This page contains the past nine blog entries. For a complete archive of all Turf Care articles, visit the archive page.

Current Local Radar

(Published April 4, 2020 to the "Blog" category)

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For more detailed weather information please visit WSEE's Weather Page.

Live On-Site Weather Conditions

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The Way Back Machine

(Published May 15, 2009 to the "Blog" category)

Lake View Hole of the Week

Do you know which holes these are?

Email Gordon with your answers and stay tuned for more photos from the 1950's.

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May 24 Erie Area Open Day

(Published May 5, 2009 to the "Blog" category)

May 24, 2009

The big news is The Garden Conservancy's Open Days Program 2009. For the first time ever in the history of the program (since 1995) six private gardens in the Erie area have been accepted and will be featured this spring. Two of the gardens are in North East. Two are in Fairview. One is in McKean and one is in Erie.

Bonnie and Mark Bestoso 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

This six-acre blank canvas was purchased in the mid-fifties. Garden development began with the planting of numerous trees, shrubs and foundation plantings. Wayside Gardens then designed...

Brier Hill Garden 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Brier Hill Gardens is a twelve-acre site with a naturalized, contoured ravine that reveals a spring-fed stream and pools. The gardens were originally created in the spring of 1927 by Arthur Wescott Cowell...

The Frenzel Gardens 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Twenty-five years ago, Bob and Kathleen Frenzel acquired a seventy-year-old stone house on seven acres of heavily wooded property on Lake Erie. Mature plantings of deciduous trees, conifers...

Raku Place 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Raku Place is a forty-seven-acre naturalized Arts and Crafts-style garden with eighteen named gardens and a serendipitous "Continental Divide" that provides two gentle water courses, creating fourteen...

Grimshaw Glen 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Nestled in the valley between Concord vineyards is historic Grimshaw Glen. Ivy-covered ruins of the Grimshaw winery are the backdrop for the informal one-acre garden. Six generations of family...

Brett and Kitty Maloney 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

You will find more than three acres of informal gardens that reflect the interests and philosophy of the owners, "Nature is the caretaker and we are the receivers." This certified wildlife garden hosts a...

For more information follow this LINK

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First Mowing 0f 2009

(Published March 27, 2009 to the "Blog" category)

With the temperatures hovering around the 50 degree mark, we were able to mow and roll the greens today. The grass really hasn't started growing yet but we were able to take off the "winter fuzz" in an effort to make the greens as playable as possible for this early in the season.

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Spring Update

(Published March 20, 2009 to the "Blog" category)

With March 20th being the first day of spring, you can already smell the freshness in the air. The birds are starting to sing, the grass is starting to green up, and of course, the eagles are active again. Considering the long winter with near record snowfall, the golf course came through pretty good. There is more snow mold than usual in the rough and a little on some of the fairway edges but the greens, tees and the bulk of the fairways made it through in good shape. There were some times of concern as we had some early thaws followed by a rapid freeze. The only area of significant winter injury is a little spot on the backside of #7 green, which is really nothing to be concerned with.

Currently we do have the pins on the greens but it is still early [March 19th] and this could change as the weather changes. If we have some significant rain, the greens could easily become very soggy and jello-like. Allowing foot traffic on the greens under this scenario could have a lasting negative effect on the playability of the greens for the rest of the season. It is in the best interest of the membership that we do what is necessary to retain the integrity of our putting surfaces and this may mean that there will be brief times when we have temporary pins on the approaches. On the flip side, if the weather stays warm and the grass gets an early foothold, we could be playing the greens from here on out. But in the end, the decision is really up to Mother Nature.

Last year the weather was perfect for growing grass and the golf course was, as many members were proud to say..."In the best shape ever!" This was great to hear since the year before we were hearing the same comments from the membership. I guess that means that we are being progressive and making some inroads towards our goal of being the best we can be. As much as I would like to take credit for the quality of the golf course, much of what we do is predicated on the weather. Believe me, there's no one else on this planet that would like to see a repeat of the weather that we had last year. With this in mind, let's all use our "collective thought" and keep thinking...Good Weather, Good Weather. Smiles!

