As June comes to a close it was great month for the game of golf. That being said we only received a total of ½” rainfall through the entire month. The property is beginning to show drought and heat stress with the lack of rain. We have been watering 100% in evenings across the large acres. Greens have been managed accordingly with hand watering. We will continue to apply additional water when time and resources allow. If we do not see a measurable and beneficial rain in the near future we will assess our mowing requirements to ensure we are not losing grass through this stretch.
With the dry conditions we are also beginning to experience many irrigation breaks and challenges. We have a hole open on the 10th fairway that will be repaired as soon as parts are available this week. This is the third break in the past week which impacts our ability to water and at times provide the conditions expected. As the ground tightens from a lack of rain we see the tension of the ground impact the piping creating some of these breaks.
This past Monday on maintenance day the Turfcare team applied a granular fertilizer application to greens followed by a heavy water. The root systems of each green were bone dry and in need of a good soak. This will have softened greens up and slowed them down temporarily. With the forecast we would expect to be watering by hand again within a day or two. This application was required to feed the greens for summer. It is usually completed with aeration but both aerations were a loss so we are chasing some items to keep greens healthy and playable. We also took advantage of the maintenance day to vent greens and provide them air. This practices assists with greens conditions throughout the summer by allow water to penetrate the root zone.
The 5th green continues to establish. This week we applied another granular fertilizer. We also have switched from a smooth less aggressive mowing roller to an aggressive roller which will aid in getting the surface ready for golf. If the weather continues as is and we continue to see the establishment advance we should see this green back online at some point in the month of July. We appreciate the continued patience while we ensure the long term success of this green.
Respectfully,
Shawn Major, AGS