Winter Covers Will Be Deployed Friday 30th

Winter covers will be deployed this week on Friday 30th. The following morning we will have a substantial frost delay.  

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 35 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 (see frost blog).

We will communicate with the golf 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 front nine turf blanket deployment.

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

2013 EPA Tier 4 Impacts on The Ford Plantation

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created a  “tiered” series of emission regulations governing the production of new off-road diesel equipment engines in the mid 1990’s. The purpose of the regulations was to reduce the level of harmful emissions such as particulate matter (PM) and Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) that enter the air via diesel engine exhaust.                                                   

The "final" and most technologically challenging implementation stage is called Tier 4. Basically, engine and turf equipment manufacturers producing diesel engines greater then 25 horsepower will be required to produce products that comply with these most stringent emission reductions. The Tier 4 emission standard will reduce already reduced emissions of PM by 90%. To give you a sense for how stringent the Tier 4 standard is, consider the fact that in many parts of the United States, the air leaving Tier 4 compliant machines will actually be cleaner than the incoming air!

What does this mean for the future equipment here at The Ford Plantation? Environmentally, our equipment will be cleaner and "greener" improving the long term health of our environment and community. However, economically these machines will have a higher cost. Other industries that have been previously effective by the new regulations have experienced upwards of a 20% increase in cost of machines.

Currently, our equipment fleet consists of eleven machines that will fall into the new tier 4 emission standards category starting in 2015. 

The fleet includes:

(3) Toro RM 5510 Fairway mowers 
(2) Toro GM 3500 Rotary Mowers
(2) Toro GM 4500 Rotary Mowers
(1) Toro GM 360 Rotary Mower
(1) Toro GM 4000 Rotary Mower
(2) Toro MP 5800 Sprayers

This Blog article was written by Mr. Alan Bussey, The Ford Plantation Equipment Manager

Ford Plantation in State Rankings

In the upcoming February 2013 issue of Golf Digest magazine, The Ford Plantation Golf Course is ranked #17 in the state of Georgia in the "Best in State" rankings. This biennial course ranking is the result of Golf Digest's survey process, which involved a nationwide panel of golfers playing and objectively evaluating courses on seven criteria: shot values, resistance to scoring, design variety, memorability, aesthetics, conditioning, and ambiance.

Putting Greens Are Painted

Last week the putting greens at The Ford Plantation were painted.  Painting the greens adds aesthetic beauty during the winter months when the bermudagrass is in dormancy.  The process requires two people and takes roughly 2-3 days to complete.  This is the first year The Ford Plantation has seen an entirely green golf course during the winter months.

 

Figure 1. Brooks Riddle feathering in paint on the putting green.

Figure 2. Left:Painted; Right, before painting 

Along with enhancing the aesthetics of the turf, painting greens has an agronomic benefit by increasing the temperature of the soil.  Research conducted at Clemson University in 2007 (Figure 3) showed that a painted green increases the temperature of the soil by three degrees compared to an unpainted surface.  Similar to covering our front nine greens, painting allows us to obtain higher soil temperatures which is something we strive for.

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