GROUNDS COMMITTEE
Some brown patches of dormant Bermuda grass have started to show up on fairways and green surrounds, and many of our golfers are wondering about the causes, issues for playability and potential remedies. CAUSES 1.Everyone will remember the heavy rains that hit us almost simultaneously with the Fall overseed process. Despite some almost heroic recovery work by our staff, the rain moved some of the seed around and created thin spots that have been disguised until now by Bermuda that stayed green and thick because of our warmer-than-usual temperatures so far this year. 2.Bermuda grass is tough stuff. When we overseed in the Fall, we mow it short and apply desiccants that slow its growth long enough for the overseeded Rye/fescue mix to germinate and then trust that our typically cooler winter temperatures keep the Bermuda from competing with the overseed grasses. As noted above, our unusually warm winter has made the Bermuda very happy, and it was able to come back and choke out some of the overseeded grass. 3.As our nighttime temperatures have dropped over the past several weeks, the Bermuda that was able to come back after the overseed has finally
gone dormant, creating the brown spots that we see on overseeded fairways and green surrounds. PLAYABILITY Other than uneven aesthetics, there should be very little impact on playabilty. The dormant Bermuda patches may be a bit “puffy” and not quite as smooth and firm as the rest of the overseeded areas, but the differences should be isolated and relatively minor. REMEDIES Our staff quickly addressed the brown areas with our recently acquired slit- seeding equipment and ryegrass seed, but cool night temperatures mean that it will probably take at least a week for the seed to germinate. Painting the brown areas is another option, but it’s almost impossible to match any green colorants with the existing fairway grass, so we’re not going to try that route. Fortunate, the relatively small brown areas and our staff’s quick response with the slit-seeder should have things looking good again in short order.
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