2010 National 85 and 90's

Players are full of energy despite the 90 degree temps. Don't forget, click on a picture if you want to see it in a larger format.

Morning Pictures, August 30, 2010

A wise man once said "Thomas Edison figured out 500 ways not to make a lightbulb, and only one way to make one." That wise man was Jeff. And today Neil Johnson has invented some as significant - nay, more significant - than Edison's lightbulb and telephone combined and then multiplied by the segway.

Rain Day Activities/Innovations

Nearly four inches of rain and counting...

Neil modifies blower to clean off the alley with one pass! Video to come to the blog soon.

Hogan walks down the ramp to meet the Rock in Wrestlemania XVIII.

Crowd hangs on the Rock and Hogan's every move.

Grounds Crew Tennis

The prestigious Grounds Crew Classic was held on August 19, 2010. Grounds crew and special guests had a competitive afternoon of tennis followed by a tournament banquet at Roggies in Cleveland Circle. Thanks to Larry and Magnus and guests John, Tom, Steph, Marrianne and Kevin.

Larry's team beat the Magnus squad!

Round Robin Preparation

Finished product.

Jr. camp welcomes some guests.

Jeff barks out orders to Neil and Jordan. They better listen or they will feel the wrath of Jeff! (Nate didn't listen)

A view from the porch.

Nathan cleans up the 'pro courts' for Larry and Magnus. Magnus inspected Nathan's work and said, "Nate really excels at his job!"

A couple early morning photos...

Mark Wilson rolls.

Neil Johnson mows.

We have had a lot of play on the grass courts this summer along with some stressful weather. A small window of less play today and tommorow (along with some cooler temps) allows us to perform some mid season assitance to the grass courts.

Small amounts of fertilizer and growth regulator were foliar applied. This limits excessive growth while supplying nutrients that the plants are having trouble picking up with their limited summertime root systems.
Frequent, light watering (syringing) keeps the plants cool. Too much water is just as bad as too little.
Today we are "venting" the courts. "Venting" is a term being used by the USGA instead of the traditional term "aerification." This is so golfers don't get scared and think their greens will be torn up and not putt well. The venting is a non-disruptive practice that allows for better air exchange and water pentration in the root zone. We are using 1/4 inch solid tines, with holes in a 2 inch X 2 inch pattern.

2010 Father/ Daughter Final

Father/Daughter National Championship

Father/Daughter National Championship Prep

Pictures by Tim Burns

The Summer of 2010

Some golf clubs have been closing greens or whole courses due to the weather this summer. As we have been writing here, this has been the most difficult season in recent memory for maintaining the turfgrass.
Click on the title above for an accurate article from the Wall Street Journal (my favorite golf writer, John Paul Newport) on turfgrass and the stressful summer. A must read for turfgrass enthusiasts!

Rain Storm

On Thursday evening a thunderstorm dropped one and an half inches of rain on Longwood in a very short time. The storm drains could not handle it, so the water backed up and formed ponds on the courts. With the water not going anywhere, silt settled and covered the courts. Below are pictures of the silt covered courts (also lots of organic matter like grass clippings), washouts, the crew repairing the courts and the final product. Brick walkways were also undermined and the parking lot was a mess of sand that washed down from Route 9.

Special note on grass court opening. Despite the heavy rain, our 2 month streak of having the grass courts open continues - all grass courts opened today.

NESTMA Field Day

The New England Sport Turf Managers held their annual Field Day/Symposium at Wellesley College. 125 attendees learned about field construction, dealing with concerts on the field and the story behind the ice rink at Fenway Park last winter. This was all in the Wang Campus Center.
In the afternoon we switched to the Wellesley College athletic fields for equipment demonstrations. Check out the aerator and the turf managers running over to check out the holes in the ground!

Clay Court Maintenance

The crew working on the clay courts at sunrise.

The links list to the right includes a number of articles on turfgrass stress. Check out the new update on annual bluegrass.