Localized Dry Spots

Wednesday night we received 1.75" of rain, or over 47,000 gallons of water on every acre of the golf course.  With that much water, you might not expect to find any dry areas Thursday morning.  However, a fast moving storm's heavy downpour often does little more than refill the lakes, because much of the water runs off.

A bone dry soil plug right next to a moist one.

During extended dry periods, the fairways can become hydrophobic (water repellent), and it takes much more than a thunderstorm to rewet the soil.  These dry patches are often referred to as "localized dry spots" since they may be surrounded by soil with good moisture levels.

With the hot weather this week, we had an army of workers dragging hoses, hand watering stressed turf.  So, if you see us watering areas even after it rained, localized dry spots may be the reason why.

While these localized dry spots occurred on a mound, they often appear in flat areas as well.