Clearing the Lagoon

One of the many projects we have been working on throughout the year is cleaning out the lagoon next to 18 champion tee. The lagoon is where the natural creeks flow to and collect. The excess water then overflows into our man-made water feature down stream. One of the issues with the natural flowing creek is the trash, garbage, and plant material that flows downstream after heavy rains. This pollution then collects in the lagoon and litters our creek banks. With the pollution also comes excess silt and soil, and eventually builds up and develops mounds in the middle of the water. Looking at the "before" pictures you will see these mounds being described. There also used to be cattails along a portion of the bank that we also removed for aesthetic purposes.

With these before and after pictures you will see the clear water of the lagoon as well as the removal of the cattails.

Clear Shot from the Forward Tee

The creation of the forward tee on 17 has opened up new possibilities for golfers. What was once a dog leg right is now a more approachable straight/slight curve for our golfers. However, when creating the forward tee there were limited locations for placement. The decision for the tee's final position left a problematic left side for golfers off the tee box. A Pin Oak hugging the left side of the fairway just in front of the tee box made it hard for golfers to hit a drive off the tee without disruption from the tree. Hence, the tree removal that the Blue Hills maintenance staff finished just this past week.

Not only will the removal of the tree help golfers hit a cleaner shot off the tee, but will also help with the growth and development of the zoysia tee box. The large tree projected a lot of shade over the tee box which was restricting optimal growth potential.

Aerifying Fairways

Another practice that is important for turfgrass growth is aerification. Puncturing holes into the ground as you see in the picture helps with root zone growth, air exchange, thatch accumulation and compaction. The cores that are pulled are 2.5 inches deep with a 5/8 inch diameter. We then pulverize the cores and blow the remaining remnants into the rough. We began the start of this process early last week and finished aerifying the back nine. We will continue to aerify the front nine until we finish the process.

Snow on the Bermuda

Last year we began treating our rough with a non-selective herbicide to help eliminate the ever growing bermudagrass. The herbicide has a specific active ingredient Topramezone, that helps prevent the plant from producing chlorophyll. You will see the results in the pictures below. Since the plant cannot produce chlorophyll the plant leaves turn white. We are continuing this practice this year in hopes to completely eradicate the bermudagrass. We will finish this program with two more applications and seed the areas as needed. Thanks for your patience.

Verti-cutting Fairways

As some of you may have noticed, the back nine fairways have several slits cutting into the ground. This is the result of verti-cutting. By verti-cutting we are helping the soil surface maintain a suitable thatch level. Throughout the year thatch builds up just below the surface of the grass. This thatch layer restricts root growth and water penetration, both of which are valuable assets when it comes to healthy turf. By verti-cutting, we are simply slicing through the top layer and removing some of the thatch. Once the thatch is removed from the soil we remove the thatch debris. You can see all of the build up we removed displayed in the first picture of #14 Fairway.  This practice allows for easy water penetration into
the subsurface and allow the roots to grow advantageously,
just like nature intended.

Assistant Superintendent

Clifton Willis was recently promoted to Assistant Superintendent at Blue Hills Country Club. Clifton grew up just north of Kansas City in Liberty, Missouri and is soon to be a Turf Science graduate of Penn State University. He has a beautiful wife named Mo with his first child on the way. He has worked at multiple courses in Missouri and Arkansas including the host of the 2012 Southern Amateur, Chenal Country Club. He has been with Blue Hills for over two years and is excited to continue making Blue Hills stand out as one of the exceptional courses in the Kansas City area.

Solving a Wet Problem

               
              #6 Drainage

 The right side of #6 fairway, just Southeast of the alternate driving range tee, continued to be a wet area this Spring. By installing new drainage last Fall, we thought the problem was resolved. However, the clogged clay tile diverted the settling water away from our new drain line. This caused the water to settle, runoff, and sit stagnant. By utilizing our Mini Excavator, we were able to remove the clay tile, and install new tributaries to our previously installed main drain line. These new French drains have been installed with the Herringbone design, this will help optimize the draining of the area and maintain the area as a dry playing surface in the future.