# Mowww's 2022 Lawn and Putting Green Journal



## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

As I write this, it is snowing and the roads are icy. Before long, we'll be back out there. Looking forward to the challenges 2022 brings to continue learning and growing.

Goals for 2022:
- Install Worx Landroid in the backyard and modify the fence to allow for passage to mow a portion of the side yard. I bought one on black Friday in November with hopes of eliminating the backyard mowing which I feel is more of a chore than something I enjoy. I also have a wandering eye for turf equipment so playing around with it should keep my mind occupied until I get it dialed in. COMPLETE

- Help a neighbor with drainage issues he has had in the area adjacent to my lawn. We would dig a small catch basin and drain into 6" sump drain line which is 3' under the soil surface. He receives the runoff from his backyard and the yards of three other homes. It is all funneled to the 15-foot strip on the side of his house and then over his driveway. This makes the side yard of his nearly impassable during much of the year. The builder says he's overwatering :roll: .

- Design and pre-portion spray program for brother. COMPLETE

- Apply SimplifyPro fertilizer to parents' and sisters' lawns in April and be done for the year there. This would be their 5th year using a once-a-year application and they have seen great results in the past 4. COMPLETE

- Install 850sq ft putting green on the northeast side of the house in the unused side yard outside of the fence. The goal is to make this area a place where the neighbors and young children can learn to putt and work on their short game out of the grass and the bunker. Pure Select CBG and a Raynor "Eden" style green similar to #8 at Shoreacres. Use of stripped sod to created a revetted bunker. According to my current calculations, the project would require about 34 tons of 60/40 mix. Install a Zynect remote sensor to monitor soil moisture. All pending HOA approval. COMPLETE

- Design landscaping for the backyard inside of the fence to provide screening from the property behind us. If financially feasible, install as prescribed.

- Dig up rocky soil along the rest of the driveway and add better soil. COMPLETE

- Install steel roofing panels under the deck to keep the area under the deck dry. Eventually, we would like to screen in that area. COMPLETE

- Spend 10% less time on maintenance in 2022 compared to 2021 (not including construction and installation). In 2021 I spent 140.5 hours in the yard, so I guess 128 is my mark to hit. @weirj55 Ever since I saw you tracking lawn activities, I haven't been able to stop myself from doing the same religiously.

In the offseason, I have sold my GM 1600, sold my 1990 Toro Aerator, received a new Swardman Electra with a 2-year warranty, found a Hudson Star I will use as a backup and greens mower, bought a Gandy 36" for $50, replaced a number of components on the Turfco T3000 including adding a boomless setup to the front and a cutting-in spray guide. I have also retrofitted a trailer to haul the Turfco that still tips up to nicely fit against a wall in the garage. Pre-portioned many sprays to make quick work of things during the growing season. Installed a sink with hot and cold water in the garage.

Here is a rough sketch of the proposed green:


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## Grizzly Adam (May 5, 2017)

I will be curious to see how this progresses. I didn't ask my HOA before I put a hole in, but it's nowhere are professional as you are doing. And my HOA doesn't really enforce anything.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

The HOA's window to approve or deny the project has lapsed (30 days) so by default approval is granted for the putting green.


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## Wiley (Dec 2, 2019)

Well I consider that a win. Excited to follow along. Good luck!


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## Grizzly Adam (May 5, 2017)




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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

I sucked up some debris after work. Really happy with how the lawn came out of winter.



The late season SOP at 1, 2, and 3lb/M did not seem to encourage any disease over winter although it was a low year for disease pressure in our area. There is a little bit around the neighborhood.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Took the Hudson Star for a spin and got about 15 gal of clippings cutting at 0.75". The plan is to use that for the eventual green which is a few weeks out from starting with construction. Swept up debris with the Swardman brush but it seems that the Electra 2.0 has a very low tolerance for load on the brush motor before a safety shuts the machine down. This meant that I could only lower it to approx 0.5" without stalling it. The 1.0 could go to 0" in regeneration mode and that made it very useful. It also appears the 2.0 only has a moderate speed for forward movement when in regeneration mode which is a bummer as it is slower than a normal walk. @Landzie Is there any way to modulate either of those settings so that the brush attachment can be used to clean the turf effectively? I had to go over areas 3-4x to get most materials picked up.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Installed the boundary wire for the Landroid in the back yard. A few tweaks to make but overall it ran well on its maiden voyage. Handled the hill just fine. Need to soften the corner bed edges as they are about a 3" drop and a wheel got stuck after 45 min. Thought is to expand the coverage to the large side hill as well but will need to modify a gate first.


