Centennial Year

Opening Day 2014

We opened the course for our Centennial season on March 21, 2014. It was a challenge trying to get things ready for Opening Day as things on the course were very soft. Rapid snow melt combined with frost beginning to come out of the ground made things difficult. This left us with only a few days before opening where we were actually able to get out onto the course without doing damage. To make matters worse, one of our three staff working came down with the flu and was not able to come in to work in the days leading up to opening. It was a challenge, but we managed to get things ready just in time.

4th Green frost heaving drainage trench

Frost heaving caused us some troubles on our greens. Some areas we saw the greens sub surface drainage settle faster than the surrounding soil. This caused trenches to form, making the herringbone drainage pattern visible from the surface. This heaving/sinking prevented us from cutting, rolling and basically doing anything besides blowing leaves from the green surface. Thankfully as the frost came out of the ground, the soil leveled out and we were finally able to get to work on the greens.




Our greens came out of winter very well with one exception on the 4th green. My suspicion is crown hydration. As the snow melted and pooled during the warmth of the day, the grass plants began to take in water. As the air cooled towards the end of the day, and the sun went behind the large elm tree behind the green, the water began to freeze while the plant was still taking it in; this causes its cells to rupture as the water expands to form ice. As you can see here, the ice formation is in a very similar pattern of the damage we see. This damage is not caused by the actual ice cover, as bentgrass can survive 120 days under ice, but from the plant taking in water as it freezes, a classic case of crown hydration.

Crown Hydration on the 4th Green

To remedy this area we have overseeded and fertilized. Our old Ryan Overseeder, which is probably older than me, worked perfectly to slit seed into the turf canopy and thatch layer. We also used this on all of our collars, and a few areas on greens that are high in poa concentration. If there was one thing helpful about this winter, it really knocked down the poa. Unlike what your parents probably taught you about fighting, when poa is down, that's the best time to kick it. Overseeding these areas with bentgrass will further help our fight against the invading poa, an ongoing battle.

Overseeding the 4th Green. Hey, who is that handsome fellow?
The photo on the left shows the tiny bentgrass seeds in the slits from the overseeder.

We will also be taking our little overseeder out onto some fairway areas where we have ice damage. Many of these areas are quite large, however, we can see little green shoots coming up in most areas, signs that these areas will come back with a little help from some fertilizer. A few smaller areas though, are basically white with death and will require overseeding as we move forward.

We are also excited to use a new product on our greens this year. ECO-TEA  is basically a high grade compost made from worm castings, kelp, humic/fulvic acids, and molasses. You can think of ECO-TEA as  beneficial microbes on steroids. It contains plant nutrients, amino acids, and other stress relieving compounds. This product will help in disease suppression of Take-all patch and reduce our fungicide needs. It boosts the soil microbe population, natural defenses for the plants, making them stronger and more efficient, also helping to reduce fertilizer needs, and in turn, reducing costs, saving us money. Soil chemisty and phisyology have always been utilized in turf management, but now soil biology is really becoming a useful and interesting tool.

Look out!, We've got a geyser! - Broken head on the Driving Range

Our irrigation system was fired up successfully, officially no breaks or leaks. I guess I know what I'm doing after all. A few irrigation heads were cracked or blown out at the nozzles, something that can happen due to the sheer pressure of compressed air during the fall blow out.


As we move into mid April now, the course is really starting to come to life. As things get greener both golfers and our staff are getting excited. The weather is finally starting to warm up and the course is bustling with activity. Our greens root mass is at least 3 times as deep as this point last year, a comfortable starting point for us to begin the golf season. Meanwhile, Sam the dog has found a new way to infiltrate the geese who have tried to make our course their home. They'll never see her coming! We are both very proud and excited to begin the Kamloops Golf and Country Club's Centennial year, it looks like it should be a great one.