The Voodoo We Do

It's a passion. Yes, it's a job but it's a passion for most of us tending golf courses for a living. It creeps into your bloodstream and becomes part of your DNA. There are a multitude of factors that create this passion; going to work long before the rest of the world wakes up, seeing the sunrise everyday, orchestrating the daily production of course preparations, seeing the results of your plan play out in real time, the knowledge that your hard work will be enjoyed by many people, being tuned into the natural world, feeling the harshness and beauty of Mother Nature, growing high performance turfgrass, preparing a venue for sport competition, being part of an industry that fosters a special camaraderie, and the list goes on.

It doesn't matter that we are often the underdogs who never get the credit. It really doesn't matter because we revel in the grit. It's who we are. Often times golf course superintendents and their teams are asked to do more with less. It is to our downfall and the golfers benefit that we will never let the conditions slip in this scenario. It is in our make up that we will always go above and beyond to create incredible playing conditions and experiences no matter what obstacles are placed in our way.

Team  members working hard repairing winter-kill spots

The men and women that make up our teams are often subject to this passion. It rubs off on them and they are bitten by the "turf bug". Once bitten, the common goal of creating a great golfing experience becomes their passion as well. Some often go off to get an education in turfgrass science to further their career. We thank all of the hard working individuals that often times work on the course as a seasonal job trying to make ends meet. With a solid grounds crew team that shares the same goal and believes in the mission, the work becomes enjoyable. 

The spring of 2019 was a definite test of our fortitude. Coming off of an epic snowfall winter (with an undercoating of ice) and then into a very wet and cold extended spring made for some rough days. Both courses did suffer some turf injury. Stowe Country Club had various spots on multiple greens with winter-kill. The Mountain Course suffered three acres of fairway damage. The damage at The Mountain Course was the most I have seen in my fifteen years there. The attempts to grow these areas back with seed was difficult due to the cold and wet conditions. The Mountain Course sodded half of the area damaged on the fairways. This was made more difficult by the fact that all of the sod farms in New England and Quebec either ran out of creeping bentgrass sod or had low quality sod due to this same bad weather. Nonetheless, by the Kirkwood Invitational in late June at SCC and July 4th on the Mountain Course we were back to normal. 

Stowe Country Club
Changing cups during Stowe Balloon Fest

Last year brought some exciting news. Stowe Country Club has moved up the ranks in the rotation of Vermont tournaments. After two successful years (2017 and 2018) of  VTPGA stroke play championships and this year being the host of the VGA Senior Amateur, we were chosen to host the 2020 Vermont Amateur tournament. The grounds crew team and I are very proud to host this event and look forward to putting our passion to the test. Preparations to the course began this past fall and continue through the winter for this event that will be played in early July. We are dedicated to producing a championship venue that will make our members and ownership proud.

Cheers to a successful 2020 golf season and to the pledge that our passion will always run deep...

2017 In Review

Typical storm front this spring/early summer headed for Stowe!

The 2017 golf season did not disappoint with any lack of storyline. When reviewing a golf season in the northeast the weather will always be the main topic. The months of May, June and July brought copious amounts of rain. This period set records with rainfall amounts and most continuous days with rainfall. The total rainfall for this three month period was 25 inches. Compare that number to the annual average rainfall in Vermont of 36 inches and you realize the abnormality. While rain is not good for playing golf, working in it is equally not good. I applaud the agronomic teams for pushing through all those days working in the rain. It became the norm to put your raingear on when leaving the house in the early morning and still have it on arriving home from work. Let's just say Gore-Tex and rubber boots were your friend!

Moving into late summer we experienced some great weather. When fall arrived it was the complete opposite of the spring. The fall period set a new record for the most continuous days without rainfall. It was great golfing and working weather. While drainage systems were important in the spring, in the fall the irrigation system became a crucial tool for great conditions.

White pine blow down next to 12 green

As to not disappoint before year end, Mother Nature unleashed a powerful windstorm on October 31st that caused significant damage in Stowe and surrounding towns. Stowe Mountain Club received very little damage from the storm. At Stowe Country Club it was another story. Many mature pine trees were broken in half and uprooted. Multiple pines lost large limbs and there was a massive amounts of tree litter that fell everywhere. There is no doubt we will be cleaning up from this storm well into the spring of next year.  I've been working on golf courses for close to 30 years and Mother Nature continues to be the one true challenge year after year. There are some years when she plays nice but there are just as many when she lets everyone know who is in charge.

Mark Finch, SCC Superintendent, dormant seeding greens

Even with the wet start both Stowe Country Club and Stowe Mountain Club continued to improve the turf quality and overall playability of the golf courses. It is our goal to always improve and never settle for average. I have always believed in the saying that "good is the enemy of great" and the agronomic team operates in such a way. Each golf course continues to improve by adhering to solid agronomic practices. The ongoing effort to topdress and verticut greens on a regular basis is crucial to providing smooth putting surfaces. Proper aerification practices continue to firm up the playing surface by removing thatch. Turf health is maintained through the use of best available nutrition and pest control products. One agronomic focus that continues at Stowe Mountain Club and Stowe Country Club is the push to grow and promote our creeping bentgrass populations. Creeping bentgrass provides a great playing surface on the greens and fairways. At SMC it is a matter of maintaining the existing bentgrass while at SCC it is about promoting bentgrass. A new process was initiated at SCC this fall to promote bentgrass on the greens. After the course closed for the year the greens were aerated with an eight inch deep solid tine then core aerated with a traditional 3/8 inch hollow tine followed by a topdressing with sand. After this process was complete a specialized seeder planted a high quality creeping bentgrass seed. This type of seeding is referred to as "dormant" seeding. The process involves the seed overwintering as seed and then germinating in the spring when conditions become conducive to growth. This agronomic practice will increase the bentgrass populations on the greens at SCC leading to a better putting surface in the long term.

Sean Hanley laser grading 15 tee tops

At Stowe Country Club, there were multiple projects that occurred this year. The biggest was the renovation of the fifteenth tee complex. This area had been overrun with white pine trees and the teeing surface was mounded due to years of divot mix accumulation. While local and regional contractors were used on the job much of the work was done by the SCC team. Myself, Mark Finch, and crew members worked tirelessly to get this job done on time for the Kirkwood tournament. Much of the work was done in ankle deep mud during the pouring rain. This in-house work included irrigation/drainage installation, sodding, cart path preparation, and finish detail work. In-house construction projects are difficult because of the effort needed to simultaneously stay on top of the routine course maintenance work. We did also rely on the expertise of two regional golf course contractors. NMP Golf  Construction provided a shaper to do the major site work. A good "shaper" is the key to any successful golf construction job. These bulldozer operators have the eye for how a golf hole should look and play. Sean Hanley from On-Course Golf came in for the final laser grading of the tee surfaces. Sean is the contractor that built our upper driving range tee. This new tee and fourteenth green surround has received much praise from the players. As the area matures it will become an even better playing experience. Thanks to all involved in a great project.

Renovation of 15 bunker

Other projects at SCC included the renovation of the second and fifteenth bunkers, four bunkers in total. These projects were completed by the SCC crew. It has been a priority in recent years to renovate a few bunkers every year. The reason for these renovations include poor drainage, continued washout of bunker sand, and loss of contours due to time.  The renovation process involves establishing new outside contour lines, removing old sand, shaping out new bunker floor contours, installing drainage if needed, and  adding new sand that is specified for bunkers. Additional projects included a new cart path on the fifteenth hole that complemented the renovation of the tee and repairing the cart path around the practice green at the clubhouse. The clubhouse landscaping was renovated. Much of the landscaping lost all interest due to over grown lilac trees. Finally, the irrigation pond was dredged.

Spectacular course conditions at SMC

While SMC was not as active with projects, the season was defined by superb conditions. The agronomic team headed by assistant superintendent Zach Fleeger pushed for championship conditions on a daily basis. We heard great comments from the members and players all season. The winter brush cutting done by Zach and fellow assistant Jerry Elliott on the fourteenth and third hole were well received and gave these two holes a fresh new look and feel. Look for more of this great work during the upcoming winter.

As we move into the winter season there are some great projects we plan to accomplish that will continue to improve the golfing experience at both Stowe Mountain Club and Stowe Country Club. I will update the blog through the winter to discuss these projects. Be sure to enter your email on the blog homepage for up to date blog posts. Thanks to all who made the 2017 a successful year on the golf course. All the best to everyone during this holiday season. See you on the slopes or someplace warm playing some golf!

The Fall Push

The golf season may have ended at the resort but the work on the golf course continues. Both golf maintenance crews are busy with chores to put the courses to bed for the winter. The challenge this time of year is the unpredictable weather and not knowing when winter conditions will finally arrive.  Our goal is to have all winterization chores done by the second week of November.

Draining spring on  11 approach

When the courses close our first task is to bring in all items on the course that are not anchored to the ground. These items include tee markers, flags, benches, hazard markers, bunker rakes, ball washers, etc. These items are thoroughly cleaned and stored safely for the winter. Tree litter clean up is constant in these last few weeks. Whenever conditions allow we will clean up leaves and pine needles. The irrigation systems will be cleared of water using compressed air. Close attention is paid to this chore because an improperly blown out system will lead to broken pipes or irrigation heads in the spring. After the system is clear of water the pumps are dismantled for the winter.     

Old picture of SCC showing original bunker contour lines on 18

This time period on the golf course is ideal for drainage projects. Multiple drainage projects have already been accomplished and are still under way. At Stowe Mountain Club (SMC), three springs that popped up during the very wet June were fixed. Due to the mountainous terrain, springs will pop up over time as the groundwater moves through the underlying soil and exits at the surface. These spring diversion projects were done on eleven approach, sixteen approach, and eighteen white tee. A large drainage project was also completed between seven tee and 8 fairway. Due to the proximity to the dam, this project was contracted out and was supervised by an engineer. We will be sodding this area in the coming days so that it will be ready for play on opening day next year.

Same bunker today at SCC. Notice how bunker has grown in.

At Stowe Country Club (SCC), we are close to completing the bunker restoration on the eighteenth green. These bunkers had grown in over time and water would puddle in the bunkers after rain event. These bunkers were re-contoured to the original shape, drainage was installed, and new sand was added.

SMC, Applying Wintergreen to greens 

Finally, in preparation for the long winter we implement multiple preemptive measures to help the turfgrass survive.  If you ski during the early season you may notice that the greens at SMC are a vibrant green color. This is due to a paint that is applied to the putting surface for winter protection. This product is called Wintergreen and is a combination of a latex paint and anti-transpirant. The logic behind this application is that it protects the turf from severe wind damage, will prevent disease controls from degrading, and will help the soil warm up in the Spring due to the dark green color. After painting the greens we will lay a protective mat in areas that experienced prior winter damage. This mat is called Enkamat and has proven to prevent ice damage. We will then cover the entire green with a breathable cover on eight of the greens. These greens are covered because they get windblown and do not get the protective snow cover. Some of the same measures are implemented at SCC, but not all.

If you get a chance to enjoy touring the course this winter please stay off of the greens. Packing the snow on the green will cause icing which can kill turfgrass. We will rope off all the greens to identify the location of each green. Both golf maintenance teams hope you had an enjoyable 2015 golf season. We are already preparing for another great golf season in 2016.

Pure Stands

Maintaining pure stands of desirable turfgrass on our golf courses is the ultimate agronomic goal. The desirable grass on greens and fairways is creeping bentgrass.  On tees at Stowe Country Club (SCC) the desirable grass is creeping bentgrass. At Stowe Mountain Club (SMC), the tees are a mixture of Kentucky bluegrass and fine fescue. The rough at both golf courses is also the mixture of Kentucky bluegrass and fine fescue. Finally, the desirable grass in the no-mow high grass areas that sit on the edge of golf holes is a blend of fine fescues. At SCC, while creeping bentgrass is most desirable, the fine fescues are considered desirable in all playing surfaces except greens.