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## MNLawnGuy1980 (May 10, 2019)

Looking forward to following along with the build of the green in the back. I will have to make a trip out your way once it is up and rolling.

I just got out for my first buzz around the yard today. Yours look great coming out of the long/late winter.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@MNLawnGuy1980 Thanks!

Long, long winter it felt like. Glad to see you got a cut in. Looking good.

Fertilized with 9lbs/M of 35-0-10 SimplifyPro 6-month EPEC PCU. Sprayed a 1#/acre rate of prodiamine, a 20oz/acre rate of Acelepryn, and a 4oz/acre rate of Defendor. Fired up irrigation to water in for a few minutes and check heads. One on the front strip has a leak that I'll address shortly. Sprayed Alpine WSG around perimeter of home.


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## The Flush (9 mo ago)

I am also looking forward to following your green build. I am attempting a green as well, so hopefully I can learn from you.


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## livt0ride (Jan 10, 2021)

Can't wait to see the green project. Glad there are more coming to the forum. Will be nice to share tips with each other.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Utilities were marked today and good news is that the minimum depth any locator found was 4 feet so we're well within safe limits to get digging. Dug a few feeler holes to locate irrigation routing and check for my own eyes that we can get 12-14" without hitting anything. Pulled out one head. Got materials scheduled for delivery next week. Sod cutting begins Thursday and I'll use some for bunker edges and give the rest away to neighbors and friends for winter damage repairs. Let's get this party started.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@Grizzly Adam Game On!


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## livt0ride (Jan 10, 2021)

Let the fun begin!


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## Grizzly Adam (May 5, 2017)

mowww said:


> @Grizzly Adam Game On!


Game on!


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## lbb091919 (Apr 26, 2020)

This is insane and I'm so here for it.


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## livt0ride (Jan 10, 2021)

I didn't notice on the first drawing that you are putting this next to the street. Anyone can just come up and get on your putting green!? That is some trust you have in the public!


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@livt0ride Yeah we decided to go that route because we have so many neighbors into golf and soon young kids learning to golf so it is more inviting. In the back of my mind I worry about vandalism as there are a few teens in the neighborhood but we've got a pretty good relationship with everyone that's here now. Hopefully it becomes a place where everyone can gather and enjoy it.


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## jskierko (Sep 5, 2020)

This is going to be a fun follow this season! I'd be putting a camera on that at the very least to deter anyone from any funny business.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

mowww said:


> Fertilized with 9lbs/M of 35-0-10 SimplifyPro 6-month EPEC PCU. Sprayed a 1#/acre rate of prodiamine, a 20oz/acre rate of Acelepryn, and a 4oz/acre rate of Defendor. Fired up irrigation to water in for a few minutes and check heads. One on the front strip has a leak that I'll address shortly. Sprayed Alpine WSG around perimeter of home.


Is this your first time doing one of these at this a high a rate in one shot? It'll be interesting to see how 3 lbs of N all at once with a 180 day PCU works,

I've been starting to experiment just a bit the last year or so with Duration 120 with Dimension. Last weekend, I used 2 lbs of the product per thousand on a family lawn (0.6 lb N; 30% being fast release urea). Last year, I used it for the first time, at just 0.25 lb N rate in June, on another low input lawn, and it worked great into October. Getting my feet wet and easing in slowly.

Asked SiteOne about their PolyPlus Opti. They told me they only stock the 45 day, and one would have to special order and purchase an entire pallet to get any of the other versions. Wonder if the 45 is the exact same thing same as their previous "PolyPlus" product.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@Green No, I have been utilizing the 6-month products at similar rates for 5-6 years and have been very happy with them. Targeting 0.12# N/M week over 26 weeks. And this is not just a 180 day product, it is blended urea, ams, EPEC 60, 90, 120, and 180 for an even release through the season. Just throwing 180 day product out garners almost no response for 1.5 months so I use a blended version.

Opti is different than the old PolyPlus, more consistent, more durable.


