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ospreylinks · ‎02-29-2004

It's nice enough here in Northern Ontario to play golf today too!!!!! That is if you can find the course under the four feet of snow....

Jeff

ospreylinks · ‎03-28-2004

"ice desiccation" = freezer burn in the deep freeze?

Same thing and grass is susceptible to it.

Similar to freezer burn in your freezer, the cell walls of the plant break apart and leaves the plant dry and damaged and unable to sustain life. Same thing happens if you walk on frozen grass (at your golf course they may not let you on if there is frost). The plant cells are frozen and brittle and walking on them will actually crush the cells and kill the plant.

The leaf of the plant is not what we worry about as they will be damaged by winter but new shoots will grow in to replace the damaged ones. It is the crown of the plant that we have to protect, because if it is damaged, the plant is probably dead and will not produce new shoots or leaves....

Bent grass, which is the type grass most golf greens in Canada are will normally last about 90 days under ice cover, but any longer than that and they are subject to kill.... Anyone know why it is called bent grass?

There, your agronomy lesson for today...

Jeff

muminlaw · ‎03-28-2004

I give up -- why is it called bent grass? (I tried Google, but got nowhere, and I don't have a good dictionary with word etymology)

Glenda

Glenda

ospreylinks · ‎03-28-2004

The reason it is called bent is because it grows both vertical and horizontal roots. (I guess someone thought this looked bent in comparison to a vertical root system)

These horizontal roots produce shoots and went they are broken new rhyzomes are produced which grows a new plant.

So bent refers to the bent nature of root.

Also at your golf course you may wonder why they take perfectly good greens and airify or punch them full of holes a couple of times a year and then topdress with sand.

The airifying loosens up the soil and also introduces air or a better gaseous exchange to the root system. It also cuts the root of the plant in various locations and this produces new ryhzomes (plant shoots) and you end up with better grass cover on the surface.

The sand topdressing (usually it is an inert sand peat mix) fills in blemishes and holes in the surface of the green producing a more level putting surface.

Lesson #1 in greenskeeping is over, test next week.

Jeff a.k.a. Carl from Caddyshack

Jeff

amberwoodottawa · ‎03-28-2004

Jeff really knows how to get to the root of a problem eh Glenda?

Malcolm

muminlaw · ‎03-28-2004

Thanks for the education Carl ... er, Jeff! I'll try to remember that when I'm feeling like cursing the condition of the greens because they've just been aerated and sanded. Seriously, I had often wondered how bent grass came to be called "bent" -- I have this strange mind that thrives on trivia.

G....

Glenda

ospreylinks · ‎03-29-2004

People curse topdressed greens because visually they don't look as nice as clean greens, but visuals aside, topdressed greens roll truer because imperfections have been filled.

So, next time you play on freshly topdressed greens, don't curse the grounds crew, because your lousy putting is your own fault and not due to the sand...

Jeff a.k.a. Caddyshack Carl

muminlaw · ‎03-30-2004

Well CC, that may be true at your course, but ours is a "work in progress" and for some reason, so far this year the greens are pretty bad! Of course it has to be admitted that most people don't repair their ball marks and the deer never repair their hoof marks! Lotsa humps and bumps and a few spots where a little more topdressing would be a big improvement. But never mind -- it's fresh air, it's inexpensive, and we get to take out our frustrations on that little ball, and we learn to make allowances (like not counting anything more than 3 putts)!

Glenda

Glenda

ospreylinks · ‎03-30-2004

Golf is more fun without a score card....

Caddyshack Carl

muminlaw · ‎03-31-2004

You got that right! Although we're thinking of keeping score once this spring, and then again come fall, just to see if we've actually improved any ... I think we have! Still not getting much distance, but our drives are usually straight and we hardly ever flub shots anymore. Still having a hard time judging our chips and pitches so we've got to find a place to practice our short game!

One more game tomorrow before we hit the road for a month ... no room in the van for clubs but if we find an open course on one of our few days off, we can always rent! A little bag with tees, balls & gloves doesn't take up much room and it wouldn't be the first time I golfed in walking shoes.

