Tree Bases

Tree bases are challenging areas to maintain, especially those under the fir trees.  These trees have very shallow root systems which compete for every bit of soil moisture near the surface.  In addition, the needles that fall from these trees makes the soil beneath them very acidic.  Basically, the conditions at the base of fir trees is extremely unfavorable for the culture of turfgrass.  When you can't grow grass in a certain area, inevitably you find soil, rocks, tree roots.....etc. or in essence a playing surface adverse to the playing of golf.  Check out the typical turf quality under a canopy of fir trees.

Areas like this are not attractive and not good for golf.  Now check out the typical conditions under the canopy of an oak grove.   

Notice there is grass covering virtually every square inch of the surface.  The oak trees are deeply rooted and compete very little for surface moisture.  For a good part of the growing season there is considerable sunlight under oak trees which is essential for turfgrass persistence.  It's not hard to imagine why oak prairie land such as that here at Tacoma is so perfect for golf.  Oak prairies are grasslands with gently rolling terrain and well draining soils.  Can you think of a better short description of desirable golf land?  Anyway, we do have some fir trees and they pose some serious challenges when you're trying to grow good turfgrass.  Sure they are messy and cause shade problems, but as I said earlier they are thirsty buggers and growing grass around the base of them takes a lot of work.

We try very hard to grow decent turfgrass around the base of some of the key fir trees which are near the greens and tees.  We've limbed up these trees to allow for sufficient sunlight and added sandy soil to cover the rocks and roots near the surface.  We hand water around these trees during the summer and use wetting agent products to relieve the drought condition caused by the thirsty shallow root systems.  To eliminate trimming the grass right around the trunk of these key trees we've worked at keeping those areas free of grass and dressed with mulch.  This practice adds another set of problems.  Keeping the mulch in place is difficult when we're constantly cleaning up after these trees using big debris blowers.  Keeping these mulched areas weed free requires hand pulling and hand applications of herbicide.  On top of that we have to consider playability and hitting golf shots from the course mulch is absolutely no fun.  Yes we could use some finer mulch around the base of these trees and you might think that's what we've done around the trees near the first green. 

The fact is we are not switching to a fine dark mulch to dress up around these trees.  Actually this dark fine mulch is just plain compost which we are using to aid germination of grass seed around the base of these trees.  We are trying a new solution around these key trees.  Actually I guess you could say we're trying an old solution which is to grow grass around them, but now we have a new tactic which is a little different.  The key to this new strategy is we're seeding these areas to straight chewings fescue.  Here's what it looks like when the new fescue grass emerges through the compost.  

So why do we think this is going to work?  Well, we've been experimenting.  Here's a look at a tree where we employed this strategy a couple of years ago.  

Obviously this is a very attractive and natural look.  With grass around thee trees we don't have to worry about using the big blowers near them.  You can definitely play a golf shot off this grass and best of all the maintenance of this tree base has been very simple.  The chewings fescue is very drought tolerant so it persists throughout the year without supplemental hand watering.  Also, the poor soil condition means the fescue grows extremely slow and that means very little mowing is required.  In fact over the past year I think we've mowed the fescue around this tree maybe 2 or 3 times.  We're hopeful this is going to be a long term solution for maintaining these challenging areas at the base of the fir trees.  

Tree Management Plan 2017

It's that time of year again when we try and finalize plans for winter projects. Currently there are 30 trees on the golf course that are marked with orange ribbon which will be removed per the Tree Management Plan (TMP).  With the following pictures I will provide some details as to why these trees are marked for removal, but you can at any time review the TMP and see all future projects including an explanation of the Club's practices and philosophies with respect to the management of its trees.  Click HERE to see the TMP.

Near the 4th tee there is a small fir tree overtopping one of the native oak trees.  As clearly stated in the TMP, any tree competing with one of the native oak trees should be removed as long as removing that tree doesn't also remove a safety barrier to members and guests. Funny thing about this tree, 6 years ago we removed 20 large firs in this area in order to improve turf conditions on the 3rd green.  The project was a huge success and was also one of our first attempts to release some of our threatened oak trees.  Some skeptics thought we couldn't save these oak trees because they were too far gone.  I decided to leave the little fir tree because at that time it was not overtopping the oak tree. In just 6 years that little fir tree has doubled in size and is now overtopping the oak tree which is clearly thriving following that initial release project.  This is a great example of just how invasive the Douglas fir tree is, and also a great example of the continued success we've seen from the Club's current tree management strategies.  The oak trees can be rescued and removing the competing fir trees or "oak release" does work.

