Sixth Avenue

As I took my first stroll around our course here at Sixth Avenue in late March, I was able to take notice of signs indicating that we once again wintered very well. The snow is rapidly melting on all of our greens and patches of bright green bentgrass are able to be viewed. On all these areas I was unable to see any damage to the turf from Snow Mould or any other type of turf disease. This was not too surprising as my preparation for the snow late last fall went very well.

Although still fairly deep in spots over the tarps on #7 and #8 greens, the snow has melted completely on a third of the tarp over #2 green. This means it will soon be time to get out my snow shovel and remove the remainder of the white stuff in order to take off the tarp. I will do this for two reasons; to make sure there was no winter kill in the low areas of the green and to insure no heat build-up under the tarp in the weeks to come. It gets quite a bit warmer under those tarps and if left too long can cause heat stress damage to the turf.

The weather forecast for the weeks to come is calling for some rain and above freezing temperatures which is ideal to help melt the snow. Once the snow has left I will need about 5 days in order to complete some routine course maintenance and get a cut on the greens. Once this has been done I look forward to seeing you out there.

This season Sixth Ave is proud to be members of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses. This program is aimed at providing wildlife habitat, protecting water quality, and improving overall environmental performance. We have been utilizing ecologically friendly practices for years and now feel that we are able to move towards full ASCP certification. This season I will be working hard to develop and implement an environmental management plan that consists of site assessment, wildlife management, water, resource management, and education. By documenting the results of this plan, we hope to be certified within the year.

We are also participating in the Audubon Green Golfer Pledge Drive from July 1 to September 30 this year. The Green Golfer Pledge Drive is a competition with other golf courses to see which courses can obtain the most Green Golfer pledges. By signing a pledge card a golfer agrees to support environmental stewardship while playing the game. The simple actions green golfers will take are good for both the golf course and the environment. Actions such as replacing divots, picking up trash, and keeping play on the course and staying out of natural areas go a long way towards our certification. For more information on the pledge drive you can see the posters in the pro shop or visit the website at http://www.audubongreengolfer.com.

Turf Care Hints
Watering Lawns

Generally, your lawn needs about an inch to an inch and a half of water per week. You can measure exactly how much water you are delivering to your lawn by placing some empty cans in various positions during your watering hours. To check how deeply the water is penetrating, push a spade into the lawn. The ideal depth is 15 to 20 cm, causing grass roots to reach down deeper making the lawn better able to withstand drought and disease. Watering at dawn is more efficient than any other time of the day as less evaporation will occur. Damp grass at night increases the chances of turf diseases catching hold so try not to water in the evenings. It is also important to check with your watering by-laws in order to find out exactly when you’re allowed to water in your neighbourhood.

Green Report