Continued Bermuda grass discussion

As May ends, the damage to the Bermuda grass is fully evident. Nevertheless, as May has progressed healing has continued.

3 fairway damage visible May 1st

Same shot of 3 fairway taken May 26th.

The damage to the Bermuda grass was not limited to one or two factors, nor was it limited to Bretton Woods. Stories of damage from Tennessee over to South Carolina, and as far north as Bermuda grass has been planted, illustrate the difficulties this winter. While this doesn’t change our situation, it is clear that it was weather driven rather than agronomics. Last week we had a regional turf agronomy consultant visit the course. He reiterated the non-discriminatory nature of the winter towards Bermuda grass. He has seen several varieties of Bermuda grass, in many locations, and under numerous management strategies show damage this spring. You can read his written report for Bretton Woods at the end of the blog.

We are formulating a plan to sod tees, approaches, and the large area in 18 fairway. In the meantime, we continue to fertilize the current turf and push it to heal more and more. While everyone’s eye is drawn to the worst areas (our eyes too), the bad areas have shrunk and the mediocre areas have nearly filled in. This is encouraging. The health of the existing Bermuda grass is excellent, and apart from #5 fairway, the spring dead spot incidences this year were minimal and have nearly all healed.

Inside the red line is shade damage

Another example of shade damage inside
the red line.

This year has forced us to evaluate all growing conditions for the Bermuda grass. Drainage, shade, desiccation, traffic, and other factors contributed to the death of Bermuda grass this year. Some of those factors can be controlled, other cannot. While we have made nearly all drainage improvements necessary, the other factors still contributed to decline this year. One of the more obvious has been shade. We have dealt with below average Bermuda grass in shady areas in years past, but this year, the below average grass turned to dead grass. Several very prominent semi circles of shade are noticeable around the course. At the right time, you can see the shade falling exactly along the line of healthy and unhealthy turf.

Most of the area outside the red line has now healed. Inside the red
line was damaged from shade and has not recovered yet.

Due to this, we have identified several areas that are recurrent problems that need to be transitioned to rough grass. The trees in these locations are healthy and integral to the specific hole. In these areas, we will remove Bermuda grass and add tall fescue. This will narrow the fairway but will allow the tree to remain and reduce the damaged Bermuda grass. This will be a gradual process. We will be working to get the majority of Bermuda grass healthy first. Then over time we will work to make necessary rough additions.

There are also some trees that have impacted the Bermuda grass that are declining in health or are less crucial to the playability of the hole. These trees are candidates for removal, with a replacement being put further away from the Bermuda grass, or planted in an entirely new location. Again, we are not going out anytime soon to remove trees, but as we assess the ramifications of this year’s Bermuda grass issues, trees are a big component.

14 approach damage on May 1st.

14 approach on May 26th.

It will be a long slow process to get the Bermuda grass to a level that we all expect. We will continue to implement strategies for recovery as often as needed. Have a good Memorial Day.

Report Prepared for Bretton Woods Recreation Center

Turfgrass Disease Solutions, LLC

May 19 2018

On May 15 2018, I visited Bretton Woods Recreation Center to discuss agronomics. The main topic of the visit focused on Bermudagrass winter damage/kill. This summary will highlight the major topics of the visit.

The winter of 2017/2018 was severe causing significant damage to Bermudagrass throughout

the Mid-Atlantic region. The fairways, tees and approaches at Bretton Woods are Riviera

Bermudagrass. While it is impossible to tell the exact reason or time frame when the Bermudagrass damage occurred, it was likely December 27th 2017 through January 12th when the air temperatures never rose above freezing and the wind was greater than 20 miles per hour (sustained wind speed). The spring weather has been cool until the recent week and recovery has been slow in many locations.

Bretton Woods is not the only golf course facing winter damage issues in the Mid-Atlantic. I have visited more than 15 golf courses that have some level of winter damage to Bermudagrass fine turf areas and there are many others experiencing it. The newer hybrid Bermudagrass cultivars, like Riveria, in Maryland can provide an excellent playing surface during summer months when cool season grasses typically are under environmental stress. Typically, Bermudagrass also requires less fungicides and insecticides when compared to cool-season grasses (i.e. bentgrass/ryegrass). One downside of Bermudagrass as we are currently observing throughout the region is winter damage. Winter damage to Bermudagrass is typically a one in 10 to 15 year event. Typically, when it is observed it is complex and unpredictable.