This little fir tree is right next to the forward tee on number 4 and it's one that was planted as part of the restoration project which followed the installation of the sewer pipeline in 2010.  Along with this tree there are several others that were planted as part of that project which are marked for removal.   Why are we removing trees that were planted just 7 years ago?  Simply put these trees were planted in an attempt to screen certain areas that were exposed by the sewer project so they were planted very close together.  Now many of these trees have grown to the point where they are crowding each other so they need to be thinned out.  Also, the growth rate of these fir trees is very predictable and therefore it is quite simple to know which trees cannot be allowed to reach maturity when they will inevitably cause shade issues for fine turf or native oak trees.  It is much simpler to remove these trees when they are small than to wait for them to get so large that removing them would be a costly ordeal.  

Near the restroom on #6 there is a large fir marked for removal.  This cart path will be removed this winter and we're going to need all the sunlight we can get to grow grass in here, but also you can see that this fir is in the middle of an oak grove.  This is a classic example of overtopping.  All of the oak trees in this area are being shaded by this fir tree and those trees are clearly under a lot of stress. This next picture shows just how much stress the oak trees are under.  You can see all the trees are growing away from the fir tree looking for sunlight and in the forefront you can see that one tree has given up and died.  

If you go to look at this tree up close you'll see that it has a metal tag on it.  This metal tag is part of the sunlight study we conducted in 2007 when we first embarked on removing trees in order to improve putting green conditions.  

The 6th green was one of our worst greens and for the study every tree that cast a shadow on that green was marked with a tag and entered into a computer model.  So in other words this tree is not only killing oak trees, it is also shading the 6th green.  

Here we're looking at the tee shot from the 11th tee.  The fir trees just off the tee and in the middle of this picture will be replaced with maple trees taken from the right side of the 8th hole.  The fir trees are growing into the hole's line of desire limiting players options not to mention they're overtopping several oak trees.  The new planting will help prevent errant shots from entering the roadway while removing the firs will allow players to start their tee shots right of center if they want to play a draw.  Giving players the ability to start their shots right of center will also reduce the number of errant shots landing near the 16th green which has always been a safety concern.  I'm not the best at photoshop but this next picture kind of shows what it will look like.

Behind #14 green there are 5 fir trees and one ash tree marked for removal.  The ash tree has simply outgrown its space and will be replaced with something more appropriate.  The fir trees have grown to where they now shade the green for too many hours in the day and since they aren't getting any smaller, it's time they go.  Here's a picture of the 14th green taken just the other day at 1 o'clock in the afternoon.

When the sun is at the highest point of the day and the putting green is covered in shade, it's pretty obvious there's a problem.  Those of you who play golf during the cooler part of the season know all too well that the 14th green suffers from shade.  It is always the last green to thaw out after a cold spell.

Lastly, lets talk about the 3 trees left of the 17th which are marked for removal.  Here's how the tee shot looks from the championship tee.  It's getting narrower and narrower each year and it's getting to the point where the holes "shot value" is greatly diminished.  What is "shot value"?  It's a measure used to quantify the quality of a golf hole or in this case the quality of one golf shot.  Golf shots that have high "shot value" are those that make the player think.  When a hole becomes narrow as in this case on #17, the players options become limited to the choice of just hitting a straight shot.  There is no room to hit any other type of shot.  When your choices are limited and very little thought is required, you end up with a shot that has poor "shot value".   On top of all that these trees on 17 are strangling some of our largest native oak trees.

Here's a look at these trees from a different angle.  It's pretty obvious that the fir trees are forcing the oak trees to grow away from them.  The oak trees are trying to survive but they will eventually loose the battle since these fir trees are young and growing much faster than the oak trees.  That concludes my review of this years TMP projects.  Please don't hesitate to contact me if you still have questions or concerns.  

Sunlight and Air

I took a couple of pictures last Friday which clearly show the amazing power of sunlight and air.  The picture above is of the back of #2 green and if you've been a member at Tacoma for any time at all then you know just how good this area is today versus its condition in the past.  Here's another picture of this area taken from the 3rd tee.

