Green/Blue on the course

The next time you play hole 1, you might not notice the new fence as much.  Skip and Russ painted 1/2 of it green today.  We have to order in additional paint and will finish it next week.  We intend to place some vining type plants on the track side of the fence to soften it further before fall.

We will be installing a new bed on the left side of 13 blue tee to provide some buffer between the tee and 15 green.  It is not intended to be a wall but will help in breaking up the open space.  It will be slightly raised and will be of the more permanent plant variety, shrubs, grasses and a smaller tree..  A little mulch each season and some minor pruning is all that will be needed for this bed.

Becky sprayed out the area with Roundup and some selective grass and weed killer.  Some dye was used to help identify the area.

Dye to outline the kidney bean shaped bed.

Needle tining Greens June 2014

Video below discussing needle tining of greens here at Glen Echo this month.  Goals of the program include but not limited to the following:

• Exchange gas.  Good oxygen getting into soil with excess CO2 Carbon dioxide which can build up in soil.
• Improve water penetration in dry areas of the greens and dry out wet areas of the greens.
• Should improve rooting or at least stabilize rooting until additional heat sets in during July.

Needle tining should create little if any effect on ball roll.  Of course if we would not do this, we could have dead greens which could initially improve ball roll and then negatively effect ball roll and yours truly's job security.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.  After leaving from work this morning and a quick trip to mom's, my afternoon will probably be spent on the couch watching the US Open mixed with some World Cup and a nap or two.  Four more days of 3:45 wake ups with the Left Handed Golf Association Tournament this week.  Have a great Father's Day!!

Invitational Info

Will get everything for most part mowed today except fairways and intermediate.

Mowed greens last night and will double roll this morning.

Friday evenings activities are open to all members.  Dinner will be outside with a great menu planned, Drinks included. Spouses and significant others of players are included in the tournament package. Non participating members, the all inclusive charge is $75.00 per person.  If you are a non playing member and would like to attend, please contact the staff and make a reservation. .

Also, with the change in the Saturday night program, the staff are trying to determine the number if people staying for the Ala Carte dinner planned that evening.  Please let the staff know at sign -in today. The Awards Ceremony is being planned for an hour after the completion of the shoot out. Appetizers and cocktails will be available before the ceremony.

Also, Thursday's practice round shoot out will be out on the course this year at holes 9, 3 where food station will be set up, 12, 13,14.  Beverage carts will be out  in force.

Course is still wet. Especially fairways. Hope to mow this evening or by Friday morning if wet weather stays away.

Have a great 3 days!

Course update for Member/Guest

The staff have been working tirelessly over the last 12 months in preparation for this yearly event.  Of course , this does not take our focus away from the rest of the golf calendar that is played before and after the event but The Invitational is considered by most to be the premier event at the club.  Our desire is to provide the best conditioned course that we can provide for our members and guests throughout the year

A little sampling of what has taken place on the course over the last 12 months in the lead up to this event.

• Over 20,000 hrs of labor have been used to maintain the property.
• Over 9,000 acres of grass has been mowed.
• All surfaces have been aerated with greens 6 times. 
• At least 6,000,000 steps have been taken to walk mow greens.
•  90 yards of mulch spread.
• Over 8,000 gals of fuel with almost equal amounts of Diesel and Unleaded.
• Almost 200 tons of sand have been used on greens and tee surfaces.
• Over 4,000 plants grown in greenhouse.
• A dizzying number of circles have been made around trees keeping them trimmed.
• Over 3,500 holes have been made and moved on our greens changing hole locations during the year. 
• 229 blogs posted.

The weather over the last few days is hampering our efforts to provide a completely mowed and trimmed property. I'm hoping the soil has drained enough by maybe Wednesday evening or Thursday so we can do more than just cut and roll greens which is all the mowing that we've accomplished

The turf's growth has slowed a little with the lack of sunshine which is helping us.  Luckily, I have not applied the light rough fertilization that I normally apply in June..

Trashing the turf with mud trails everywhere will not occur for the sake of mowing. No doubt we want the best conditions possible but not at the expense of large scale damage which we would then have to face for the rest of the season.

You can be assured we will work in the dark overnight if the course has dried enough to allow for mowing.

Daily diary of US Open Course Supt

For an Interesting viewpoint, check out a two week diary of Pinehurst #2 course superintendent Kevin Robinson.  Kevin, his staff and an army of volunteers are   undertaking the massive task to provide maintenance on an unprecedented scale of double national professional golf championships.

http://www.pinehurst.com/news/groupings-starting-times-2014-u-s-open/

Blog Mention by USGA: Mid-Continent

Nice mention about the course blog from the USGA and James Moore who has worked in the Green Section for many years.

USGA: Mid-Continent