November 2014 Weather Summary

The highest temperature for the month of November was 61.3 degrees. This happened on the 11th. The lowest temperature for the month was the morning of the 21st, where we saw a chilly 6.9 degrees.  The average temp was 35.8. There were 19 days where the low temperature was below the freezing point of 32 degrees. Six days had high temperatures below 32.

November also saw 1.80 inches of rain fall. The yearly total is now 31.59 inches. The most daily rainfall fell on the 23rd (0.84 inches.)  Three days had more than a tenth of an inch, while 7 days had at least a trace of rain.

The highest sustained windspeed was 37.0 mph (Nov 24.) The average windspeed for the month was 3.9 mph.

October 2014 Weather Summary

The highest temperature for the month of October was 75.3 degrees. This happened on the 27th. The lowest temperature for the month was the morning of the 19th, where we saw a chilly 30.1 degrees.  The average temp was 51.2. There were three days where the low temperature was below the freezing point of 32 degrees.

October also saw 2.01 inches of rain fall. The yearly total is now 29.79 inches. The most daily rainfall fell on the 14th (0.40 inches.)  Seven days had more than a tenth of an inch, while eleven days had at least a trace of rain.

The highest sustained windspeed was 38.0 mph (Oct 14.) The average windspeed for the month was 2.7 mph.

September 2014 Weather Summary

The highest temperature for the month of September was 92.2 degrees. This happened on the 5th. It was also the only time this year we recorded a temperature above 90 on the weather station at Leslie Park Golf Course. The lowest temperature for the month was the morning of the 14th, where we saw a chilly 38.9 degrees. It was also the date of the first frost of the year. The frost can happen, even when the temperature is above freezing because the weather station is 15 feet above the ground. Closer to the turf level, the temperature can be significantly lower because colder air sinks. The average temp was 61.2. For reference, June, July and August were all in the upper 60's for mean temps.

September also saw 3.74 inches of rain fall. The yearly total is now 27.78 inches. The most daily rainfall fell on the 10th (1.25 inches) but the precipitation event that started on the 20th and ended the morning of the 21st had 1.45 inches. The 20th had 1.15 inches while the 21st finished with just 0.30 inches. There were only two days with over an inch of precipitation and six days had more than a tenth of an inch. Nine days had at least a trace of rain.

The highest sustained windspeed was 29.0 mph (Sept 5.) The average windspeed for the month was 1.5 mph.

Fall Aerification

We have completed the aerification of the greens at both golf courses. Leslie Park was done during the week of September 8th. We just finished Huron Hills yesterday (September 24th.) Completing the process this early will really allow the greens to recover and go into the winter at full strength.

Here is a video about why we aerate.

To review the process, first we use a mechanical aerator, a Toro Procore 648.  It is self-propelled, 48 inches wide and has 30 1/2 inch tines.  The speed we use puts the tines down every 2 inches.  Here is the machine in action.

The plugs of soil, grass and thatch removed from a green.

The playing surface after removing the plugs.

After these plugs are shoveled off the green, we use a mower attachment called a verti-cutter to break up any remaining plugs, as well as groom the playing surface of the green.

The verti-cutting units mounted on a tri-plex mower.

The verti-cuts in action

This is how the green looks after the verti-cutting.

At this point, we need to replace all of the material that we just removed. We do this with sand. Sand is a great medium to grow grass because it drains well and resists compaction. The sand is spread on the greens and then drug into the holes.

The top-dresser putting sand on #12 at Leslie Park a couple of years ago. The willow behind the green fell over during a windstorm in 2012.

Leslie Park's #18 green covered with sand.

A video of #10 green being drug in.

The finished product. Notice how all of the holes are filled with sand. This is the objective.

August 2014 Weather Summary

The highest temperature recorded at Leslie Park in August was 88.7 degrees (on the 26th.) The low temperature was 45.8 (Aug 15.) The average was 69.4 degrees.

The weather station at the golf course recorded 3.81 inches of rain. This brings the yearly total to 19.57 inches. The largest single day of rain was on the 11th, which saw 1.09 inches of rain. This was the only day with over an inch of precipitation, and 6 days had over a tenth of an inch. Eleven days saw more than a trace of rain.

The average wind speed was 1.4 mph. The highest sustained wind speed was 30 mph, on Aug 26.