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## livt0ride (Jan 10, 2021)

mowww said:


> @livt0ride Yeah we decided to go that route because we have so many neighbors into golf and soon young kids learning to golf so it is more inviting. In the back of my mind I worry about vandalism as there are a few teens in the neighborhood but we've got a pretty good relationship with everyone that's here now. Hopefully it becomes a place where everyone can gather and enjoy it.


That's really cool that your neighborhood is like that. Amazing that the kids will be able to have access to that. I wish I was introduced to the game earlier. I would just be so nervous about protecting it lol.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

mowww said:


> @Green No, I have been utilizing the 6-month products at similar rates for 5-6 years and have been very happy with them. Targeting 0.12# N/M week over 26 weeks. And this is not just a 180 day product, it is blended urea, ams, EPEC 60, 90, 120, and 180 for an even release through the season. Just throwing 180 day product out garners almost no response for 1.5 months so I use a blended version.
> 
> Opti is different than the old PolyPlus, more consistent, more durable.


Very interesting. Is that product from Menards (i saw they sell something by the same brand with long duration release). if not, where do you get it?)? Or was this a custom blended product? We don't have Menards around here; it seems they have a lot of fertilizer. Lawn care is more popular in the Midwest I guess.

Also, what is the golf green grass? Bentgrass, right? And are you going to be using Tupersan on it? No good solution for Bentgrass now that it's not being made anymore.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@Green Yes Sinplify is sold at Menards and is virtually the same as SimplifyPro.

Grass will be Flagstick creeping bent from SRO. No Tupersan to start, small enough that I'll hand pick any weeds although I have tupersan on hand.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Got rid of two pickup-truck loads of sod before this photo. All the rest is spoken for. Good day of work after work.


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## jskierko (Sep 5, 2020)

Please tell me you are selling the sod or at least giving it to someone you know! It'd be a shame for that to go to waste.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@jskierko Absolutely, friends mostly.


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## livt0ride (Jan 10, 2021)

I still have a lot of Tee 2 Green Pure Distinction Bentgrass seed if you are interested. I'm sure you are already set with your cultivar choice. Just thought I would offer.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@livt0ride thanks I appreciate it. If I hadn't already bought seed I might've taken you up on that.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

What was your sod cutting/rolling method?


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@Green Just used a Turfco Kiscutter 12" at max depth. Tried to leave a tiny strip between each cut to minimize runoff potential since it'll be open soil for a few days and we're expecting rain. Used rotary scissors to cut them to 7' lengths and then rolled them up. My back hurts.


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## Wile (Sep 17, 2020)

mowww said:


>


Mowww my god. How long to get those burned in? "We're not worthy!"


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@Wile hah thanks. The ones toward the sidewalk are the first cut, the ones to the right are second cut.

I am loving the Wayne's World theme we've got rolling hahaha


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Are you planning to add drains and sand?


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@g-man Yes, I should end up with about 180 linear feet of tile, 11 yards of gravel and 26 yards of 70/30 sand peat root zone blend.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Let's start from the top. I cut the sod around 2" deep with a TurfCo Kiscutter. Neighbors and friends took what sod I was willing to give up, which was more than I should have allowed as I am a little short on sod for finishing the project. This was definitely the toughest task in the whole project. In the process of carrying the rolls, I herniated my L4 disc in my back but there was no turning back as I had already scheduled 2 PTO days at work and all of the material deliveries. I wore a back brace for the rest of the project, iced consistently, and I'm almost back to 100%.







The next step was to take roughly 9 yards of soil from the high side of the slope and distribute it to the low side of the slope. In the process, I found as many rocks as expected, and a few I would call legitimate boulders. This step took around 2.5 hours.







After that, I used a Dingo to level the area and build up edges to make a bowl where we would later add gravel and rootzone mix. I roughed out the bunker and fairway areas as well. This took about 2 hours.



Once I had things rough-graded I used the trencher attachment on the dingo to trench for the drain tile and modified the slope in some areas by hand. Then I laid the tile and left some extra tile to trim later near the outflow connection. This took about 1 hour. IN the fourth photo you can see Plaisted Co about to drop 22 yards of rootzone mix.









At that point, I was done for the day but expecting heavy rains so I covered the area with a 24x50 growth blanket to prevent washouts.



Next, I laid down 4" of 3/8" gravel and filled drain tile trenches with gravel. It took about 10.5 yards to get to a 4" depth. I also laid gravel on top of the drain tile in the bunker.



Graded and compacted.







