NOVEMBER COLOR

As we head into November, there is still some excellent fall foliage to be seen around the course. I took this photo on a frosty/foggy November 1'st morning. Yes the temperatures are dropping and the season is winding down rapidly. Our seasonal golf maintenance staff are finished for the year, however Shaun Maher(Asst. Supt.), Rich Johnson (Equip. Tech.) and I are still quite busy around the course. As you can see from this picture, many leaves are still on the trees. We have a significant amount of clean up still to be done.
We are identifying pipe sizes on 3 isolation valves to be replaced. One valve located  on #3 near the green, another valve on #14 between the forward and back tees and  another on #18 fairway.
Our plan is to apply our last plant protectent application on greens, tees and fairways next week. This application will protect us from a disease called snow mold. There are two types, pink snow mold (Microdochium Nivale), this type does not need snow to be present. It likes cool, moist conditions. The second type is grey snow mold, (Typhula incarnata, and 3 varieties of typhula ishikariensis). We see grey after deep and prolonged snow cover. These are both in the fungus family. You may recall seeing this on your home lawns in the spring time once snow has melted. Matted circles of grass/turf with  fluffy, cotton candy looking rings around the outside if the patches.
The week of November 14-18 we will be topdressing greens heavily. This aides in the reduction of winter damage to the turf. We will then cut drainage trenches in a handful of greens we see water accumulation during any mid-winter thaws. We will then cover the greens where we perennially see winter/ice damage.
We will also be winterizing our irrigation system and pump station. This process is done much like that of home irrigation systems however we utilize a very large compressor 8x that of what is used by your local landscape company at your homes. If water is kept in plastic pipes through the winter, the water will freeze and rupture the pipes leaving extensive damage to the system. This blow out process usually takes 2 full days to complete.
I would like to thank all that came out last Saturday morning for member help day. We had 15 members assist us with limbing up trees and hauling to the burn pit. It was quite a bon fire. We all enjoyed lunch  in the mixed grill accompanied by some college football. The course looks great. Come on out for some excellent fall golf.