Red Imported Fireants(RIFA) Red Flag

"Get you red flag at the golf shop free of charge"

The fire ants populations have come back this season with a vengeance. I have been battling these insects for the three years I have been hear and they were getting to be much less of a problem. This summer that changed, we work with the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District (CVMVCD) to battle these critters. These people come out 4 times per year and treat the golf course to help keep the populations in check. I will also do spot treatments as we see them during the times in between the quarterly applications.

The RIFA are a species of ant that possess aggressive behavior and produce a painful sting. These ants found their way into the Coachella Valley from the southeast US where they have caused major damage to agriculture, horticulture and recreational industries. The CVMVCD is committed to stopping the infestation of the Coachella Valley from this pest and preventing the mitigation of the species to other parts of California. RIFA are known as imported because theory has it they came to this country from South America by boat in the 1930's. Today, the RIFA infest more than 300 million acres in 12 states with the newest infested states being New Mexico and California.

The RIFA are very small and reddish-brown in color, they have distinct characteristics and are difficult to identify with just the naked eye. RIFA live underground and can be distinguished by the mounds they build which are piles of soil, peppered with small holes. The RIFA are attracted to moisture and electrical currents and can be found in sprinkler valve boxes and controllers. At DIGCC we see them most often in the bunkers, irrigation controllers and around trees. If you see these mounds on the course we want you to stick a red flag near the mound and we will treat the area. The RIFA attack when there mounds are disturbed, this happens when a person or pet steps on their mounds. The ants are attracted by movement and can attack due to their aggressive nature.
If you are stung; wash the area with soap and water, elevate the area and apply ice to control swelling, apply topical ointment and take antihistamine to relieve itching, if swelling worsens seek medical attention.

Our RIFA management program is an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach, and consists of  quarterly applications of a bait-formulated insecticide, direct mound treatments and growth regulator baits which prevent the ants from becoming adults. The other approach is a cultural method, mowing frequency and mowing height. The greens, tees and fairways are mowed daily at short heights to encourage the ants to move to areas where the mounds are less frequently disturbed i.e. roughs and perimeter plantings.

Remember in the rules of golf an ant hill is a loose impediment and a player is entitled relief, in the case of RIFA the ball should be moved one club length because if you disturb the mound the ants will swarm.

Our New Rough Mowing Equipment

This is the new rough mowing equipment we just purchased this month. The machine is a Toro 4500D rotary mower that we will use to mow all of our rough. The machine is the latest technology in rotary mowing and will serve Desert Island for many years to come. The benefits of this type of mower are many and you will see an instant benefit of better playing conditions throughout the rough. The operator Jose Madrigal is doing a fine job of mowing the back of the number two green. This machine will reduce mowing costs in the rough, run more efficient with the new Kubota diesel engine and produce less emissions. This is the type of machine we will continue to purchase in upgrading our mowing fleet. These machines reduce labor costs, reduce emissions and produce the high standard in turf maintenance we are striving for at Desert Island Golf Maintenance.

Traffic Control

The compaction on the golf course around the world is one of the biggest detrements to good turf quality.
The compaction that I am focusing on with this blog is that created by maintenence vehicles and golf cars. The cart paths system on many of the new projects is continuous from the first tee continuing around the entire property. These complete paths solve many maintenance issues vs a tee and green only cart path system. The ingress and egress to the path becomes a challenge and the program we have in place at DIGCC is one of the best I have seen anywhere. I can't claim this as my idea as I saw it first here in the desert and my club president has it at Valhalla, his home club in Kentucky.
Traffic control for golf maintenance vehicles, golf cars and golfers is one of our biggest turf maintenance challenges. The use of some form of a traffic control program is a must on the golf course to insure good quality consistent turf throughout the golf course. These areas that are impacted by the concentrated traffic are in the most important areas on the golf course, the green and tee areas.

The traffic control program we have at DIGCC is one stake at the tee end of the hole and another at the green end of the hole. The idea is for all traffic to concentrate at the stake, the setup guy will move these as needed i.e. three times per week. This program can eliminate the need for any other stakes or rope that is unsightly and costly to keep up. The key to the program requires the golfers and the employees to follow the program. The education of the crew and golfers like all our programs is the challenge. I have had it in place for a year now and we are seeing very good results.