In the last week it has rained over 5.5 inches.  That's a lot of rain but we were still able to mow this area on the back of #2.  Not only is the area firm enough to mow, the quality of the turf is as good as any area on the golf course.  Just a few years ago the back of #2 green might have been considered the worst conditioned area on the course.  So what happened? Why the dramatic turnaround?  It's pretty simple.  All we did was introduce sunlight and air to this area by strategicaly removing trees.  Starting back in 2009, we removed a couple trees behind this green and since then we have been removing more trees every other year. Today we finally have the amount of sunlight required to grow exceptional turfgrass in this area.  If you haven't been behind #2 lately, I encourage you go back there and check it out. It really is incredible what a difference it makes when you have adequate sunlight and air.  If you can't remember how bad it used to be behind #2, then go look at the area behind #3.

Here's #3 and you can see just how dense the treescape is behind that putting green. Here's a picture of the area on the back of this green.

You can see that when we attempted to mow this area, the machines rutted and scalped the turf.  Because of the lack of sunlight and air flow, this area is squishy and thin.  This is simply not okay and one of the main reasons several trees behind the third green are marked for removal.  These trees will be removed before the upcoming growing season so it's good to know that this poor turf condition is temporary and before you know it, this area behind #3 will be just as good as the area behind #2.  

Trees and Disease

It was just a gorgeous morning today as we started our fall aeration on greens.  This picture is showing the sand application to #3 green.  Yes it's pretty dusty and that's because we're using dried sand.  Normally the sand has some moisture to it and it doesn't look this dusty. While I was standing on the green taking this picture I also took some pictures of the disease popping up on the back of #3 green.  Look here.

This disease is called Fusarium Patch and it is very common in the Pacific Northwest on Poa greens.  Here's another picture I took this morning of Fusarium Patch, but this was taken on the back of #4 green.  

You might be thinking these disease spots are really small and no big deal.  That's only true because we noticed this disease coming on early last week when the weather cooled down and so we immediately applied a plant protection product to stop the infection.  If we had not made that application, there would be significant turf loss in these areas.  So why do these areas have disease popping up and other areas do not?  That's pretty simple and I'm sure you can tell by looking at these pictures that these areas are surrounded by trees.  No, I'm not saying trees cause disease.  It's always disease pathogens that cause disease, but a plants natural defense mechanism cannot work well when the plant suffers from shade. Trees cause the shade which weakens the plant and then the plant becomes susceptible to disease.  In addition, trees restrict air flow and that makes the environment in these shady areas more conducive to disease.  So now you have grass plants weakened from shade living in an environment that has more disease pressure.  To make things worse, if you loose turf to disease in these areas, it takes forever for the turf to recover since the turf in these areas are weekend by the shade.  It's the perfect storm really.  Shade is an absolute killer on a golf course.  Selectively removing trees is the most logical solution since it will both improve the environment and improve the plants health. 

Right now there are 36 trees on the golf course that are marked with orange ribbon because they are scheduled to be removed this off-season per the Club's Tree Management Plan. Some of these trees are being removed because they compete for sunlight and are compromising the quality of the golf course.  Some of these trees are being removed because they are simply in the way of golf and so they also are compromising the quality of the golf course. If you would like more information on the reasons surrounding the removal of these trees, click HERE to download this years project summary.   By the way, disease incidence is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the true cost of trees.  For a realistic picture of what a tree really costs, this article is always a good read, click HERE.

Some Great Golf.....On Okay Greens

 We've had some great golf these past few weeks.  The Member Guest Invitational was very memorable.  We had absolutely perfect weather.  The flop wall competition and skills challenge was fun as always. 

The Travis Mathews bus was here providing a great shopping opportunity and a really cool hang out spot.

 
 Jamie of course went completely over the top with the food.  I honestly don't think anyone can come close to matching his ability.  
And then there was the emotional award ceremony when we said goodbye to Rich Friend.  Rich has been the Golf Professional for the past 27 years and my friend for the past 23.   Tears were shed by everyone as we mourned his departure and celebrated his amazing service to the Club.  I will never forget that affectionate sendoff and I wish Rich the best on his new adventure.