July 2014 Weather Summary

The highest temperature recorded at the weather station at Leslie Park Golf Course for the month of July was 88.1 degrees, on the 22nd. The lowest temperature was 48.1 degrees. ( July 29th.) There were no days above 90 degrees in July for the first time since we put the weather station up in 2010. In that year, there were 3 days above 90. In both 2011 and 2012, we had 10 days with a high of at least 90 while 2013 saw four days. The average temperature was 67.9 degrees.

There was 3.94 inches of rain at the golf course, with the 7th seeing the most of any single day. (0.88 inches) Seven days had over a tenth of an inch and 12 days saw at least a trace of precipitation. For the year, we have gotten 20.25 inches of rain.

The average wind speed recorded was just 1.7 mph. The highest sustained wind speed was 44 mph, on the 1st. That wind speed is a new record for the golf course weather station.

New Sand in Bunkers

We have ordered new sand for all the bunkers at both Huron Hills and Leslie Park. We are almost finished spreading the sand in the bunkers at Huron and will soon begin the bunkers at Leslie.

One of the worst bunkers was the fairway bunker on #12 at Huron Hills. It did not look like it was filled with sand, but rocks and soil. We scrapped all of the previous "sand" out and replaced it entirely with new bunker sand. This will hopefully improve, not only the play-ability of the hole, but the drainage in the bunker, as well.

The base is on the left in this picture, while the new sand is being spread out from the left.

The entrance point to the bunker.

A view from the signature "island" in the bunker.

Number 10 green at Leslie Park on the morning of the first day of the All-City Championship.

June 2014 Weather Summary

The high temperature recorded at Leslie Park for the month of June was 87.8 degrees, which occurred on the 17th. The lowest temperature was 43.9 (14th.) The average temperature for the month was 69.1 degrees.

There were 12 days of rain for a total of 5.33 inches. Eleven of those days had over a tenth of an inch. On June 18th, 2.28 inches of precipitation was recorded. This was also the only day with over an inch of rain. This brings the total precipitation for the year to 16.93 inches.

The average wind speed for the month was 1.9 mph. The highest sustained wind speed was 27 mph (June 2nd.)

The weather station at Leslie Park with a Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) perched on the anemometer.

Dr. Leslie's Orchard

Before Doctor Leslie donated the land for Leslie Park Golf Course, he and his wife had been running the land as a farm. On this farm, he planted wheat, corn and other annual crops, but a large portion of the land was devoted to orchards. They had cherries, pears and apples, as well as blueberries and raspberries.  The area where 5, 6, 7 and 8 are now located was predominately pears, apples and cherries. A small portion of this orchard was retained when the course was built. It was originally a 12 row by 12 row section, with a few trees outside of this square. That would have been 144 trees.

The Orchard looking toward #8 green from #6 fairway.

When I started with the City of Ann Arbor, there were less than 100 of these trees left. Through the previous 40 plus years, the trees naturally died out. Since the purpose of Leslie Park was to be a golf course and not an orchard, this was not a priority. The life expectancy of these trees is not overly long, and since they were planted around the time of World War II or before, it became clear to me that if nothing was done, we would lose the entire orchard. Since this was an integral part of the strategy for playing holes 6 and 8, as well as an homage to the former use of the land, we decided to start replanting the orchard.

Planting trees in 2012.

The first step was to decide what to plant. The "holes" in the orchard were filled in with a mixture of Bartlett pears, Comice pears, Honeycrisp apples and Red Delicious apples. The apples were added to bring about some of the historical feel to the orchard, even though this part did not have any apples. We started slowly on the 8 fairway side. This was to get a feel for how to proceed and give us some experience with the different trees. In 2010, we planted 16 apple and pear trees. We soon discovered that the deer love the apple trees but leave the pears pretty much alone. We started to experiment with deer deterrents and finally settled on cages. The following year, we planted another 18 pears and apples, along with 12 cherry trees.

The cherry trees are added to the northern section of the orchard, near #7 green. In 2009, there were 6 cherries here and stumps for 30 more. Over the past five years, four of these old cherries have died. Unfortunately, the last two do not appear to have survived the harsh winter.

The two old cherry trees still do not have leaves.

This pear has seen better days.

This is an apple tree we planted this year.

Since 2009, we have planted 39 apple and pear trees, as well as 23 cherry trees. The gaps in the old 144 tree orchard are now almost filled. When that happens, we will only be replacing the old trees when they die.

As a golf course manager, you have to stay one step ahead. As an ancient Chinese proverb says, "The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is right now."

Turtles come back to Leslie Park

In the last couple of days, we have seen an increase in turtles. You may recall that one of the big objectives of the Traver Creek Project was to minimize the impact on turtle populations in the creek and ponds on the golf course. You can read more about this program HERE and HERE.

