Rough Seas
Idle Hour Golf Course Maintenance
I believe I stated this once before, but if not please forgive me. When I first started this blog after accepting the position as your golf course superintendent I consistently posted each Monday until we reached that time on the calendar when things moved at a slower pace.
And before we came back around to that same time this season the club began posting weekly bulletins and monthly newsletters, both of which I contribute to regularly. For that reason these posts have slowed to avoid being repetitive, but today I will share the information that first appeared this past Friday in the August Newsletter (edited to reflect the timing of today).
Now, if you read the newsletter that doesn’t excuse you from continuing, as I have additional information below I hope you will find helpful. So, let’s get started:
From Friday’s Newsletter:
And just like that summer was two-thirds over! Seems only yesterday I was writing about flipping the calendar to the official start of summer. The club was looking forward to the Summer Gala and Independence Day festivities, while my team and I were preparing for The Classic and 118th Southern Amateur. Now all of that is in the rearview and before you know it, folks will be tailgating at Kroger Field and Keeneland.
From a weather perspective, summer has included just about everything. Since June 1 we have experienced cooler than average temperatures with the mercury dropping into the 50s on nine occasions and there have been eight days so far where the high temperature failed to reach 80 degrees. We’ve also had our fair share of hot, humid weather with nineteen days in the 90s.
We once received rain for six consecutive days totaling 2.08 inches only to immediately endure sixteen consecutive days with no measurable rainfall. In other words, a typical central Kentucky summer. Last week we received 2.60 inches rainfall in five consecutive days which led to the cancellation of Friday’s 9&Dine and Saturday was a full day with no golf cars allowed.
I mentioned the Southern Amateur in my opening and much has already been said or written about the amazing overall experience. I would like to add it was an honor for our team to prepare and present the golf course each day. Working with the folks from the Southern Golf Association was a treat. They were extremely professional and knew once the tournament concluded we were responsible for returning the golf course to you in acceptable condition.
Hosting major championship golf is never easy, no matter what time of year the event is played. But the middle of July is a different beast, and the scars of intense mowing and rolling are evident as are the divots from the fairways made by 156 competitors. I’ve often thought it would be educational for all golfers if cameras showed tour event venues one or two weeks after the tournament so more folks would understand the stress and strain events can put on a golf course.
But not all was stressful. The golf course got a welcome break from golf car traffic during the week of the event, and the majority of tee boxes utilized by the membership also caught a breather. My team has never filled so many divots on the Ross tees before.
As we enter into August our goal is simple, better than yesterday. It is easy when you start to recognize the days getting shorter to think the end is near and let down your guard. I have stressed to the team we must remain vigilant to not cause unnecessary or self-inflicted damage and do whatever is necessary to make the golf course better than the day before.
Now, here is where you’re asking yourself how exactly do I plan to accomplish that goal. As we enter the tail end of the dog days of summer the golf course is showing some wear and some of you are concerned. But I assure you, blemishes are temporary and everything can and will be improved.
We are making herbicide applications for the pesky unwanted grasses that have invaded our new grass areas. It is not uncommon for preemergent herbicides to lose their efficacy sooner than planned in years with above average rainfall. (We currently sit at 32.52” rain YTD - we only received 38.81” all of 2023).
One thing we have learned is our weed pressure is higher in the newer grass areas compared to the older, mature stands that make up the largest percentage of golf course rough. We will adjust our future herbicide programs accordingly. We are also fertilizing these same areas in an effort to strengthen the desirable grass and increase its density to help prevent these unwanted weeds in the future.
We are also treating many of these same areas with fungicide as the current warm, wet, and humid conditions has led to a fungal outbreak. It actually is all over Lexington as I see it driving past both commercial grassy areas and home lawns. Luckily it is just a foliar blight that is relatively easy to treat, just time consuming when you manage this many acres.
As for the putting greens, we will be shifting gears after the completion of the Member-Member. After the tournament we will raise mowing heights and make additional fertility treatments to boost plant density prior to putting green aerification. Our aerification this fall (September 9 and 10) will be aggressive as we utilize both a deep, solid-tine and hollow core removal. Once the surfaces have firmed to withstand the weight, we will use our Vredo seeder to incorporate new bentgrass seed into the sward.
The goal is to obtain a more dense plant canopy prior to the onset of winter so the putting surfaces are better prepared when they enter the growing season next spring. Much has been written about, said, discussed, etc. about the putting greens and their needs for the near future, and a master plan is being developed to address those needs. But currently nobody knows when said plan will be implemented, thus our efforts are geared towards making what we currently have work as best as possible for the immediate future.
And one final thing before I go, there are more bunker rakes on the way. We purposely paired down prior to the Southern Amateur to reduce potential ruling issues. The new ones should be on the course before the end of this week. Thank you for your patience.
Thanks for reading, and happy golfing!
Mark 4: 35-40