Dry times

To say that it is dry right now is an understatement. The pond level is low, rough is brown, and even the Bermuda grass is dry in places.

One of the greatest advantages of having Bermuda grass tees and fairways is the ability of the turf to withstand a drought. Bermuda grass is like any other plant; it likes and needs water. However, the key is that the Bermuda can survive on much less water and for a much longer time between watering. Any cool season turf- bentgrass, ryegrass, poa annua- would all need to be constantly watered through this time to varying degrees.

Look closely, the 2 brown lines are where
the old cart path used be.

The rough is also showing signs of drought stress. Under trees, cart path edges, and anywhere irrigation does not reach has lost all its green color. Most of our rough is non-irrigated, the exception being a few rough sprinklers that are strategically located around some fairway bunkers that we do use a little more regularly. So, the rough only gets water from the sprinklers that are in the fairways, so it is accustomed to long stretches of little water. Noted in the previous paragraph, we have severely limited the amount of water we are putting on the fairways, so the rough is in the same boat. Though, since it is trained to use less water, most of this grass will bounce back once we do get some adequate soil moisture.

Our irrigation water comes from the pond on 17. We can refill that pond by partially diverting the creek that runs across the property near tennis. When we are in desperate need for more water, we are also able to pump directly out of the Potomac river. This is how the pond was initially filled and the capability remains. We are approaching time for this action if we do not receive some rain soon.

The other aspect that comes with relying on irrigation alone, is the long-term inefficiencies of the system. An irrigation system is designed to bridge the gap between rain events; not substitute for rain for an extended period. When we rely on the sprinklers for long stretches, we start to see some problems. Areas that get poor coverage start to get dry, even though there may be sprinklers nearby. Conversely, some areas start to get too wet because when trying to water a dry area, we sometimes must also water a wet area at the same time. We minimize this by using hoses and very accurately applying the water exactly where we want it, but we can only use hoses so much.

Hopefully, talking about how dry it is will bring some rain! Otherwise, we will continue to carefully apply water to those areas that need it most.

 

Also, please note that we will be aerating 8/3-8/5, with 9 holes closed each day. Thank you

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Golf carts must always remain on cart paths once past the green and white posts, through the next tee complex. This is not weather dependent!

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