GROUNDS | JON URBANSKI, DIRECTOR OF GOLF COURSES AND GROUNDS
As we move into the heart of summer, July presents both opportunities and challenges for the care of the golf courses, tennis courts and landscaped areas of the Club. The combination of high temperatures, increased humidity, and regular play presents unique challenges—particularly for cool-season grasses like bentgrass. This month, we will focus our efforts on managing heat stress, optimizing playing conditions, and preparing for daily play. Here's a glimpse of what’s happening behind the scenes to keep the grounds in top shape. Turf Health & Heat Management Long days of sunshine, along with July being the hottest (and most humid) month of the year, puts significant stress on turf for our cool-season grasses, including tall fescue, ryegrass, and bluegrasses we maintain here at Club. Some of the strategies we employ to manage the dog days of summer are: Irrigation Management: We take daily data readings using soil moisture meters and carefully apply water to where it is needed. Pooling or ponding water at this time of year will certainly lead to turf decline or death due to saturated soils or diseases such as pythium. Syringing our fine turf playing surfaces: You have and will notice light misting during the day on greens, tees, and fairways. This is not full-on watering, just a quick spray to cool the turf canopy and reduce heat stress. Mowing and Grooming For the greens on both golf courses, our primary goal is to maintain healthy turf through careful monitoring and proactive practices all year long. July’s elevated temperatures and humidity are synonymous with rapid turf growth due to the plant swelling with moisture. Research has shown for the need to tighten windows of applications to control growth, or we will see a yo-yo effect to measurables such as green speed and firmness. When conditions are excessive, we take defensive measures to combat the environmental factors. We have changed our mower set-up to lighten the load as the traction unit moves across the surface. When conditions are dire, we will suspend mowing for a day and just roll the surfaces to reduce mowing stress and wear. If the heat and humidity persist for an extended period, we may adjust mowing heights as needed to reduce plant stress without significantly affecting playability. In addition, we will suspend all verti-cutting and topdressing of sand for the short-term but increase our use of brushes to smooth surfaces and improve ball roll. Pest & Disease Watch Warm, humid conditions are ideal for turf pests and fungal diseases. Scouting for pests is integral and our staff will closely monitor insect activity, including grubs and cutworms, to act early. At this time of year, our preventative sprays are rotated every 14 days for pathogens associated with dollar spot and brown patch. In some cases, our window may tighten to every seven days for the blight known as pythium which is likely to occur when nighttime temperatures are in the 70s or above.
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