Glenda

Glenda

amberwoodottawa · ‎04-04-2004

Jeff
Sorry I wasnt able to drop in on you. I didnt leave Sudbury until Friday so it was around 2:30 pm Friday when I was driving through North Bay and you had left the day before for SS Marie.

Hope that your drive was good. There were an awful lot of OPP on the roads, especially between North Bay and Sudbury (I counted 6 patrol cars with radar).

I had one OPP in Petawawa swing around in the dirt and start heading towards me, catching up however I think my new car may have fooled him.

I bought a new Impala and it looks like an unmarked police car. Its amazing how many cars pull over to let me pass, however this was the first police car that either didnt think it was worth pulling me over or he thought I was a City Police driving through the area or something like that.

Malcolm

ospreylinks · ‎04-05-2004

Malcolm,

We left late Thursday and just got back late Sunday, and then I had meetings in Sudbury all day today, so too bad it didn't click.

Maybe next time.

Jeff

amberwoodottawa · ‎04-07-2004

Jeff,
I had to work with a VP of Finance in Sudbury during the week I was there. He just flew back from Florida where he had been playing golf all week with his father who lives there 6 months of the year.

He was flying back out for Florida again last Saturday to spend a few more days of playing golf and then drive his dad back to Canada. (He came back for the week I was there only).

You know they have flights starting at $89 one way to Florida which isnt much more than what one would pay for the rental of a golf course on some courses.

Malcolm

amberwoodottawa · ‎04-09-2004

Sorry, I meant "golf CART on some courses".

ospreylinks · ‎04-22-2004

We finally open on the weekend....

It has been a very cold spring, but up to this week, things had been fairly dry. Now this week we have had a ton of rain, that has soaked our course.

But we are going to open Saturday providing it doesnt snow.....

Jeff

deltone · ‎04-25-2004

I think that I am FINALLY going to bite the bullet and try to learn to golf this year. My husband is a total golf nut and he so wants me to learn so I can join him in his passion.

There are a bunch of women who also play at his course and they've been after me to take it up as they insist it's so much fun. I've tried a few times before, but frankly, I don't see the fun in it. Seems more like work to me. Oh well, I may as well put an honest effort in and get some lessons and see what all the hype is about.

My husband spends so much time at the golf course that in many ways I am one of those golf widows so if I want to see him, I guess I had better surrender. Any tips Jeff? lol

muminlaw · ‎04-27-2004

Well, we just got back from the Prairies tonite! Naturally, this board is one of my top priorities to catch up with!!!

Managed a round at Shaganappi in Calgary 2 days before the snow hit ... again!! It was 25 C on the Monday we played and, while Alberta got hit with more winter, the warmer weather followed us to Saskatchewan for a few days, then up to Edmonton so we could manage a couple more rounds of 9 holes before we had to go to work at the 4th show in 4 weekends.

Jeff, I haven't seen the weather for the rest of the country -- sure hope you got opened, and Deb ... if a duffer's tips help, just get out there and whack that ball! A few lessons doesn't hurt (in fact it actually helps) but the main thing is to not to take it too seriously, especially while you're still learning. Just have fun, get some exercise and fresh air. After a couple of years, DH and I are not especially good, but we ARE enthusiastic and we're having a lot of fun!!!!

Now ... we're suffering from withdrawal here so we gotta get us out to our favourite course pronto!!

Glenda

Glenda

deltone · ‎04-27-2004

Welcome back Glenda!! Yikes, more winter!!! YUCK I'm sick of winter. Our weather has been pretty good lately (cept for the rain).

As far as the golf goes I'm going to try to just enjoy. I have to be careful to not swing and hit the ground as that is what I usually do, and it hurts!! My husband is a very good golfer.....I mean for a non pro that is. He is around a 5 or 6 handicap. He is a pretty serious golfer and absolutely LOVES it. I guess I just need to have an open mind and try it out. We shall see! lol

ospreylinks · ‎04-27-2004

We had snow flurries today..... the golf course is open, but it is too cold to play, might as well be closed....

What the heck is going on with this weather??????

Jeff