By mid-June, earlier than usual for much of the Northeast, high temperatures and high humidity set in and stuck around. Early August forecasts indicate less stress and the potential for recovery. Every golf course I visited in July on Course Consulting Service visits had at least some areas of turf that succumbed to the environmental stress. Many golf courses tried to exercise caution by reducing maintenance that adds mechanical stress and implementing conservative practices, but some turf simply gave up. Below are some thoughts on two key themes that stood out in my recent travels.
Identify Weaknesses
Now is the time to identify why the grass threw in the towel. Do growing environments need more air movement and sunlight or increased drainage? How about concentrated traffic patterns or tees that are too small for the rounds endured? Were there biotic pressures from overextended preventive applications or a combination of environmental stress and biotic factors that no spray program would prevent? Seek advice from your state universities, fellow superintendents or USGA regional agronomists to figure out why some turf was merely stressed, while other areas died completely. Pictures say a thousand words, so while we may want to forget this summer, document the struggles now so resources can be properly allocated to improve key areas or programs because another summer like this one is bound to happen in the future.
Recover Cautiously
As temperatures moderate, superintendents can begin shifting the focus of their practices to recovery and improving playability. As is evident from this summer, the benefits of an on-site turf nursery to quickly repair damaged areas with sod that matches existing turf goes a long way. Patience and nitrogen are most valuable when cooler temperatures arrive, so when they do, have a plan in place to get the most from the recovery window. Evaluate rooting now – even if turf surfaces look good, the view underground may tell a different story. Roots are likely shallow, so do not hesitate to delay aggressive practices such as aeration and potentially switch to venting.
A former mentor of mine used to say that there are superintendents who have lost grass and those who will. We cannot change the fact that turf died, but when weather cooperates, don’t miss the chance to drive some recovery.
Northeast Region Agronomists:
Darin Bevard, senior director, Championship Agronomy – dbevard@usga.org
Elliott L. Dowling, regional director, East Region – edowling@usga.org
Brian Gietka, agronomist – bgietka@usga.org
Information on the USGA’s Course Consulting Service
Contact the Green Section Staff