Below is a link to an article captured from the USGA Green Section record. There are several good articles and regional updates as usual, but the article that stood out to me was this clipping from the from 1936 related to a particularly nasty summer of 1935. I found it interesting that the basic principles and practices we apply to deal with stressful weather today were somewhat understood in the relative infancy of 'greenkeeping'.
As summer winds down, we have been lucky to avoid any disasterous turf loss to this point. The greens have struggled at times, but for the most part remained intact. I have spoken with several superintendents that have reported moderate to severe turf loss. Last year, we had some thinning on several putting surfaces due to stressful temperatures and disease pressure. The pressure this year has been worse due to record temperatures, but we have been most fortunate to avoid any major disasters so far. With September approaching, we can look forward to more moderate conditions while we hopefully start rebuilding our roots again.
Keeping intensely maintained turf healthy and able to withstand traffic is only getting more difficult. Higher member expectations and modern technology have led to lower cutting heights making it tough to keep plants healthy and viable under the stresses of daily play. It takes a lot of attention, education, and rigid chemical and agronomic practices to keep things up to snuff. What it boils down to, and what is reflected in the article is that we are still just growing a plant. While we have far more knowledge and resources available now, common sense and diligence are still the superintendents best friend.
Click here for some wisdom from 1935
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