# Verticutting fairways today



## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

We're doing about a -.50" verticut on our 419 fairways today. No sand today. We'll vac it up, blow it clean, then circle cut with a fairway unit.


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## cnet24 (Jul 14, 2017)

Any update on the fairway from last week?


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

cnet24 said:


> Any update on the fairway from last week?


Since we used the more aggressive unit, I decided to topdress 2 days laters. Usga spec sand. It's coming in nice, but it needs another light dusting. The light brown area is where we hit it in 2 directions.


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## cglarsen (Dec 28, 2018)

@viva_oldtrafford

What do you do with all of the cuttings? Looks like some wonderful sprigging material to me. I know a superintendent at a nearby course, I wonder if he'd allow me to have some of it.


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

cglarsen said:


> @viva_oldtrafford
> 
> What do you do with all of the cuttings? Looks like some wonderful sprigging material to me. I know a superintendent at a nearby course, I wonder if he'd allow me to have some of it.


I toss mine in our debris dump, never to be seen again. I would gladly give them away. And yes, if you asked, I'm sure he / she would let you take what you need.


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## cglarsen (Dec 28, 2018)

viva_oldtrafford said:


> cglarsen said:
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> > @viva_oldtrafford
> ...


Rats...looks like he's moved on from his position. Is it mostly vegetative or mostly dirt that you suck up? How viable is it to sprig with? I can call around and try and find another source. Thanks!


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

cglarsen said:


> viva_oldtrafford said:
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> > cglarsen said:
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Mostly vegetative. You won't find better sprigs. I have to tell my guys to be careful around the fairway bunkers because if we blow them in the bunker, they will take off and they're a pain to get rid of.


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## cglarsen (Dec 28, 2018)

@viva_oldtrafford that's awesome. I'm going to track some down. Appreciate the info!


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

It's always fun to see what you're up to. Does the vac bail up the material? It looks similar to what the farmers use to bail hay.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

@cglarsen you'd be surprised how far a 6 pack or 20 bucks would go to ingratiate yourself towards workers of any kind


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

J_nick said:


> It's always fun to see what you're up to. Does the vac bail up the material? It looks similar to what the farmers use to bail hay.


It just sucks it up into the hopper and we have to dump it once it gets full.

The key is to let the material dry out before using the vac. If it's wet, it won't pick it all up.


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

This could be another post. But this is a prospective sand that we may look into buying as a fairway topdressing mix.

The sieves are very coarse, coarse, medium, fine, very fine. We want a heavy concentration of C and M - which this blend appears to have. @ $225 for a load (26 ton), it's a great deal.


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

Back at it today, too


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## Sbcgenii (May 13, 2018)

Please keep these posts coming.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Sbcgenii said:


> Please keep these posts coming.


+1. Super jealous.


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## PokeGrande (Mar 25, 2018)

@viva_oldtrafford Thank you for sharing.


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

viva_oldtrafford said:


> This could be another post. But this is a prospective sand that we may look into buying as a fairway topdressing mix.
> 
> The sieves are very coarse, coarse, medium, fine, very fine. We want a heavy concentration of C and M - which this blend appears to have. @ $225 for a load (26 ton), it's a great deal.


$225 for 26 tons?? It's going to cost me that much for 5 yards :shock: :shock: :shock: wish I could get that deal ha


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

Brackin4au said:


> viva_oldtrafford said:
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> 
> > This could be another post. But this is a prospective sand that we may look into buying as a fairway topdressing mix.
> ...


There's a ton of construction taking place in FL right now. The sand rep told me that this stuff is straight from the ground and into the truck. It does not go to a plant for anything. A) that's super impressive, b) that's why it's so cheap.


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

24 hours update

Verticut, vac, blow, irrigate (afternoon run), mow, blow, irrigate again (last night). Pic of broken core illustrates thatch layer and depth.


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

viva_oldtrafford said:


> 24 hours update
> 
> Verticut, vac, blow, irrigate (afternoon run), mow, blow, irrigate again (last night). Pic of broken core illustrates thatch layer and depth.


That is not what I expected a plug pulled from a golf course to look like. Is all the darkness from OM? It doesn't even look like sand. More like dark brown sugar.


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

TN Hawkeye said:


> viva_oldtrafford said:
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> > 24 hours update
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Correct, their is a little bit of OM in that core - though it is from one of the fairways with the lowest CEC and pH. Most golf courses build everything out of native soil, greens are the exception (for most courses). The high end courses will sand cap their tees, fairways, approaches, but, for the most part, they just use what they have - amend if necessary.

Surprisingly, despite the fact that we're Central in the state, we have a lot of clay about 3-4" below the surface. We speculate that it was dug up and placed there when they were making the lakes on the property. It's a problem when we have persistent rain in the summers.


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