Then I prepped for the final grade of the gravel layer by using the rotary laser and discussed undulations with other stakeholders (neighbors that like to golf). The wives of these guys wondered where they all went off to at once, then one of the wives found us and sent this picture to their group chat.





After pounding in grade stakes for the rootzone mix, I began to address the outflow pipe for the drainage system. I spoke with the neighbor and the city about tying into the sump pump drainage line which was roughly 36" beneath the surface of my neighbor's lawn and about 5 feet from the edge of mine. This digging was done manually to minimize soil/irrigation in the neighbor's yard.





Next, we squared off the bunker.



Then we began adding the rootzone mix. Because we were hauling with the narrow-tracked Dingo, we used the rootzone mix as a bridge to limit the disruption of the gravel layer.



FIne-tuned the undulations and compacted rootzone.







Added sod perimeter from the existing stockpile. Graded sidehill slopes.







Then it was time to seed. The weather was looking good for a day or two following the seeding. Applied a 2oz/A rate of Gravity SL PGS and 1# of 20-20-20 to the green area. Seeded at 1.5#/M with Flagstick creeping bentgrass. Fortunately, I can reach the entire area with the 3/4" Underhill hose for hand watering.









Next, I worked on the fairway area and the bunker. There is a 2-foot slope in front of the bunker. I gave away too much sod to do a reverted edge on the bunker as I had originally planned to do or to sod the fairway. I seeded the fairway with PRG. I used the dog's winter pee mat as a bunker liner above the gravel layer.







I got caught in a hailstorm but luckily I had the covered over 75% of the green already when the hail began to rain down.



If you look closely, you can see the hail damage on the green. It looked like I had 150 unrepaired ball marks.



Days 4-5, we started to see some germination.







Tulips finally popped around the trees. This is my first year planting them the fall prior. The rest of the lawn is holding color well at 0.75".


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## livt0ride (Jan 10, 2021)

So cool! Exciting to see it come together


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## jskierko (Sep 5, 2020)

This is so intimidating, yet such a huge bucket list item for me. Awesome documentation of this!


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Germination keeps on a'happenin.



Installed a Zynect soil moisture sensor 3.5" deep that I can track on my phone.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

No irrigation zone?


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@g-man I am installing one additional rotor to square off my second zone and cover the green head-to-head. Hoped to finish that tonight but things got busy with our family.

For grow in I am hand watering for the most part. Good way to break up the day in the office.


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## livt0ride (Jan 10, 2021)

So cool. Great idea with the moisture sensor. What seed did you go with? I may have missed that.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@livt0ride I went with Flagstick creeping bentgrass from SRO.
http://www.sroseed.com/Files/Files/SRO_USA/Tech_Sheets/Turfgrass/Bentgrass/Flagstick_ts.pdf


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## spurius18 (Jun 22, 2020)

mowww said:


> @livt0ride I went with Flagstick creeping bentgrass from SRO.
> http://www.sroseed.com/Files/Files/SRO_USA/Tech_Sheets/Turfgrass/Bentgrass/Flagstick_ts.pdf


I have Flagstick, along with quite a few other varieties, growing on my green. I planted it because of its development with budget golf courses in mind, which most closely resembles the money and effort I'm able to put into my green.


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## MNLawnGuy1980 (May 10, 2019)

This is amazing, nice work @mowww!


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@spurius18 How has your green held up? I chose Flagstick for the same reason and it blends nicely if I inter-seed in the future with 007 or 777.

@MNLawnGuy1980 Thank you. Looks like we'll both get around an inch of rain tonight/tomorrow. The growth blanket will make another appearance.


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## spurius18 (Jun 22, 2020)

mowww said:


> @spurius18 How has your green held up? I chose Flagstick for the same reason and it blends nicely if I inter-seed in the future with 007 or 777.
> 
> @MNLawnGuy1980 Thank you. Looks like we'll both get around an inch of rain tonight/tomorrow. The growth blanket will make another appearance.


