Extended heat and humidity causing problems again.

Last season was one of the most difficult growing seasons in many years.  So far, the summer of 2011 is doing whatever it can to show 2010 up.  Fortunately, thus far, we have held up fairly well in relation to last year.  The rains have been a little more timely this year and the lessons I learned from last year have helped me adjust our maintenance practices to hopefully be better prepared.  Other courses throughout the midwest have not been as lucky as us.

Below is a link to a press release from the Golf Course Superintendent's Association of America (GCSAA) that speaks to these struggles with the weather.  There are a few important points contained therein that describe some of the misconceptions from members.

1.  Cool-season grasses, which make up 100% of our golf course, do NOT like heat - especially Poa annua, which makes up between 40% to 80% of our greens, fairways, tees and rough.  When soil temperatures reach above 90, roots die and the plants go into 'survival mode'.  Under these conditions, it is best to be very cautious and 'baby' the course through the heat and humidity.

2.  Rain does not cure all of the problems.  Heat stress on grass and drought stress on grass are two different things.  Turf maintained as intensely as putting surfaces especially will often change color and die from extended periods of heat and humidity that no additional water will necessarily cure.  Many members think that rain will cure all problems.  While it does help to have a well-timed rain from time to time, it often will not bring some turf back from extreme heat stress.

3.  Traffic is important.  Managing cart and even foot traffic goes a long way towards keeping grass healthy.  Repeated foot steps on greens or cart traffic on fairways or rough will increase the likelihood of turf damage.  The yellow ropes and stakes we use here, while annoying to some players, are a necessity to minimize damage.

As I've said many times before, we will always attempt to do what's best for the long term health of the golf course while trying to keep the course fun and playable for everyone.  Take a couple of minutes and read the press release which I'm sure explains things better than I do.  Thank you all for being supportive of me and my crew while we battle the weather again this year.  Next summer has to be nice, right?


Click here for the press release from GCSAA

Maximize your driving range tee!

As many of you know, the driving range tee at Highland Meadows is very small relative to the amount of usage.  Year after year we struggle with keeping enough grass for members to practice on.  With Jamie Farr taking a year off, we have been fortunate to keep members on fresh grass most of the season.  However, as the season progresses, we are more than halfway through our available hitting surface.  With the summer heat in full swing, we are at a  point where growing new grass is not very likely even with our regular sanding and seeding of the surface.  That being said, there are some basic concepts that members can use to minimize the amount of damage they cause when practicing.

Below are some pictures of our range tee and below you will find a good short article from the USGA on how to "Practice Like a Pro".  The idea is simple.  When you take a divot, place your next shot directly behind the prior divot.  That way, the amount of grass removed will only be what the ball was sitting on.  You will get the same response as if taking a full divot, but your club will pass through the previous divot without removing even more grass.  Following this idea, you shouldn't wipe out more than a couple of square feet of turf even with an extended practice session.

In order to have grass to hit from, it will take a little effort from all of us.  Please also note that for the rest of the summer, we will be using the mats once or twice a week to stretch the tee as far as possible. 

The link to the USGA article is below.  Take a couple of minutes to read through it. 

Here's a shot from our range tee.  Look at the amount of grass left in between all the random divots.

Here's a spot where the player maximized their space.  No wasted grass here.

And the classic complaint.  On days when we are on the mats, stay on the mats!

Click here for the USGA article "Practice Like a Pro".

Of all the times to get rain.

For weeks now we have been begging for rain on the golf course.  Well, we finally got it.  As I write this on Monday the 18th, we are getting a series of t-storms that are dumping rain on the golf course.  Not sure how much we will ultimately get, but the timing couldn't be worse.

When daytime temperatures hit 90+ and nighttime lows hit 70+ for consecutive days, there are a myriad of fungal diseases that superintendent's stress about.  Standing water on the golf course will do nothing but promote the development of these diseases in these conditions.  Also, as we saw over Memorial Day weekend, the potential for 'scalding' of the turf exists, which could add to potential turf damage and loss.

We have sprayed a 'witches brew' of chemicals that will hopefully stave off the development and ultimately protect the plant, but Mother Nature always has a way of overcoming in extreme circumstances.  We will have to be diligent to ensure the course doesn't suffer more damage than necessary. 

In the event of severe disease outbreak, it may even be necessary to stop mowing, which will make it difficult to provide the level of playing conditions that you are accustomed to.  I will make every effort to keep the membership informed and also to keep the course 'up to snuff'.  Bear with us through this difficult stretch of weather, and I assure you we will do what we can to protect our club.

Stay cool!  Below is a post to a short turf-nerd explanation of disease pressure from MSU's Dr. Joe Vargas via the Michigan Golf Course Superintendent's Association Website.

Dr. Vargas Talks Turf-nerd stuff click here.

Better than nothing, but only barely.

Well, for the first time in what seems like an eternity, it finally decided to rain on us yesterday.  Lightning, thunder, and periods of rain wetted the course.   Between two distinct waves of weather, we received about 0.35 inches of rain here on the property.  Points south received a fair bit more, but we were spared the 'sheets' of rain.  While it was a welcome suprise, it was simply not enough.

Good, steady midseason rains are good for a lot of reasons.  First and most obvious, a thorough wetting of the soil will bring back the brown, toasty areas, especially those where there are no sprinklers.  A look at the photo below shows a plug taken from the rough this morning, after yesterdays rain.  0.35 inches, while it seemed like a lot, was only enough to wet about the top three-quarters to one inch of soil. 



 The darker soil near the grass is the wet soil (sorry about the blurry pic) and the light brown soil from there down is completely bereft of moisture.  The un-irrigated areas on our course are in profound levels of dryness that only a few, steady, all-day soakers or good thunderstorms can fix at this point.  While we will see some temporary green-up, any long term hopes for lush rough aren't likely.

Another benefit of midseason rains is a thorough 'flushing' of the soil profile with good, clean rain water.  The water from 10-mile creek that we irrigate with contains certain impurities and characteristics that only a good rain can flush from the soil, ultimately resulting in healthier turf plants.  Unfortunately, this wimpy rain wasn't enough to do much about that.

The forecast doesn't look good for rain in the near future.  Until then, we will keep things as healthy as we can and hope for a little help from Mother Nature down the line.

Repairs repairs repairs...

The downside of all the spring rain and subsequent hot weather was that some turf was lost, mostly in rough and areas of poor drainage.  The upside of that is we were able to determine where our drainage problems lie.  As a result, we have managed to clean or repair several areas where our drains were not working this spring.

As far as the dead grass, the scalded areas were left to recover as much as they could on their own.  Unfortunately, some did not recover, so we went ahead and slit-seeded these areas in hopes of getting a little germination.  With the high and dry skies, it has been tough keeping everything wet, but if we don't get much out of this effort, we will reseed in the fall, when growning conditions are better.

This drain tile on #14 was severed when the irrigation system was installed 15 years ago.  You can see the white pipe and hydraulic control lines running perpendicular to the tile.  It took 15 years to wash enough dirt into the break to clog the line.

We start at one end of the tile and trace it with a large 'fish'.  When we find another obstruction, we dig it up, repair, and continue to trace.

The slit seeder on #3 cutting seed into the ground.  Hopefully we have better luck than the farmers have had so far this year.

Happy Fourth of July!

It's been a great weekend for golf.  The sun has been shining, the course has dried out and has played fast and firm this weekend.  Everyone have a superb and safe holiday!