Course Update 9/27/18

Another 2" of rain fell since the last post one week ago, bringing our total rainfall to 11.02" for the month.  It seems like we can't catch a break, with more storms moving up from the south that will likely add to our total this evening.  Maybe we'll get lucky and the storms will miss us!

Either way, the golf courses are the wettest I've seen them in my 3 years here, and frankly I don't think they could get much worse.  Just walking off the cart path results in muddy shoes and splashing water.  You also need to be cautious while walking on uneven ground.  We've received a couple slip and fall reports due to the wet conditions, but thankfully no serious injuries.  Should you decide to take the cart off the path there's a very good chance you'll get stuck, and probably end up damaging the turf and leaving ruts that will be evident the rest of this year.  Managing a golf course given our present conditions is very challenging, and managing expectations is by far the most difficult job.  Greens are soft and nowhere close to the condition they should be in, and the same can be said for fairways, tees, and rough.  Greens were mowed Monday, and again today, although a couple had to be walk-mowed because we didn't want to damage the turf by using the normal riding mowers.  Our smaller, more maneuverable rough mowers have been out trying to find areas they can mow without causing long-term damage.  Fairways and tees also haven't been mowed since Monday, and we may not be able to mow them this week with additional rainfall.  Deciding whether to mow or not are made with the best interest of the membership in mind, and what will have the least impact on the courses long-term.

Since the greens are softer than normal, ball marks are much more evident.  It's been a while since we discussed it, so click the link below to watch a short video on how to properly repair a ball mark.  The group playing behind you and the maintenance staff thanks you!

How To Repair a Ball Mark


In last week's post I spoke about Gray Leaf Spot and its effects on the rough.  The recent cooler weather has stopped the spread of the disease, and we will begin overseeding once the rough dries out and won't be damaged by the overseeder.  Unfortunately, another disease has emerged due to the cloudy, damp conditions, and is affecting a few greens.  The disease is called Anthracnose, and is an opportunistic pathogen that specifically targets Annual Bluegrass (Poa annua).  I refer to the disease as opportunistic because it is always present in a golf course environment, but will only infect turf during stress-related periods such as weather events like we've experienced over the past 3 weeks.  Our weekly spray applications to the greens uses low rates of fungicides designed to stop the Anthracnose infection, but the recent environmental conditions necessitate higher rates that will stop the spread of the disease.  Our next fungicide application is scheduled for tomorrow, and hopefully the weather will allow us to get the sprayers out.  Once applied, we will see reduced disease activity the next day and the turf will start producing new leaves shortly after.

The gold colored leaves are Poa plants infected with Anthracnose