#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: