Green Fertility and Disease Control

Foam marking the treated area

The most important area on the golf course to maintain and keep in the best possible condition are the Greens. The Greens are also the highest maintenance area on the golf course. Besides daily mowing, irrigating, changing hole locations, rolling and other cultural practices that are performed throughout the year, we also perform routine fertilizer and fungicide applications to promote the healthiest and most consistent putting surface possible. Here at Crow Canyon, we accomplish the task of fertilizing and controlling disease on the Greens through liquid applications. It is very important when applying any fertilizer or chemical to the turf that it is applied evenly to the target area to get the desired results. If not, there will be areas that get over or under fertilized, therefore causing inconsistencies in the overall turf health. To better ensure an even distribution of fertilizer or chemical to the Greens, we have a "foam marker" on our spray rig that intermittently drops foam to indicate the area that has been sprayed. This allows our spray technician to clearly see the area on the Green that has been treated.

Sprayer used for fertilizer applications

Night putting. He was just putting at night....."Caddyshack"

Mr. Ralph Bircher, member at Crow Canyon Country Club, is warming up for his Saturday morning tee time. As you can see, it is still very dark at 7am. However, Ralph has no problem seeing his glow in the dark golf ball. With that said, Dailylight Saving Time ends next weekend. So, remember to set your clocks back an hour before you go to bed next Saturday night. If you forget, you might show up an hour early for your Sunday morning tee time and find yourself putting in the dark.

Keep on Rolling!

For those of you who always ask me, "Hey Dale, did you roll the greens today?" Here's your sign! Our normal schedule for rolling greens is on Wednesdays and Fridays. However, when we are scheduled to have a special Member tournament, we try to roll the greens a little extra to help improve, even more, the smoothness and speed of the greens.

Rolling green on Hole #16

Pond #15 Update

As you can see the algae problem on pond #15 is no longer a problem, at this time. Due to the treatments that we have been applying over the last couple of months and the weather changing, we have been able to improve the conditions in this pond. We will be doing preventive maintenance to the ponds beginning in the Spring of next year to prevent the algae breakout that we had this past summer.

Thanksgiving is approaching

Wild Turkeys on #17

These guys reminded me that Thanksgiving is around the corner! :-)

Frost

Today may be the coolest morning we have had this Fall with the temperatures dipping down into the low 40's. It is the first day of this Fall that we have experienced some patchy frost. With frosty conditions comes frost delays. Today, the frost was light enough that there were no delays in starting times. However, when we start experiencing heavier frost, there will be delays in the starting tee times until the frost melts. Frost delays can last anywhere from 8am until 10am depending on the weather conditions. On mornings where the temperatures are in the low 40's or below, I suggest calling the Pro Shop to see if there is a frost delay before heading to the club.

Frost on Hole #8

Frost on #8 looking back at the Tee

Welcome!

In an effort to inform, educate and ultimately improve your overall golfing experience at Crow Canyon Country Club, I am creating this blog. You can expect to see current projects and practices that we are performing on the golf course as well as any issues with playing conditions that we might be experiencing. My goal is to make this blog as informative and educational as possible. So, I hope you enjoy learning more about the Golf Course Maintenance Department and everything that goes in to providing you with the best possible playing conditions.

Sincerely,

Dale Simpson
Golf Course Superintendent
Crow Canyon Country Club