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Course Updates from our Superintendent, Mike Schemel
March 13, 2012
Aerification
Our first aerification is taking place right now. There are always a lot of questions that come with this practice such as: Why is it necessary to aerify? What good are you doing the greens when you tear them up like that? Why do you have to aerify so much? Why do you have to aerify right now? These are all good questions.
It is difficult to explain just a few reasons for aerifing. There are many different methods, timings, and purposes and no one superintendent does it the same. However, when done properly, it is an indispensable tool for putting green maintenance, especially bent grass greens. here at Bent Creek, we will aerfiy around 6 times per year. This sounds like a lot, but they are not all the same. In the spring and fall we do what I would consider large core aerification on the greens. This is where we pull a 1/2" plug on approximately 2" centers and at a depth of 3-4". We remove all of this material and replace it with clean sand. There are several reasons for this type of aerification. In the spring, we are trying to prepare the greens for the stress they will encounter through the summer months. This this aerifications, you will alleviate compaction from maintenance equipment and play, remove unwanted organic matter that builds up in the greens soil profile from root die-back and dead plant material, increase porosity of the soil profile that will allow water to penetrate as well as air, and stimulate new root and plant growth. In the fall, the same reasons hold true. However, in the fall one of the most important reasons would be plant and root recovery from the summer stress. In most cases, by the end of summer the bent grass has become very thin and the roots have pulled back from 6-7" in the spring to around 2-3". All of this dead plant tissue and dead roots cause the profile to become very organic and gassy. With this aerification, we allow the greens to breathe and release those gases, which in turn allows the bent grass to start to recover more quickly and start developing new root growth before winter arrives.
During the summer months, we will aerify every 3-4 weeks. This process is different from our spring and fall aerifications in that we use small pencil sized tine and we do not pull a plug. This process does not disrupt the playing surface at all and is extremely helpful in maintaining the greens through the summer months. The purpose for these aerificiations are mainly venting which allows excess heat and gases that build up beneath the surface of the green to release and allow water and air to penetrate the surface. This aerification practice also lets us be more effective with our monthly wetting agent applications in that it allows us to water that product through the surface of the green and down into the soil profile where it is needed.
There are many other reasons for aerification, but I feel that these are the most important. I know that aerifications can be disruptive to the golf course playing conditions and that most golfers the hate the thought of it, but please understand that is a necessary evil.
Mike Schemel
Superintendent
March 2012
Bent Creek Golfers:
Spring is almost here and the golf course is coming out of winter in great shape. We were very fortunate this winter to see warmer temperatures and no significant snow or ice. However, we have been getting more rain and currently the golf course is fairly wet. I would like to remind our golfers to please adhere to the daily cart path rules, because they are changing frequently. Also, whenever we are 90 degree, golf carts need to stay at least 30 yards away from all greens as these areas are off limits to carts.
The greens are in excellent shape. They have good color and are rolling well for this time of year. With the warmer weather over the last couple of weeks we have started mowing more frequently and the speed and smoothness of ball roll is getting even better. We are planning our spring aerification for the week of March 12, weather permitting. We will be pulling 1/2" cores and topdressing heavy behind the aerifier to fill in the holes. This aerification will affect the playability for a couple of weeks, but with the warmer days we are experiencing, they should heal quickly.
I just removed the straw from the range tee and will be putting out the range targets soon. The range will be open, but players will be limited to using the mats only. The tee will remain closed until sometime late April once it is green and healthy.
I will continue to update everyone monthly with these newsletters regarding cultural practices and course conditions. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to stop me on the course.
Mike Schemel
Superintendent
October 2011
Bent Creek Golfers:
Our hot summer is over! This summer we saw very high temperatures, consistently in the upper 90s and very little rainfall, 4.5" from the end of June through the middle of September. Even with these extreme conditions, the golf course held up very well. The greens showed some thinning towards the end of July, but we were able to recover quickly and are now in excellent condition along with the rest of the course.
With the hot and dry conditions and excessive cart traffic, we saw some damage to our fescue areas around the greens. We have seeded many of these areas over the last couple weeks of September and are starting to see some new grass around the greens. I would like to remind all of our golfers to please keep the golf carts away from the greens complexes, as these areas are CART PATH ONLY. Once you have hit your approach shots into the green, golf carts should be moved back on to the cart paths.
This month I plan to aerify the greens before winter sets in. The date for aerification is set for October 11 & 12, weather permitting. We will be pulling 1/2" cores and topdressing heavy behind the aerifier to fill in the holes. This aerification will affect the playability of the greens for a couple of weeks, but I am expecting them to heal quickly. I apologize for the incovenience to our golfers, but this is necessary to promote healthy turf on older greens.
Hope you enjoy this fall weather - perfect for golfing!
Mike Schemel
Superintendent
June 2011
Bent Creek Golfers:
May was a good month for the golf course. We saw warmer temperatures and normal rain fall which really helped the golf course start to peak. The greens were rolling excellent for the month of May, very smooth and quick. The last week of May we aerified the greens with small solid tines which gave good results and I am planning a few more of these aerifications. With the hotter weather we have been seeing, I have raised the heights on the greens slightly to ensure that the greens remain healthy and may raise the height again if needed. So far, the greens have handled the heat well!
