Breaking Point
Its been a long and tough summer for maintaining a golf course. The grass and the staff are equally tired and have reached their breaking point. The last two weeks of dry weather is the third time this season we have endured a prolonged dry spell. The root systems on the plants have been compromised since early July and this last onslaught of dry weather proved to be too stressful and these weakened plants checked out for good. Please take a look at this link:
http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CT
There have been times this summer I have watered fairways during the day. This is done to cool the plant off and keep them from wilting and dying. I apologize for the inconvenience but please understand I only water fairways during the day as a last resort.
In addition to the drought the plants have endured disease and insect issues. These combinations of issues resulted in thinning of playing surfaces. Thin turf and dry weather provides an excellent opportunity for weeds such as crabgrass and summer annuals weeds to thrive. I have been applying post emergent weed control and will continue to do so as time, weather and labor affords us to do so.
This set back is temporary as with cooler nighttime temperatures in the forecast we will slowly recover over the next few weeks. Last week I over seeded weak areas on tees and fairways with a blend of bentgrass and chewings fescue. The chewings fescue is more drought tolerant than bentgrass and will help reduce the amount of water needed on our fairways. The warm soil temperatures will help the seed germinate quickly and you should notice these thin areas slowly fill back in over the coming weeks.
This coming week we will be preparing for our last big tournament of the year. Good luck to the participants in the Fields Cup! The week following the Fields cup the LCC maintenance team will start our fall cultivation practices. I hope to perform a deep vertical mowing on the greens. Please check back for exact dates on greens cultivation. We will also start to aerate tees, collars, and approaches. Fairway aeration will be scheduled the last two weeks of September.
Overall I feel we are in pretty good shape considering Mother Nature hasn't been very kind this summer. I feel confident with some cooler nights, natural rainfall, and a light application of fertilizer we will be back on track in no time.
The native area behind 9 green is really shining now. The white flowers are sweet alyssum a summer annual. It is now a designated pollinator area for bees and butterflies. Next summer we will see all the perennial wildflowers. This winter I will be working on a state educational project about the importance of bees and pollinators alongside other CT golf course superintendents.
Enjoy the extra distance with your driver! See you out in the fairways!
http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CT
There have been times this summer I have watered fairways during the day. This is done to cool the plant off and keep them from wilting and dying. I apologize for the inconvenience but please understand I only water fairways during the day as a last resort.
In addition to the drought the plants have endured disease and insect issues. These combinations of issues resulted in thinning of playing surfaces. Thin turf and dry weather provides an excellent opportunity for weeds such as crabgrass and summer annuals weeds to thrive. I have been applying post emergent weed control and will continue to do so as time, weather and labor affords us to do so.
This set back is temporary as with cooler nighttime temperatures in the forecast we will slowly recover over the next few weeks. Last week I over seeded weak areas on tees and fairways with a blend of bentgrass and chewings fescue. The chewings fescue is more drought tolerant than bentgrass and will help reduce the amount of water needed on our fairways. The warm soil temperatures will help the seed germinate quickly and you should notice these thin areas slowly fill back in over the coming weeks.
This coming week we will be preparing for our last big tournament of the year. Good luck to the participants in the Fields Cup! The week following the Fields cup the LCC maintenance team will start our fall cultivation practices. I hope to perform a deep vertical mowing on the greens. Please check back for exact dates on greens cultivation. We will also start to aerate tees, collars, and approaches. Fairway aeration will be scheduled the last two weeks of September.
Overall I feel we are in pretty good shape considering Mother Nature hasn't been very kind this summer. I feel confident with some cooler nights, natural rainfall, and a light application of fertilizer we will be back on track in no time.
The native area behind 9 green is really shining now. The white flowers are sweet alyssum a summer annual. It is now a designated pollinator area for bees and butterflies. Next summer we will see all the perennial wildflowers. This winter I will be working on a state educational project about the importance of bees and pollinators alongside other CT golf course superintendents.
Enjoy the extra distance with your driver! See you out in the fairways!
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