My green is the best it's been since I started it in the Fall of 2020. I foolishly planted True Putt Creeping Bluegrass which was completely wrong for my climate zone. By June of 2021 it was all just simply fading away like baseball players stepping into the corn in Field of Dreams. So over last Summer, I did some reading about interseeding, and began sowing in over the weeks different varieties of bentgrass: Flagstick, Crystal Bluelinks, and Pure Select. Last November my local golf course let me take aeration cores of A-4 to put to down in some bare areas. You are much more lawn wise than I, seeing pictures of your yard and the USGA specification looking green you are establishing. I don't really notice the different varieties in the green, they all sort of blend together. The genetic diversity is good to have, with Flagstick getting high marks against Dollar Spot, which I have found to be the big issue on greens. Crystal Bluelinks has superior shade tolerance, and part of my green gets a lot of afternoon shade, so another plus. One thing about interseeding I learned from reading is that the best time is oddly enough in the heat of summer where I am. When you open up the canopy to interseed, you increase the chances of getting poa annua, which will inevitably happen in the Fall and Spring where I am. So by interseeding in the Summer (too hot for poa to germinate) you limit that happening. Also, it helps to somehow have the interseeding occur into holes that are a bit lower than the turf canopy, say by aerating, and brushing sand and seed into the holes. That gives the germinating bentgrass a little 1/8-1/4 inch safety area in which to germinate and get some root before having to be cut by a reel mower blade. The varieties you mentioned, 007, 777, and Flagstick, are all from the same breeder, so I imagine they'd be excellent companions and give you a strong green. I've learned with my green, my urge is to tinker, and that is often what is not best for the green. A great example is topdressing, which is great to do frequently, but the sand can also raise the temperature of the surface by 15 degrees. Greenskeeping is a science, but there is definitely an art to it, that makes it a fun but challenging hobby. I've made a lot of mistakes, happy to provide guidance into what NOT to do.


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## WillyT (Jun 26, 2019)

This is amazing, keep up the great work!


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

great work and enjoyable write up! Can't wait to see the grow in!


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Thanks for the insight @spurius18 !

Been very busy with work and family so haven't been on TLF much lately but wanted to give you an update.

We are at 3.5 weeks since we seeded. The linden tree near the green didn't make it through winter after the drought so the city will be replacing it. The surrounds have really tacked down well and the fairway has been coming in nicely (0.50" HOC). The green is down to 1/3" and I have topdressed with about 300# of sand to continue the smoothing process in conjunction with rolling. Lately, I have been doing my best to just stay off of it and let it grow and fill in. I wish I would have left more area around the edges along the fence for turning the mower as I had originally planned but I got a little overzealous on the Dingo when excavating the area. I have done some putting and chipping and we're getting there.





Last night I hand-seeded all low/thin spots and topdressed to give the seed some additional protection.


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## livt0ride (Jan 10, 2021)

Nice work! Yeah looks like you will have some tough spots to turn. Will be fun though!


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## jskierko (Sep 5, 2020)

You will just have to stop those passes short, then maybe do a few perimeter passes. With how I putt I'd probably put a few through the fence! Looks like its coming in nicely though!


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## ReelWILawn (Aug 29, 2021)

this is amazing!Just the thought of adding proper drainage :thumbup:


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## Ben4Birdies (12 mo ago)

mowww said:


>


Beautiful! This angle makes me think of Oakmont CC for some reason. 👍


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## WillyT (Jun 26, 2019)

Got lost one night in the cool season lawn journals and find myself checking in on this one &#128514; love this!


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

The front yard is holding color pretty well at 0.75". 


The hardest part about the green continues to be just letting it grow without my interference. I have been fertilizing weekly with 1# of 20-20-20 for the ~1,000 sq ft area. It got some Segway and Acelepryn around seeding and since it has just had an app of Lexicon. The HOC is about 0.210".


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## livt0ride (Jan 10, 2021)

Can't believe how quickly you got that to fill in. Great job!


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@livt0ride @jskierko @WillyT @Ben4Birdies thank you! Day to day it feels like it isn't changing but looking back at photos from a week ago, it is coming along. I will need to continue topdressing to smooth out areas where I added too much undulation and I get some scalping at 0.230".

Opening day will be June 25. Currently rolling about 7.5.


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## livt0ride (Jan 10, 2021)

What mower is that!? That looks like a really cool push reel mower.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@livt0ride It is a Hudson Star. Originally bought it as a backup but it is now the dedicated green mower.


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## MNLawnGuy1980 (May 10, 2019)

The green looks great @mowww. That little reel is pretty slick. Are you using that because of the weight of it, I think you mentioned that you have rolled the green quite a bit though. I would think that a powered greens mower would be good because you get the clean cut and weight.

