Work has to be fun right?

A little fun today. While one of my employees was irrigating using the valve key, I stopped in to check on how he was doing. His response "I am waiting to turn off 8 so I can turn on 6". (Yes we have manual irrigation). He was practicing his putting with the valve key while no golfers were around. Can't always be serious at work. You must have some fun. Thanks for your hard work Elijah!

Black Turfgrass Atenius

I noticed some weird dry spots on #13 green, but upon using the moisture meter to check, these were not dry spots. I kept my eye on it for a couple days and I noticed that birds were pecking the turf, eating something within. I went over to take a look and noticed little black beetles all over the green. Upon inspection, these looked to be Black Turfgrass Atenius beetles.This green is particularly thatchy, so that is part of the problem. They like to burrow into the thatch.

I went out the next day and sprayed an insecticide to kill the beetles. The next week, it all looked fine again. After that, we focused more on heavier thatch removal through verticutting, and that has seemed to help the issue.

Update: 2018 season we had no issues with the beetle, as we were controlling thatch more.

Weird looking "dry spots"

Spring is in the Air

The greens have come through winter in great shape! Such a relief as that was my first winter fungicide application while being a Superintendent. I have to say that Trilogy worked great for us on all greens. There is a distinct line where the sprayer was turned off. 

18 green first cut of the year

Flooding

Each spring the course floods on the lowers areas. Welp brook runs through the course and during the spring melt, all the water from the properties up stream comes through the golf course. It fills our irrigation reservoir, but overfills it. Normally holes 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, and 18 flood.

18 Fairway

11 Fairway

We have an arsenal of pumps that are used to get the water off the course ranging from 2" trash pumps to 6" floating pumps. These constantly run to put the water back into the brook, once it goes down.

6" floating pump

10 green just poking out of the water