The purpose of this goal is based on playability. When multiple different grasses or weeds populate a playing surface ball roll and shot making are both negatively impacted.  On greens, pure stands of creeping bentgrass is desirable because it will provide the smoothest ball roll. The creeping nature of the bentgrasses allows for the ability to mow at low heights of cut. The non desirable grass that we manage against is Poa annua or annual bluegrass. Poa annua is present in the greens at SCC but not at SMC. In the spring, the Poa annua will produce a seedhead which in turn makes for a very bumpy and irregular putting surface. Additionally, Poa annua is not as tolerant to stresses as bentgrass is and will decline in the summer and winter if conditions become severe.

On tees, the two golf courses differ in the desirable grasses but the purity of the turf is still important. Weeds such as crabgrass are kept at bay because of its coarse leaves that produce an uneven surface. Poa annua is considered a weed on both sets of tees because of it's clumpy growth habit. The interesting aspect of our tees is that while creeping bentgrass is the desirable grass at SCC it is considered a non-desirable grass at SMC. The bluegrass/fescue mixture was chosen for tees at SMC due to it's low maintenance costs and durability. Creeping bentgrass has invaded the teeing surface and is now considered a weed on tee surfaces. The bentgrass got into the tees during construction. The bentgrass seed is very small and subsequently was tracked onto the tees from the shoes of the construction workers and was in poorly cleaned drop seeders. As time progressed this aggressive grass has spread. Removal of this grass is needed because the blotchy nature of the bentgrass patches can be distracting to the eye and the feel underfoot is completely different from the bluegrass/fescue mix. Additionally, the agronomic requirements for bentgrass is different than bluegrass/fescue making proper management a challenge.

Pure Creeping Bentgrass #7 Fairway at SMC

On fairways, creeping bentgrass is the best possible playing surface. Kept weed and Poa annua free, a pure bentgrass fairway provides the best possible shot making experience.

In the rough areas, bluegrass/fescue mixtures are the most desirable grass stand because of the upright growth habit. This growth habit props the ball up providing a good lie. Broadleaf and crabgrass weeds can present a problem if the populations are too high causing difficult lies.  As with the tees at SMC, creeping bentgrass is considered a weed in rough areas at both golf courses. The reason for this is that when bentgrass is mowed at rough height of two and a half inches, the bentgrass becomes very puffy. Playing out of a bentgrass rough is difficult because the golf ball settles deep into the puffy bentgrass and the grass will grab the golf club causing errant shots.

In the no-mow areas the fescue grasses are the desirable stand of grass. The fescues have a growth habit that allows for the golf ball to be found and advanced even when the grass is left to grow high and seed out. These fescue areas provide a look to the golf course that is very aesthetically pleasing, especially when the grass turns brown. Weeds and pasture grasses must be kept out of these areas because finding and hitting a ball out of non-pure stands of fescue is very difficult resulting in errant shots and slow play.

The strategy to accomplish the goal of pure stands is varied. When it comes to growing pure creeping bentgrass there are some basic rules. The timing of aerification is very important. Both SCC and SMC greens were both recently aerated because late August and early September is the best time for this. The reason for this is that Poa annua will not germinate when the soil temperatures are warm. Aerating in April and October is avoided due to the cool soil temps and the possibility of increasing the Poa annua populations when the putting surface is opened up due to aeration. The aeration is necessary to maintain proper organic matter and thatch levels. When bentgrass gets too thatchy it can begin to thin and weeds will encroach into the stand. Specific growth regulators are used to promote bentgrass growth and discourage Poa annua growth.

Creeping Bentgrass Turning White On #12 Tees at SMC

Maintaining pure stands of Kentucky bluegrass/fescue is accomplished through the used of different herbicides. The broadleaved and crabgrass weeds can be easily controlled on an annual basis. The more difficult "weed" is creeping bentgrass. The same characteristics that make bentgrass a desirable grass in some areas is the same reason why it is difficult to remove from bluegrass/fescue stands. The aggressive and resilient characteristics of the bentgrass calls for multiple herbicide applications to remove this grass. Currently, at SMC we are in the process of removing the bentgrass from the back nine tees. The product used to remove bentgrass attacks the chlorophyll producing mechanisms of the plant causing it to turn white and eventually starve to death. Ultimately, to maintain a pure bluegrass/ fescue stand we need to produce healthy turf that will crowd out any undesirable weeds.

