Feeling Funky

We have been pushing the greens hard the past couple of months, and based on feedback, the results have been appreciated by players.  Of course, just when things appear to be running like clockwork, we get a curveball thrown at us.

What is sometimes referred to as "Poa funk"  appeared on several greens this past week.

While this might have some of the same visual symptoms that you would see with a turf disease, the cause is actually environmental stress and often appears in areas with higher moisture levels.  As you can see above, the aerification holes are green, and less likely to suffer from this funk.

By dotting the margins lightly, we can easily compare how things are trending from day to day.  More often than not, when these spots appear, they do not grow in size.  So we've got that going for us--which is nice...

Quick Fix

Many irrigation repairs are unplanned, which can make them challenging.  This past Thursday, a quick coupler (that we connect a hose to for hand watering) at #1 green broke off, leading to a river running down the approach and a deposit of mud on the front of the green. With this occurring 45 minutes before the first tee time, the team had to quickly jump into action.

While it wasn't the way we like to start the day, it was great to see the repair completed in less than an hour, with only one group having to play the hole as we worked on it. 

This does also highlight the fact that we have an irrigation system that was installed almost 38 years ago.  There is approximately 20 miles of pipe in the system, which is always under 115 PSI, whether sprinklers are running or not.

Bunker Basics

It might be a bit naive to expect that we would ever receive compliments about bunkers.  Realistically, if we aren't hearing complaints, we should probably chalk it up as a win.  What you might not realize, is that in order to achieve this not so lofty goal, it still takes a tremendous amount of time and effort.

Of course raking is a part of the process, but there is a lot more to it than just that.  Bunker surrounds must be mown by hand,  the bunker faces need to be edged, weeded, then the sand packed and rolled.  Additionally, sand depth uniformity is checked periodically, as neither too much nor too little sand is desirable.

Again, all of this takes a lot of labor.  Fortunately, the team is now at full strength and we are catching up on these tasks.

They're back...

It's been several years since it's even been worth mentioning Annual Bluegrass Weevils.  However, they appear to be back in force this year.  While most of their activity on the course won't catch your eye, the approach to #7 green may be the exception, as they had a field day in this area.  This is somewhat unusual given the control treatments that were made in April and May.

Last week we hit the collars with a larvicide to knock them out, so hopefully there won't be any more surprises this season.  One thing is for sure, a cold winter does nothing to set back this insect.

A dreary Memorial Day weekend, but...

Let's face it, this past weekend was probably pretty disappointing for anyone planning outdoor activities.  However, prior to this, it was definitely a good run as far as golf goes with the last "no cart" day being way back on April 2.

A soaked #9 fairway on Memorial Day.

While this was not great weather for spending time at the pool or working on your game, if nothing else, the golf course appreciated this multi-day soaking.  And despite all of this rain, it still looks like we will finish May below average in precipitation--this will be the 10th month in a row.

Return of the Fan

It's hard to believe, but it was over 13 years ago that we initially installed a fan at the first tee putting green.  When the green was rebuilt, we took a wait and see approach as to whether or not the fan was still required.  

Well, last summer's hot, swampy weather provided a resounding "yes" to this question.  While many things have changed over the past decade, others have not, and this would include the growing environment in this area.  The green is obviously open on the front, but the back half gets limited morning sunlight and air flow.  In fact, as the trees continue to grow, the environmental conditions for this green are declining over time.

Fortunately, when the fan was removed during the green construction project, the power supply was not.  However, we did have to dig another five and a half foot deep hole and pour a thousand pounds of concrete to support the fan.  

  This will definitely provide a breath of fresh air when the dog days arrive.

April showers?

It might not jump out at you since we are still in spring, but despite some recent showers, we continue to be running way behind in precipitation.  As a matter of fact, you would have to go back to July, 2025 to find a month where we were actually above average.  That is nine months in a row of below average rain (or snow)!

What does this mean?  Well we obviously weren't complaining that we wanted more snow over the winter, but if this trend continues as we head towards warmer weather, it will definitely have an impact on the golf course.  Specifically, less rain leads to greater reliance on the aging irrigation system, thus less consistent conditions (wet areas and dry areas), as well as more labor resources being devoted to hand watering with a hose.

The rain gauge is looking thirsty.

In trying to view this rain reduction with a glass half full perspective, we did have zero "No Cart" days in April, 2026.  In contrast, during the month of April from 2021-2025, we averaged between four and five no cart days for the month--so at least this weather pattern is good for something.