But I know nothing about building greens though so I am just curious! Maybe it is just the immature grass aspect of it, not sure.


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## livt0ride (Jan 10, 2021)

I wish I would of had that machine when I first started cutting mine. I gouged it and the spots are still trying to recover from when I put the gm1000 on it. It was still soft when it was coming in.


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## MNLawnGuy1980 (May 10, 2019)

Thanks for the response @livt0ride, that makes sense


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## KOFAB (7 mo ago)

So jealous of that Hudson Star and the putting green of course!!


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## livt0ride (Jan 10, 2021)

I just got an email with the cost. 2.2k for base and 2.6k for the upgraded metals. Crazy.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@livt0ride If you can find one used, $500-$750 isn't uncommon but rare to come across to begin with.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Mowed just under 0.200". Rolling 8'-3" with the homemade stimp.


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## spurius18 (Jun 22, 2020)

I'm not good with engines, so my dream has always been to own a Hudson Star. I've gotten two antique push greens mowers over the past two years off Facebook Marketplace. The first is a 60s era Ransomes Certes MK12 Greens Mower. This is the mower I use regularly to mow my green, it seems to me to be like the grandfather to the Hudson Star, seems to run in a similar manner. The second is one I just got, it's a 20s or 30s era Ideal Lawn Mower Company Greens Mower. I still have to clean this one up. but I've done some practice mows and it's still in good working order. Your green look fantastic, I agree it is so hard to be patient and let it grow in. I don't have an accurate way to measure HOC, so I really appreciate the quality pictures and the height measurements, along with Stimp readings. Where I am the poa is just finishing dying out in my green, so now I'm on to the push to get the green to fill in the areas where the poa died. Hopefully, by the Fall, my green's density will keep out the poa.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Taking off for my hometown this weekend for a memorial for my mother. Got everything mowed, trimmed, and an additional roll of the green. It is now at a height of 0.135" and I've applied 1,200# of topdressing to it over the past four weeks which has really helped to eliminate the scalping on the undulations and allow the turf to fill out evenly. A month ago I was scalping at 0.170" to the point where I was making areas unputtable. Happy with the progress.

I cut the front and side yards at 1"and sprayed a little aqueduct on the areas that still have gravel lying below them and tend to burn first. I have also tinkered with the Landroid robomower in the back, adjusting the wires to put them further from the fence as it had been getting caught on turns quite a bit. I figure I have to trim once every 2 weeks with the Aneuw treated edges so it's no big deal to trim an extra inch if that saves me from the task of getting the Landroid unstuck every couple hours of operation.

Front at 1"



A shot from last month before the seed heads were done for the year. Landroid on "2" setting here in the back yard. Overall I have really enjoyed the Landroid. Saves me a lot of time. The clippings are either so small that they don't get tracked in the house or I don't notice them. A little learning curve setting it up properly but we're getting there.



Green from today. Neighbors will be putting and chipping this weekend while we're out. Rolling 9'-8".





One from the other morning where you can get a feel for the undulations.



Had a little dollar spot pop up two weeks ago, got some xzemplar down before any noticeable damage was made.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Down to 0.125" on the green. Got some Lexicon, Primo, and 20-20-20 out on it last night. Changed out a few irrigation head nozzles to improve coverage of some dry areas. Spending a week away so will probably have to come back to a higher height on the green upon return.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)




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## ReelWILawn (Aug 29, 2021)

fairway mowed in the half and half pattern :thumbup:

What's the HOC on the surrounds?


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## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

Wow…. Amazing!


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@ReelWILawn all 90 sq ft of it! The surrounds were cut at 0.90" a few days prior to the picture. I've got everything on primo at the moment.

@Stuofsci02 thank you! Been digging your Award monostand updates.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Got everything mowed and regulated. After being out of town for a week, it was a challenge to get things back into order compared to the normal every 3-5 days for the lawn and every day or every other day for the green. The lawn is back down to ~0.6," and the green is hanging tight at 0.125" with the fairway around 0.375". Got some granular 18-0-18 greens grade down on the green a few nights ago to push it along on filling in ball marks. I also added a strip of artificial turf to the front basket of the Hudson star (homemade turf trainer) to brush the grass before mowing, and it has improved the quality of cut quite a bit.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Tree out front getting replaced by the city.