A Pasture Grass Plant Amongst a Pure Stand of Fescue

It is challenging to maintain pure fescue stands because of the fact we only mow these areas once per year and mowing itself is a method of weed control. The best way to maintain pure fescue is to burn these areas every year. Unfortunately, open field burning is banned in the Stowe, VT area. As a result of not being able to burn we apply herbicides that reduce the weed and pasture grass populations. Often times we will hand pull weeds if the populations are small.

Maintaining pure stands of desirable grasses is our goal. How we get there is multi faceted and often challenging. Once this goal is obtained the playability of the golf courses is improved and the enjoyment of the game is increased.

 

Fescue Revitilization Project

    Approximately ten years ago Stowe Country Club created a plan to stop mowing selected rough areas to reduce operational costs associated with mowing. These areas were previously mowed at the rough height of 2.5 inches. The savings were created by less fuel from the reduced acreage and in the reduction of man hours it took to mow. Additionally, there was less wear on the mowing equipment. A second aspect of this plan was to add a new aesthetic to the golf holes. 

    This new aesthetic aspect for the golf course is where the plan fell short. While the idea was good, the execution lacked follow through. As time progressed, the high rough areas were overrun with field grasses and weeds which resembled an unkempt pasture. From a golfing aspect, finding a golf ball in the weeds and thick pasture grass was almost impossible. The other negative aspect is that the look of weedy high grass areas presented the impression of neglect. Playing a golf course that has clean visual lines is a pleasant and inspirational experience. The opposite feels chaotic and distracting. 

    Earlier this year, a plan was initiated to revitalize these high grass areas to add a positive aesthetic to the course in addition to making them more playable. The plan is centered to promote the growth and establishment of fescue grasses. Fescue is a thin bladed grass that predominates on golf courses throughout Scotland, England, Ireland, and Wales. In these regions, fescue is a definitive characteristic of a links golf course. The actual playing surfaces, greens, tees, and fairways, are fescue on these European courses. However, the true charm and beauty of a links course is the un-mown fescue that surrounds a golf hole. The wispy seed stalks of fescue that turn a golden brown starting in mid-summer create the true beauty of a links course. Of course, fescue is not just on links courses. Many golf courses, wherever the region, have fescue in the outer rough areas to provide that beautiful flowing golden look.  The 2015 US Open will be played at Chambers Bay in Washington. This golf course is built on an abandoned quarry and was planted to fescue. Greens, tees, fairways, and rough are pure fescue stands. From it's inception, Stowe Mountain Club focused on maintaining expansive stands of fescue that frame many of the golf holes. The aesthetic created by the fescue during this time of year is beautiful. Besides the aesthetics, the other important aspect of fescue is the ease to find your golf ball and to successfully advance it. This is accomplished by planting fescue on low quality soil, never irrigating, and never fertilizing the grass. The thinner the better. 

Elimination of non-desirable grass surrounding thriving fescue
Between the 6th green and 7th tee

    The challenge at Stowe Country Club is that the fescue areas are overgrown with weeds and non-fescue grass and the soil has high water retention and nutrient holding capacity. Elimination of the weeds and field grasses is being executed with products that will eliminate all the undesirable plants but the fescue. Multiple applications are needed since many weeds and non-fescue grasses can be very persistent. Multiple mowing is another aspect of the revitalization of the fescue. Multiple mowing throughout the year will eliminate the ability for weeds to seed out, and will cause the depletion of the carbohydrate reserve of the plant that will eventually lead to the plants decline. The mowing will conversely help the fescue thrive and spread. Check out the recent USGA article on this topic. USGA ARTICLE

    This process takes time. Expansive stands of fescue at Stowe Country Club will take three to five years. As these areas are denuded of undesirable plants, new fescue will be sown. Maturation of fescue after establishment is slow taking three to four years. We appreciate your patience during this conversion. The end product will be worth the time and effort. Once established, the fescue will provide a beautiful aesthetic to a round of golf and it may even lower your score. For more information on fescue, visit a prior blog titled "Fescue".

