Oct. 15, 2010 Scouting Report
Bone Dry: October has record highs, Rust continues, Drought on our minds, Tim's new word is Pythium, and Nick says bit.ly.
Chicago/Northern Illinois Update: Derek Settle -
A dry Fall. Labor Day, and we felt the change immediately. Temperatures cooled and humidity dropped. For superintendents it was a welcome sign and rapid turf recovery ensued. During September the dry down was a welcome change from the periodic floods that had devastated some courses this summer. I remember it like yesterday: July 23rd our high temperature was 96 degrees (hottest day of the year recorded on Sunshine Course) and unknowingly, within 24 hours some Chicago suburb golf courses would see 6 to 8 inches of rainfall. The result: flooded golf course fairways could only cook and croak. Fast forward: it's mid-October. In Chicago (Sunshine Course) we have experienced rain on 3 days. In Lemont our paltry measured total doesn't go past the tip of my index finger (0.32 inch). In Southern Illinois at Hickory Ridge in Carbondale, Trey Anderson doesn't even need a gauge. I added it up today - zero, zippo, zilch.
Week-to-week communications with superintendents remain of a similar theme. "Rust continues to be our biggest "issue". Large areas of bluegrass are affected - in areas I have never seen it before. Not sure if the dry weather is making it worse or not. We could use some rain. Greens started growing again (with the absence of frosts). Leaves coming down pretty fast." Still, we cannot complain too much. We are concluding a season many felt would not end. The END.
Have a good weekend...and maybe, just maybe someone out there can think of an idea to bring us rain.
Click here to view the complete Oct. 15, 2010 Scouting Report
Derek Settle, PhD
Director of Turfgrass Program
Chicago District Golf Association
11855 Archer Ave
Lemont, IL 60439
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