Golf Course News - 8/1/2008
It is hard to believe that it is August already. It certainly has been a rollercoaster of a year. We went from too much rain to no rain at all and now we are back to too much rain. The rain has really greened up the course and the grass is growing again. Unfortunately, the grass is not the only thing growing on the golf course. This weather has been perfect for the diseases that attack the golf course. Although we spray on a regular basis to prevent disease, we still have some areas that get attacked. We do our best to cure the infected area, but inevitably we do lose some turf. So, until cooler temperatures return we will continue to monitor and scout for disease. With the weather that we have had I believe the golf course is in good condition heading into August.
The return of the wet weather will undoubtedly mean the return of mosquitoes. Please remember that insect repellent should not be applied on turf. If you need to apply repellent on the course, please move to a cart path, or at the very least, the rough. The middle of five green is not the appropriate location! On Monday, August 4th we will be aerifying the greens. I know this is an ugly word, but we will do it with as little disruption as possible. This year we are going to use small tines – about the size of a lead pencil. If all things go according to plan, by Thursday the holes will be healed over and play will be back to normal. In the long run this is a vital process that keeps our greens healthy. By starting now it will allow us to use smaller tines that heal quicker. Larger tines take longer to heal and disrupt play for a longer time.
As always, I hope to see you on the golf course.
-Mark Siems
