Aquatic Weed Control

Our new irrigation pond adjacent to the 11th tee and 17th green has performed very well in its first year, handling it's primary job of storing water.  Of course, the pond is also important to aesthetics and as a hazard guarding the 17th green.  Weed control in an irrigation pond is somewhat limited because, as you may suspect, we can't treat the pond with herbicides that would eventually be applied to turf via the irrigation system.

For most of the year, we've had some subsurface weeds growing in the lake and they were getting thicker as time went on.  Lucky for us, they have started to diminish for whatever reason.  Perhaps the plant's lifecycle is coming to a close, or the soil is no longer supporting growth, or salt build up may play a role.  I'm just glad to see less plant life than more, without any expense to the club.

We do have some cattails growing around the edges and we will remove those by hand.  Just the other day, we had Huckleberry Rafael out on some floating pallets pulling the reeds with Marvin guiding the raft.  We do have a small boat for such purposes, but they were having so much fun making quick work of the problem that I just took a pic and moved along.

Through the Tunnels

This year, BHCC's major project during the annual closure is an irrigation upgrade that will connect our new water source to holes 3 through 8.  To accomplish this goal, we will be installing 4000 feet of new mainline pipe.  Our existing system was designed for five points of connection to the city supply, so the pipes are small in size and cannot deliver the necessary amount from one side to the other.

Work has already begun in the tunnel under Bernardo Heights Parkway.  Brackets are being installed every 5 ft to support an 8 inch irrigation line.  You'll be seeing more work on this project near the tunnels and in out-of-play areas before we start trenching in late September when we are closed to play.  

This year, we have been able to use well water for 2/3 of the course without needing to supplement with our potable supply.  The new upgrades will further decrease our irrigation expense. Another benefit is greater pressure control resulting in less broken pipes and improved uniformity.  Our irrigation technician is especially happy about the breakage reduction.

Check back for more updates on this project and other course news.

Bermudagrass Transition Update

We now have six fairways that are 100% bermudagrass.  Tomorrow, we will have one more after #14 is treated with a herbicide that knocks out all the cool season grass.  Back in March we sprayed #'s 6, 7, 10, and most of 18.  Those fairways are now a great example of where the entire course will be in the near future.

BHCC stopped overseeding 3 years ago to promote year-round, excellent playing conditions and to convert to a turf type that could withstand the summer heat and somewhat salty irrigation water.  We've made a lot of progress over the last two seasons and many fairways are just a summer away from full bermuda coverage.

Some locations, like the recently converted 17th fairway, has some bare spots that had little to no bermudagrass.  We've used some sod taken from out-of-play areas to repair these locations.  We are also bumping up the fertilizer to promote growth and marking ground under repair where necessary.




















When you encounter a location that is a little thin, remember what it will look like in a matter of weeks. Once we achieve 100% bermuda coverage, it will be here to stay.  Bare areas will be a problem of the past, not a normal part of summer.

Please don't hesitate to send your questions and comments directly to the maintenance department and my email, jalwine@bhcc.net.

Just a normal Monday

A few Mondays ago, we did some work on the greens to maintain the current speed and improve smoothness.  The greens have healed up nicely from aerification and are responding to warmer temperatures with better color and growth.  However, the surfaces can get a little bit puffy if they are not groomed properly.  We like to go after this problem before it is a problem to maintain our current conditions.

Above, we have Tomate (that's his nickname, but I don't know why) verticutting the greens two directions while Ricardo cleans up any debris left behind.  The photo shows the effect of this light, vertical mowing.  We follow that with a dusting of sand and broom it in to finish the process.  The sand fills in any imperfections and the slits we cut into the green.  The result is a much smoother surface on greens that were already stimping around 11 feet, now closer to 11.5 with very true roll.

On the same day, Elidio was out with the Wiedenmann aerifier, punching some holes in the green surrounds.  According to the staff, this is the first time this area has received a traditional aerification in it's entirety.  This will improve water infiltration and reduce the amount of water required to keep the green surrounds in good playing condition.

Solid Bermuda

On March 3rd, I spent about 45 minutes driving around with a tank full of herbicide and knots in my stomach.  I was about to spray some fairways with a product that kills any grasses that are not bermuda.  I was nervous about the application because much of the bermuda was covered with poa annua and ryegrass that had been growing through the winter while the bermuda was semi-dormant.  Some locations look like solid cool season grass and I can only hope that bermuda lies beneath.

The fairways that received this treatment were #'s 6, 7, 10 and a portion of 18.  In the coming weeks, we will spray #'s 5, 8, and 17.  Other holes will be sprayed as bermudagrass fills in and the poa annua and ryegrass weakens from summer heat.

The beauty of this product is the slow rate at which the cool season fades away.  For the first week, growth stops, but color and texture remain the same.  About 10 days in, grasses that are not bermuda start to yellow and they are browning up at this time, 17 days after the application.  The grass is still very playable and will not fade away completely for a few more weeks.  During this period, we fertilize the bermuda grass and encourage growth without any competition.

My fears of spraying are usually relieved when the bermuda starts growing through the dead grass.  There is plenty of bermudagrass on these fairways and they will fill in quickly.

A mono-stand of one species of grass is so much prettier than a hodgepodge of turf types.  Most of our fairways have ryegrass, poa annua, hybrid bermuda, and common bermuda in patches and different percentages throughout the playing surface.  Wiping out the rye and poa will really clean up the appearance and provide better playing conditions year-round.

 If we do encounter a thin or bare spot, we will mark ground-under-repair and maybe sod the location if recovery time is too great.  This application is an aggressive technique, but like you, I'm tired of waiting for this transition to take place naturally.  We are on the fast track now and the fairways will look like you've never seen at BHCC.  The last few photos show a portion of #6 fairway that is loaded with poa annua.  Last summer, this area was nearly all bermuda and will be all bermuda once again.

Yellow and dying poa annua covering bermudagrass.

Closer inspection shows some green bermuda within the dying cool season grass.

Here I've pulled up on the bermuda runners that will fill in this area.

Green Aerification

As I usually say, our green aerification is one of the most important days of the year.  This is one of few opportunities to open up the surface, remove some thatch, and add some important nutrients to the soil.  The drainage is improved, the roots are given some room to travel downward, and oxygen is delivered to the plant and microbes in the soil.

 Our process uses a smaller size tine, 3/8 of an inch with very close spacing, meaning many small holes instead of a few big ones.  The greens can sometimes lift up during using this technique when the root structure is not very good.  Our first go around with this setup was October 2012 and the greens heaved up nearly 4 inches.  The crew thought I had ruined the greens, but they can be rolled and pressed back down.  This year, there was no heaving at all, indicating better soil structure and increased rooting.


For an early start, Izzo and I came in on Sunday night to get a couple of greens punched before a grueling Monday.  In the photo to the left, you can see some very long shadows and Izzo enjoying the cool comfort of freshly pulled plugs.  This saved a few hours of labor and allowed us to finish the entire course by 3:30 PM, our earliest finish ever with next to zero overtime.  The crew would have liked the overtime, but they seemed happy to put the shovels away at the same time.

The key to the sanding process is to make sure that all the holes are "capped" with sand.  Many players feel that we put too much sand on the greens, but the cardinal sin is applying too little sand.  If we leave the surface clean and green, the dimples that are here this week will last for well over a month.  Be patient and the turf will grow through the sand and return to a smooth and firm surface.

You can expect healing to take just under two weeks.  The greens are being watered nightly at this time to help the sand work into the holes and to encourage the healing process.  The softness makes them susceptible to big ballmarks, which are YOUR responsibility to repair.  We always have trouble with players ignoring this task because, "the greens are all torn up anyway."  They will heal faster if you fix the damage caused by your ball.  Please help me help you.

Rain Report

This weekend's storm will double the rain totals we've received at the course since early October.  Needless to say, this is much needed moisture that will help to hydrate our landscaping, trees, and turf throughout BHCC.  As of Saturday morning, we've picked up 1.5 inches of rain at our weather station. The slow and steady pace allowed the ground to soak it up.  The sodium that piles up in the greens has been dropped by 50%, which is just what we need going into aerification.  This is a great way to start our spring season and get the course growing and greening up.

Have you ever wondered what the maintenance staff does during a rainy day?  We've been waiting for this opportunity to address some shop work.  We cleaned up all our storage areas, re-organized equipment, and painted three sets of tee markers.  The guys were set up like Santa's elves, scrubbing down tee markers and adding a fresh coat of paint.  The red tees had been painted a few weeks ago by Genie Brown and company, a much appreciated assist from our ladies' groups.

When the rain took a break in the early afternoon, I headed out to survey drainage issues and take note of any down trees or branches.  The course is a little messy and will get a full cleaning on Monday.  We only lost one tree, a half dead tree on the first fairway that was marked for removal.  We will be cart path only for the weekend, but those restrictions will be lifted as soon as possible.

Today, Ramiro and staff were able to mow greens, which are actually pretty firm after the nice rain-powered flushing.  They will do their best to clean up the mess, but bunkers will take some time to get into shape as they need more than a quick raking.  We gladly will accept the little bit of hassle for the huge benefits of this rain.