 Then this week the Club hosted the 90th Washington State Men's Amateur.  On the 60th hole following a 6 hole playoff our very own Chase Carlson secured the win.  It was a fantastic event and the first men's championship held at the Club since the 1998 Washington Open.  Before the new teeing grounds were built during the recent award winning renovation of the golf course, Tacoma simply didn't have the length to challenge today's long hitters.  Now the course has teeth again and the expansive teeing grounds also provided some interesting options for the tournament coordinators.  Check out this picture of the setup on the final day of the Men's Amateur.

  The 7th hole was played from the 17th tee at over 420 yards.  That's 31 yards longer than the rated black tee for number 7.  To see more pictures of the event click HERE and check out the WSGA facebook page.  Click HERE to go to the WSGA website and see all the details of the event.  

The golf has been amazing these past few weeks but unfortunately the golf course has not. Sure it may look good and the greens have been very fast but with each season our frustration increases because so does the shade.  Above is a picture of #4 green and notice that the back of the green is in total shade.  Notice also that the shadows are very short as the sun is virtually straight up above when this picture was taken.  The back half of this green receives virtually little to no direct sunlight and this makes maintaining tournament quality firmness impossible.  

We monitor moisture in the greens with this device.  In the picture below notice the reading shows 25.7% water content.  That's a little high but at the time we took this reading we were setting up for a 90 degree day.  We prefer to keep the moisture at about 18-20% for good firmness and that's adequate moisture to get through a normal day of 75-80 degrees.  

Now check out the reading of the moisture content of the back half of the green which is always in the shade.  Yes that says 40%.

Keep in mind that these readings are being taken after we already have taken steps to dry down the back half of the green.  For example, the sprinklers on the back half of #4 have been changed to part circles which means they aren't even spraying water on the back half of the green.  We do this by changing out the internal motors of the sprinklers.  This of course takes time and constant monitoring. Even still that half of the green will just not dry down due to all the shade.

The fourth green is not our only problem area.  Look at these aerial images.  The first picture is of #4, the second is of #3 and the third picture is of #11.

Excessive shade is a constant problem and one that is only getting worse as the fir trees at Tacoma are not done growing.  The shade is increasing with each season and so are the expectations for good, consistent putting surfaces.  

On the bright side, check out this picture of #2 green taken mid day with the sun straight up.  The putting surface now receives adequate sunlight since we removed those three fir trees behind the green last winter.  We used to have the same problem with excessive moisture on #2 but not any more.  Of course moisture is not just about firmness and how the ball bounces on a green.  It's also about smoothness.  When the surface has too much moisture, foot traffic can make for terrible smoothness by days end.  If your as worried about this shade problem as I am, then worry no more.  The Club's Tree Management Plan addresses the need for sun on greens 3, 4, and 11 and there will be some thinning of the trees this upcoming off season.  There is also plans to improve the quantity of sunlight for the 18th green but this involves morning light which is the best light.  Check out this picture of #18 at noon on a sunny August day.

Because of the trees northeast and east of this green, the back right corner never receives any morning light.  It receives adequate afternoon light to maintain turf coverage but Tacoma has higher standards than just turf coverage.  In order for this green to have good putting quality and consistency, some morning light is essential.  Only two trees will be removed to correct this problem.  I know tree removal is an emotional issue for some people but rest assured the Club is using the best professional council regarding these agronomic challenges and making Tacoma the best it can be is the Committee's prime directive.  

Less is More

Above is a picture of #8 green taken in 2012.

Here is a picture I took last Friday from the exact same location.  During the renovation in 2013, this grouping of trees near #8 green was thinned out and limbed up.  They had grown up to the point where they were choking each other out and with limbs down to the ground, there was no way to grow turf anywhere near them.  Now you can see these trees have adequate air space to grow normally and also it's obvious there is now good turf around and under them.  This is a great example of what the Club's Tree Management Plan is all about.  The plan's primary directive is to protect and preserve the desirable plant species on the golf course.  For the most part turfgrass is the most desirable plant species on the golf course since after all the property is first and foremost a playing field for the game of golf.  The trees are also desirable plant species but when their density becomes such that they compromise themselves and turf, some need to go away in order to benefit the other.  These two pictures show beautifully how the Club's Tree Management Plan is actually a preservation plan and not a devastation plan.  With proper management the Club can still have trees while having turf at the same time.  Unfortunately most of the fir trees on the property are less than 200 years old so they are still young and actively growing.  They will double in size and there is simply not enough space on the golf course to allow that.  The Tree Management Plan will preserve the reputation of quality golf which this Club has earned and deserves. In areas where trees have outgrown their space and are compromising themselves, and turf...........less is more.

