Hello Summer!

Many of you have seen the current condition of our 8th fairway. We don't have a mystery disease attacking the fairway. The brown areas are the result of localized dry spot, a condition I wrote about in this blog back in August, 2015.

LDS on 8 fairway.

This condition was triggered by an electrical surge (lightning) in the irrigation control system. That surge destroyed a surge protector in the control satellite for the 8th hole. With no power to the controller, the hole doesn't get watered. We didn't discover the problem for several days. By then, with high temps and wind, soil moisture became critical and the bentgrass started browning out. This condition is exacerbated by the compacted and overturned soils from our recent renovation. I expect most of the damaged areas to recover with the return of more moderate weather.

Weidenmann deep-tine aerifier loosening up the 7th fairway.

We are currently in the middle of round two for deep-tining all of our fairways this year. We will continue with this practice until the soil compaction is alleviated and the soil structure is where we want it. See diagram for a better visual: deep-tine heave action

Always fun when you pickup a hitchhiker!

In addition, we added a wetting agent program to our fairway maintenance program this year. These products are suppose to minimize LDS outbreaks. Needless to say, I am somewhat disappointed with the results. On the other hand, this incident may show just how much soil work we have ahead of us.


This was the scene west of the 12th green 10 days ago. A three inch feeder pipe pulled out of the isolation valve causing quite a mess. The fix required applying joint restraints on both sides of the valve. We are hoping this won't be a reoccurring situation at other green sites.

3 inch irrigation pipe separated from the isolation valve at 12 green.

The native prairie plantings on the golf course are looking FABULOUS! Thank you to all golfers who are abiding by the "no entrance" rule. We appreciate your cooperation as do all the pollinators!
Pollinators love Keller GC!!!

Bumble Bee on Monarda (Bee Balm)

Bumble Bee on Oxeye (Early Sunflower)

16 tee surrounds.

Foot Print Follies

As populations of the Minnesota State bird begin to bulk up, now is a good time for the annual reminder regarding mosquito sprays. Please stand on a cart path or in deep rough when applying bug spray to your lower extremities. Certain ingredients in these sprays are toxic to short cut playing surfaces, e.g., greens, tees, and fairways.

Not a pretty sight but completely avoidable.

Another issue involving feet belongs to the golfer dedicated to putting practice. Often times you will see golfers performing repetition drills on the practice green standing in one spot for extended periods of time. The spikes and soles of their golf shoes combined with summer heat can cause undue stress on grass plants cut at a 1/10th of an inch.

Keller practice green, June 2016

There is a way to prevent this damage as demonstrated below by PGA Touring Pro Ryo Ishikawa.

Stand on a towel when your feet don't move for extended periods of time.