This week and the next few weeks there are a couple of things which I think are important to you and your golf course which can make or break your summer. This weekend we have our first blast of heat and humidity. As everyone has some grasp of the problems this brings in relation to disease pressure increasing, I can only hope that you have had a plan in place for this type of weather in relation to disease management. There are some points however that while I [.....]
This weekend is "Tee It Forward" weekend. Below are 2 videos talking about why to tee it forward. This initiative would accomplish two things that inexplicably seem to be lacking amongst the membership - play faster and have more fun. Leave your ego and give it a try this weekend!
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Be sure to double check the schedules for the club this weekend. Fireworks Extravaganza happens on Sunday afternoon!
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Extreme might be the best word to describe this week. Precipitation events and non-events have been dominant for our golf courses all over the region this week. The volumes and more importantly the time period that the precipitation fell over have been problematic to say the least. Steady rainfall and dark wet days might be more associated with the Emerald Isle but in actuality 'soft' rains tend to wet the ground much more thoroughly and give the soil profile time to push water through rather than ponding. This [.....]
I received several surprised reactions when people learned that carts would be available for golfers today. This was on the heals of 1.2 inches of rain yesterday evening and last night. No doubt we missed the brunt of the storms, but the course was in great shape after that amount of rain. We perform several maintenance practices that may present a short-term disturbance, but the long-term benefits are evident on days like today.
All through the season we are continuously monitoring the course after rains to identify [.....]
Undoubtedly everyone is waiting for this weather to end and that includes us turfgrass managers - or maybe not! This week on my way around the courses, meeting with superintendents it became clearly obvious how competitive Poa annua is, if it has the right conditions. The last ten days have been party time for Poa and while you may be scratching your heads, the continuation of what begun last week is far from your control. Temperatures have been around ideal for Poa with no consistent heat to benefit [.....]
Our crop of summer flowers has arrived and we have begun the process of planting them. We have another delivery coming, but the first one included the majority of plantings. This first set will be done by the end of the week and includes all of the flowers for the entrance and clubhouse.
The picture above is what the bed around the flagpole looks like today. It is hard to believe what they will look like after a couple of months of growth. This picture is from [.....]
Without meaning to state the obvious for everyone but it's been a wet one! It is also the end of May and so the 'honeymoon period' may be at an end for yours truly!
As you can see in our data accumulated here at Sunshine Course rainfall has been voluminous and prolonged over the last week. It means you may have run into a range of management problems which will have short term and long term effects on your golf course. As courses vary the impact of [.....]