Trick Or
Treat
NOVEMBER 4, 2016
By Paul
Jacobs, USGA Agronomist, Northeast Region
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Finishing fall projects, managing frost
delays and cleaning up leaves are all part of the challenge of golf course
maintenance during fall.
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Playing a round of golf in late fall can
be a real treat. Brisk air, vibrant colors and healthy turf are all conducive
to enjoyable golf. Late-season warming trends have also added to the fall golf
experience this year. However, Frost Delays are
also part of fall golf and they require patience and cooperation from golfers
to avoid unnecessary turf damage. Even on relatively warm days, early morning
frost is still possible.
For golf course superintendents,
balancing maintenance operations with fall projects can be quite tricky. Fewer
rounds played each day means there is an opportunity to perform golf course
improvement projects with minimal golfer disruption. However, maintenance teams still
must perform the arduous task of leaf cleanup while maintaining the golf course
for fall play. Once a project begins, superintendents know that the race is on
to beat early winter snowfall. In some cases, staff members must be reassigned
from maintenance tasks, such as leaf cleanup, to help with a project.
Fall leaf removal is a constant battle
and areas that are clean can be quickly covered with a fresh coat of fallen
leaves. For golfers, constantly searching for golf balls among the fallen
leaves can make it seem like they were never removed. The feeling of
frustration is mutual between golfers and maintenance personnel. Here are two
ideas for dealing with the situation:
·
Carefully
document the cost of leaf removal. Cost analysis should include labor hours,
fuel cost and equipment maintenance costs. Few budgets include the cost of leaf
removal as part of a tree budget, but they should because it is important for
golfers to know the full cost of trees.
·
Evaluate the
trees on the golf course and determine which are worth the extra labor and
expense they entail. The costs may be worthwhile for good-quality trees; but if
trees are unhealthy or causing agronomic problems, it might be worth enduring
the one-time cost of removing them to reduce long-term maintenance costs.
Combining leaf removal with the other Hidden Cost Of Trees can make selective tree removals
easy to justify. Removing low-quality or poorly placed trees can improve turf
health and performance during the summer and reduce cleanup costs during fall.
Maintenance departments often operate
with fewer staff members during fall, making it challenging to keep up with
course maintenance and fall projects. As golfers race to enjoy their last few
rounds of the year, remember that maintenance teams are also racing to clean up
leaves, maintain the course and finish fall projects.
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| Tree removal #2 started! Frosty mornings are a great time to work on trees in areas where it won't reduce our efficiency during fall cleanup! |
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| Some course supplies being brought in and cleaned for winter storage! |
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| Bunker Renovation #14! |