Bentgrass

Bentgrass is the preferred turfgrass on fairways and greens in the northeast. The ability to tolerate low cutting heights, aggresive lateral growth habit, dense canopy, and stress tolerance make it a suitable playing surface for the game of golf. The predominant species of bentgrass is creeping bentgrass. Within this species there are hundreds of cultivars. The breeding of creeping bentgrass is a very competitive business due to the golf course industry. The other type of bentgrass is velvet bentgrass. This bentgrass had its hayday in the 1950's and 60's on golf courses. It is an old variety of bentgrass and existed before many creeping bentgrasses were bred for golf turf. Since that time creeping bentgrass has surpassed velvet bentgrass as the preferred golf course turf.

Graden cultivation

We manage both courses in a manner that promotes bentgrass. We do not simply grow "grass". Our mission is to promote bentgrass growth and overtime increases its population on greens and fairways. Stowe Mountain Club has A4 creeping bentgrass on the greens and L93 creeping bentgrass on the fairways. These two grasses were chosen by Billy Fuller from Bob Cupp Design, the golf course architect. Billy was the Agronomist for Bob Cupp during the construction of the course. The interesting story behind A4 is that Billy worked with Dr. Joe Duitch from Penn State to breed this specific cultivar. While the superintendent at Augusta National in the early 1980's, Billy showed Dr. Duitch a patch of bentgrass on the par 3 course that exhibited a very tight and smooth growth habit. From that patch the A4 bentgrass was bred to be what it is today. It is one of the premier bentgrasses for putting greens in the world. The "A" stands for Augusta. The L93 bentgrass in the fairways is also a newer cultivar. It is considered a workhorse in the golf industry. It is a very versatile turf that can also be used for tees and greens. The tees at the Mountain Course are not bentgrass but rather a blend of chewing fescue and dwarf Kentucky bluegrass.

Core aeration cultivation

Stowe Country Club has a much more diverse mix of turf species. The greens are a mixture creeping bentgrass, velvet bentgrass, and annual bluegrass. Many of you know annual bluegrasss by its scientific name, Poa annua. This mixture of grasses creates a very challenging scenario for reaching the goal of smoothness. You can identify velvet bentgrass by it's very fine leaf blade, dense growth habit (looks like moss) and it's soft puffy feeling under foot. It is also visible on the greens due to its round patchy growth. In between these velvet patches is Penncross creeping bentgrass. Unlike A4 and L93, Penncross is a very old cultivar. In fact, it is considered one of the first cultivars of creeping bentgrass. Pencross has been around for many decades and can still be purchased to this day. Pencross is known for its aggressive creeping or lateral growth habit. This can be viewed as a positive aspect due to its ability to creep laterally to fill in any damaged area or divot. However, on greens it is a negative attribute because it produces very long leaf blades that makes for slower and grainy greens.

In The History of Stowe Country Club author Lynn Altadonna, explained that the greens were sodded to velvet bentgrass when the 18 hole course was built in 1962/63. The sod came from a defunct golf course called Kearsarge Golf Club in New Hampshire. The Village Course architect, William Mitchell, was known throughout New England for using and promoting the use of velvet bentgrass. There is no doubt that he had a role in this procurement of sod. The problem with sodding greens, especially velvet, as opposed to seeding greens is the existing thatch layer. Thatch is the layer of old stem material that builds up below the turf surface. Bentgrasses as a whole are prolific thatch producers. While thatch is simply the by-product of producing quality playing surfaces, proper thatch management of is the difference between good and bad turf. The basis of proper thatch management is to mechanically remove the thatch through core aeration and vertical mowing. The USGA recommends the removal of 15-20% of thatch surface annually for quality playing surfaces. This chart explains how to get to those percentages Surface Impact. The strategy at Stowe Country Club is to complete two 1/2 inch core aerations at 1 x 2 inch spacing with an additional Graden verticut. All three methods of cultivation equate to an 18% surface impact. At Stowe Mountain Club a less aggressive management is effective due to the young age of the greens to where the frequency of aerification will impact 10% of the surface.

