WILDLIFE

ELK ON THE GOLF COURSE IN WINTER
It is very common to see elk moving and feeding on the golf course throughout the winter. Here we have several elk that have worked through the snow to the turf to feed. There was actually a herd of 80 elk spread out along #2 fairway(shown), #3 and #4 fairway, in trees and out in the open. They also will "bed" down in the open areas, that is they will clear snow away to lay down on the turf (as it is much warmer than the outside temperatures). These spots that the elk feed or lay down on reveal themselves in spring time as discolorations due to the exposure to cold temperatures. In addition the elk urine through the snow creates dead patches of turf that need to be repaired in the spring. Yet another reason why we use protective fencing around all the greens in the off-season.

WEATHER

Cold Temperatures Are Here

After the great, above-average fall temperatures we received we knew the cold weather would arrive sometime. It is now here. The photo shows a temperature of -25C during mid-day, warmed up from a -32C morning. Average temps for this time of year in the Canadian Rockies are highs of -1C and lows of -10C. Most of the course is covered under 3-6" of snow but some greens have had snow blow off certain spots and are exposed. Under the snow cover the turf is -5C when the ambient temp was -25C. A good indicator of how good an insulator snow can be.

DRAINAGE

Drainage Improvements Continue
In addition to full course aeration, the excellent fall weather has allowed us to continue with aggressive subsurface drainage repair and additions. Here we show two "vents" being added to the back of #15 green. (Vents are surface exposure of 4" drainage pipe connected to the subsurface network). With no disruption to the actual green we utilized a drainage camera to map the subsurface drainage grid. We located spots for two vents at the back of the green. On this particular green we also located and opened

two exits that were completely buried under rock and soil. Together this work will allow for the window effect, that is, to allow for air and water to move through the piping network similar to opening a window in your home. If you open one window there is no air flow. If you open a second window this allows for the air to move freely through the home. In this case it allows air to move more feely in the rootzone of the green, keeping grass roots healthy with the addition of extra oxygen and ensuring water movement out of the green. This has been very successful with many of our greens as in 2010 we have added 22 vents to date around the greens. We have also repaired and exposed 15 different drainage exits.

AERATION

AERATION OF ROUGH
Taking advantage of the great warm fall weather we have been able to aerate the majority of the golf course. The greens, tees and fairways have all been core aerated. Now we are "solid" tine aerating the rough, in particular the high traffic areas. The photo to the left shows the heavy traffic location just off the pathway on hole #4 being aerated with a unit mounted to the tractor. While this process does not remove an actual core of soil/turf it does open the rootzone up, to a depth of 4", to alleviate compaction and allow for water, air and nutrients to more easily enter the subsurface. Come springtime this will allow the turf a better chance to begin the year more healthy.

Aeration: A breath of fresh air for greens

This video provides an excellent explanation to the logic and process of aeration. Be it the greens, tees or fairways this process is a much needed function for a golf course to provide the best playing conditions. Whilever the timing is never viewed as ideal it significantly improves conditions in the long term.

SEPTEMBER SNOW

Despite the below average temperatures for September we have managed to keep the golf course open for play every day. However, when it snows it is no longer a test of golf as evidenced in this Friday morning photo of Hole #1. The only ones out on the course are the elk.

ELK WALLOW

So this is not the type of wildlife activity we like to see. An elk wallow is a scarring or tearing of turf by either the antlers or the hooves of an elk. This was taken this morning on #3 tee and was a combination of both. It could have been worse though as they can be bigger when the elk want to create a "bed" or "tub" to lay in. So far this fall we have had 10 such wallows throughout the golf course.