Thankfully the excessively wet conditions of May gave way to a little more seasonal June precipitation and temperatures. What we did experience were stretches of dry conditions punctuated by heavy rain events that resulted in situations like the picture below:
Clogged Drain Basin 4E June 21, 2022
In this instance, about 1.25” of rain resulted in a golf course that was thoroughly soaked but with high winds and relatively low humidity the course firmed up nicely-particularly in areas where we have added drainage these past few years. Areas that would remain wet for weeks now only take a few days to become firm again. A golf course’s drainage work is never done and at Nemadji in particular this is especially the case.
One process that we are particularly excited about is Dryject aerification which we performed on June 7 on all of the older, original native soil greens on the golf course. This process is far more effective than conventional core aerifiying on these greens as it helps us to penetrate the terrible layering issue 4” under the surface which was discussed in greater detail last year. We are getting penetration into the greens of up to 6” and combined with the deep tine aeration of 8” depth that we have performed and will be performing again in the late Fall, really assists in drainage, deeper rooting, and gas exchange on these old, terrible soils. I also believe that this increased drainage is particularly helpful in removing surface water from greens late in the season which in turn enhances winter survivability. Winterkill in its various forms is the worst and anything that we can do to minimize the risk is well worth taking. An added bonus of the DryJect procedure as well is that the surface disruption caused is not nearly as bad as with conventional aerifying. Indeed, greens were back and playable in a fraction of the time that it might normally take. This is a big deal and makes me want to continue this work into the future.
1 North Green 6-7-2022-Note Yellow Sand showing aerification depth
On the topic of disruption, I am pleased to report that after two years of repairing well over a hundred and forty irrigation issues, on this third year the work does not seem as daunting as it has been in the past two years. As it stands now, we have made 25 repairs which, while not normal, is an improvement from the previous years-though this may be due to the fact that we are not leaning as hard into the system due to having more rain this year. Even so, we still have situations like the one below:
Behind 18W Green June 9, 2022
This “water bed” measured about 5 yards in diameter and while the repair was readily made by capable irrigation tech George Bibeau and company, it was, as always messy and taking our efforts away from other areas of the golf course that require attention. Much work goes into making Nemadji the best it can within our means and your understanding of this is important to us. Also important to all of us is proper care and respect of the golf course.
Par 3 Course June 8, 2022
While probably not the best picture in the world, the players here created two large, bare patches on the 1st Par 3 tee. These scars will remain here for the remainder of the season. If you are going to the Par 3, hitting a few balls to the green is okay but please refrain from hitting 40, 50, or even sixty shots into the green(unless you bring your own mat like one, considerate customer does). Save that sort of work for the practice tee. And if you are hitting multiple shots, make your divots in a linear pattern like the picture below as opposed to making a 3 foot across hole.
Better way to make divots
One final note I would like to make is concerning garbage in the parking lot. We have garbage cans throughout the property that can be used and leaving crushed beer cans, plastic bottles, and other garbage on the lot is just bad form. We take pride in the golf course and we can all make the golf course so much better if we all showed the same degree of care in the property. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Bentley found Kwik Trip Pizza Box in Parking Lot 6-30-2022
See you on the golf course.