As stated earlier, velvet bentgrass has fallen out of favor in the golf course industry. The main reason for this is that it is the most prolific thatch producer out of all the cool season grasses. If aggressive aeration and vertical mowing is not done on a regular basis the velvet will become puffy, bumpy, and play poorly. Since velvet at Stowe Country Club was initially installed and was not aggressively cultivated over the years, it has aggressively produced a determinate layer of thatch. Moving forward, proper agronomic practices will be initiated such as aggressive aeration and verticutting to regain the quality of the putting surface. In addition to controlling thatch levels, the cultivation of the greens will assist in conditioning the Penncross to be much smoother and less grainy.

It is our goal at Stowe Golf to produce excellent playing conditions through the production of quality bentgrass. Thank you for your patience during these periodic maintenance procedures to restore the turf. We hope that players will appreciate the  high quality playing surfaces that will grow in based on sound management practices.

Winter Rain



Shoveling water exit points on greens during 1/6 rain event

It is raining, again. Currently, it is 44 degrees and a steady rain is falling on frozen ground. Today's rain is the third rain event this winter. Our weather station has recorded 4.5 inches of rain since mid-December. While winter rains are not uncommon, the multiple rain events coupled with extremely cold temperatures in a short time period is uncommon. The result of this weather pattern is the accumulation of copious amounts of ice everywhere. Back roads, driveways, and sidewalks are pure ice. Walking through parking lots is treacherous. These uncommon winter rains and ensuing ice build are dreadful for many outdoor activities. The skiing on maintained trails is marginal. The snow-making and grooming teams are in high gear trying to keep the slopes in good condition. Skiing back country is simply horrible and non-existent. The wildlife even struggles with this weather. The raptors i.e., owls, hawks, and eagles, struggle mightily with these uncommon events as well. Raptor's feathers get wet and are unable to dry before the temperature plummet essentially causing a disability for flight. Additionally, when a crust forms over the snow, raptors struggle or are unable to break through the snow to get their food of voles and mice. There's just too much ice and not enough snow.

Block of ice on the same green 24 hours after 1/6 rain event

The survival of golf course turf when conditions like this occur is also a struggle. If I was asked to script the weather scenario that would be most destructive to golf course turf, I would have described the weather we had on December 22, January 6, or today. The scenarios include a significant rain event occurring when there is snow accumulation on frozen ground. The falling rain and subsequent water accumulation backs up in low areas. The snow slows the movement of water and the ground is unable to absorb the water. When the temperature drastically drops to below freezing a solid block of ice is formed. The weather that occurred on January 6th was the worst of the three storms. The rain started in the early morning and increased in intensity through the morning. Check out the video 1/6 Rain at Stowe Country Club in the village of Stowe. At noon the rain turned to snow and the temperatures plummeted to the single digits later that night. The result was that many areas of the course turned into skating rinks. A massive amount of 4-6 inch ice was formed throughout the course. The problem with ice on turf is that if the ice stays solid for more than 60-90 days the turf will begin to decline because of the reduction in oxygen and the accumulation of harmful gases. The key to turf survival under ice is reducing the total accumulative days of ice cover.

As a superintendent, I mitigate these adverse conditions in anyway possible. During these uncommon rain events, the maintenance team ensures the drains stay open to move the water. Snow or ice is removed if the drain has been blocked. Low drainage points on greens can be shoveled to make sure the water keeps moving off the green and is not backed up. In some cases however, this task can become overwhelming and fruitless. Unfortunately, the January 6th rain event was such the case.

The multiple rain events and subsequent cold temperatures during the early part of the winter season is of concern for the survival of many outdoor activities including golf course turf. The maintenance team will continue to monitor ice levels and cumulative days under ice. Hopefully the conditions for turf, as well as skiing, and raptor survival will improve. In the next posts I'll provide updates on subsequent actions relating to turf survival for the various weather Mother Nature provides.