The Tree Management Plan

If you've been on the golf course lately, you most likely noticed some trees marked with orange ribbon like this dying hemlock tree on the right side of #1 fairway.  Yes, these trees are marked because they are scheduled for removal.  Currently  there are over 100 trees on the golf course that are marked with ribbon and are scheduled for removal.  The Club's Board of Directors recently approved the revised Tree Management Plan (TMP) presented by the Green Committee and endorsed by the City of Lakewood.  The TMP has a 5 year schedule of projects aimed at managing the golf course trees.  The trees marked with ribbon today are those that are involved with the first year of the plan.  If you would like a copy of the TMP so that you can see the entire 5 year plan, click HERE and you can download it. 

A large majority of the trees scheduled for removal during year one reside in the area east of the driving range which looks like this and is obviously densely wooded.  This project will be a dramatic improvement as it will eliminate the under-story of blackberries and other undesirable shrubs. That means we will reduce the habitat that is desired by critters like rats, coyotes and other vermin.  In addition, by removing the under-story and many of  the fir trees, the area will be maintainable while releasing over 30 threatened oak trees.  Once this area is opened up and maintainable, we will no longer loose hundreds of golf balls coming off the range tee.  Releasing oak trees is the act of removing trees that are competing against the oak trees for light, water, nutrients, etc.  Why are we releasing oak trees??  Oak savannas like the land the Club sits on are now one of the most rare ecosystems on the planet.  All the plants and animals associated with oak savannas are now on the threatened or endangered list.  So really the basic answer to the question of "why?" is simply that it is the right thing to do.  Another reason to take care of the oak trees is pretty evident by looking at the above picture.  An area overgrown with Douglas fir doesn't look like a very fun place to golf.  When you favor the oak trees, you have to provide sunlight and air which is exactly what grass needs also.  The better the grass the better the golf.  Click HERE to read more on the process of oak release. 

Here is another picture of the area east of the range and here you can see some of the huge oak trees that will be released.   This really is an exciting project.  It's refreshing to be doing something that not only benefits the golf course but it actually benefits everyone.  The entire community benefits when you try and preserve a threatened ecosystem because it helps maintain species diversity.  Look up the term Biodiversity and you'll see just how important this concept is.  Nowadays you hear a lot about the public's perception that golf courses are bad and that they are polluting our environment.  Many of those people will never be convinced to the contrary, but they would have to admit that Tacoma C&GC is different.  They would have to say "Wow, those folks are actually choosing to make a positive impact on the environment".  What they also should know is that the Club has been doing this for quite a while.

Do any of you remember the project east of the 3rd green.  In 2009 several oaks were released between the 3rd green and the 4th tee.

This picture shows some of those oaks as we were restoring the area.  Now today go check out these oaks as your walking to the 4th tee.  They have really turned the corner and are putting on a lot of new growth.

Remember also in 2009 the project east of the first green.  Those two little oaks in the center of the picture above used to be surrounded by firs.  Of course the turf on the green is much happier also.

Maybe you remember the project near the 2nd tee.  It wasn't too long ago but the oaks released there have to be some of the nicest specimens on the property.

This is what they look liked right after being released.  It's going to be fun watching these trees flourish in the future.

 On 13 we were very proactive by releasing the oaks near 15 tee which had yet to be overtopped by the firs.  Because the Douglas fir grows so rapidly, it wouldn't have been long before these trees overtopped the nearby oaks.  Removing the firs now while they are small is much more financially responsible.

Here's an after picture and you can see on the left side of the photo those oaks near 15 tee are now in the open and loving life.  By far one of the most successful "release" projects was when the new 11th tee was constructed.  Check out these pictures.  The 11th tee is surrounded by oak trees which now have a chance to live for our future generations to enjoy.

I seriously feel blessed to have been involved with these projects and so excited to do more with the new TMP.  You can imagine most Golf Course Superintendents don't have a chance to do something that is not only good for the golf course, but also good for everyone.  The new Tree Management Plan is just that.....A Win Win all around.