Reel to Reel

Please avoid low lying areas and the green and white stakes, as the golf course remains soft.

The staff did an amazing job yesterday removing the 3 inches of rain from the fairways. Mother Nature was not kind, as we received another .5 inch early this morning. The images below of #11 fairway tell it all, the nearly 6" of water that sat across the entire fairway has made it extremely soft.

The 3 inches of rain that accumulated this morning has certainly made it interesting. Golf course conditions remain soft as there are several areas of standing water. We are currently pumping these areas so we can make another preventative fungicide application. Disease pressure remains extremely high as the soil is saturated, and day & nighttime temperatures remain elevated. As you can see from the photos below, the rain came fast and washed out the majority of the bunkers. One of tomorrow's tasks will be to repair these and make them playable once again.

It has been a challenge keeping the turf happy and healthy during this hot and humid month. Of the 24 days thus far, 10 have surpassed 85 degrees while another 10 have exceeded 90 degrees. Cool season grasses, especially poa annua, have poor heat tolerance. Extended periods of these temperatures make it hard for the plants to perform basic functions like photosynthesis, respiration and transpiration. To assist the plants through this period, needle-tine aerification and applications of foliar nutrients have been a consistent part of our maintenance regimen. We will continue these practices tomorrow as temperatures remain in the upper 80's and 90's next week.

I've prepared a short video of our work before Men's Invitational including our early morning tasks.

Although yesterday's late afternoon thunderstorm was brief, wind gusts of 29 mph were enough to blow over trees in the parking lot and driving range as well as large limbs on #11 and #14.

I was pleased with how the golf course held up last week during Men's Invitational, as it was pushed to its limit. This week we will focus on proactive maintenance practices to promote recovery and assist the plants through the hot and humid weather. Activities will include: - Needle-tining the greens to increase oxygen to the roots - Foliar feeding the turf for quicker nutrient uptake - Hand-watering - Applying preventative fungicides - Limited rolling

Please refrain from using insect repellent while standing on the grass. As you can see from the photo below of #3 green, the turf does not fare well in these situations. Thank you for your cooperation.

The greens held up great this weekend. Today they received a little break. We needle-tined the greens to increase oxygen within the root system. They also received foliar nutrients to help get them through the upcoming hot weather this week. Needle-tine aerifiers in action Foliar nutrients being sprayed on #13 green

The course is holding on nicely. The air temperature is currently 90 degrees, while the turf canopy temperature is 105 degrees. On clear sunny days it is not uncommon for the turf to be 10-15 degrees warmer than the air temperature. We are in the process of syringing to help reduce turf canopy temperatures. Below are images of the infrared thermometer reading of #14 green - before and after syringing.

The turf will be losing a tremendous amount of moisture throughout the weekend due to the high temperatures, wind and low humidity. We will be syringing and running irrigation heads this weekend to counteract weather conditions and cool the turf canopy down. Have a safe and enjoyable weekend~