Weed eating bunker faces and mowing rough at Flintrock

We started weed-eating bunker faces again this week.  The picture above is #11 fairway bunkers that have been completed.  Our goal is to finished these before July 4th.

We are mowing rough weekly.  Its thick and healthy!  This turf health will allow us to get through the hot summer months.   



 

Flintrock Creek Maintenance

Above are pictures of #3 and #9 creek that has been weedeated.  This will allow for easier play-ability and speed up play for our members.  11 of the 18 holes at Flintrock have creeks or water hazards that we need to maintain.  Its alot of work, but the finished product looks great!

Trees and Turf do not mix!

Above is a cedar tree at Flintrock that is 30% dead.  These trees are not sustainable and have a short life span.  This is why we have been and will continue to remove these cedars during the winter months.  You will also notice that the turf around this tree is not healthy.  Trees will always win the battle for sunlight, water, and nutrients over grass!   

Verticut, Mow, Topdress, Drag

The photos above show some of the tools we use during the summer months to produce high quality putting surfaces.  They are the verticutter, sand topdresser, and coco drag mat.  Here is the process-

1. Verticut to thin the turf canopy and stand up grass.  
2. Double mow to remove grass.
3. Sand topdress to reduce organic matter and fill in imperfection.
4. Drag green with the coco mat to distribute sand into small imperfections for a smooth putting surface. 

USGA Golf Course Labor Report

Below is a link to the USGA golf course labor report.

USGA Labor Report

It highlights many of the challenges the golf course maintenance industry is facing with finding and retaining quality employees.

Greens Scalping

The picture above shows scalp marks on the edge of #17 green from our greens mower.  The mower is setup and adjusted correctly.  The amount of grass on the green is the issue.  These scalp marks will go away as we continue to verticut, sand topdress, and double mow to thin the turf canopy.

Flintrock Course Cleanup

Flintrock received 4 inches of rain Friday night!  The pictures below show the aftermath.  This will be a busy week trying put the course back together.

Grass needs sun!

The picture above shows the 7 day forecast for Austin.  The 14 day forecast looks much of the same.  Here are the challenges faced during a weather period like this.

• The grass absorbs sun rays with its leaf surface.  The grass then uses this photosynthetic energy to make and store energy.  No sun, means no energy production.  Their is nothing we as turf grass professionals can apply to the grass to substitute a lack of direct sunlight!
• Cloud cover lowers the photosynthetic energy available.  If their is not enough sunlight to produce shadows, approximately 50% of the usable sunlight is being blocked.
• Fungi is always ready to attach the grass!  All it needs is sustained moisture.
• Grass leaf blades begin to grow more vertical in search for sunlight.  When the grass is mowed, this leads to scalping.  Scalping is the total removal of all the leaf blade.  With no leaf blade, the grass cannot absorb sun to produce energy.  These areas of turf begin to thin out and are more prone to disease.    
• Perfect weather would be 1 inch of rain over a 24 hour period, follow by 6 days of FULL sun.         

Flintrock #17 Green 4/25/19

Flintrock putting greens continue to recover nicely!  The aerification holes are beginning to disappear.  We are lowering our mowing heights, verticutting, double mowing, and lightly topdressing putting greens.  These practices will allow for a smoother and better ball roll.

Nematodes in Flintrock Putting Greens

The picture above with a microscope shows a plant parasitic nematode that has attached itself to a root hair to feed.  Their are various types of nematodes that both live inside and outside of the root.

Once nematodes have infected a root, water and fertilizer uptake are impaired.  These nematodes also open up wounds that allow for other fungi and bacteria to enter the root and cause damage.  Eradication is impossible, so management practices need to be employed to compensate.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in124

Above is a link to the University of Florida nematode page.  It contains a brief overview of  Flintrocks greatest challenges on our putting greens!
 

Flintrock Spring Aerification 2019

Our spring aerification is in the books!  It is a necessary evil that allows for healthy and consistent putting surfaces.  It loosens the soil, allowing for oxygen exchange, dilutes organic matter, helps water to drain, and allows for fertilizers to be incorporated into the root zone.

The putting surfaces will improve each day.  Our goal is to have our greens fully recovered in 21 days.       

New Equipment!

Our 2019 Flintrock golf course maintenance equipment has arrived!  This year we received-

• 4 new work carts
• 1 new triplex greens mower
• 3 new sets of mower reels

These new purchases have of value of $100,000!

Flintrock #17 Green 4/4/19

Putting greens are improving every day!   

Weedeating and Edging Bunker Faces

This week we began bunker maintenance.  Here is the finished product at the putting green.  We weedeat the grass face, edge the perimeter, blow out all debris, then check the sand depth.  The sand depth should be 4 inches in the bottoms of the bunkers.  We have 80 bunkers at Flintrock, so it takes us several weeks to complete this task.

Alberto Tellez 25 years!

Assistant Golf Course Superintendent Alberto Tellez has now been at the Hills/Falls for 25 years!  He transferred from the Hills to Flintrock in the early 2000's when construction on Flintrock began.  He brings a passion for Flintrock that is unmatched and we are so lucky to have him.  Thanks for your dedication Alberto!

Flintrock Winter Projects

Another good winter for cleanup at Flintrock is in the books!  Alot of live oak and cedar maintenance took place.  We also were able to complete some clearing of native grass areas.  The pictures below are the finished product of these areas.  All of these used to be grass that was 2-3 feet high and mowed once a year.  These areas will now be mowed at 2 inches on a regular basis.  Bermudagrass will grow into these areas over time.  These improvement will aid in better play-ability for golfers, be easier to maintain, and have a great look!   

Flintrock hole #5

 Flintrock hole #17

Flintrock hole #13

Flintrock hole #10

17 green at Flintrock 3/21

Flintrock putting greens getting a little better each day!

Flintrock Weekly Update

The above photos show 2 common themes we will be and have been working on.  Blowing live oak leaves and creek maintenance.

The leaves are all over the course!  Bunkers that have oak trees near them need to have the leaves blown out every day.  Our blower has been going out each morning to clear the leaves from fairways.

Almost every hole at Flintrock has some sort of water hazard.  The only way to maintain these areas is with weed eaters.  Its a labor intensive job.  Our goal is to have these areas clean and manicured prior to our busy summer season. 

Flintrock Putting Greens Update

Pictured above is #17 green at Flintrock.  This is our weakest green coming out of dormancy this spring.  We are seeing alot of new growth on all greens.  Over the next 30 days you will see dramatic improvements in our putting surfaces. 

The weather over the last 6 months has received much talk.  Sunny and warm temperatures will accelerate the recovery.  Cold, cloudy, and rainy will slow the recovery process down.  Bermudagrass loves sunny warm weather!

     

Above is a picture of Steve "venting" #1 green at Flintrock.  The machine is poking very small holes in the green.  These holes will allow for air exchange, aid in drainage, and stimulate new growth.  This machine along with aggressive fertilization will make for a speedy recovery of Flintrock greens.