From the Course - Summer 2011

                                                         Looking at the course through green colored lenses
                                                                                                                                                                                                              by Scott Coogan

This Summer has been, so far, the most mild that I can remember. Fortunately for the golf course this means that less irrigation has been necessary. The mild weather has been coinciding with a purposeful effort by GMGC to reduce irrigation. Our goal this year has been to keep the course firmer and somewhat browner than in years past. This gives the ball more bounce and roll as well as keeping maintenance costs down.  One of the tactics that I have been using is to manually turn off sprinklers at the head in areas that are approaching saturation, usually in a low-lying area. Then, as time goes by and the area starts to brown, I turn it back on to run with the rest of the nightly irrigation. Combined with a mild weather pattern, this tactic has been fairly successful. An added benefit to less irrigation is that the grass tends to root deeper, seeking moisture. Also, when turf is thirsty it tends to be closer to dormancy, causing it to grow less and consequently to make our fertilizer last longer. Golfers’ expectations of lush, green golf courses that are firm and fast need to be balanced with the reasoning whether those two conditions really can exist at the same time. The answer is YES, but only for short periods of time. Instead, accepting a browner look to the course in trade for more bounce and roll will ultimately be better for the game and the ecosystem on which we play it.

As the Summer continues, we begin to put our minds ahead toward Fall.  While it would be easy to concentrate on the tasks at hand, it is ever important that preparations for the next season are in process. After August 15th, daylight hours are noticeably shorter, nights become longer and cooler, reducing soil temperatures. The turf notices this and also begins to prepare for Fall. The cooler soil temperatures allow the grass to root deeper, storing more carbohydrates for stresses of Winter cold. Certain fungi also try to take advantage of cooler soil temperatures, attacking the turf. We begin to apply preventative fungicide applications to head off any disease before it gets a foothold.  Planning ahead is the best strategy for future success.

 

As the Summer continues, we begin to put our minds ahead toward Fall.  While it would be easy to concentrate on the tasks at hand, it is ever important that preparations for the next season are being planned. After August 15th, days begin to noticeably shorten in daylight hours. Nights become longer and cooler, which affects soil temperatures. The turf notices this and also begins to prepare for Fall. The cooler soil temperatures allow the grass to root deeper, storing more carbohydrates for stresses of Winter cold. Certain fungi also try to take advantage of cooler soil temperatures, attacking the turf. We begin to apply preventative fungicide applications to head off any disease before it gets a foothold.  Planning ahead is the best strategy for future success.