Well we are just over half way through the summer season with another six weeks to go until the end of August. Many of you feel that 15th of August means relief and if you have not lost turf by then, you will be good for the rest of the year. This week was the first test and it seems like many of you came through. It is the first however and it does mean that the roots which looked excellent 3 weeks ago are not a happy bunch right now and probably have retracted dramatically. That being the case despite the cool weather predicted early next week, trying to get oxygen down in the hot soil is the best thing you can do early next week. Many people I have talked to this week have cut back on a lot of things, whether its top dressing, raising mowing heights or growth regulation. The understanding that grass is not recovering as quickly and pushing turf harder will lead to problems is clear.


Click here to view the July 19, 2013 Scouting Report.

As always if you have a question or query please do not hesitate to ask and you can call or email.

Ed Nangle PhD
Director of Turfgrass Programs
Chicago District Golf Association
www.cdgaturf.org
Follow us on Twitter @TurfResearch
This week gave us some good examples of how plants react to hot weather.  Multiple days with heat indexes over 100 degrees has been enough for the plants to show typical stress symptoms of growing conditions that are not optimal.  Up to this point of the season, aside from being a little wet, the weather has been very conducive to growing plants that we do.  This allowed us to maintain a very healthy plant - one that can withstand a stretch of temperatures like we have had this week.

 The Salvia that is in the circle drive in front of the clubhouse has had fantastic color all season.  This week the blooms have slightly faded in color.  Some petals have even fallen off.  We have been diligent about keep moisture available to the plant, but the heat has been too much stress.  This is a particularly unique situation on the property due to its location.  This bed is in the center of a circle of asphalt which exacerbates the hot temperatures.

This picture shows the temperature of the asphalt adjacent to the planting bed.  134 degrees!  The radiant heat from the drive is too much for the flowers to handle.  Thankfully, we only receive these temperatures for stretches at a time.  Once a few days of cooler temperatures set in, the plants will have a chance to recover.  And, hopefully, present the vibrant color it had earlier, before another heat wave comes through.  It's summer in Chicagoland, so we are bound to have a few of these stretches.  It helps us to appreciate the cooler stretches even more.
The weather forecasters have their special weather statements out for the week, so it is time to have ours.  The most difficult stretch of weather so far this year is upon us, and we are doing what we can to keep the grass as healthy as possible.  During these weather stretches, if you feel uncomfortable in the hot and humid weather, the grass feels the same way.  We try to keep the grass as healthy as possible to make it through this type of weather.  So far so good, but 2 more days is a long time in this heat.

Working to manage moisture in this type of heat is critical to turf health.  I have heard some comments after we had 0.30 inch of rain Monday like "I bet this really helped the course."  Actually, any excess rain during hot stretch is very detrimental to our efforts to keep a healthy playing surface.  The first picture shows a few patches of disease, this particular one arrises during hot and wet periods.  The picture on the left shows our efforts to remove moisture by dragging dew in the mornings.

The playing surfaces are healthy and in good condition which is our number 1 effort for getting through these type of stretches.  If you see some things different on the course this week, it may only be temporary while we work through the heat.
This week I took the opportunity to visit courses in Central Illinois and it was a very nice week visiting and interacting with some of the hard working ingenious superintendents in the area. It's a very different dynamic in central and southern Illinois where issues such as goosegrass and crabgrass are more prolific. Grasses differ and the pressures from disease, insects and weeds are much more difficult to deal with. I would like to thank the superintendents for their hospitality and graciousness when I visited. I will continue to get down and meet people going forward - so if I didn't get to you this time, let me know, I will be back!

The one factor that came up which has been constant was climate and its variation. Golf course superintendents regardless of location understand that everything they do is at the mercy of the climate. There is usually a theme that runs through a season which leaves an indelible mark on the mind going into next year. This week I did pick up some really interesting tidbits which we can all consider as valuable information. In tough years - use the issues you see as testing for the next year. It may be that your product or cultural practice may not have worked this year due to timing or the excess moisture. It does mean that you can start to consider other options looking into next year and also remember what worked for you this year is conditions which brought high disease pressure or high rainfall amounts. If you end the year saying to yourself 'boy I sure hope we don't have another year like that' - as sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west - it will be worse! However if you end the year thinking about what changes you need to make to get you through and it's an easier year - then you get to have the benefit of being over prepared. The other topic I picked up on this week was irrigation and water management and I will touch on it in the strategies portion of the report. However the crucial issue and lead point is this - know what the weather is doing to you. Turfgrasses in rootzones that have been wet and get into hot and humid conditions are not going to lose much water - the evaporative pressure to lose it is not there, thus watering is counterintuitive. Micro climates are of course going to throw this off but that comes down to you knowing your course. High sunny days with plenty of air movement are great weather especially after an inch of rain, that doesn't mean that the inch of rain is still there - don't lose turf because you failed to water either - watching and understanding the weather will allow you to do the simple things - and the doing simple things right makes for some good living.


Click here to view the July 12, 2013 Scouting Report.

As always if you have a question or query please do not hesitate to ask and you can call or email.

