Oakhurst CCJon Christenson

Golf Course Superintendent

2013 Fall Project Update

Fall is Aeration season

• 22 man hours per hole for fairways• Followed by slit seeder to introduce new

seed into thin areas• Clean final appearance immediately when

finished

Necessary minimum 2x annually

Need to promote water and root penetration

Lack of roots due to compaction and consistent aeration

Turf being ripped up by

aerator due to no roots

• 200 man hours to complete greens aeration• Roll greens next day when dry for two days,

then mow with sand reels for 3 days, then roll and use good mowers

• Ongoing needle tining of greens every 4-6 weeks

• Aids in deeper roots and water penetration

• Aids in our Black layer battle• No disruption to play

Tee Aeration• First round complete• Second round will be a triple aeration

followed immediately by large roller to attempt leveling of some tees

• Sand topdressing to finish• Not sure of exact

start date, but will be soon

It has taken an EXTREMELY dry season for the following

issues to become as evident as they have

Irrigation Challenges• 1.95” of rain YTD against an average YTD of 11.43” last 4

years

• Approximately 10,000 feet of wire pulled and 136 heads repaired since May

• Estimate half complete for repairs to wiring, hoping to complete by end of year

Missing rear

nozzle

• Sprinkler is too low, has had wrong new internals installed, and has the wrong nozzles

• Hundreds to check

Due to all of this, the water runs downhill

creating a wet area and water does not go where necessary

Cause and effect

Why is there such a

dry spot right next

to a sprinkler?

Missing rear nozzle

• Proper nozzle installed at proper angle

• Hundreds to check

Incorrect nozzle combination, especially the rear that is shown

Correct nozzle combination. The red is the rear nozzle that sprays the base of the sprinkler

Hundreds of this style to check also

• Wrong new internal head with wrong nozzle setup

• After nozzle corrections were made 18 days later

• Missing rear nozzle impacts spray coverage and uniformity

• Potential water savings when all repairs complete

New sprinkler installed and only set to half circle in middle of fairway

Another new sprinkler installed to not water a full circle where

required

Sprinkler location

with nozzle issues

Old seeding grooves from last fall indicates annual dry spot

problems

More areas of annual dry spots

and seeding

• Manual water valve for a hose installed next to a sprinkler, indicating the need for extra water due to dryness

• This station of 3 heads is not in the automatic computer program

Hose valve

• Irrigation priority #1• Tree trimming and Permit area trimming• Seed and sod work• New clubhouse flowers for winter• Bunker rock removal• Questions or concerns?

Fall projects

We are all anxious to see this!!! Thank you for your attention.