My Short-Term Suggestions are:

1.) Be patient, significant recovery will occur naturally from underground structures of the

Bermudagrass. Some areas I could not find any plant tissues that were alive but there will be

recovery over time. As you mentioned on the visit, the areas look better and better each day.

We discussed using quickly available nitrogen fertilizer to push the recovery of the Bermudagrass

2.) Sod as much as possible over the next 3-5 weeks where it is thin and unresponsive.

Specifically, sodding the highly visible areas or those areas important for playability on

fairways, collars and tees. When sodding, after it is striped make sure you solid tine aerate the

soil to aid in rooting and establishment.

3.) I would not worry about any weed control until there is 100% coverage by Bermudagrass and spraying herbicides, even on the healthy areas of fairways would not be suggested until

complete recovery occurs.

Long term suggestions:

1.) Financially, plan for winter kill and have some funding available to sod or repair from winter

damage each year. Some courses budget for $20,000-25,000 in case of this

emergency, more could be added if needed. I know this is a small amount compared to what

you are planning for but it does help take some of the major concerns out of it like a small

insurance policy. If the money is not used for Bermudagrass recovery, that money could be

allocated to other issues, like sodding the edges of cart paths, green surrounds or other areas

that need repair.

2.) This year we again observed that tarping Bermudagrass will reduce the winter damage by about 60-70%. I understand it is not logistically possible to tarp large fairway areas, but some tee boxes could be tarped each winter- especially undersized ones or Par 3 tees which could need a little increase in recovery. Many courses that have Bermudagrass driving range tees had

success this winter by tarping them in mid to late December and leaving the tarps on until mid-

March. Tarps can be costly and the labor to move them onto the turf and remove them during

the slower parts of the season can be issues. Tarps help to insulate the turf from direct

temperature damage and wind damage- they will not aid in drainage and shade situations. You

may experiment with some tarps to see the feasibility for Brenton Woods. When winter

damage is not observed, the Bermudagrass under the tarps breaks dormancy earlier.

3.) Over-seeding with ryegrass is also an option to aid in Bermudagrass fairway playability in the shoulder seasons but this comes with risks as weed control in the two-grass system is

challenging. The ryegrass is placed down in October and then it should be killed out in

May/June once the Bermudagrass resumes normal growth. One additional concern with

Over-seeding is that it shades the ryegrass in the spring months typically overtime reducing the

vigor of the Bermudagrass. Bermudagrass requires 100 days per year of ryegrass free growing

conditions during the summer months. The advantage to this two-grass system is if there is

winter damage to the Bermudagrass, the ryegrass is present and can provide a playing surface

until summer months when Bermudagrass typically will recover in a lot of areas. This is risky

and should only be used as a last resort long term option for the Bermudagrass fairways.

Let me know if you would like to schedule a follow up visit to discuss recovery options. Thank

you for your support of my consulting program.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Steve McDonald, M.S.

Principal, Turfgrass Disease Solutions, LLC

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

The broken tee boxes are not trash cans. Thank you.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Bunker etiquette

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Too much rain

The eyesore that is the struggling or dead Bermuda grass is the main focus of the Grounds staff. We continue to see daily improvement and continue to adjust our efforts to ensure the quickest and best path forward. But this past week was dominated by the rain.

We received 7+” of rain this week. While this is lower than some surrounding locations, it was still plenty to cause issues. The weather service to which we subscribe recently compared this May to May of 2014. We checked our notes, and this blog post “Rain”, regarding May of 2014 and saw that we received 17” of rain from May 1^st thru June 10^th back in 2014. While we are behind that pace so far this year, the rain might not be done.

We were able to fit in a good portion of the slicing of the bermuda grass before the rains came. We still have holes 4-10 to do and will finish those as soon as the ground is dry enough. We will also begin our fertilizer treatment of all weak areas once the weather cooperates. We also continue to formalize our recovery plan for the poorest areas.

Rain also limits our ability to maintain the turf and general aspects of the course. Mulch washes out of flower beds, drains clog with debris, and bunkers are washed out. We worked daily to keep the bunkers from deteriorating too much so that cleanup after all of the rain was not too extensive. But there is still other debris strewn across the course that will take time for us to pick up. We are not able to mow anywhere either without causing even more damage with our machines. Please be patient while we spend this upcoming week (or next dry stretch) trying to play catch up. As we work our way around the course getting to each area, there will be very long grass, lots of clippings, and generally a very haggard look.