Ed Nangle PhD
Director of Turfgrass Programs
Chicago District Golf Association
www.cdgaturf.org
Follow us on Twitter @TurfResearch
That time of year has arrived once again for all of us. It seems the heat or what heat we may get has begun to build. Its also that time of year where problems start to pop up. This is also the time you lose the most sleep and deal with the emergencies while trying not to pull your hair out. It is also the time that we can over manage.... Turfgrass mowed at such low heights is always a difficult proposition to handle and pushing it through heat and humidity usually results in problems. It may take some form of trigger for you but at some stage soon, raising the mowing height a touch and reducing wear and tear from extra rolling and excess topdressing will stop. You know as managers that pushing the turf hard will result in loss of quality not just on greens but also on collars. Over managing is probably one of the biggest problems we create for ourselves. Therefore - that extra application of product, that extra roll or mow just for a few extra inches - is it really worth it? Grass on your greens all year round is a far better sight than not! 

In light of the fact this week was a holiday shortened week, I did want to make note of the time of year as most of you probably all know. During the summer the golf course industry becomes extremely hectic. Its tough on you as managers, but its also tough on your families - don't forget to take a moment and get out of the tunnel that is the 6.30 am shotgun start tomorrow. The pressure you put on yourself to produce championship conditions everyday is probably undue, and its not the day to day parts that put the course in excellent condition but more a balanced approach early in the year when grass growth is at its optimum that lays the ground work for the good life during the stress of summer. Sometimes it pays to step back and smell the roses so to speak. 

Click here to view the July 5, 2013 Scouting Report. 
 

Ed Nangle PhD 
Director of Turfgrass Programs 
Chicago District Golf Association
www.cdgaturf.org 
Follow us on Twitter @TurfResearch
I am reposting this video that demonstrates the proper method for repairing ball marks.  Play has been picking up on the course and ball marks are becoming very noticeable.  It is not hard to repair a ball mark and it only takes a few seconds.

Two things are critical to repairing a ball mark correctly:

1. Pull the grass from the edges to the center of the mark. - When a ball mark is made, it is very likely that grass will die in the middle of the mark.  Pulling the grass from the edges to the center leave less area for the grass to cover while healing.

2. Tap the repaired mark level after fixing. - After fixing the mark, always tap any raised grass level.  This leaves a level surface for the next group.




This week I was all ready to produce a profound and deeply insightful scouting report. Tuesday night and Wednesday morning changed that. The problems with rainfall are unprecedented and will leave some of your colleagues in tough situations going forward. The response and empathy however is what struck me strongly this week and followed on from last weekend at the Encompass Championship. As an industry I would like to say that your willingness to lend a hand and jump in to do whatever it takes is astounding in the region. I have been delighted to see volunteers help in so many situations to try and get the job done. The passion that is here for the golf courses you manage has been in plain sight over the last 5-7 days and I would like to say that you all deserve a slap on the back. It is a pity however that this is only the start of the summer!

The teamwork you have instilled in your crews has shone through and I can only say that the golf courses here are benefitting immensely from the same mentality on a day to day basis. In light of the fact that the soil saturation has continued basically all the way since ground thawed, please try, and try some more to get oxygen into your roots. If the 'weather forecast' holds for the upcoming week the cool off in temperatures will provide some relief, but pencil tining your greens is the least you can do to help yourself going forward. This may be also a great time to start considering future drainage projects - so use the problem to create a long term benefit where possible. The crews all deserve respect for the long hard hours they have put in cleaning the courses up and I'm sure they will take all the appreciation they can get - you will need them to step up again so keep them happy! Its events like this, whether, weather or tournaments which make me realize what a great industry made up of great people we are in - long may it continue!


Click here to view the June 28, 2013 Scouting Report.

As always if you have a question or query please do not hesitate to ask and you can call or email.

Ed Nangle PhD
Director of Turfgrass Programs
Chicago District Golf Association
www.cdgaturf.org
Follow us on Twitter @TurfResearch
June 30, 1973 was just another day for the members and their guests at Naperville Country Club.  Nothing significant enough happened that would have caused a person to remember an event they may have witnessed on the course.  If you were on the course that day, you may have seen an 18 year-old on his first day of work at the club staining the old wooden bridge that once existed over the waterway in front of 2 tee.  On June 29, 2013 you would have found that same man in the maintenance facility checking the cut on the greens mowers.  For 40 years Greg Morar has been the club’s mechanic, fabricator, handyman and any other person the club has asked him to be. 

After only 3 weeks of work on the grounds staff, the superintendent learned that Greg had worked in a lawnmower repair shop and had him fixing equipment in short order.  Greg has assumed that role since then, as well as short periods as the assistant superintendent and interim superintendent along the way.  Greg has seen this club through lots of changes.  It is always enjoyable to listen to him reminisce on his time working here.  Whether it is something he has seen at night while changing the old quick-coupler irrigation system, or rants he has witnessed from members unsatisfied with their golf game that day, it will surely bring a laugh.

Greg prefers to do his job unrecognized in the confines of the maintenance facility.  But his importance to the green department will not go unrecognized.  Nearly everything we need to accomplish our tasks on a daily basis requires a piece of equipment-a piece of equipment that Greg has checked, set and given the OK to use; or a specific tool-a specific tool that Greg has fabricated or modified for our use.  Nothing on the course gets done without Greg preparing something that is involved in completing the task.


You likely will not see Greg on the course too often, but if you do, be sure to thank him for his 40 years of dedicated service to Naperville Country Club.
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