It's July But Feels Like August!

July has been a tough month thus far with daytime temperatures staying well into the 90's and nighttime lows in the mid to upper 70's.  That is a deadly combination to cool season turf like bentgrass and provides endless sleepless nights for Superintendents.  Although it has been a challenge the course remains in good shape overall and playability is still good if you can stand the heat.  The present concern becomes how much more the turf can take. 

Rough area showing stress from extreme weather conditions

We are seeing stress in the rough areas and in some of the fairways where we have Poa Annua encroachment.  Poa is even more susceptible to heat and drought stress so it has a yellow look right now as it deals with the heat.  The tees and greens are doing well as there is minimal stress showing on these surfaces. 

We have had to make some adjustments as to how we manage the greens due to the heat stress.  We are rolling some days in place of mowing and we have backed off the mow/roll combination during the heat.  The result is a slightly slower green speed then we were seeing prior to the heat but the greens are healthy.  Also,
when it is humid the greens tend to slow down from the leaf moisture that is present on a humid day and they become "sticky" with regards to ball roll.  There are some physiological changes to the plant due to the heat that also effect ball roll during the hot weather. 

All the above factors combined mean one thing; slower green speeds.  We all like faster green speeds and we enjoy providing them but during extreme weather conditions it is not prudent to stress the greens any more then necessary or expect fast green speeds  We are not managing the greens for fast speeds right now.  It can be a death sentence to the turf if precautions are not taken.  Our goal right now is simple, keep the greens alive.  When the weather breaks we can always get back to regular practices and get the green speeds back up as long as the greens have survived the stress.  These precautions are being implemented all across the country and throughout the Midwest so we are not alone in our effort to keep greens healthy.  The greens are smooth, true but just slightly slower and that is the trade off that must be made during extreme heat.   

For me the summer of 2012 is like a bad ride at the fair.  You know it has to end sometime but you want it to end sooner rather then later!  All this talk about heat and we haven't even talked about the drought yet!!  Stay cool.