On Monday 8/19 we will lightly vertical mow the greens. This removes some thatch and grain in the greens. It also opens up the turf grass canopy for sand. On Tuesday we will apply sand and vent the greens. The greens will be a little sandy for a few days but will be in good shape by the weekend.
This procedure will help firm up the greens and improve ball roll as we look forward to club championship and the fields cup. The venting of greens promotes beneficial gas exchange into the root zone.
Greens aeration is scheduled for September and the dates are yet to be determined. Tentatively right after fields cup. The staff and I also have to schedule tee and approach aeration. Lastly we still need to finish aerating fairways. We have a busy fall planned.
Thanks for understanding as we try to maintain the golf course at the very best level for you and your guests.
This morning we “vented” the greens. This is a practice of punching small holes in the green soil profile to exchange beneficial air into the root zone and release detrimental gases. It also helps water infiltrate the soil profile and stimulate root growth.
The greens are in pretty good shape as we head into August. They do feel a bit “spongy”to me which means they could use a bit of sand. If the weather is favorable sometime later this month i may put a fine dusting on the greens. This will firm them up a bit and make the putting surface smooth.
The mens member guest had a great weekend of weather and playing conditions. We did receive two inches of rain a few days before and it really made the property shine. It is starting to get dry again but it looks like we might get some much needed rainfall later this week.
The american kestrels flew the coup last week. I counted 5 juveniles in a dead ash tree near the 9th green. I hope we can get lucky again next year.
Its been a nice summer and there is plenty of it left. I hope to see you out in the fairways.
The last few weeks of weather have been a tough stretch to manage the turfgrass on the golf course. The hot and dry weather have exposed some of our poor soils on our greens, tees, and fairways. We have been maintaining the course very conservatively this past week and will continue this practice through this weekend with temperatures expected in the 90’s. This past week we cut greens Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The off days we only rolled them.
3rd Green
Tomorrow we will mow the greens and Sunday we will only roll them. The greens might have been a bit slower but our goal is for them to remain healthy as we prepare for our upcoming tournaments.
Please observe the white and green stakes and cart signs. These are out for a reason! The reason is to give the turfgrass a chance to survive this weather. Also, it is much easier to make a up and down around the greens in healthy grass than a trampled lie from a cart. Carts are not allowed near greens, on tee slopes or even on tees. Carts should not be driven behind the 6th green on the right side as you play the hole.
I encourage you to inform you playing partners or other members if they are not practicing proper etiquette. If for some medical reason you cant walk then i understand but please try and stay a reasonable distance from the greens and tees with a cart.
Thankfully we received close to a half inch of rain yesterday and the grass perked up a bit. That rainfall was a welcome sight and the turfgrass really needed that slow steady rain.
1st fairway
This weekend is going to be tough with the heat and humidity but next week it looks like the temperatures should be more tolerable. Hopefully we get some more rain next week so the property can really shine for the men’s member guest next weekend. Next week the weather looks favorable for me to put my foot on the gas and resume mowing and rolling greens every day. Stay cool and i hope to see you out in the fairways!
The golf course has really has firmed up nicely with the lack of precipitaion.
The long range weather looks hot and dry as well so the course is going to continue to get a bit more brown. The course will green up quickly when it does rain so im not concerned in the least. For now just enjoy the extra roll off your drives.
There are some drop zones on the 2nd,3rd, and 5th hole. Please talk to Scott about these areas if you are not sure of our local rules.
Drop zone 3rd hole
I have some exciting environmental stewardship news to report! A pair of American Kestrels have hatched a clutch of eggs in the box near the 9th green. The kestrels are our smallest falcon about the size of a robin. The number of kestrels have declined by 50% since 1966. Promoting their recovery by installing and maintaining these boxes is a great reason why we are involved in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf.
Yesterday, Jaime Fischer the Wildlife Research Director at WMF came to confirm this brood and we discussed banding the chicks by a kestrel expert from the Audubon Society in Sharon.
