Strong storms rolled thru yesterday afternoon but only dropped .10" of rain. That was only our second rain event this month, with the first one occurring on 9/1 resulting in 2.54". Based on current weather patterns September looks to be warmer and drier than normal, which is a complete opposite of last year when we received over 11" of rain in September thanks to two hurricanes. This past August was also surprisingly dry having only received 1.94" compared to the monthly average of 3.23". However, year to date thru the end of August we've received 36.4" of rain compared to our average of 26.7" (+9.75") and 94 days out of 243 have seen measurable rain events.
This is the time of year when we start to see turf damage from skunks and raccoons foraging for white grubs. We preventatively apply an insecticide every spring to keep the insects from maturing where they cause the most damage, but similar to last year we are seeing damage in the rough and on a couple tees. The lack of control is most likely due to the wet spring and excessive rainfall that caused the product to move from the treatment area, limiting its effectiveness. To prevent further damage to the turf we've sprayed an insecticide that will kill the white grubs upon contact in the soil. For it to work properly the insecticide has to be watered in so it moves into the rootzone where the grubs are feeding, and yesterday's rain occurred at the perfect time to do just that. It will take several days for the grubs to die and we will begin repairing the damaged turf with soil and seed, or sand and seed on the tees.
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| Damage on Grove #4 gold tee from skunks and raccoons foraging for white grubs. |
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| Typical grub damage in the rough. |
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| Turf damaged by white grubs easily pulls up revealing the insect. |
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