Putting Greens Are Now Painted!

The putting greens at the Ford Plantation were painted last week. Painting greens adds aesthetic beauty and contrast to the golf course when the bermudagrass goes dormant. This is the first year all the greens have been painted.  Last year we experimented with painting #17 green and were very happy with the results. After the success of #17 green last year we decided to paint all the greens this year. It took two days to complete all 21 greens.

Jared Nemitz paints #7 green, feathering in the edges ensuring even distribution as he moves across the green.

 Figure 1. Greens were painted from one side of the green to another requiring two people.

Figure 2. Left: Painted green; Right, Green before painting

While painting greens provides an aesthetic enhancement it also proves to be agronomically beneficial. Research conducted at Clemson University (Figure 3) showed that painting greens raised soil temperatures three degrees compared to an unpainted green, a significant difference. Obtaining warmer soil conditions for the putting greens during winter months is something we are always striving for. Similar to covering our front nine putting greens, painting our greens helps keep soil temperatures warmer.

Figure 3. Soil temperatures taken at a depth of 3 inches on March 25, 2007. Left, painted; Middle, overseeded; and Right, no overseeding or painting (Courtesy of Clemson University).

Hope you enjoy the newly painted greens and the look it adds to the golf course.

The Pete Dye Internship Program to New Heights!

For the last two years, The Ford Plantation Golf Maintenance Department has been operating The Pete Dye Agronomic Scholarship program. This is a developmental internship program for young professionals with a passion for golf course maintenance. 

 

Figure 1-2. Interns take part in all facets of golf course maintenance including irrigation break repairs and chemical applications.

In December The Ford Plantation and the Savannah Community Foundation have teamed up to make the newly named Pete Dye Internship a 501(c)(3) tax deductible donation.  Professors from leading turfgrass universities (Georgia, Penn State, Purdue, Clemson, North Carolina State and Florida) will submit up to two nominees for the internship/scholarship program.  Nelson Caron and CW Canfield will submit these names to the Pete Dye Scholarship Committee comprised of Mike Killian, Steve Rabinowitz and Dr. Bill Thompson.  Selected golf course interns will receive a scholarship to be used for educational expenses.  Along with this scholarship they will also receive an hourly wage for the duration of the 3 month internship. Free housing, competitive wages and scholarship makes the Pete Dye Internship one of the most sought after internships in the country.

This program has been met with enthusiastic support from the members of our club and universities.  Dr. Bill Thompson, Green Committee Chair, has graciously allowed interns to stay in his guest house, free of rent, during the summer months.  “The financial support we get for this program from our members is astounding. Without their help this program would not exist.” says Director of Golf Course Maintenance Nelson Caron.

In 2009 we accepted two interns from Purdue, Brent Seyer and David Cooper.  Brent graduated from Purdue in January 10’ and is now working full-time at Augusta National Golf Club.  David Cooper will be graduating this fall and intends to join Valhalla Golf Club in KY full-time. This past summer we had two more interns from Purdue University, Dane Alexander and Kurt Hockemeyer. Dane will be interning at another golf club this upcoming summer.  Kurt is considering pursuing a Masters Degree from Purdue University when he graduates in spring.  The capstone of the internship program is when each intern gets to run the golf maintenance crew for 3-4 days at the end of the summer. David Cooper commented, “Running the crew for a week was the highlight of my summer. This is not something all interns get to do at other clubs.”

Figure 3.The highlight for most interns is managing the crew for 4 days at the end of the summer.

Figure 4. Last summer interns had an opportunity to spend a day with golf course architect Tim Liddy and engineer Ray Pittman.

The Pete Dye Internship Committee is currently accepting nominations for the upcoming 2011 summer.  If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to the scholarship fund please contact CW Canfield (cwcanfield@fordplantation.com) or Nelson Caron (ncaron@fordplantation.com).

Frost Delay Video

This helpful video explains why we must delay golf during frosty mornings.

Putting Green Covers Help Prevent Winter Injury

It's that time of year again when putting green covers will be deployed. Covering greens is a common practice done on ultradwarf putting greens during the winter months. This process helps our greens hold heat in the soil profile, prevents plant desiccation and protects turfgrass plants against extreme cold temperatures and wind. Covers will only be deployed on the front nine greens and practice green where shade and air pockets are a constant challenge to turfgrass health.

We will deploy covers at 3:00 PM in the afternoon prior to overnight temperatures forecasted to be below 40 F. If you plan on playing an afternoon round of golf, we suggest checking the overnight forecast before teeing off so you are not disrupted by the covering process. We will remove the covers after the frost has lifted the following morning.

We will communicate with the pro shop when we do cover the front nine greens. In the afternoon, the back nine greens will be available for play during the course of turf blanket deployment.

Please contact the pro shop with any questions you may have.

Figure 1. It takes approximately 1 hour to cover all of the front nine greens.

Figure 2. Once greens are covered they are fastened to the ground using fabricated tent stakes.

Figure 3. The covering process traps heat in the soil and helps maintain a healthier turfgrass plant.