Another 1.19" of rain fell Monday into Tuesday from the remnants of hurricane Florence, bringing our total rainfall so far this month to 8.99". That's almost triple our average rainfall for the entire month and we still have 10 days to go. The excessive rainfall, combined with warm temps and high humidity, has created ideal conditions for a fungal pathogen named Gray Leaf Spot. It's a devastating disease that we don't see very often in this area, and it's preferred host is Perennial Ryegrass and some older varieties of Tall Fescue. Chemical control of the disease after seeing the infection is marginal at best, but we've sprayed most of the rough where infections have occurred. Ideally, our roughs would consist of Kentucky Bluegrass and Turf-type Tall Fescue, since both are naturally resistant to the disease. A few areas around greens will need to be sodded this fall, and the rest of the damaged areas will be overseeded with Turf-type Tall Fescue. We've also stopped mowing the first-cut of rough around the fairways and greens to let the turf recover faster.
Click here to learn more about Gray Leaf Spot and its effects on golf courses.
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| Perennial Ryegrass rough infected with Gray Leaf Spot |
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| Turf-type Tall Fescue sod on Orchard 6 installed this spring that is unaffected by Gray Leaf Spot |
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| Another view of Orchard 6 illustrating the specific host requirements of the disease. The Bentgrass fairway and darker green Turf-type Tall Fescue sod are unaffected while the adjacent rough is showing signs of infection |
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