Here is a snapping turtle laying eggs near the creek.

Turtles have been laying eggs on this stream bank.

This turtle was laying eggs near #6 at Huron Hills.

Verticuting Greens

Vertical mowing, or "Verticuting" is a cultural practice used on golf courses for a number of reasons. The first is to sever lateral growth and promote an upright growth habit in the grass. Bentgrass that lies parallel to the putting surface creates "grain." Johnny Miller used to rail against this grain during television broadcasts of PGA tour events. As an aside, the courses the professionals play on do not have grain on the greens. Most of the time his comments Grass that stands upright will promote a faster, truer green. It also improves the quality of cut for the mowers. Depending on how deep the mowers are set, it can also remove a large amount of thatch and organic matter. It is a practice that I would like to implement three or four times a year.

Here is Jim verticutting #3 green at Leslie Park.

Here is the putting surface after vertical mowing. Not the organic matter and thatch.

After the mowing, we blow off the organic matter and thatch that is brought to the surface. We then spread a very light layer of sand over the green and brush it in. This brushing also has the benefit of standing up some of the blades of grass that the machine cut but did not lift. Then we mow the green. After a few days, you will not see the lines any more, but you will hopefully notice a smoother ball roll.

May 2014 Weather Summary

The highest temperature recorded at Leslie Park for the month of May was 85.3 degrees, which happened on May 8th. The lowest temperature was 34.2 degrees (6th.)  The average temperature was 59.8 degrees.

The weather station recorded 5.17 inches of rain. May 12th saw the most rain at 1.31 inches of precipitation. The next day had 0.44 inches of rain which means that 1.75 inches of rain occurred during one rain event. Two days had over an inch of rain. May 7th saw 1.04 inches. There were 10 days were the golf course received over a tenth of an inch of rain and 15 days saw more than a trace of rain. The accumulated precipitation for the year is now just under 11 inches at 10.97.

The highest wind gust recorded was 42 mph. The average windspeed was 3.0 mph for the month.

April 2014 Weather Summary

The high temperature for April 2014 was 76.4 degrees (April 21st.) The lowest temperature recorded was 17.5 degrees (16th.) The average temperature at the golf course was 48.0 degrees. Six days had low temperatures below 32 degrees.

The weather station at Leslie Park measured 2.56 inches of rain for the month. The most recorded in a single day was 0.78 inches (29th.) Eight days had more than 0.1 inches and 12 days saw at least a trace of precipitation. The total for the year so far is 5.8 inches of precipitation.

The average windspeed was 5.0 mph and the highest recorded wind gust was 41 mph (April 14th.)

Irrigation at Huron Hills

The irritation irrigation at Huron Hills is often a challenge. Whenever we start digging, you never know what you will find. This irrigation leak near #7 green has been on the agenda for quite a while. Last year, we dug down far enough to know that the leak was at the reducing coupling where the six-inch main line went down to 2.5 inches.  This type of repair is not easy and the leak was not big, so we opted to do it in the spring before we started up the water. This gave us a couple of advantages. The first is that we did not have to drain the water out of the main line. With a 6 inch diameter main line, this would be thousands of gallons of water we would have to remove. The second advantage is that usually in the spring, the water needs of the grass is not high and a fix of this size can take a couple of days.

When we got back and started digging out the lines, what we found was a maze of pipes.

I have no idea what the thinking behind this design was.

The six inch main line runs from the lower right to the upper left in this picture.

It seems like this might have been a repair and replacement of a four way joint, or cross. These cross joints are extremely tough to replace, especially on a six inch pipe. The "solution" was to put in a tee coming out to the north and size it down to 2.5 inches. Then come out and make a 90 degree turn with an "elbow" to the east. After another 3 feet of 2.5 inch pipe, a tee was added. This matched up with the 2.5 inch pipe that headed east. The problem was in then connecting to the 2.5 inch pipe that runs west. It is on the other side of the 6 inch mainline and at the same depth. They then took another elbow and came up enough to clear the mainline and then bring it back down on the other side. 

I should mention that the mainline here is only about 18 inches below ground. This meant that the pipe coming over the mainline was less than a foot below the surface.

We decided to put in two tees off of the mainline. One for the east and one going west. 

The two tees coming off the mainline.

In order to realign the pipe, we used 45 degrees turns. This cuts down on the pressure loss that would be experienced using 90 degree elbows.

The finished product with a new quick coupler that we will be able to use on #7 green.

