The long, cold winter was very tough on our golf course turf, specifically the areas that do not drain. The pictures above show the middle of the 16th green on April 15th. Notice the damage which is a result of water standing and freezing on the green since early last winter. This green has a low spot in the middle that does not drain much at all. Every rain event we are out there pushing the water off the green.
The remedy for this will be the installation of some drain lines 18" down in the green. There are companies that have done this type of drainage for clubs such as Oakmont and Baltusrol, so it is a know practice for old style push up greens. We will be performing the project with our staff in the near future. We will trench the pipe material into the green and run the drain off the left side of the green underground to a sump in the rough. We will then be replacing any weak grass on the green with healthy grass from our nursery greens. The link below is the type of drainage material we will be using in the green. Also, I have provided below, a link to a good article from the USGA on the widespread damage being seen throughout the Northeast from the long cold winter. Most of the damage here at Bellevue is associated with the week Poa plant.
http://multi-flow.com/Menu/golf_courses_app.html
http://www.usga.org/course_care/regional_updates/regional_reports/northeast/You%E2%80%99re-Not-Alone!---April-2014/
Mike O'Neill, GCS
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