multiple applications are required due to the slow breakdown of the product within the soil.  A high percentage of Calcium is not readily available and I consider this as a chronic management technique (gradual/slow, long term/long haul treatment) for addressing a sodium related soil issue.  It is one of many techniques utilized within our management system.

Smile Away the Black Layer

Surface water removal is critical to healthy turfgrass.  Subsurface water removal is equally important.  As mentioned in a previous post, several of the greens here at Champions lack adequate positive surface drainage due to poor finish shaping, poor design, and/or damming of the collars.  This spring we will address these problem areas by removing the turf, installing smile drains at the point of intersection of greens mix/greens barrier/native soil, and correcting the grade where applicable.  A smile drain is a perforated, flexible drain pipe that provides an avenue for water captured at the low point to escape the green's cavity before creating anaerobic conditions.  When trapped the water occupies pore space in the profile depleting the space of oxygen and thus suffocating root systems.  The result is referred to as black layer and will be identifiable on the surface by the symptom of thinning turf.  The priorities this spring will be the greens on Holes #10, 18, 14, and 3.  Below are some photos of the project completed on #10 green:

   

Fairway Slicing

The recent rains have softened the soil surface enough to utilize our tractor mounted Toro 686 3-point slicer/aerifier on the fairways.  The planned solid tine aerification with the Weideman has been postponed to a later date due to a mechanical breakdown.  Fortunately, we can and will press forward with the schedule of slicing two fairways a day until all of them have been addressed.  We are presently able to achieve our goal of a penetration depth of 3"-5".  I'm curious to see how long the knives hold up working our soils.   For playability purposes and to offset turf tufting on the dormant bermuda we are utilizing the pair of rollers from a 3-point mounted flail mower (with blades raised) to smooth surface behind the slicer.

Manny slicing #18 fairway on a cool February morning.

Slicing practice in action.

Flail unit utilized for rolling purposes only.

 

Poor Design and Construction

The photos illustrate areas on the greens at Champions Club at the Retreat that require future drainage work.  The California style greens constructed lack the 4" gravel blanket layer that exists above the drainage channels and below the 12" of sand medium typical of a USGA method of constructruction.  A common failure in present design and construction is the "bowling" of greens, damming at the green/collar interface,  and the limited number of exit points for surface water movement.  In the coming months, we will be addressing some of these "bowls", collar dams, and lack of sub-surface drains to promote healthier turf at the surface exit points.

Cart Path Vegetation Trimming

Winter work or so it is referred to in the business are tasks completed when the turfgrass is not actively in full growth mode.  Dormancy and limited turf growth allow for man hours to be utilized on projects that would typically take lower priority during the growing season.  A project underway this winter has been the thinning, pruning, and cutting back of vegetation that lines and encroaches into the cart paths.  Removing volunteer trees that pose future damage to limited access cart paths is a prime example.  Many miles of cart path exist at this facility and we have presently completed 40% of our predetermined goal.

Raising/Leveling Irrigation Heads

Proper installation depth and adequate trajectory are important for efficient sprinkler head performance.  Sprinkler heads with 3" risers cannot function properly if set or positioned 4"-5" below grade.  Factory specified performance (trajectory, radius, distribution uniformity) when applying water will be negatively impacted.  In addition, the existence of considerably below grade sprinkler canisters can pose hazards for golfers and workers alike.  With a large portion of our turf dormant in the cool season months we have ramped up our focus on raising and leveling priority sprinklers.
 

Poor grade impacting trajectory and required radius.
Applying water short of intended target.

Very low fairway/rough pair of heads.

Proper leveling and grade.