March, 2014 Weather Summary

The high temperature for March was 56.5 degrees (March 31st.) This means I did not have to start off this month's summary with the statement "It was cold." Five days had high temperatures in the 50's. The lowest temperature recorded was -3.6 degrees (13th.) The weather station at Leslie Park had three days were the low temperature was below zero. Twenty-six days got below freezing and only 11 days had highs above 32 degrees. While this may seem cold, compared to what we had been having, it was balmy. The average temperature for the month was 28.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

We recorded 1.02 inches of rain, although at least some of that number was from melting snow. The highest daily rainfall was 0.17 inches (11th.)  Five days had over a tenth of an inch of rain.

The highest windspeed was 31 mph, recorded on the 12th.

The snowpiles are still hanging on, but they do not have much life left in them. Here is a picture from this morning.

I think the guess of April 7th will be closest.

The same area in February.

#9 fairway and green still have some snow on them as well. But there is some green in the picture, as well.

Chimney Swifts in Washtenaw County

In February, I met with Barbara Lucas, the producer of "In the Green Room" on WEMU (89.1 FM) to talk about the chimney swift tower that was built in the fall at Leslie Park Golf Course. This morning, that segment aired on the radio and is now podcast on the WEMU website. My part is brief and the interview was conducted during the walk up to the tower through the snow. Looking back at my records, the low temperature that day was -10 degrees.

You can listen to the whole segment HERE

You can read more about the Chimney Swift Tower by reading my blog post about it or by going to ChimneySwifts.org.

The Chimney Swift Tower at Leslie Park Golf Course



Going Slow

It may seem like we are way behind where we have been in previous springs, but looking at the opening dates for the golf courses over the last seven years, you can see that we are not yet behind schedule. The average opening day for Huron Hills (front 7) is March 16th. The average first day at Leslie Park is March 28th. The official first day of spring is March 20th. While the snow may keep delay us until after the usual dates, we are still three weeks away from the average Leslie opening day. Think spring and have warm thoughts.

Cherry trees between #5 and 6 in the Spring of 2013



Blooming Redbud next to #7 Spring 2012

Blue Flag Iris from the native garden along #12

February 2014 Monthly Weather Summary

Checking the greens requires specialized equipment.

February 2014 was cold. Twenty of the 28 days did not get above freezing. Every single day in the month had a low temperature below 32 degrees. We saw four days with a low temperature below zero, with the lowest temperature for the month of -10.2 degrees (Feb 28.) The high temperature for the month was 46.6 (19th), the middle of a four day stretch which saw highs reach the 40's.  The average temperature for the month was 19.2 degrees.

The month did not see any rain, but the weather station recorded 0.85 inches of water on the 20th, most likely due to melting snow in the collector.

The average windspeed was 4.2 mph. The highest sustained windspeed was 37 mph (Feb21st.)

Snow Piles

With the amount of snow we have received this winter (somewhere around 3 feet) the piles of the white stuff in the parking lots are getting pretty big. With the plow that we have, the snow gets pushed in front of the truck. Once the snow pile gets to be around 3 feet tall, it doesn't go any higher. This means that the piles move out into the parking lot. Soon, I have to go out with the loader and move those piles out of the way. The piles end up being around 7-8 feet high. With the way this winter seems to be going, these piles will be here until May. Leave your best guess for when the last snow will be gone from the parking lots in the comments. I can't give anything for the person closest to the actual date except a mention in the blog. My guess is April 15th.

Our plow truck.

"No Parking Between Signs"

A seven foot tall, two hundred foot long pile of snow.

January 2014 Weather Summary

January 2014 was cold. The average temperature for the month was 17.3 degrees. The high temperature for the month was 44.0 degrees while the low was -12.6.  Thirteen days had low temperatures that were below zero.  There were 25 days where the temperature never got above freezing and 28 of the 31 days had low temperature below freezing.  Compare this to January 2013. Last year, Leslie Park had one day below zero degrees and just 13 days never got above the freezing mark.  The average temperature last year was 28.7 degrees.

Despite the cold weather, the weather station recorded 0.89 inches of rain. This rain came over the course of two days (the 10th and 11th) with 0.61 inches coming on the 10th.  January of 2013 had four rain events, for reference.

The average wind speed for the month was 5.2 miles per hour and the highest sustained wind speed was 33 mph (24th.)

