Fall 2012

Now that Fall has returned to Georgia, the weather is providing some beautiful playing conditions and soon, some amazing views of the golf course.  These past two months gave us many quality tournaments at the club and many of you rose to the occasion to claim your new crown in many of these events. 

As we continue towards Fall and Winter we will be posting our plans for our yearly projects we perform during this time.  Stay tuned for a detailed assessment of the golf course and what we plan to accomplish this Winter!

Fall Aerification 2012

Everything went well with our fall greens aerification and we couldn't have asked for better weather.  Every year we aerify the greens in the spring and fall to reduce compaction, promote new root growth, and to get much needed oxygen and nutrients back into the soil profile.  With the rain that is on its way from Issac, we should see the sand wash in well and get the greens back in shape quickly. 

This picture is one of our star operators Luiz Aramas topdressing #2 green.  We apply two coatings of sand and then drag the greens in, forcing the sand into the aerification holes.  The sand we use is the same sand used in the original soil profile of the green, with the organic matter removed.  This "straight sand" mix allows the roots to adhere to the sand particles and create a new mass of healthy and young roots for the upcoming year.

Paige, our Goose Dog

All great golf clubs have a talented supporting staff.  Our maintenance crew at Laurel Springs is pleased to have one of the most highly trained goose removal tools in the industry, Paige.  Paige came to us about 6 years ago from a farm in northwestern Virginia.  Her mother won the Seclusival Sheep Herding Trials in Scotland. 

Paige is in the shape of a marathon runner.  She runs the golf course every morning without stopping.  All 7 miles of cartpath at full speed. Over the years, Paige has become very attached to not only the staff here at Laurel Springs but also golf balls!  She loves them.  If I ever need a ProV1, I just take Paige to the wetlands at number 10 and I will have a 1/2 dozen in just a few minutes.  Of course this has become a huge problem for us because we can't allow Paige on the course during member play.  She thinks all golfers are there to play fetch with her!

This past weekend, I drove Paige back to her home for some much needed refocusing work.  She will begin her refresher this week and I will return in a month to bring her back to us.  Below are some photos of the farm and Paige.  We can't wait to get her back!

The sign for the farm.  Not only do they raise cattle and sheep, their main source of revenue is Border Collie Training.

The training grounds for Paige and the sheep. 

Paige after a hard days work.  Flat wore out!  This dog is a machine!

Summer Cultural Practices

Toro Hydroject and Topdressing

  Another tool that we use during the summer months is called a Hydroject.  This machine increases the pressure of our irrigation lines to inject a stream of water into the greens sub-surface much like a traditional aerator would do using a metal spike.  The water makes a small penetrating mark in the surface of the green then expands out and down to create a shattering effect to the root system.  This stimulates the roots of the plant by providing new avenues for growth and much needed oxygen to the root system.  By using water instead of the shattering effect of a metal spike, this approach is a much more delicate practice to employee during the heat of the summer.

We also apply a layer of topdressing sand during this process to help repair the small marks on the green and to simulate the top growth of the plant. This practice helps to keep the crown of the plant more protected.  The topdressing also provides a smoother surface for players putting on the greens in the coming weeks.

New Greens in 2013

Dear Members,

We are pleased to announce that ClubCorp has committed to resurfacing the greens at Laurel Springs in 2013.

As of this blog posting, we have not determined what type of grass will be used during the resurfacing.

Core samples of the greens profile have been taken to determine the greens structure is still healthy and sound.  We are also conducting shade surveys to help us finalize the type of grass that will be used and to give us a better idea in regards to the scope of  the project.

Below is a photo of just one of the tools we use in determining sun patterns on the green.  The Solar Pathfinder is a device that normally would be used to find the best location for solar panels in residential and industrial applications.  This technology was adapted in for the golf industry a few years ago. 

The device is placed in the center of the green and a photo is taken of the tree line reflection.  This photograph is then transferred into a software program that can provide daily and monthly sunlight totals, in real time.  This give us the capability to understand what turf grass works best in our surroundings and what trees, if any, need to be removed from the green surround. 

We are continuing our research on grass selection and will update you as soon as a firm commitment is in place.



Summer Stress

During the summer months, you will see us watering the greens throughout the day. We do this because the surface of the green exceeds the air temperature by at least 10-20 degrees.  This temperature fluctuation  causes extreme stress to the turf, placing it in a state of degradation that potentially could lead to detrimental wilt.  There is a fine line to walk between too much water and not enough.  If we apply to much water we can choke the grass blade and cause it to wilt also.  This fine line is what keep us constantly running throughout the course during your round of golf.  Please be aware that there is a very small window for us to apply the water and we will get out of your way as soon as we can.

The tool we use to gauge the temperature of the greens surface is an industrial tool used to read the temperature of metals during fabrication.  This "temperature gun"  fires a laser at the greens surface and relays the information back to us so we can effectively monitor "in real time" what we are accomplishing.

Temperature of Number 2 green after we applied water/misting of the surface on Saturday.

Temperature of Number 2 green 10 minutes after the application of water 

As you can see from the photos the temperature of the greens surface rises dramatically throughout the day.  It is critical that we move quickly and efficiently around the course to ensure the putting quality of all of our greens stays on par. 

2012 Men's Member/Guest

Congratulations to all of the flight winners of the the 2012 Men's Member/Guest.  

Overall Champions Mark Hancher and Marcel Leroux fought hard to come out on top against some of the best players at Laurel Springs.  During the Final hole of the shootout, Hancher and Leroux, stood victorious over runners up Mike Lamb and Paul Smith.  Thank you to all of the player for your kind words over the course conditions during the event.