After 11 straight months of below average precipitation, we had a nice bounce back in July, with 5.40" of rain. The timing of these storms worked out well, as we only had one no cart day for the month. Now on to August...
In the first five days of this month we received 84% of the monthly average with 4.35" of rain. So why would we have guys out hand watering fairways right after so much rain? There are a few reasons for this.
As a reminder, turf roots are at their shortest during August, thus the surface area from which the plants can pull moisture from the soil is significantly less than at other times of the year. What this means is that we can't let the turf get as dry and firm as in the spring and fall.
Second, the fairway mounds didn't receive the full benefit of all of that rain, since a good bit runs off into the swales. These mounds will also dry down much more quickly than surrounding areas due to full exposure to the Sun and wind.
Lastly, we are embarking on our annual fairway aerification this week. We need healthy turf going into this process. If the soil is dry, the turf will become stressed and wilt, extending the recovery period significantly.
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