2014 Golf Course Aerification

The Goal of our Aerification Program is to impact 10% of the Tif-Eagle Putting surface.  Additionally, Core aeration of Tees, Approaches, and Fairways were completed.  Our staff aerified an average of 13 Acres a day in conjunction with multiple mowing schedules and clean-up processes.  

To begin, we verticut the Greens 4 times followed by 2 mowings to clean-up.

The Toro ProCore 648 aerifies and collects the material.

Material that was collected from #16 Green. This material needs to be removed by hand and is very labor intensive.

We purchased this Toro ProCore 1298 to complete the fairway aerification program.  Additionally, we used 2 Toro ProCores to aerify around the drains, yardage plaques, and irrigation heads to assist in the fairways. 

Rain slowed down the clean-up processes on Thursday and Friday.  This extended our clean-up efforts through Saturday 5/31. Currently, 14 days Post Aerification, the course is recovering very well and is in very playable condition.

SUMMER AERIFICATION SCHEDULES

The long term health of putting greens depend on maintaining sand as the primary growing medium. When organic matter accumulates the physical benefits of sand are diminished and putting green physical properties decline along with the health of the turf. Core Aerification allows oxygen exchange for the root system, improved water infiltration with-in the profile, organic matter removal, and ability to maintain sand as the primary growing medium.

Our Scheduled Aerifications are; May 27th-30th, July 7th-11th, and August 4th-8th. The practices performed during these dates are very important and are planned in accordance with the growing conditions of the turf. The turf needs to be vigorous and capable of growing at a healthy rate in order to recover from the processes that follow.

GREENS:
• Verticut Greens
• Topdress Greens with Sand
• Disrupt 30% of the Surface area through Core Aerification Annually
• Brush sand to fill in holes
• Roll with a 2-ton Roller
• Brush and Blow for the best presentation possible

TEES & APPROACHES
• Topdress with sand
• Core Aerify
• Drag cores and clean-up debris
• Roll with 2-Ton Roller to smooth the surface

FAIRWAYS
• Circle-cut to manage grain
• Core Aerify
• Drag cores and clean-up debris

Below is our recently purchased Toro Procore 1298, a Fairway Aerification Unit, providing a significantly improved process in the fairways. 

Palm Tree Pruning

Begining in April there has been a renewed focus pruning palm trees throughout the Golf Course.  Frenchman's Reserve has contracted the services of CPM and their team of Certified Arborists to complete this pruning.  This is a time, labor, and financially intensive project. We plan to prune these palm trees on an annual basis promoting a healthy growing tree and producing a topical appearance in our landscape.

#14 Tee prior to pruining.

#14 Tee following pruining.

Golf Course Aerification

The Golf Course will remain closed through Thursday June 6th for our first scheduled aerification. 

Based on the physical testing completed of the greens profile we have an accumulation of organic and fine material in the top 3-4" of our profile.  To penetrate this material it has been recommended to affect 30% of the surface during this summers' aerification closures.  Below illustrates the practices that were accomplished to improve our Tif-Eagle Putting surfaces during the upcoming golf season.

We began our aerification by Verticutting the Greens up and back on the same pass in two directions.

We followed the verticutting by mowing the green up and back on the same pass to cleanup all of the clippings.

Then we began topdressing Greens before we aerified the putting surface.

Attached to the machine is a Turf-Pride Core Collector (Black Box).  The Turf Pride collects all of the cores and deposits them on the edge of the green.

Once the surface has was cleaned following aerification we utilized a Graden "Deep Verticutter".

We cleaned the surface once more and topdressed again to smooth out the surface. 

We will continue to work in the final topdressing and roll the greens to smooth out as much as possible prior to Opening on Friday, June 7.

Audubon International

Frenchman's Reserve is proud to continue its Partnership as a Certified Audubon Sanctuary with Audubon International.  The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses is an award winning education and certification program that helps golf courses protect our environment and preserve the natural heritage of the game of golf.  By helping people enhance the valuable natural areas and wildlife habitats that golf courses provide, improve efficiency, and minimize potentially harmful impacts of golf course operations, the program serves as vital resource for golf courses.

Audubon International Web Site

Venting Greens

Monday and Tuesday we ventilated our Tif-Eagle Putting Greens.  Frequent venting creates small channels for water movement, air movement, and deeper rooting in the sub-surface of the greens.  Air and water movement are required for our Tif-Eagle Greens to remain healthy and provide a quality putting surface.  Below, see the detailed process of ventilating our Tif-Eagle Greens.

Above Ricardo operates the Toro 648 equipped with solid tines.

The results of the solid tine application provide channels for air and water movement within the soil profile.

Following the solid tine all of the greens are rolled to ensure a quality putting surface.

Below the red line is before rolling the green.  Above the line is after rolling the green.

Fertigation

Frenchman's Reserve is equipped with a fertigation system.  Our fertigation system allows us to apply measured amounts of fertilizer through a night time irrigation cycle.  The system is designed to inject liquid fertilizer into the irrigation lines and then delivered to the turf through the irrigation heads throughout the course.  This provides the turf essential amounts of nutrition each night the irrigation system is scheduled to water.  We replaced several check valves but now the fertigation system is operating normally.   

 Above is the Team performing a Diagnostic test and Troubleshooting the Fertigation System.

This is the Bulk Delivery of Liquid Fertilizer that will be injected through the system.

The Liquid Fertilizer is Transferred into two 1650 Gallon Fertilizer Tanks inside the Pump House.

Now we have the capability to fertilize while Irrigating the Golf Course.