USGA: Articles and Resources

USGA: Articles and Resources

USGA: Management

USGA: Management

Tree Management Plan

I have had a few questions on the placement of the new trees we will be planting at DIGCC so I thought I would talk about the tree management plan. The plan is very in depth covering all the trees on the property so this blog will focus on tree placement. In 2007 we had the first arbor day event for the purpose of raising dollars for planting trees. The tree population is a significant part of the golfing experience at DIGCC for anyone who plays or visits the course. My first time on the property the size of the trees, the narrow driving area on the 11th hole and the Cork Oak on the 12th hole are memorable. I was involved in the building and grow-in of Silverrock Resort which is a desert golf course that had only one stand of mature Tamarisk trees that the 4th hole was designed around. The desert trees tend to be shorter and use less water than the species that we have at DIGCC. This water issue brings up another topic to blog about at another time.

The trees on a golf course are meant to be used as back drops to greens or tees, for protection and to divide holes from one another. The other use for trees in the Deserts of California is shade, this is one very important point to consider with 350 days of sunshine and 100 degree plus temperatures. The opinions of the consultant are strictly from an agronomic perspective and not that of a golf architect. The tree management plan has 3 main categories; trees recommended for removal, new or replacement trees and number three is tree trimming or maintenance. The first category, tree removals will be done to eliminate the trees that are hazardous,in poor health or trees that are planted in the wrong place. The trees that are planted in the wrong place, means they are shading a critical area i.e. a green or tee. Some trees are planted too close to irrigation mainlines and sprinklers or too close to cart-paths and have surface root issues. One of our concerns in this economy, are trees that cost excessive dollars to maintain and will be moved up on our removal priority list. The second category addresses the replacement trees, the existing trees are evaluated for the health, aesthetic value and whether they are placed in the wrong location. The trimming of the trees is a very costly practice especially the very large Eucalyptus. The African Sumacs that surround the property are another high maintenance tree. The new species we plant will have the desired characteristics one of those being minimal maintenance requirements.

I will continue to blog about the tree management plan in the future when a question arises or any particular landscape project lends itself to write about.

GCSAA National Conference

I am writing my first blog of many for the purpose of informing my members at Desert Island Golf & Country Club.

I just attended the 2010 National Conference in San Diego. This conference is attended by people from all over the world. I personally had some visitors from Ireland, Dublin and the west coast of Ireland, Dromoland Castle in county Clare. They toured DIGCC, Silverrock Resort and Indian Wells Golf Resort, they gave us high marks. The conference is an educational event with suppliers and educators from around the country. It is held annually and is a very important event for Golf Course Superintendents to network and get involved in the latest technology. The conference is a joint venue for Club Managers and Superintendents although the Club Managers are going to split off from the event to better serve their members. I only spent one day at the conference this time and I was able to see all of what I was interested in. The current issues that are being focused on are the economy and how to do the best job with less dollars. The environment and green issues are always an important topic and I write about DIGCC efforts.

The environment has been at the forefront of my management programs since the beginning in the early 70's. We just had our "Green Tournament" at DIGCC the Arbor Tournament, the money raised is going to pay for new tree plantings throughout the golf course. This is the third year for the event and we have been able to fund the third phase of our Tree Management Plan "replanting". The species we will be planting will continue to blend with the existing species and possess some of the desired characteristics. The trees we plant going forward need to be as "problem & maintenance free" as possible, what I mean by this is minimal pruning and shade producing. The Lemon Scented Eucalyptus (eucalyptus citriodora) was our selection for this planting, these trees have the good qualities we want and they are fast growers. A couple other interesting notes on this tree; essential oil is distilled from the leaves and twigs and is used in aromatherapy, if you crush some leaves in your fingers you can smell the fragrance. The bark on the mature tree is a smooth gray, cream or pink in color "very attractive". Just a couple of other "green issues" we are doing is the recycling of all green waste that we produce at DIGCC. The grass clippings are all mulched into the turf and the renovation debris for winter overseed prep is recycled the same way. The green waste materials that are collected are composted and returned in the form of organic mulch for divot mix, flower beds and new tree plantings. The most important environmental concern is water and the efficient use of it. The water we use for irrigation is pumped from a well into the lake, then pumped onto the grass and plants. The management of this has always been and is becoming more of a top concern of all the golf courses. I will continue to comment on this in future blogs.

I hope this blog and all in the future will help to inform all of you whom have an interest in the management of the grounds at DIGCC.