Winter Update - Dec. 20

Currently, snow is falling and will be followed by some colder temperatures. When the snow does melt please remember the temporary course is open at 10:30am daily for walkers only. The temporary holes are 1,6,7,8,9,10, and 18. Temporary tees are set at the beginning of each fairway. Please do not play from the regulation tees. The short game greens and short game tee will open daily at 10:30 am all winter long. Please remember only the short game greens are open and both practice greens are closed.

With the large amount of rainfall we have experienced over the past couple of weeks coupled with temperature fluctuations the agronomy team sprayed another winter protective application to greens. Moisture is one of the contributing factors to fungicide breakdown over the winter. This application will go a long way in ensuring we get through the winter without any fungal issues.

Every winter the subject of turf covers come up. I have recently been asked by a few new members why we don't cover greens. This topic seems to come up every season at this time. The first reason is the greens at Ipswich are basically 95% bentgrass. A lot of time and resources are spent each season trying to manage this bentgrass population and keep less desirable poa annua (annual bluegrass) from encroaching. Utilizing green covers could lead to a higher population of poa annual (annual bluegrass) which is something that the agronomy team doesn't want for a variety of reasons.

I also strongly believe the use of permeable turf covers leads to an increase in winter injury especially with the type of winters that we have been experiencing over the past couple of year's. I will not go into the science behind this, but in summary there is no situation currently where a green at Ipswich would benefit from a turf cover. If such a situation would arise we would utilize a turf cover.

I have also been asked about the sections of turf we remove leading off the greens in a number of areas and into the approaches. This is done to help facilitate the movement of water off the greens in thaw cycles especially when the ground is frozen. This helps in the prevention of ice formation on the greens. Basically the more standing water we can get to move off the greens by itself the better. Below is a video of one of these "drains" working during a recent melt period.

In certain bowl areas we cut a large cup and remove the greens mix down to the the drainage stone below. Even in extremely cold temperatures the pea stone below still allows water through and allows these areas that collect water to drain. It also gives the agronomy team an area to squeegee water to if needed.

The range tee was recently topdressed with a very heavy layer of sand prior to a rain event. The rain washed the sand in nicely. More sand applications will occur over the course of the winter if weather allows. This is being done in an effort to get the range surface to play more like our fairways as the range tee continues to mature.

In periods when the ground is not frozen the team is always and constantly working on irrigation. Irrigation work continues throughout the winter when conditions allow. Below is an image of irrigation technician Marcelo and crewmember Juan replacing a quick coupler valve that was leaking slightly towards the end of the season. This particular quick coupler is attached to the irrigation main line itself which makes isolating it for repairs more difficult. For most irrigation heads/quick couplers you simply need to close a single gate valve to isolate it from the rest of the pressurized system. Replacing the below quick coupler during the season when the system is pressurized would have required us to cut off water to the entire 10th and 11th holes. With the irrigation system blown out until the spring periods like this are great times for such repairs.

Irrigation tech Marcelo Barrios working with Juan DeLeon replacing a quick coupler

We have also been busy working on plumbing in the well by the 6th tee into the 5th irrigation pond. A trail through the woods was cut for the pipe, the old pipe that was in this area was removed and disposed of, and we are in the process of plumbing in the new pipe. Once the pipe is all connected we will be lowering it and painting the pipe in some areas so it will be less visible to homeowners in the area and members playing the course.

Agronomy team cementing pipe for well on 6

The 4th pond was recently fully cleared around. This was on the long range plan, but was moved up in priority due to recent beaver activity in this pond. The beavers had taken down a number of small trees and was starting to make the area unsightly. Per request of the HOA we cleared the pond. This work will also benefit the golfer for a shot right of the 4th green and will make it easier to identify if your ball is in or out of the hazard. The beavers also started making a winter feed bed around the aerators in the pond which the agronomy team removed with the aid of our canoe. This work also improves the appearance as you come into the club and provides a nicer visual to the recent work done behind the 4th green. The brush will all be chipped when we do our late winter/early spring chipping work to the golf course.

While working on the 4th pond I noticed that feeding of the waterfowl was occurring. This is very detrimental to the ducks. Feeding waterfowl in the winter will disrupt their natural foraging behavior, lead to poor nutrition which could affect spring egg production, increases the risk of disease spread, and delay their migration patterns which ultimately harms their health and well being. Waterfowl are better off finding their own natural food sources during the colder winter months.

The team also cut down an area behind the 6th green and cleaned that area out. This was done to make way for a spring seeding of wildflowers in an effort to create a pollinator area and continue our efforts as part of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program.

During the golf season members would often tell us about missing or damaged drain covers in the fairways which we have wanted to replace. As mentioned in a previous blog post finding replacement covers turned into a bit of a wild goose chase. The original covers used during the drainage install have been discontinued and the supposed replacements did not fit our drain basins. Thankfully after trying out a wide number of different covers we have found one that actually fits. We will be ordering a large number of these covers to replace the missing and damaged ones across the course.