Open setup round 3

neil radatz (@hawksnr) has shared a Tweet with you:

"GCSAAbrk: Third round set-up, conditioning notes: Here is the official USGA update on set-up and conditioning for the weat... http://bit.ly/kKZp7l"
--http://twitter.com/GCSAAbrk/status/82196930708520960

Update

Golf Course Update Week of 6/18

Overall the week is ending very well. This is one of my favorite weekends not just becasue of Fathers day but The Open is by far my favorite tournament of the year.  I  love watching the excitement unfold over the course of the week also this is probably the only event that shows what is involved in the golf course preparations before and during the Open, the USGA should be applauded for doing this.  In the last few years, the golf course operation has really been in the press more.  I can remember back when I was involved in the PGA Championship the only press we received was why the greens were too slow and then why were the greens too fast, even through it was in the mid 90's for 2 weeks straight.    I have posted many articles this week about the Open both good and bad but it shows the struggles that is involved in attaining Open conditions.  As you can see even with 150 grounds staff it's hard to do let alone the 15-18 most course have on a daily basis. It's not easy and if one step is missed everything can go downhill very quickly it doesn't take long to go from great to bad in a hurry.

Hawks is fine shape the rain was timely but the humid conditions this week has been prefect conditions for Dollar Spot development.  The wet spring and constant cloudy damp weather has also been good for the moss on the putting green as well as a few greens on the golf course.  I am sure you have seen the moss on the putting green, I agree it does look pretty bad.  I am doing everything that I can to at least stop the spreading of the moss and to encourage recovery of the bentgrass.  We sprayed all the greens last week with a herbicide that should help.  I also verticut the greens this week to help get a little air into the canopy to dry it out.  Next week we will topdress all the greens and spray them again.  Over the next few weeks you should see a change for the better.  Here is a article from the USGA for your review on Moss and you will be able to see the battle we are up against.  http://www.usga.org/course_care/green_section_record/2007/jul_aug/Of-Moss-and-Men/#.TfuU_pimqO4;mailto

neil radatz (@hawksnr) has shared a Tweet with you:

"GCSAAbrk: Water, new greens and the U.S. Open: If you've read our posts throughout the past week from the 2011 U.S. Open a... http://bit.ly/jAMBkn"
--http://twitter.com/GCSAAbrk/status/81875435151048706

Open Set up today

Up and at 'em for round two at Congressional

Let me start by saying this — 3:20 a.m. comes just as early as you might expect it would.
And after rising at that time today to join the maintenance staff at Congressional CC for their morning rounds prior to the second day of the 2011 U.S. Open, I have a new appreciation for what the 100-plus members of that staff — full-time Congressional employees and volunteers alike — have gone through this week. I did it one day and am half delirious. They've been doing it for six days running now, with two more early wake-up calls on the horizon, and as far as I can tell, remain dialed in and focused on the task at hand (at least after a few donuts and a cup of coffee).
The USGA's official set-up and conditioning notes for round two should be available soon, and I will post those in their entirety when I receive them. But a few things to note from my time on the course:

• The course received between a quarter and a third of an inch of rain from the thunderstorms that began pushing through the area last night at around 10 p.m. How did that affect the Blue Course's greens? Green speeds were still on the money — can't reveal any state secrets, but the USGA update to come will have the official numbers — and moisture levels remain healthy, but the rain did soften the greens, so they'll be very receptive today to well-struck shots.
• The Sub-Air systems at Congressional were up and running on all greens before first-round play began in an effort to pull some of that extra moisture through the green profile. That will have little or no impact on green speeds, at least for today, but could help firm the putting surfaces up a little bit.
• Greens were double cut and single rolled this morning. A scattered few received a second roll following Stimpmeter readings. Greens on Nos. 3, 5, 6 and 11 were all rolled with the heavier Smithco units in an attempt to squeeze a little extra speed out of them.
• I got a chance to walk almost every green on the front nine, as well as the practice putting green, and I'll reiterate what I said yesterday — there are definitely areas of wear and stress that were leftover from the high heat and humidty that hit the Mid-Atlantic area the previous two weeks. They're generally limited to the collars and step cuts more than the putting surfaces themselves, but I did see a few spots — the back right of No. 9 green, most notably, where players generally exit that green — that have encroached onto the putting surfae. Do I think these areas will limit some potential hole locations over the weekend? No, I really don't, but obviously the USGA will make the final call on that.

Sub Air System at the Open

USGA-Green-Section-Record--June-17--2011

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/USGA-Green-Section-Record--June-17--2011.html?soid=1103157499740&aid=dBK98tJNfPo

Article: Tee to Green: Congressional's Blue Course

Tee to Green: Congressional's Blue Course
http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golftalkcentral/tee-to-green-congressionals-blue-course/?cid=twitter_gc_NOBILOTEETOGREEN_061311

Article: A Few Monday Views Of Congressional

A Few Monday Views Of Congressional
http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2011/6/13/a-few-monday-views-of-congressional.html

(Sent from Flipboard)

update

  The 1.75 inches of rain this week put a damper on moving forward.  All the bunkers were for the most part washed out and had to be repaired.  In doing so we took the time to make sure all the sand was in the right spot.  I also changed the way we are raking the faces before the storm, this seemed to help a little in that we did not have massive washouts.  So we will be just smoothing the faces using the back of the bunker rakes and not actually raking the sand.  This really seems to help keep the surface firm and should also help reduce buried lies.  We will try this technique and see if there is a improvement.


This week has also be challenging in keeping green speed at out normal pace.  The wet, damp weather really makes things "sticky" and I have to fight that.  With the Member Invitational next week. I will be pulling out all the ticks in the bag to keep things were they should be.

Overall, the golf course is in fine shape.  Before the rain the course was very dry so in the long run the rain was timely and really did not slow down any golfing,  I hope that everyone has a great week.

There are still some slots available for the Invitational.  This is a great time to show off the golf course to a friend.