#5 fairway

The cicadas are out, the heat has turned back up, and the Bermuda grass has finally kicked into gear. However, #5 fairway still noticeably lags behind the rest. The 5^th fairway is a difficult place to grow Bermuda grass. Trees, shade (from trees and slopes), and moisture all play a role in hampering the turf and can be traced back to spring conditions.

 #5 has trees running up the entire right side, which is the side the of the sun for all the spring and fall. Spring shade can hard to overcome. Just as the Bermuda grass is breaking dormancy, new leaves are emerging and searching for sunlight to start producing their own food. Research has shown that initially after breaking dormancy, the new leaves can sustain themselves for about 2 weeks on reserve carbohydrates. After that, they need to start producing their own, new sugars. If the plant is in sustained shade, energy production is limited, therefore growth is limited. Unfortunately, it is not a single tree that shades the fairway, so removal is not really an option.

Aside from the shade cast by trees, the orientation and slope of the ground also place a burden on the turf. The first half of the fairway is naturally tilted away from the sun. In the summer, the sun starts to hit this portion by mid-morning. However, in the spring, it is late morning before any direct light hits the turf. Again, there is not much to do about the natural shape of the terrain.

Lastly, the final 1/3 of the fairway is very flat, almost bowl shaped. Water can sit in this area for longer periods than ideal. No one would consider this to be one of the wettest areas on the property, especially when the Bermuda grass is growing vigorously. However, during late winter and spring when the temperatures are cold, the excess moisture can cause issues like winter kill or weaken the grass enough for Spring Dead Spot (SDS) to occur.

So, Spring Dead Spot and winter kill are the two results of the myriad issues facing the 5^th fairway, which is the visual damage that can be seen. Generally speaking, the pathogen that causes SDS is always present in the soil and infects the Bermuda grass every year. However, it takes another factor to kill the turf- shade, low temperatures, poor light quality, excessive moisture. Meanwhile, winter kill is the catch-all term to describe turf that dies over the winter or early spring due to several factors unrelated to a pathogen- shade, low temperatures, poor light quality, excessive moisture.

There is not a silver bullet to erase the struggles on #5. We continue to hone our SDS chemical treatment program, we steadfastly apply our compost, and we stay current on research of cultural practices to improve the health of the Bermuda grass. Once we see what damage has occurred, we initiate our remediation programs: slicing, supplemental fertilizer, and seeding when necessary.

Though these issues seem to be out of our control, we work hard to manage the aspects that are in our control. We continue to push the Bermuda grass on #5 to get better as quickly as possible.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be careful not to damage the lip of the cup when retrieving your ball after putting out.

 

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

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org