Why Is Our Course So Dry In Spots?

A big pat of the reason we have so many dry spots on the course is our lack of proper irrigation coverage on the course.  The other major problem is we have had a major irrigation leak every week for quite a few weeks in a row.  When this happens certain parts of the course do not get any water until we can fix the problem, which as of late has been extensive.  So next time you think we are not watering the course enough, there is probably a good reason why a certain part of the course is drier than others.  The pics above show a main line break next to the 11th green.  This fix is still ongoing as we ran into numerous issues down 4' in the ground with the old piping.  As mentioned before, other things on the course are not getting done as we attend to these 2 to 3 day fixes on the old irrigation system.

Irrigation Leaks, We lose More Than Just Water!

We will typically have around 2 dozen irrigation leaks in a season here at Bellevue.  The combination of very poor installation techniques as well as 40 some year old pipe makes for problems all season long.  Some leaks or breaks are minor and some are sever such as this one that happened today right in the middle of the 12th fairway.  Such as the title says, when we have a leak or break we lose a lot more that just the water leaking out of the pipe, we lose valuable labor hours.  A leak like this 4" main line leak ties myself and my 2 assistants up for the entire day when we could be working on something else to better your golf course.  Frustrating as it may be, this repair needs to be made and it needs to be done right to allow the pipe to function properly in the future.  The big problem with the leak pictured above is we have to drain the whole upper half of the irrigation system which is a lot of water lost that we have to pay for.  So in the whole scheme of things, we are losing labor and money tied up in water costs, not to mention the supplies needed to make the repair.

Mike O'Neill, GCS

Proper Way To Replace/ Repair Divots.

Replacing a divot is a common practice in a round of golf for a conscientious, courteous golfer.  Many golfers have good intentions with the methods they use to replace their divot but often times their method is not the best way to allow the turf to fill back in and heal up the quickest.  I see it all the time, someone puts divot mix in the divot and then proceeds to put the taken chunk of grass back on top of the divot mix, this is a sure way to kill the divot because the sand mix holds no moisture for the divot to heal properly.  Bottom line is, find the divot you have taken and replace your divot first, and then step on the divot to ensure it doesn't get mowed up or blown away.  If the divot is in many pieces or is very thin, it is best to just use the divot mix provided in the carts or bottles.  After the divot is replaced, it is ok to fill in any voids with the divot mix provided to allow the area to be playable as soon as possible.  Also, the divot mix should be stepped on and smoothed out with your foot to fill in the entire divot, not left in a pile. 

It should also be mentioned that the divot mix is intended for the short cut areas only, (tees and fairways) it is not the correct material to put in any rough areas.  

Mike O'Neill, GCS