Young kestrels waiting for a treatBreakfast time
For now just enjoy the aerial display of these magnificient falcons. Im guessing the young will fly the coop soon.
The golf course is in really great shape if you had a chance to play it recently. The fairways have really firmed up and you should enjoy the extra roll off your drives.
The 8th fairway was aerated this past Monday. It will heal over quickly with the warm soil temperatures. We will continue to aerate fairways throughout this summer as time, labor, and weather allows us to do so.
I sprayed the lower half of the 8th this morning with some foliar fertilizers to try and nurse it back into shape. That part of the fairway has really suffered from the onslaught of rain we have received dating back to last August.
The area in front of 9 white is roped off. Also there are stakes and cart signs going towards 9 blue. These areas have been damaged from cart traffic when carts were let out when it was still too soft. We will have to fill in the ruts and will remain closed until it firms back up. In the future if we have excessive rainfall i may be forced to close all of 9 tees to cart traffic. The little known footbridge can be used to walk over to 9 blue and yellow.
Next week is a holiday week and we need to complete all maintenance procedures in only four days. The staff and I will need to “hustle” next week to reach our weekly goals. So please understand if we dont stop or slow down while you are out playing golf.
Enjoy your holiday and ill see you out in the fairways!
The golf course has recovered nicely after all the rain we received this spring. The staff and I are finally into a routine grounds maintenance mode. Its great to see everyone out enjoying the course finally!
The first green recovered nicely after receiving some fertilizer. The greens are in great shape and we are rolling greens thrice a week or more.
1st Green
The 8th fairway is finally starting to come around. We applied some foliar fertilizers recently and we mow it only once or twice a week dependent on the soil conditions.
8th Fairway
We are using the gang units to cut this fairway and the quality of cut is not as clean as our fairway tractor. Its the best I can do at this time until I can remove some of the excessive thatch.
Gang Units
The fairways are a bit “thatchy” because they have not been aerated in two years. The reasons for this is twofold. One has been the weather and the other has been a broken gear box on the fairway unit.
As you can see it is a complicated piece of equipment with a lot of moving parts. We were able to fix it and I plan on aerating the 8th fairway this coming Monday. Removing some of the excessive thatch will help water percolate down and also create a favorable exchange of oxygen into the soil profile. It will also allow me to cut the fairway a bit lower in the future.
The course is a bit soggy after all this rain and high humidity this week. If we receive more rain tonite its possible carts will not be available tomorrow. Regardless, I would expect that carts will be available for this weekend. Please call the pro shop or check his blog to see if carts are permissible.
Have a great weekend! It looks like a good weekend to be swinging a club!
The greens were vertical mowed in two directions last Tuesday. We then applied a generous amount of sand then punched it into the green profile with solid tines.
This procedure helped remove some thatch and also get some much needed air into the root zone. Thatch management is the single most important cultural practice for greens,tees, and fairways. Maintaining thatch levels at acceptable levels will create a firmer smoother playing surface. Also, water, fertilizer and plant protectants all work better with acceptable thatch levels.
The greens have healed over well but the practice green and the first are a bit off color. Some of the poa annual on theses greens are stressed out from the vertical mowing and dry weather we experienced last week.
I will spray the greens tomorrow with a organic foliar fertilizer and with the recent rainfall these greens should recover soon. However, I will continue to monitor them closely and make adjustments as needed.
I have finally submitted all paperwork for the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for golf. https://auduboninternational.org/acsp-for-golf/ It will be 8 weeks before we hear back from them. It’s been a very long journey but have finally reached the finish line. Once certified we will need to retain it by submitting paperwork every two years. Its an ongoing process and if you would like to get involved please contact me, Fran Devlin, or Vince McDermott.
We received a half inch today with more expected this week. Carts are ok as of right now although it is very wet out there. See you out in the fairways.
Litchfield Country Club 