Golf Course Management Magazine Article

The Traver Creek Project was featured in the January issue of Golf Course Management Magazine, the monthly magazine from The Golf Course Superintendent's Association of America (GCSAA.) The article, written by GCM's managing editor Bunny Smith, is available by visiting Gently Down the Stream. A photograph of Hole #12 is also on the table of contents page. Below is the text of the article.

Sometimes, a plan comes together, as Scott Spooner, the superintendent at Leslie Park Golf Course in Ann Arbor, Mich., can tell you.
Even when the plan involves city, state and federal stakeholders, cooperation can grease the wheels, free up the backhoe and get the work done. A comprehensive stream restoration of Traver Creek, a tributary of the Huron River that traverses much of Leslie Park GC’s back nine, broke ground in October 2012; by the time the golf season got into full swing in June 2013, the job was largely complete.
The Huron River and its tributaries are within the contributing area of Ford Lake in Ypsilanti, Mich., which had been identified as impaired under Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act. The pollutants of concern were sediment and phosphorus that led to annual algae blooms in this important recreational waterway.
The irrigation pond formed by the impoundment where the stream enters city owned Leslie Park GC had become so filled with sediment since its construction in 1964 that the irrigation intake was accessing only 6 inches of water, says Spooner, a 15-year member of GCSAA. “Stretching out” the pond in the mid-’90s had only postponed the problem, not solved it.
Working with the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commission and with grants and loans from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Spooner oversaw construction of maintainable sediment forebays, a two-stage channel design that reconnects the floodplain and several acres of water-quality treatment wetlands. Harry Sheehan, the county water commission’s environmental manager, says that dredging removed 30,000 yards of sediment. According to Sheehan, the $1.7 million project will reduce sediment by 685 tons and phosphorus by 611 pounds a year. Such large-scale reductions are possible, he adds, because the pollution control practices at Leslie Park GC occur in the downstream portion of the 4,600-acre Traver Creek watershed.
The stream bed was stabilized using a series of grade-control structures that arrest erosive down-cutting and habitat loss. These native stone structures allow the energy of a 9-foot vertical drop within the golf course property to be dissipated without damage to the channel, Sheehan says. In total, he adds,3,300 linear feet of channel was either daylighted or restored; 6.5 acres of water-quality treatment wetland have been created; and 10.2 acres have been planted with 50 different native species, including 79 native trees and 347 shrubs. Spooner says the native species include blue flag iris, switchgrass, swamp milkweed, asters, black-eyed Susan, blue fox sedge and Joe-Pye weed.
The wetlands have been created in five different areas of the golf course and form an especially attractive view for golfers as they tee off from the 11th and 13th tees, Spooner says. Aesthetics aside, the wetlands also create habitat and movement corridors for wildlife, including a species of butterfly that is on the state endangered species list.
The material that was dredged from the irrigation pond was used to raise the No. 10 fairway and tee by about a foot.
“We now have a fairway that stays dry,” Spooner says.
For more details and photos of the Traver Creek restoration project, visit Spooner’s blog at www.travercreekproject.blogspot.com.

You obviously can also follow my blog at www.treetownturfguy.blogspot.com.

2013 Yearly Weather Summary

The highest temperature recorded at Leslie Park Golf Course during 2013 was 92.5 degrees on July 19th. The lowest temperature was just - 1.2 degrees on January 22nd. There were six days where the high temperature was above 90 degrees. On 52 days, the high temperature did not get above freezing. The low temperature reached below 32 degrees on 134 days for the year, or nearly 37% of the time. Two days had low temperature below zero. The average temperature for the year was 48.8 degrees.

For the year, the golf course received 30.58 inches of rain. The most rain in a single day was 1.97 inches on August 12th. April was the month with the most rain at 5.41 inches. There were 122 days with at least a trace of rain, while six days had over an inch in a 24 hour period.

The average wind speed for the year was 3.3 mph. The highest sustained wind speed was 43.0 mph on November 17th.

December 2013 Weather Summary

The highest temperature in the month of December was 58.6 degrees, on the 4th. The lowest temperature recorded at the golf course was 2.0 degrees (12th.) The average temperature for the month was 27.4 degrees. There were 18 days where the high temperature did not reach the 32 degrees. Twenty-six days had low temperatures below the freezing point.

Leslie Park Golf Course saw 1.74 inches of rain during the month, with 0.76 inches of that falling on the 21st.  Most of the rain for the month fell during a four day span between December 19th and 22nd, when 1.57 inches of rain fell. There were only 7 days during the whole month where more than a trace of rain fell.

The highest sustained wind speed was recorded on the 5th (27 mph) while the average wind speed was 3.2 mph.