Fescue

Bleached out fescue in the Fall

The wispy brown grass that surrounds many of the golf holes at Stowe Mountain Club is called “fescue”. Fescue or Festuca is a genus within the grass family of Poaceae. The species are characteristically a perennial tufted grass species - many are drought and disease resistant and shade tolerant. Planted at Stowe Mountain Club is a blend of the fine fescue grasses that includes; chewing fescue, sheep fescue, hard fescue, and creeping red fescue. The fescue high rough areas are an integral part of the golf experience at Stowe Mountain Club. While playing the course an errant shot has a high probability of landing in fescue since every hole has some fescue on the outer edges.  Knowing how to hit a successful recovery shot out of the fescue is very important to shooting a good score.


Fescue on the right side of the 2nd green in Summer

While there are a few basic skills to hitting out of the fescue, the same is true for managing it. Our main focus when it comes to managing fescue is to have it be aesthetically pleasing and still be thin enough to find a golf ball to advance it. This management strategy is based on a simple principle; the worse you treat fescue the better it is for playability. Successful management of fescue starts from day one. The future success of a stand of fescue grass will depend on what it is planted on. The worse the soil is the better the fescue will be. If fescue is planted on rich, loamy soil it will always be thick and healthy. Thick and healthy fescue will swallow golf balls and trying to hit through thick fescue is almost impossible.

Thin fescue that a ball can be easily found

After proper establishment, fescue should never be irrigated. Our irrigation technician is constantly on the lookout for misaligned sprinkler heads that cover fescue. When there is a very wet spring and early summer the fescue will become very healthy and thick. This was the case this year. Obviously, the growth was out of our control. Similar to irrigation we are very cautious not to fertilize fescue after it has been established for two years. Once established, fescue should be left alone. The one exception to that are weeds. If weeds become too prevalent they need to be removed. Weedy fescue is very difficult to play out of and looks unkempt.

 

Last week the maintenance team has begun to cut the fescue.  This annual mowing of the fescue is the final piece to the management strategy.  Cutting back the fescue assures even growth next year.  The cutting will also thin out any areas that have grown too thick.  A tremendous amount of work has gone into managing the fescue to get it to the current condition.  Every year the fescue gets better.  The maintenance team is committed to preserving this special feature of the golf course.

Subtle Tweaks

While the presentation of the golf course is basically the same for 2013 (excluding the changing of the nines), there are a couple changes that you will encounter this season. These changes are part of the maturation of the course. Stowe Mountain Golf Club opened for play in 2007. This process of subtle tweaking of the layout is a natural progression for any young golf course such as ours. In fact, many new courses under go extensive renovations in the first decade of existence. This is simply due to learning the land and how best to present it for the game of golf. It should also be stated that these subtle modifications are part of any good golf course's existence.

Removal of creeping bentgrass on 17th approach

Our changes for this year are based on grassing modifications. The 17th hole approach has been re-grassed with Kentucky bluegrass/fine fescue sod that is mowed at 2.5 inches. This rough grass replaces the creeping bentgrass that was mowed at .5 inches. The challenges we faced with the bentgrass was that approach shots that either landed just short of the green or rolled off the the green form back to front would end up all the way down to the drain in front of the green. This collection area was often wet and full of divots. In order to keep the ball closer to the green and to disperse the golf balls across the approach, the taller grass was installed.

  

The initial scalping of the 8th green



On the 8th green, we have expanded the putting surface on the right side by six feet. This process involved scalping the existing creeping bentgrass collar to greens height. One of the attributes of creeping bentgrass is that it can adapt quickly to aggressive scalping.The scalped area will be slightly off color until the grass has adapted to it's new height of cut. This green expansion will assist approach shots that drift right with the chance to funnel towards the green or land on puttable bentgrass.The area adjacent to this expansion will be sodded with collar height bentgrass. The six foot wide collar expansion will allow more putting options for shots that  land slightly off target.With the expansion in place the green flows much better with the terrain and looks better to the eye.

These subtle changes are part of our continual effort to improve the golf course. The maintenance staff is always on the lookout for ways to make a round of golf at Stowe Mountain Golf Club more enjoyable. Have fun with these new changes and enjoy!