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Q&A with Johnny Ingram
Pelican Sound Golf Course Superintendent
SUMMER GOLF COURSE CLOSURES
Q: Why are we closing all 27 holes for 5 days three times this summer?
A: In the past, we only closed the course for two days for each summer aerification. Two-day closings did not allow us enough time to perform all required tasks for the greens aerification. This often required us to continue working on the greens after reopening. This is not good for my staff, nor does it present well for our members or reciprocals. While these jobs in the past have been performed in two days, it was rushed, and the quality and care were sacrificed for time. Having five days to put the needed care back into the greens is a must. We will now be able to open the greens in the best shape possible post-aerification. Greens aerification involves many jobs to be performed at different times of the day. Certain jobs are to be done in the morning when the turf is wet, other jobs can only be done in the afternoon when the turf is dry. We have in the past aerified the greens on the 9 holes that were closed, leaving the other 18 open for play. The problem with this method is aerifying the 3 nines at different times (1-week or 2-week spacing) means they are recovering at different rates. This becomes a challenge for mower selection due to the varying amount of sand on the greens. Topdressing sand and reel mowers don’t mix well, and my mechanics cannot sharpen the reels appropriately when this occurs. Additionally, in the past, we have received many complaints from members regarding the inconsistencies between the greens of each course. Lastly, if we have any adverse weather that would alter the summer schedule, the last nine to be aerified could be pushed to late summer. This has been a problem in the past. Aerifying greens in mid to late August can result in recovery issues and ultimately having 9 greens underperforming as we get close to the golfing season.
Here is a rundown of the process.
Heavy verticutting of the greens with 4 operators (4 directions east/west and north/south) and 4 staff members to assist with dumping of verticut clippings, turbine blowing of the greens with 2 operators, mowing of the greens with 2 operators (two directions), blowing of the greens again to remove any leftover organic matter from the surface, aerification of the greens with 2 operators and 2 people assisting with the core collection, a team of 8-10 staff members manually removing all cores off the collars, blowing of the greens to remove remaining debris on the greens while also clearing the cores holes(for sand), rolling of the greens four times to firm them for topdressing, heavy topdressing of the green to fill all aerification holes (this usually takes two application), extensive brooming of the greens with 4 operators, touch up topdressing to fill any thin areas, rolling of the greens again with small rollers, rolling of the greens with a 3 ton (rental) roller two directions (this roller really firms the greens). Smaller greens rollers are used now to smooth out ridges left from the rental roller. After all this is complete, we will then roll the greens a few more times over the following days in the afternoon (when sand is dry so there is no clumping) to continue the firming process. Lastly, these closings were discussed at the Golf Committee meeting. It was understood at this meeting the necessity for the additional closing days. The first 5-day closure in August is for Curfew application and the second 5-day closure in August is for Greens Aerification.
Q: What is the Curfew Application?
A: In August, the course will close for two five-day closures. Week one (Mon-Fri) will be our annual Curfew application. This application is performed by State Certified Contractors. This product has a 24-hour re-entry period. During that time only select staff can travel the cart paths, if required. There is only one application of Curfew, not two. The product is banned in many states as it is not needed in most of the banned states. Nematodes are only a problem in the Southern states, those states allow Curfew. As for it being linked to cancer, we follow all state requirements to ensure compliance when this product is applied. As for other alternatives, Curfew is the gold standard for nematode management. There are a few other products on the market, but they are drastically more expensive. Curfew is approximately $470.00/Acre. (Including application cost). The closest competitor is $1,800.00/Acre (not applied). Additionally, research shows these other products are losing their effectiveness at nematode management. If there was a better choice other than Curfew we would use it, unfortunately, there is not as of now. The toxicity of the product only requires 24 hours before play can resume. This facility takes two days to complete. The additional closing for week one is the clean-up, post Curfew. The tractors and the way it is applied damage the course. In the days following the application, we spend all hours cleaning, vacuuming, rolling, and mowing 100 acres of the golf course. This requires multiple cuts, rolling, and hand repairs to get the course ready for play. In the past, this was rushed, and the course was reopened subpar. As for concerns about drift and windows being closed, Curfew has a mandatory 30-foot buffer for all buildings. Additionally, the state performs random tests every year with special sensing devices to ensure applications follow protocol. Once the 24-re-entry period lifts we can resume normal operations.
Q: Why was there so much Armadillo damage to the course this year?
A: Spring is one of our busiest times for chemical and fertilizer applications. We had to postpone most of our grub treatments to focus on the Bermuda Grass Mite infestation this season. The mites are far more concerning. We have found extremely high mite populations on the course. Many other courses have reported the same findings. It is believed that Hurricane Ian may be to blame. We had to reschedule our spray programs to address the mites before grubs. Other courses in the area have dealt with mites for
years, luckily, we have not. We have treated a few locations for grubs, those areas are showing no armadillo activity. One of the worst holes (3, Lakes) was treated appropriately 3 weeks ago. Within one week of treatment, the armadillos moved to 1 and 2 Lakes. Those areas were treated last week. As of today, we are seeing no damage on 1-3 Lakes. As time allows, we will continue the grub treatments. These applications must be done in the
morning before play and require watering in.
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