We will continue to adjust to the weather because it dictates nearly everything we do. But we will strive to get the most out of each day to get the course back in shape.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

The broken tee boxes are not trash cans. Thank you.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Bunker etiquette

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Next steps for the Bermuda grass

We continue to work towards solutions regarding the Bermuda grass health. The path forward for this summer will require several different approaches.

We have toured the course and inventoried each damaged area. We have contacted our golf course architect for an early indication regarding logistics of laying sod in certain areas. On Tuesday we have a regional turfgrass agronomist visiting Bretton Woods. He is not only very familiar with all issues of turf in the Mid-Atlantic region, he is also very acquainted with Bermuda grass in our environment. His ideas and suggestions will help shape our remediation plan.

Starting this week, we will also start slicing the Bermuda grass. As we mentioned last week, we have seen great improvement when employing the slicing technique. You can read more about it here. Basically, each place that a viable stolon or rhizome of Bermuda grass is cut, new growth can begin. By slicing the healthy turf we have, we are encouraging new growth to fill in. We will use this tactic to shrink the size of the large bad areas, and possibly eliminate the small bad areas. We are hoping for cooperative weather so that the slicing is successful. Following the slice, in 5-7 days we will make a spot fertilizer application to all the struggling turf.

These are the next immediate steps as we continue to focus on the Bermuda grass and its recovery.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

The broken tee boxes are not trash cans. Thank you.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Bunker etiquette

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Bermuda grass health

The Bermuda grass is struggling so far this spring. There are myriad reasons for the lag.  We are aware of the impact to playability, and we are working to remedy the situation. We have taken several steps towards improving the conditions and we have several more steps planned for the near future.

As you may recall, the winter was colder than several of the last few years, with temperatures in the single digits on more than one occasion. Prolonged cold can be damaging to Bermuda grass. Next, this spring has been near record cold. We have had very little warm air. Daytime highs have been well below average and nighttime lows have been well below average. Due to this cold air, we have also struggled to build up soil warmth. Bermuda grass is warm-season grass, meaning it thrives in warm weather, so the cold winter coupled with a cold spring has been damaging. These are not excuses but do impact the health and emergence of the Bermuda grass greatly.

Tees, approaches, drainage swales, and sod from construction in previous years are the worst areas. We expect the tees to recover with time. Because of their sand base, they get drier in the winter and therefore get colder. This in turn requires more time and warmth for them to regain the soil temperatures needed for growth. As for the other poor areas, we are taking a different tactic or several tactics for recovery.

We cannot control the weather, but we are actively working to improve the areas that we can control. Sod has been laid in 3 initial areas already: 3 approach, 14 approach, and 18 approach. These areas were identified very early as showing very little signs of life, so the decision to sod them was made quickly. We will also be developing a plan and budget to sod more areas soon.

Early in the spring we applied a slow-release fertilizer to give the Bermuda grass a slow, consistent supply of food. This fertilizer begins to release as soil temperatures warm, in much the same way the Bermuda grass begins to grow with warmer soils. This fertilizer is now available for the turf and will continue to be for about 6 months. We also have in stock a rescue application of fertilizer for any areas that we need to boost immediately. We expect to start these applications in the next 2 weeks. Finally, we have in stock sprayable fertilizer for the Bermuda grass as well. This is available to use at any point and we will lightly feed the Bermuda grass with this material throughout the summer.

Last week we applied compost to the Bermuda grass. This application covered the fairways and the tees. This will provide warmth to the surface to help with soil temperatures. It will provide a small boost in fertility. It will also help in the long-term battle against all of the issues affecting the Bermuda grass currently, and that affect it every year.

Our initial cultural practice for the Bermuda grass will be to slice. Several years ago, when some construction sod was slow to emerge, we sliced it, and the recovery was quick and noticeable. You can read more about slicing here. Since then we have used this tool as our first way to get some lateral growth and density going in the fairways. We will start this process May 14^th. We will do the fairways, approaches, and tees over the course of a few days.

Our last effort will be to sprig healthy grass into the areas that are not recovering and that would be too large to sod. This process will involve aerating a strong, healthy area (likely #12 fairway), removing the material that we pull out, spreading it in the poor areas, compacting it into the soil, keeping it moist, and waiting for this new Bermuda grass to grow. At this point, we can’t say for sure where those areas will be or when we will do it. However, we are not going to wait forever to begin the project. We will provide an update prior to commencing.

We are as concerned with the state of the Bermuda grass as you all are. We are not taking anything for granted or throwing our hands up and moving on. We will continue to work to make things right.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

The broken tee boxes are not trash cans. Thank you.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Bunker etiquette

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org