Stonebriar Agronomy

No more core aerifications for 2024! The GCM team has completed another successful aerification on the Dye Course. Typically, I would show pictures. We all know what holes in greens look like by now. This update will breakdown the numbers of aerification and give a little more insight into why we are aggressive with our cultural practices. As you have likely heard before, the most important part of turf is what is underneath it. The soil must be managed properly have produce the desired playing conditions. There are numerous variables that affect soils, but we will only discuss a few in this update. Displacement This chart shows the displacement calculations. Displacement refers to the percentage of material removed. In this case, we are specifically discussing the total percentage of surface area affected. The GCM team has performed three core aerifications on greens in 2024. Here is a breakdown of material removed and replaced:  1 st Aerification ·     ...

  Fazio Course The GCM team has been working diligently on the Fazio Course during the closure and. All greens, tees, and fairways have been aerified, and are recovering nicely for the opening on Saturday, August 17th. The extended closure allowed the team time to fertilize and irrigate to expedite the transition recovery. Obviously, having a break from cart traffic removes another variable from the equation. Sod has been installed in areas where full recovery was unlikely. Areas on 3, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 16 have been grassed, along with select tees. Please play these areas as “Ground Under Repair”. They will be marked with white paint to define the GUR area. You will still see thin areas in fairways, but these are expected to fully recover. We have at least 6 weeks of bermuda growing weather remaining. We will areas if we decide that recovery is unlikely. The golf course has come a long way since the initial transition, and it will continue to improve. Range Tee The ...

  Golf Course Progress Update | 7.19                                Fazio Fairways The Fazio fairways continue to improve. Our recovery program will continue as long as we see results. Our program combines granular fertilizer, liquid fertilizer, and bio-stimulants to encourage the bermuda growth. We have utilized growth regulators which promote lateral growth versus vertical growth.   All fairways, tees, approaches, and aprons were aerified and verticut last week during the Fazio closure. These cultural practices will expedite the recovery process and create healthier soil for optimum growth.  TifTuff sod is currently being installed on Fazio 11 fairway in areas where full recovery is unlikely. We are also preparing areas on Fazio 13 for sod next week. We should be done with Fazio 11 and 13 fairways next week, weather permitting. Rain chances look promising for Sunday and Monday.  Dr...

Closed days allow the GCM Team to perform tasks without interrupting play. It also allows us to get more aggressive with maintenance practices and water in fertilizer more effectively. Here are some photos showing the hard work of the GCM Team. Greens Verticutting, Mowing, Topdressing, and Brooming Backtrack verticutting: Vertical blades slicing through the turf canopy two directions over the same pass. Thatch, a layer of organic matter that builds up on the surface of the green, can impede water, nutrient, and air movement to the root zone. Verticutting helps break up and remove thatch, improving the health of the turf. Greens Topdressing: Applying light, frequent applications of quality sand to the greens surface. Purpose: Improves soil structure by enhancing drainage capabilities and reducing compaction. This allows better root growth and overall turf health. Topdressing smooths the green's surface by filling in minor depressions and leveling the playing surface which improves b...

This is the toughest time of year for courses that overseed bermudagrass fairways. The transition from overseeded ryegrass back to bermudagrass is not always as smooth as we all would hope. This is my 16th year overseeding golf courses, and no two transitions have been the same. As stated in our previous update, typical transitions occur over several weeks, allowing the bermuda to fill in most areas and overtake the ryegrass. Unfortunately, due to the excessive rainfall followed by heat and humidity, this year’s transition only took about 48 hours. ​​ Along with the rain, heat, and humidity come the fungal factors. Fungal diseases such as pythium and leaf spot can quickly take out turfgrass. We have applied corrective measures for these fungi along with an aggressive fertility program to promote recovery. We will continue to irrigate the recovering areas heavily to promote new growth.   We have seen a lot of recovery; however, full recovery takes some time. Once we determine t...

  The excessive rainfall totals and flooding have forced the transition of our overseeded fairways on the Fazio Course. During standard weather patterns, the transition is much slower, allowing the bermudagrass to grow naturally and overtake the ryegrass. Unfortunately, with the high soil moisture levels and a few hot days, the soil temps increased and baked the ryegrass root system. Irrigation management is crucial in controlling the transition process. With the amount of rainfall we received, we could not control moisture levels in the soil. Ryegrass is a cool-season grass and cannot survive the heat and humidity.   The good news is that the bermudagrass is alive in every sample we have pulled. We have a recovery program in place to push the bermudagrass and expedite the recovery process. Part of this program includes keeping the fairways wetter than usual. While this may sound counterintuitive, considering the high moisture levels were the main contributor to the eradicatio...

 Fazio Course Aerification Recap Greens Aerification USGA sand topdressing is applied before the aerifiers begin pulling cores Unwanted material (organic matter) is removed from the surface Smaller coring tines are used this time of year but punched twice as many holes Our approach in April is to poke as many holes as possible to relieve compaction created during the winter months and increase percolation rates by creating macropore space We will use the larger tines in July and August to remove more organic matter These practices, along with our verticutting and topdressing programs are essential to the long term health and playability of our greens The sand is drug into holes and into the canopy of the turf Sand is blown and hand swept into aerification holes Greens are rolled multiple times for smoothness Fertilizer and amendments are applied according to soil test results to correct any deficiencies Irrigation is applied to water in fertilizer / amendments to a target soil mois...