Latest on the Bermuda grass

The Bermuda grass is off to an average start. While it was a mild winter by our standards, anything much less than tropical is still cold to the Bermuda grass.

This past winter was very interesting. We set significant records for winter golf played- the temperatures were very conducive to being out. It was “relatively” warm, and often dry. One of the online tools we use to monitor growing degree days also does a breakdown comparison year to year of temperatures, starting after the end of March. It provided a unique, but informative view of this year so far:

-          As of March 31^st, when using 32 degrees as the base (meaning counting any average temps over 32 as a growing degree), 2023 was 15 days ahead of 2022

-          However, using 50 degrees as the base, 2023 was 5 days behind 2022

This explains the heavy amount of early season golf. We had an above normal number of days that were between 32- and 50-degree averages, but not many above 50 or many below 32. This is a nice setup for winter golf. But not beneficial to most grass growth, and especially unhelpful to Bermuda grass.

Bermuda grass is a warm-season grass. Without getting too technical, this basically means that it prefers warm, humid temperatures. Many years of breeding and developing new cultivars has greatly increased the cold tolerance of the newest varieties. However, winter injury and death during the cold times of the year are always possible.

The winter did not have much long, cold stretches or snow. However, we still had a couple weeks of very cold temperatures. We also had zero snow cover at any point to use as protection against the coldest days. With that being said, the Bermuda grass looks to be healthy across most of the course. Cooler, shady areas are always slower to green up than open, sunny areas, so some variation in appearance is common. Tees are also slower to grow green tissue compared to the fairways due to the difference in soil and the soil’s temperature and moisture holding capabilities.

We plan on having to do work to some areas of Bermuda grass every year- it is expected when growing Bermuda grass in this region. Right now, we are optimistic that the amount of work we must do will be in-line with typical seasons and will not prove to be widespread, extended poor conditions. Extra fertilizer, mowing adjustments, cultural practices, and sod when necessary are all tools that we are ready to deploy.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please remember to remove any bunker sand that may be stuck to your spikes before walking on the greens.

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

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org