This past week's temperatures put the "fire" into the holiday's fireworks! With the exception of the practice tee, the golf course is comprised entirely of cool-season turf that isn't loving this summer's blowtorch conditions. What does "cool-season" mean?
As the name implies, these species grow best in cooler climates, not in the blistering heat we've been experiencing. During the spring and fall, we get root growth, but as the heat increases in the summer, plants lose root mass.
During the latest heat wave, we heard many people say that after 15 minutes outside, they had to head back into the A/C. Of course the turf doesn't have that option, and is baking all day, every day. The challenges to turf health become exacerbated when there is no relief at night. Low temperatures in the 80s don't allow for any recovery.
So what changes are we making in our maintenance practices in these extreme situations to protect the course for the long-term, and what can you expect?
Well, we don't stop mowing and we rarely (if ever) raise the height of cut on the greens--they are currently still being cut daily at 0.100". However, we do back off on any cultural practices that can cause additional stress such as verticutting and topdressing. Additionally, we may reduce the number of days per week that we roll the greens. For greens in some of the more challenging growing conditions, an extra venting, using micro-tines has proven to be helpful in getting them through these weather patterns. Lastly, if we anticipate temperatures in the triple digits, we may give the greens' sprinklers a spin during the day to temporarily cool off the turf canopy.
Green speeds will typically drop somewhat during mid-summer regardless of what we do. The plants swell, and similar to how we feel in the heat, the greens may seem sticky. We treat the greens like elite athletes, closely monitoring their inputs and conditioning protocols. Pushing for fast greens at this time of year by lowering the height of cut, aggressive grooming, double-mowing, and rolling is ill-advised. You won't find many athletes going for a PR in 100 degree heat!
And for the record, the greens were 11'3" on July3, and 11' 2" on July 4--we must have set the bar pretty high if players are saying the greens are slow now...
