Golf Course Report

September 2016

A September Report is quite the rarity.  Due to committee meeting schedules and the chaos of final preparations for season, I usually use the October report as a recap of the summer.  Our struggles through this last closure have prompted me to be a little more proactive in communicating the course conditions.  The weather affects every aspect of our operation.  This closure had its fair share of rain.  Each and every day consisted of a stoppage of work due to precipitation.  All of the scheduled cultural practices were completed within the allotted time; the issues arise from the lack of recovery period due to the inclement weather. 

The key elements in recovery are sunlight and fertilization. The lack of sunlight is documented by the daily rains and shorter days.  The inability to fertilize due to saturated conditions will prolong a proper recovery.  The three ways to fertilize are: conventional Granular (needs to be watered), foliar (course is too soft for sprayer) and fertigation (fertilizer injected through the irrigation system).  The solution was to apply a coated slow release fertilizer through a light weight spreader to minimize damage and reduce the need for irrigation.  This was our most challenging closure in my tenure.  We are equipped to push recovery as soon as the conditions improve. 

Our historical averages for the months of July, August and September are anywhere from 8”- 9” per month.  This July and August were each close to 15” and September is closing in on that number.  I have heard the question “Why are we so much wetter than previous years?”  The answer to that question stems from our wet winter.  The torrential amount of rain that we received from late December through mid-February caused our water table to remain at a much higher level.  Typically we can handle 40 inches of rain in the summer; this year is different due to the saturated soils leading into the rainy season.   With a forecasted “Dry Winter” on the horizon, we should have ample time to produce quality conditions throughout the property. 

Thank you for your patience during the next couple of weeks as we push to provide a healthier turf for the season to come.  We will re-open tomorrow and the course is nowhere close to where I would like to see it, but a solid agronomic plan is in place to take advantage of the favorable weather that is just around the corner.