Fall Update 11/20
- Michael Curtin
- Nov 20, 2024
- 4 min read
It has been a very busy fall for the agronomy team especially with the added pressures of dealing with the drought. Ipswich is currently in D2(Severe Drought)and was predicted to go to D3(Extreme Drought) this Thursday, Nov. 21 when the drought map is updated if the predicted rain did not happen.
Usually in October and November the agronomy team can shift their focus away from moisture management as mother nature usually supplies what is needed or even an excess of what is needed. This October and November a good portion of the agronomy team's time has been spent watering and hydrating the soil. Much of last week was spent hydrating the soil in preparation for irrigation blowout.
Irrigation Blowout:
To blow out the system at Ipswich we need a very large 1600 CFM compressor. Tracking one down and securing one isn't easy. If you wait too long all the large compressors in the area head up north to ski country for snow making. We were able to push our blowout back to Nov. 15th and will receive some timely rain.
A short video of blowout:
Opened pond valve to help drain system:
Leaf Cleanup:
Another fall task is leaf removal. The team has been working hard at this 7 days a week. We have been faced with two challenges. The dry conditions and windy days are blowing leaves out of the woods and back onto the golf course. The other challenge is the landscape company that maintains the houses has not cleaned up the backwards of the properties yet. Leaves from the homeowners properties are constantly blowing onto the golf course. We have started to win the battle with leaves and the golf course becomes cleaner with each passing day. Some days it is simply too windy to make any progress despite our best efforts. Below is a video of the 2nd green approximately 5 minutes after it was cleaned of leaves.
Winter Applications:
Another crucial task the agronomy team has started recently is our annual winter applications to playing surfaces. These applications are extremely important as they provide protection to the vulnerable turf grass from fungal diseases, often referred to as snow mold, that are prone to form during winter conditions. All greens, tees, and fairways will receive a application for snow mold protection in the coming weeks. On days we are spraying there may be additional restrictions, such as cart path only, to help ensure the efficacy of the application. So far all tees and most of the front nine fairways have been sprayed.
Last Cut:
Playing surfaces have been cut for the last time this season. At this point in the year the focus for the agronomy team is ensuring greens are in the best shape for the coming winter and next season. Part of this involves allowing them to grow a little longer then they are maintained during the rest of the golf season. You can think of the leaf blades as acting basically like solar panels. Larger solar panels mean more energy can be collected and stored for later use. Same idea essentially applies in the case of turf grass as we look towards preparing the course to weather the winter months. So please keep in mind that slower green speeds now are the result of helping to protect the greens in the coming months. This little sacrifice now can play big dividends come the spring of 2025.
4th Hole Work:
Work has continued behind the 4th green where a few ornamental mulch beds were removed. Our spray technician Jim Kindler has been busy cleaning out and hauling loam to these areas during frosty mornings. At this point most of the previous mulch beds have been prepped and seeded. We will revisit these spots in the spring once growing conditions resume and reseed where necessary. While working in the area we took the opportunity to redo some of the signage in the area.
The two hardwoods that were left after the recent tree removals on the left of 4 have also been pruned of sucker growth and deadwood. The stumps left from the four removed pines will be ground in the coming weeks.
The next project work the agronomy team will focus on is the sodding of the area by the 1st hole gold/blue tee that was previously prepped. This work is on hold until the team finishes our snow mold applications and course leaf cleanup.
Range Net:
The right side of the driving range net has been replaced. Thank you to the membership for their patience with the range closure when this work was being performed.
Other Work:
In preparation for blowout all of the mainline shutoff valves for the irrigation system were found and repainted the covers a bright orange. These valves allow us to isolate sections of the miles of irrigation mainline that run underground. We have roughly twenty of these valves scattered across the course in addition to hundreds of smaller isolation valves that only shut off water to individual fairway/rough laterals or green/tee loops.
We are currently searching for replacement drain covers that fit our fairway drainage basins. The covers previously used have been discontinued and the supposed replacements do not fit properly. What should be a relatively simple task has turned into a much larger hassle then would be expected. Our hope is to find a suitable cover in the coming weeks or modify a cover and start replacing the broken covers over the winter months. Currently, Marcelo and Juan are busy edging all of the covers to ensure good water flow into the drains during freeze/thaw cycles this winter.
The well to the left of the 6th tee was tested this week and is operational. The new lengths of pipe still need to be run the 1440 ft. through the woods from the well head to the 5th pond. The agronomy team will be completing this task in the near future. This additional well will be very useful for managing the irrigation pond levels next season. Thank you to Maher Well Company and Phil of All Service Electric for all the work that went into getting this abandoned well working again. Below is a video of the well being tested on Wednesday.
Wildlife:
Barred Owl hanging out:
This buck is not a fan of the new range net, no holes for him to go through: