Conifer Damage

There has been some conifer damage showing up on the golf course.  Most of the damage has appeared as tip burn, although there are a few trees that have more extensive damage.  The Colorado Spruce on #13 tee (photo on right) shows the typical injury we are seeing, where at the end of the tips are wilted and appear a reddish colour. The Norway Spruce on #18 (photo left) has more extensive injury, where most of the tree needles have been effected.  The Evergreen hedge at #1 tee also seems to be showing similar effects.

There has been many recent publications on a new herbicide called "Imprelis", that is available to golf courses and commercial turf markets.  We used this product this year to spray the weeds in the roughs at Forest Lake C.C..  It now has been linked to potentially causing damage to Conifer trees, with Norway Spruce and White Pine sited as being most susceptible.  This herbicide is absorbed through the shoots and roots of weeds, and is believed to be absorbed by surface roots of these conifers triggering the same kill effect.  Not all of our trees have showed signs of injury, and we will be monitoring this situation. 

The advice from many university and industry professionals is to let the trees try to grow through these symptoms before more permanent action is taken.

Attached below is a link to a published article on "Imprelis".

http://www.freep.com/article/20110710/NEWS06/107100467/New-lawn-chemical-chief-suspect-mysterious-deaths-trees

Japanese Beetles

 

The Little Leaf Lindens, River Birch on #9, New Burr Oak on #9, and Roses on the golf course were sprayed (photo on left) for Japanese Beetle (photo above) on Friday July 8th. The damage to the tree leaves has definitely slowed down, but for the insecticide to work, the beetles have to ingest part of the leaf.  There are still large numbers of these beetles around in the roughs laying eggs.  Along with European Chafer grubs, the Japanese Beetle grubs can also cause tremendous damage to turf roots later in summer if the populations are not controlled.

Walk Mowing Greens

We are putting great focus on having our walkers mowing greens during the months of June, July, and August.  The staff has been training on our walk mowing equipment during June, and you can expect to see the greens frequently hand mowed as the season progresses.   The greens will benefit with decreased compaction from riders and a more uniform cut that our walker mowers can provide.

Japanese Beetles

The life cycle of a Japanese Beetle is like clock work at Forest Lake.  Yearly we can expect to see the adult beetles (photo above on the Lindens beside #16 Tee/#18 Fairway) on July 1rst.  The adults usually are seen in large numbers, and almost have the appearance of a swarm of wasps from a distance.  These insects are NOT harmful to people or animals but instead, cause damage by skeletonizing leaves to a variety of trees and plants.  At Forest Lake C.C. our Little Leaf Linden trees are a primary target.  We will have a tree service spray the trees to eliminate the adult Japanese Beetles from causing tree damage and laying eggs.  During late summer/fall and spring the beetles also can cause damage to turf grass while they are in a grub stage. 

From Your Greens Committee

Whether you consider the golf cart a bane or a blessing, it is certainly part of the golf environment at Forest Lake for the foreseeable future.  The very wet early golf season, has highlighted what difficulties golf carts can cause on the upkeep of a golf course.  Below are some reminders on cart etiquette for our members and guests that will assist in keeping our golf course looking pristine. 

Golf Car Etiquette

·    Check at the first tee to see if any special cart rules are in effect for the day.  On wet days you may be asked to keep the cart on the paths when available.   The golf course is "always" open for our members and guests to walk if the course conditions do not permit cart usage.

·    Always stay on designated paths on par-3 holes and #2 where the low lying area is prone to soft conditions.

·    Avoid rapid starts and stops, as well as sharp turns, which can seriously damage the turf and compact the soil.

·    Follow posted signs, avoid roped-off areas, and keep the cart on the path when asked to do so.

·    Avoid standing water or soft looking ground, as these areas are especially susceptible to damage.

·    Return to the cart path or rough before the white posts on both sides of the fairway (25 to 100 yards out).  These are moved on a regular basis to keep traffic from wearing a particular area.

·    When on a cart path keep all four tires on the path to prevent worn area on the edge of a path.

      

               

 Wearing on the outside corner #16 Green (left photo) and  inside corner of 15th Tee(right photo)

Orange-Flagged Carts

As a courtesy  to our members who may have lost some mobility over the years, we offer orange-flagged  carts which carry more generous rules for cart travel.  There are still rules however which means you don't have carte blanche to drive wherever you wish.  Orange-flagged carts are still expected to:

·   avoid wet and soft areas

·   keep out of roped off areas

·   keep a minimum of 15 feet away from traps, greens and tee boxes where there is no cart path

·   use good common sense in caring for your course.

Closing Comments

You'll frequently see the area roped off between #14 green and #15 tee.  Heavy cart traffic in that area has started to wear the turf to the right of the green.  To preserve a playable area for all, please keep to the cart path when riding through this section of the course.

Lastly as a reminder toward speed of play, proper cart etiquette includes dropping one player off at his ball with a club or two, while the playing partner proceeds to his own ball.  The only time this shouldn't happen is if one player is directly in front of the other and in the line of fire.  Ready golf does not include sitting in the cart and admiring your partner's swing, then driving off to get ready for your own shot.

If you’d like to see a video link on golf cart etiquette, click on this…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vq5xMqWEOY

Our beautiful summer weather is here.  Enjoy the season and remember to "CARE FOR YOUR COURSE". 

Your Greens Committee

Aerification and Top dressing

On Monday and Tuesday we aerified over half the greens with small star tines to help with water and air movement through the soil. The holes approximately 1/4 of an inch, will disappear quickly and will have minimal disturbance to the greens surface. Attached is a short clip of the greens aerifier making a pass across 14 green. (Note: Please adjust speaker volume to low)

                                 

The greens were also top dressed during the same time. Most of the sand has been brushed into the greens surface and should not affect play.  The greens have been rolled a few times along with this process to create a smooth playable putting surface.  Shown below is a short video of our light weight greens roller on #5 green.

                                  

Arbor Day Plantings

We have finished our 2011 tree and shrub planting.  This project was funded with money raised from Arbor Day Donations and the Arbor Day Golf  Event.  We would like to thank the membership for participating and their support.

Dark Green Arborvitaes were planted between #7 Green and #12 Ladies Tee replacing the aging Cedars that used to be in this location.

A Colorado Blue Spruce was also planted behind #7 Green.

#1 Tee Dwarf Burning Bush was planted between the Men's Tee and the Driving Range.  Also Leather Leaf Viburnum was added to the shrub area between the Ladies Tee and the Driving Range.

Forsythia was added to the existing shrub row along side #10 Tee to help minimize the sights and sounds of traffic from Square Lake Road.

In right side rough of #9 a Burr Oak was planted as well as 2 River Birch were added to extend the Birch grove.

#14 rough beside the Maintenance Facility an Austrian Pine was planted, replacing an Austrian Pine that was removed due to poor health.