2023 Aerification

Despite the record setting temperatures experienced over the past several weeks, the weather has cooperated and allowed us to successfully carry out all necessary cultural practices during our aerification closure. 

Our final week of closure will consist of some final cultural practices, fertilization, and putting the golf course back together so it is ready for play upon reopening on July 31st. 

Here is a breakdown of the major cultural practices that will have been completed upon reopening:

Greens - Verticut 4x, Aerified 2x, Topdressed 2x

Fairways and Approaches - Verticut 4x, Aerified 2x

Tees - Verticut 2x, Aerified 2x, Topdressed 1x

Rough - Aerified 2x

The most time-consuming part of the process is cleaning up after each of these practices. The cleanup process consists of numerous tractors, utility vehicles, sweepers, vacuums, brushes, mowers and blowers. This ensures the playing surface is as clean as possible for sufficient recovery. 

Prior to reopening, the entire golf course will have been fertilized to encourage new growth and expedite the recovery process.

While the golf course was in excellent shape prior to our closure, it is vital that we carry out these major cultural practices each year. Aerification and verticutting both offer numerous agronomic benefits, such as compaction relief, thatch removal, improved air exchange, deeper rooting and enhanced nutrient and water uptake.

We are incredibly fortunate to have such a hard-working maintenance staff at Copperleaf. The team has endured extreme temperatures, late hours and a myriad of different tasks necessary for us to successfully complete all of our aerification practices.

Below are some pictures highlighting our work over the closure.

Prior to the greens being aerified, a layer of topdressing sand is applied to the surface.

Once topdressed, greens were then aerified with 5/8" coring tines. The cores are collected in the rectangular box mounted behind the machine and dropped at the end of each pass, where a crew will remove and haul off the debris.

Once the greens have been aerified and cleaned, they are rolled and brushed in several directions to help incorporate sand into the channels created by the aerifier.

Finished product of our putting surfaces after two aerifications.

First mow on greens following both aerifications - Friday, July 21st.

Our Toro Procore 1298 in action aerifying #9 fairway.

Fairways were verticut immediately after being aerified. They were verticut a total of 4 times during the closure.

Our two VC60 Fairway verticutters are seen on hole #6 with the 1298 aerifier finishing in the background.

Aerial view of our three vacuums cleaning debris on hole #4.

June 2023 GCM Update

Summer has officially begun at Copperleaf! We have fortunately been receiving steady rains to help fill up our lakes and provide the Golf Course with some much needed moisture.

The turfgrass on the Golf Course is in excellent health as we begin to put plans in place for our major cultural practices scheduled to occur during the three-week July closure. 

The recent summer rains have balanced out our aesthetics and
filled up our lakes.

Our annual Curfew soil fumigant application was successfully completed during our June, three-day closure. Curfew is a nematicide applied to eradicate parasitic nematodes in turf. Nematodes are microscopic roundworms that feed on plant tissues. Each year, this product is applied to control nematode populations to ensure that our turfgrass is healthy and performs to our high standards. The slits from the machines have left temporary scars, as expected, and should be healed in the next week or two. We recently applied a bulk fertilizer application to the entire golf course which will expedite the recovery process.

The Curfew application is completed by injecting the product
5-7" into the soil. 

Temporary linear scars can be observed for 2-3 weeks
following the application. 

With the warmer temperatures and active turfgrass growth, we have been routinely vertical mowing (verticutting) our putting surfaces. Verticutting is accomplished by utilizing a mower with thin blades that cut vertically into the green. This practice is completed to remove excessive leaf growth, improve surface smoothness and promote upright turfgrass growth. 

Our Summer Annual flowers were installed earlier this month. Red and Green Coleus have been planted and are growing in nicely. The red and green color contrast will offer enhanced aesthetics around our key areas of the entrance and clubhouse over the next several months. 

