Weather is to Friend as Enemy is to Weather

The course has been playing fantastic through the beginning of June, with true putting surfaces, tight healthy fairways, and great weather to enjoy the game of golf.  The recent weather has been ideal for providing great playing conditions, and at this point we're hoping the weather stays in our favor.  Mild weather makes things more enjoyable for both the golfer as well as the turf.  Sound agronomic principles and there timely implementation are necessary to maintain highly manicured turf. Fertilizing, irrigation, mowing and topdressing all help produce great golf conditions.  However, the one variable we have no control over that has as much to say about the condition of the course as anything is the weather. The greens department has really been working quite efficiently this season, and through the beginning of June the weather has been fantastic for plant health.  So the combination of hard work and favorable weather has provided great conditions with healthy turf, fantastic playability, and great resiliency and vigor.  You can expect the work ethic of the greens department to sustain energy and consistency throughout the season, the same can't be said for the weather unfortunately.

With mild daytime temperatures and cool night temperatures, the plant has the ability to build more carbohydrate (energy) reserves than it uses (this is good for the grass).  As the weather gets hotter and more severe in July and August the dynamic flips and the plant begins to burn more carbohydrates than it can produce (the grass gets weaker).  Did you ever wonder why the U.S. Open is played the second week of June every year?  One of the reasons is that the turf at nearly all of the U.S.Open sites is at its strongest and able to tolerate all the mowing, rolling and moisture stress necessary to produce the extreme conditions.

Temperature is the driving force in this process, root zones thrive in a soil temperature range of 50-65 degrees, but during the peak of the summer when soil temperature reach upper 80's to mid 90's the roots lose their ability to function properly, and they begin to die leaving us with a root zone relegated to the upper inch of the soil.  Not to mention nighttime temperatures during the summer don't offer much relief to the plant, because many times they fail to cool substantially.  Everyone can relate, it's 70 degrees out with a cool breeze so deciding to go for a run is a no brainer, however at 95 and humid you're tired thinking about running and excited about the prospect of air conditioning.  A bit dense of an information download but, it's important to know that during the stressful time of the season courses across the country back off the accelerator a bit to maintain a healthy stand of turf.  That doesn't mean the conditions aren't great, it simply means that necessary precautions are taken to preserve the health of the turf, and as a result you don't have your fastest greens of the season.  So if you find that in the heat of the summer the greens aren't as quick as in May/June or September/October, it's our adaptation to the harsh weather to prevent turf loss, while still providing you with the best conditions possible.  If you're interested please check out the link below to gain more insight.

Summer Stress...It's a HOT subject

A look at the third green.

Looking at the 6th green from the fairway.

The picturesque 15th green from the fairway.

To portray how the turf feels during different times of the year, imagine the turf on the left feeling pretty good in May, while the turf on the right is feeling less than ideal in August.