With temperatures well above the normal averages for this time of year and the lack of rain we have experienced, the course has really dried out and certain areas of the Fescue roughs are starting to show signs of stress. With that being said, I would appreciate it if all of our golfers would please be attentive to the areas that are being worn from cart traffic and try to avoid those areas, so that the course stays in great condition. Also, I have removed all of the cart directional signs from the fairways, but all carts are to remain at least 30 yards from the greens. Failure to do this will require me to put the signs back out as well as rope some areas off to carts completely.
Over the next few weeks, there are a couple of projects we will be working on. We will be continuing to work in the bunkers and add sand where needed. It is taking a little time for the new sand to settle and compact, but we have seen improvements in the playability of the bunkers that have been completed. We are also planning on starting to add some mulch paths for carts to and from fairways. This will help relieve some of the stress on the Fescue roughs from cart traffic.
Overall, the golf course is in excellent condition and holding up well to the extreme temperatures. I am excited about all the positive feedback we have been receiving regarding course conditions and I hope we continue to improve.
Mike Schemel
Superintendent
May 2011
Bent Creek Golfers:
I was glad to see April arrive, but I think we are all happy to see it go! We received just over 20" of rain, with 16.5" coming over the last ten days of the month. Fortunately, we did not receive any major damage or flooding on the golf course. However, all of the rain and severe weather left the course extremely wet. Even though some areas have not dried out, we have been able to mow the course several times and it looks very good.
We verticut greens the middle of April and again the first week of May. The greens recovered very well and the verticut greatly improved the smoothness and firmness of the greens. I am planning a small solid tine aerification the last week of May, but this will not affect the appearance or the roll of the greens. Overall, the greens are very healthy, are playing well, and have an excellent appearance.
We are planning to start working in the bunkers this month. We will be adding sand and fixing some of our drainage problems. I hope to start this over the next couple of weeks, weather permitting.
Overall, I feel the golf course is in great shape and should only get better as we start seeing warmer temperatures.
Mike Schemel
Superintendent
April 2011
Bent Creek Golfers:
Spring is here! The last couple of weeks in March brought good, warm weather that allowed the golf course to dry and tees and fairways to start showing some life. This month we should see everything turn green and we'll begin mowing the course regularly.
The greens aerification went very well last month and they are healing quickly. I am planning another small aerification this month on #1, 9, and 15 greens. However, this should not affect the playability. I am also planning a light verticut and topdress on all the greens the week of the 11th, weather permitting. Overall, I am very pleased with the greens thus far. They are very healthy, have excellent color, and the ball roll will continue to get better as the spring goes on.
As some of you may have seen, we uncovered the range tee last month, but have kept it closed to golfers. The tee is still dormant; I am waiting for it to turn green and start growing before I open it, which will hopefully be the end of April. Once again, if you have questions or concerns, please feel free to stop me on the course.
Mike Schemel
Superintendent
March 2011
Bent Creek Golfers:
Spring time is getting close and the temperatures are rising. Unfortunately with spring coming, we will be dealing with some wet conditions on the course. As most of you know we have had to make some decisions with regard to cart path rules. We want our golfers to be off the path as much as possible, but we have to keep in mind the condition of the course.
I am very excited about how the golf course is coming out of winter. With the warmer temperatures the last couple of weeks in February, the greens have begun to grow and have an excellent color. We have started a regular mowing and rolling schedule on the greens and they are playing very well for this time of year.
This month we will begin topdressing the weak areas on some of the greens which will make these areas much smoother and help them fill in. We will also be aerifying greens this month on Monday, March 14, weather permitting. This process should go very smooth and the greens will remain playable.
Once again, I am very excited that spring is close and I am ready for the course to green up and begin our season. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to stop me on the course.
Mike Schemel
Superintendent
January 2011
Bent Creek Golfers:
I want to take this opportunity to let you all know how excited I am to be here at Bent Creek. As a native to Jackson, I have always admired this golf course and am privileged to be the superintendent. After graduating from SEMO, my wife and I moved to Memphis where I was the assistant superintendent at TPC Southwind, a PGA Tour Facility, for the past 6 1/2 years. WE are thrilled at the opportunity to be able to move back home to raise our family - our 2 1/2 year old son, Colton, is overjoyed at living near grandma and grandpa! His love for tractors and golf carts will have him at the course whenever I allow!
The golf course is in great shape going into winter. Even though we are experiencing frost and frozen grounds almost daily, we are open and the playability of the golf course is very good. Our problematic greens from this summer have grown in nicely this fall and are open for play again. I am happy with the condition of these greens, and with a good spring we should have a great year.
The overall goal this year is tor provide you with the best possible playing conditions on a daily basis. I will be focusing a lot of my attention on our greens because of the problems that occurred last year, and have put together a good maintenance plan for the greens for 2011. I plan on updating everyone monthly about cultural practices that will be taking place which could affect the appearance and playability of the greens. I also am planning to make some headway in the bunkers this spring to improve their overall playability and consistency.
I am looking forward to meeting all of you this year! Please feel free to stop me on the course, introduce yourself, and let me know of any questions or concerns you may have.
Mike Schemel
Superintendent
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