Putting tonight


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## jskierko (Sep 5, 2020)

Oh man, the left hand low putting grip. Don't think I could ever change to that. Green is looking prime time though!


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## lbb091919 (Apr 26, 2020)

Wow amazing. Agreed on the left hand low. I don't know how guys do it!

I might have missed it but are you using the Hudson Star for the fringe too?


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@jskierko Haha he switched to that 2 years ago, and he has been much more consistent. Same here, I feel like a fish out of water with that grip. Thank you, been a fun project.

@lbb091919 Thank you. Yes I am using the Hudson Star for the fringe and fairway. The height adjustment knob makes it easy to do 5 turns to go from 0.125" to 0.375" but I still tend to double check it when I bring the height back down for greens mowing the following day.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Should get a nice soaking rain today. Hopefully, it will get the moisture levels on the side hill leveled out on the higher side. When the city installs new lindens along the road, I hope they take them out of their cages and burlap this time. Dozens of neighborhood trees look the same in this rocky clay soil.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Double cut at 0.125"


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## ReelWILawn (Aug 29, 2021)

mowww said:


> Double cut at 0.125"


we're not worthy! :thumbup:


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@ReelWILawn hah keeping up with the Wayne's world theme, I sure appreciate it! You got my vote last month. Good work.


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## Ben4Birdies (12 mo ago)

mowww said:


>


Beautiful work man! Have you ever contemplated putting a golf mat on your deck and hitting a few flop shots down to the green?


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## lbb091919 (Apr 26, 2020)

Ben4Birdies said:


> Beautiful work man! Have you ever contemplated putting a golf mat on your deck and hitting a few flop shots down to the green?


I'd skull one into the rail and back into my shin if I tried that :lol:


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## Wile (Sep 17, 2020)

Party time! Excellent!


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## jskierko (Sep 5, 2020)

That Green... schwing!


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## livt0ride (Jan 10, 2021)

lbb091919 said:


> Ben4Birdies said:
> 
> 
> > Beautiful work man! Have you ever contemplated putting a golf mat on your deck and hitting a few flop shots down to the green?
> ...


I would take swings off that for sure!


http://imgur.com/6WRJyld


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## ReelWILawn (Aug 29, 2021)

mowww said:


> @ReelWILawn hah keeping up with the Wayne's world theme, I sure appreciate it! You got my vote last month. Good work.


 :lol: :lol: thanks!


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@Ben4Birdies haha that's usually the sort of position I'm taking my third approach shot from on a regular course anyways, might as well get the practice. The inch deep ball marks in the green or the neighbor's siding would be "memorable" that's for sure.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Quick cut after little one's bedtime. A couple minutes at dusk makes a big difference in how the turf looks. It is not as dark as second picture makes it look. Topdressed 100# of sand on the green.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Putting green got a lot of use this weekend with my family in town so just a single cut tonight at 0.125" and no roll.


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## Redtenchu (Jan 28, 2017)

Wow &#129321;


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## ReelWILawn (Aug 29, 2021)

not only is the par 2 golf course amazing and one of the best things in TLF, you have to go another step with the rest of the lawn looking like this! :thumbup:


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## Twodollarblue (May 26, 2020)

@mowww this is awesome and inspiring.....my back yard is 1,000 or so sqft and has my mind racing. Curious what this is rolling on the stimpmeter? I saw the guys at "Fried Eggs Golf" just recently got their home green up to 11+. Regardless of speed, well done. You get my LOTM vote.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

I added another 600# of topdressing yesterday. This time I screened it by hand to get some of the larger particles out from a place whose mason sand is slightly off spec but half price - which may or may not have been worth it.

@ReelWILawn Thanks. Loving these cooler temps, it's recovery season.

@Twodollarblue haha, the project itself is an exciting endeavor. Lots of fun to see it into fruition. I appreciate it but I think I may be ineligible for another month. Rolling about 10-2 before the topdress, I'll be curious to see where it ends up in a week or so.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

0.50" HOC. Trees were marked by the city so should see replacements soon.







The 600# of topdressing is settling in nicely. Surface gets a little better each time I topdress. Rolling very smoothly, a little behind on cutting frequency with busy work weeks.


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## Ben4Birdies (12 mo ago)

How has the rest of your fall been progressing?


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Ben4Birdies said:


> How has the rest of your fall been progressing?