We have recently started the process of preparing to install turfgrass to a large area in between holes #16 and #17. The Greens and Grounds Committee has supported the idea to eliminate a large section of pinestraw and native grasses. In the past, this bed was nearly 400 yards long consisting of native grasses, palm trees, olive trees, and other native plants. Unfortunately, this extremely large area was very popular for golf balls, in addition to consuming a great amount of our time and resources in both trimming and weed control. During our July closure, we will harvest sprigs from our fairways during the verticutting process, and then plant this area with Celebration bermudagrass. We are confident that the pinestraw bed reduction will be aesthetically pleasing and much easier to play from, with a secondary benefit of helping pace of play.

During the aerification process, we will use sprigs generated from
our fairways to plant this area with Celebration Bermudagrass,
matching our existing turfgrass.

Ornamental grasses, native plants, and pinestraw were removed in
a large section of the bed located between holes #16 and #17.

A view of the project from #17. The existing palms and trees
will continue to offer separation between these two holes,
but playability and aesthetics will both be enhanced. 

As always, feel free to email any questions, comments or concerns to parkerf@copperleafgc.com.

May 2023 GCM Update

While we are now in the rainy season in southern Florida, we are missing the...rain. It is seemingly raining everywhere but Copperleaf, but I remain optimistic that will come very soon. As of today, the lake levels are the lowest they have been in my nearly 2 years at Copperleaf. We are continuing to selectively irrigate dry areas through the day, but our supply is quickly diminishing. Fingers crossed, we will soon receive the much needed rain to fill up our lakes and balance out the turfgrass aesthetics.

Our new butterfly garden continues to thrive with several species of butterflies having found this new location. With its early success, we are likely going to be expanding the garden on both sides to provide additional habitat and enhance the aesthetics around this area. 

Our first Wednesday closure of the year included a small-tine aerification on the putting greens. Small, 1/4" coring tines were used to open up the soil profile in order to reduce compaction, promote oxygen exchange and encourage new root growth. The greens were topdressed prior to aerifying in order to fill the holes and incorporate sand into the soil profile. 

Greens were topdressed prior to the 1/4" small-tine aerification

This was the first aerification with coring tines of 2023

Following aerification, the sand was brushed in and rolled for smoothness

During this one-day closure, we also had a contractor on property to conduct our annual root pruning of the golf course. Trees compete with turfgrass for both water and nutrients. The root pruning is a one-day process with a tractor-mounted pruning system that makes its way around the golf course pruning roots around large trees. The machine that is used is very efficient, with minimal surface disruption and virtually no cleanup necessary. It severs roots up to 6" in diameter and slices to a depth of 10" into the soil. This process prevents tree root encroachment into the turfgrass, ultimately eliminating the loss of water and nutrients. 

Tree root pruning is an annual process that promotes turfgrass health without causing harm to the trees

Our annual Curfew application is scheduled during our June 6th - 8th closure. Curfew is a soil fumigant and is extremely effective in eradicating plant-parasitic nematodes. Nematodes are microscopic roundworms that feed on living plant tissue. These extremely destructive pests can potentially kill very large areas of turf. During this application, Curfew is injected into the soil as a liquid. It then volatilizes and moves through the soil, eradicating the unwanted pests. Following the application, the injection lines or "slits" in the turf will be visible throughout the golf course for several weeks. A fertilizer application is scheduled soon after the application to expidite the recovery process and help heal the temporary scars. 

Lastly, we have formally achieved our recertification as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. Copperleaf initially earned this designation in 2006, with a recertification requirement every three years. Over the past 17 years, Copperleaf has continued to demonstrate a commitment to environmental sustainability through enhancing wildlife habitat and protecting natural resources. 

As always, feel free to email any questions, comments or concerns to parkerf@copperleafgc.com.

Purple Martin hatchlings

Great Crested Flycatcher nesting on Hole #10

Repurposed tee marker stones have been cleaned and will now serve as permanant tee markers for the yellow tees.