See you on the golf course,

Gordon Seliga, CGCS

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Watching the "Weather"

(Published March 20, 2009 to the "Blog" category)

As most of the local grape growers know, the weather plays a significant role in the production of quality grapes. When we think of weather we tend to mostly focus on the daily statistics that the weather man deals out every evening such as air temperature, wind, precipitation and whether or not it is sunny or cloudy. These weather measurements do play a major part in the growth of plants but there are other more important factors that effect the growth of plants. What about soil temperature? or Solar Radiation? After all, plants can't make sugars without sunlight. Leaf wetness, growing degree days, evapotransporation and soil moisture all play significant roles and should be considered while managing crops, whether they are grapes in a vineyard or a sward of turfgrass on the golf course.

How are these measurements taken. Using technology, many " professional weather stations" have the ability to take readings from an array of different types of sensors. The types of sensors vary depending on the individual user's needs. Although many golf courses do use these types of professional sensor stations, we do not have one here at Lake View but there is a station at the Penn State Grape research Facility down in the vineyards close to the lake. Thanks to member John Grigg, we are now receiving the data he is collecting on a weekly basis. Although the data is specific to his site, it does give some indication of what conditions we are experiencing in the general area. It also provides us with a baseline that we can use to compare with some of the readings we take here at the golf course using an inexpensive consumer-type weather station.

Using computer software, we are able to compile this data and use it to make decisions or to predict when the Poa will start to produce seed heads or when to apply a certain product for crabgrass, grub or disease control as well as how much water to put down when irrigating. Don't you just love science?

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Newest Golf Course Technology

(Published February 24, 2009 to the "Blog" category)

Robotic Greens Mower

After seeing this new mower at the 2009 GIS Turf Conference & Show, I had to rub my eyes a few times to make sure I wasn't imagining it. This is the newest offering in automated mowing for the golf course industry. Yep, that's right....Look Mom, no hands! I had a chance to talk to the manufacturer and these guys really did their homework. This baby is all electric, is completely programmable via a standard office computer, and has a whole host of programming options to tailor the mowing sequence to fit each golf course's individual mowing needs. Right now, it's a little pricey at about $30 Grand each, with 4 needed to mow the greens on an 18 hole golf course. I think we'll wait a little while before jumping on this band wagon.

If you would like to learn more or if you want to buy one or two of these to donate to our golf operation :-) you can learn more at: Precise Path

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The Hidden Benefits of Topdressing

(Published January 8, 2009 to the "Blog" category)

In previous blog entries, I had mentioned the value of topdressing in relationship to the smoothness of the putting surface as well as a method to dilute the thatch. One great benefit of frequent topdressing that I didn't mention was the protection of the turfgrass crowns. The crown in a grass plant can be considered its heart, a centralized part of the plant where all of the growth to create leaves and roots emanates from. If the crown gets injured or dies the whole plant is affected. As topdressing is added, the crown becomes buried until it is well beneath the mowing surface. By having the crowns buried beneath the surface they are better protected from stress caused by mower and foot traffic. This added blanket of sand, even though it may be only a quarter inch or so, can also be enough to buffer the crown from environmental conditions that often cause additional stress.

Often times, you'll find me out on the golf course with a soil probe in the evenings checking for soil moisture. This is also my opportunity to monitor the crown depth as well. If I see the crowns creeping too close to the surface, I'll increase the amount of sand we're applying. The whole key to a successful topdressing program is matching the amount of sand with the growth of turfgrass plant. As thousands of new plants are emerging everyday, close monitoring is essential.

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For the Enjoyment of the Game

(Published January 1, 2009 to the "Blog" category)

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This page contains the past nine blog entries. For a complete archive of all Turf Care articles, visit the archive page.

Turf Care Section & Blog copyright © Gordon Seliga 2009