Hi Ben, it has been a busy couple of months. Threw an Oktoberfest party with neighbors. Got some new trees. Sold the Turfco T3000. Been a little hands-off lately as temps have dropped.


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## livt0ride (Jan 10, 2021)

So cool! I was going to have a party this fall and things just got so busy I didn't get a chance to throw one. What lights do you have for the green? I am thinking about putting in permanent lights that are solar, but haven't found anything I like yet.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Beautiful, just beautiful! It's nice to see a lot of folks enjoying it! I have a couple of HOC questions. How many different HOCs do you have? It looks like it might be 5: green, apron, fairway, 1st cut of rough, and 2nd cut of rough. I saw a couple HOCs mentioned. I think the green was 0.125", and the apron might have been 0.25". Can you confirm your HOCs? Sorry for the questions, but it is so intriguing and laid out so well, utilizing the slopes...picturesque! I love looking at the different HOCs and comparing color, density, etc. The photo from down the side street should be used as an educational aid in the Cool Season Guide; one raw photo of the beauty, and the same photo with labels of HOC, mowing frequency, slope, soil composition/depth, stimp reading(s), etc.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Chris LI said:


> Beautiful, just beautiful! It's nice to see a lot of folks enjoying it! I have a couple of HOC questions. How many different HOCs do you have? It looks like it might be 5: green, apron, fairway, 1st cut of rough, and 2nd cut of rough. I saw a couple HOCs mentioned. I think the green was 0.125", and the apron might have been 0.25". Can you confirm your HOCs? Sorry for the questions, but it is so intriguing and laid out so well, utilizing the slopes...picturesque! I love looking at the different HOCs and comparing color, density, etc. The photo from down the side street should be used as an educational aid in the Cool Season Guide; one raw photo of the beauty, and the same photo with labels of HOC, mowing frequency, slope, soil composition/depth, stimp reading(s), etc.


Usually running 3 HOCs. 0.125", 0.375" for fringe and fairway, and 1.5" for surrounds. Surrounds were down around 1", but 1.5" stops errant shots before they go into the road more effectively.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

livt0ride said:


> So cool! I was going to have a party this fall and things just got so busy I didn't get a chance to throw one. What lights do you have for the green? I am thinking about putting in permanent lights that are solar, but haven't found anything I like yet.


In the cups, I have some AAA battery lights from Windy City Novelties that have worked well. On the fence, I have DJ clamps attaching LEPOWER LED Flood Lights 150W, but I only bring those out for events.


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## ReelWILawn (Aug 29, 2021)

Congratulations on LOTM!!!! Absolutely deserved, and if it was possible to win more than once in a year you probably would have won multiple times. It's been fun following along. What's the plan for next year.... maybe add a tee box or two?


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

ReelWILawn said:


> Congratulations on LOTM!!!! Absolutely deserved, and if it was possible to win more than once in a year you probably would have won multiple times. It's been fun following along. What's the plan for next year.... maybe add a tee box or two?


Thank you, I appreciate it. No major plans yet. I've got a few ideas related to putting contests for sure. To make the space more enjoyable for groups, I would love to excavate a portion of the hill near the house, build a retaining wall, move the gate and finish the landscaping under the deck to flow out past the fence into the retaining wall area where pavers and a firepit would lie amidst a well-landscaped surround. This would give people a place to enjoy drinks and sit. 

Another idea is to follow through with the original plans and make the bunker have a true revetted (sod-faced) edge.

Eventually, I would like to spruce up the tree rings to either expand them and add landscaping or just figure out a way to make them less boring. 

I am open to suggestions, we will have plenty of time to think about it before spring.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

I should add, I would like to finish my backyard landscaping project, with a few modifications.


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## Reel_Alabama (Aug 22, 2021)

I have come from the warm side to say congratulations. Your property looks exceptional!


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Reel_Alabama said:


> I have come from the warm side to say congratulations. Your property looks exceptional!


Thank you!


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## rob13psu (May 20, 2018)

Just caught up with all of the work you've done this year. Awesome job!


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## ReelWILawn (Aug 29, 2021)

mowww said:


> I am open to suggestions, we will have plenty of time to think about it before spring.


honestly, this is one of the things I look forward to during the winter. During the lawn season it can get pretty busy and some weeks I feel like we are just in maintenance mode. You already have a lot of great ideas and theres always something to add or change. Looking at your landscaping project, are you a landscape architect by trade?


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