Course Update

Effective July 1st I have resigned as Golf Superintendent at Calabasas Country Club, and I wanted to take a moment to say goodbye, and recap some of the projects that the Maintenance Department recently completed in preparation for summer.

First I would highlight the efforts of the Maintenance Department so far this year. Most recently we completed the reconstruction of the 18^th green, which included the construction of a new retaining wall, bridge, and contortion of the right side of the green. A few less noticeable, yet equally important projects recently completed include:

·         Edging and removal of rock from bunkers

·         Edging of cart paths

·         Removal of leaf and grass clippings

·         Repair of the fountain and aerator on #9

·         Removal, splitting, and chipping of four dead/ fallen trees

·         Aeration, fertilization, top dressing, and seeding of the driving range

·         Needle tine aeration of all greens twice, and deep tine aeration once

·         Drainage repair on #’s 1, 4, 8, 11, and 18

·         Raising and adjustments to hundreds of sprinkler heads

·         Removal a damaged power transformer on #18

Additionally, we were able to leach a significant amount of sodium from the greens, and lowered the pH from 8 to 6.2. I’m also happy to report that the putting bent grass roots are currently at a depth of 7”. For reference, roots depth was less than 1/2” in October 2010 when I assumed the role of Superintendent.

A lot of the work of the Maintenance Department, as noted above, is very technical and in general goes unnoticed. The work is difficult and can become monotonous, but is essential to the health and playability of the course. I would like to thank my crew for all they’ve done; without their hard work and tireless efforts, none of the success I’ve achieved during my eight-year tenure here would have been possible. I will miss the crew, and will look back fondly on the memories of all the progress we made together over the years.

Additionally, I’ve enjoyed the relationships I’ve built with members, both personally and professionally. My tenure here has been a lot about community and solving problems as a team, and I’ve appreciated the open dialogue I’ve shared with many members. I’ll miss seeing you all on daily drives around the course.

Finally, I want to thank the owner, Gene Axelrod, for giving me so many opportunities to develop my career over the last eight years. The projects I worked on were all unique, each with their own set of challenges, and I know I am a better person now for having met all those challenges head on. Gene, I wish you and Calabasas Country Club the very best, and thank you again for all your support.

Kindest Regards,

Eric Wenzinger

Gary Williams

Mr. Gary Williams of the Maintenance Department is retiring after forty-four years of service. Gary was born in San Fernando, CA in 1945. He was in charge of the Calabasas Park Company grounds before the golf course construction began. For the last 35 years he has been our Chemical Technician, spraying the greens weeds and searching for gophers. If you see Gary around the golf course, please take a moment to thank him for his hard work and dedication. 

Regards,

Eric Wenzinger

A few projects completed during our Monday closure

The greens were first aerated with our new deep tine aerator 1/2'' 12'' long.

They were also needle tine aerated & top-dressed


The driving range tee was aerated, seeded, top-dressed and fertilized.

Slide Show of the 18th Hole Project

Before & After Pictures of the 18th Hole Project

Course Update

Calabasas Country Club

Course Update

Most members who read my blog or have asked me questions about the greens know that a big issue at CCC is the fact that the non-potable water in Southern California is reclaimed, and as such has extremely high sodium content. Many issues we have with greens health could be resolved if sodium chloride water softeners were banned and replaced with potassium chloride water softeners. Many states across the US have already adopted the use of potassium-based water softeners. Unfortunately potassium-based water softeners are a relatively new product, and the households and businesses within the Southern California water districts are not yet equipped with the infrastructure needed to support its use. In the meantime, sodium management at Calabasas Country Club is a big concern that is constantly monitored and addressed with the following techniques.

1.       Gypsum “Calcium”

·         Bimonthly applications of soluble calcium are put down to replace the absorbed sodium.

2.       Leaching/flushing

·         Leaching/flushing the process of putting 6” of water down on the greens in a single night; this is the most important tool in aiding greens health. It moves the sodium down the soil profile and into the drainage. This is also why the drill and fill in March of this year was so crucial to open up channels that reach to the drainage. In some cases our 42 year old drainage system was not working properly which rendered this leaching process ineffective, and the drill and fill has been a good step in the right direction to restoring healthy drainage.   

3.       Humic acid

·         Humic acid restores missing or used up nutrients back to the soil which feed the naturally occurring processes that maintain a healthy environment for plant life.

A few projects planned for June include:

·         June 4^th edging cart-paths

·         June 25^th Deep tine aeration

·         Hydrojecting the greens; this aerates with water jets breaking through organic matter in the process.

·         Flushing the greens to move sodium down the soil profile

·         Wetting agent/surfactant application on greens

A few advantages of these wetting agents are:

1.        Increases moisture retention; allows soil to absorb and hold water

2.        Reduces frequency of watering

3.        Reduced use of fertilizers

4.        Optimizes maturation

5.        Promotes deeper roots and increases the number of fine root hairs

6.        Reduces labor costs associated with intensive turf management

7.        Reduces compaction