A Tip of the Hat

At 6pm, on Monday the 15th, Meadowbrook received a whopping 1.25" in a 30 minute span.  Periodic rains through the rest of the night brought the total rainfall to the Northville area up to 1.7".  July has already been a wet month, with the total precipitation recorded by the MCC weather station at just under 3".  90 degree weather and high humidity has also set in, skyrocketing disease pressure and increasing the chances of losing grass in completely saturated areas (we're looking at you, bottom of 12 fairway).  The following are some of the tasks that the crew will complete today to keep the course playable and the turf alive:

• Repairing Bunkers- During a heavy rainfall, bunker sand on the flashings and sides will wash down into the middle of the hazard.  The only solution for this is manually shoveling or pushing the sand back on to the sides.  With the heat and humidity, this already labor intensive process becomes even more unpleasant. 
• Removing Standing Water- Water remaining on the surface can suffocate turf if left unchecked.  These saturated soil conditions can also lead to infection by two of the most devastating fungal diseases; Pythium and Anthracnose.  The crew will use multiple tactics to be rid of this water such as pumps, probing for drainage lines (gives the water a clear path to the drainage line and off the surface) and roller squeegees.  The crew member assigned to this job rarely escapes with dry feet. 
• Needle Tining Greens- Because of the saturated conditions, black layer has been observed on the putter.  Black layer, as the name suggests, is a layer through the rootzone that has stayed saturated for an extended period of time.  Aerobic respiration byproducts include carbon dioxide and water.  However, without the presence of oxygen, the anaerobic bacteria that inhabit this layer produce hydrogen sulfide (H2S as opposed to H20).  Hydrogen sulfide is a toxin more poisonous than hydrogen cyanide and is thought to be an attributing factor to the decline of turf in the area.  Also, black layer prevents the percolation of water through the rootzone, leaving greens soft and slow.  Needle tining (smaller aerification holes) is utilized to reintroduce oxygen back into this layer, hopefully decreasing the amount of sulfur reduction in the soil (sulfur reducing bacteria are extremely sensitive to even trace amounts of oxygen).  To be on the safe side, the crew will perform this practice to all the greens. 
• Walk Mowing Greens- While this is done everyday it becomes even more important when conditions are soft.  The lightweight mowers minimize the chances of scalping the greens.  The only reason it is mentioned now is that the average green set requires the crew member to walk about 4 miles...in already 80 degree heat and 80% humidity. 
• Additional Spray Applications- Because of the increase in disease pressure, an additional spray application will be made on greens to combat the conditions. 

A tip of the hat to the crew is in order.  Battling heat, humidity and play, the crew has kept the course playable and in good shape.  We encourage the members to play but stay hydrated and use caution when carts are again allowed on the course.  Enjoy.