It's very dry

How dry has it been? Depending on the source (there are several to choose from) we are somewhere between 7 and 9 inches of rain behind normal for the year. We are certainly seeing the effects of the drought on the course.

Seemingly since January, we have had warm days (relative to the time of year), wind, and low humidity. Couple those factors with the lack of precipitation, and the first half of the year has been very dry. This isn’t the first time our area has been dry, you can read these posts- dry weather, drought- but notice the dates on those past posts- one is from September and the other October. This is the driest, the earliest in the year in quite a long time. This lack of water plays a role in many ways across the course.

First, any grass that is not irrigated has turned dormant brown. Almost all soil moisture has been lost, with no replenishment, and the grass has activated its defense mechanism to survive: turn brown and stop growing. Luckily, with some sustained moisture, most, if not all this turf will bounce back, but it is striking to see, nonetheless.

The lack of moisture has also affected the healing and recovery of the Bermuda grass. Though not as limiting as the cool nights we have had, the lack of moisture has also kept the Bermuda grass from thriving. The Bermuda grass is irrigated, so it has not gone dormant anywhere, but the irrigation is only a supplement to rain, not a replacement. The Bermuda grass will start its summer push once the rain returns, but for now it has definitely been restrained.

Without rain, and using many gallons of irrigation water, the pond level on 17 also begins to drop. Most often we get enough timely rainstorms to recharge the level. But not this season; we have had a few small amounts of rain here and there, but nothing enough to add significant amounts to the pond. So, for the first time in 7 years, we need to rent a pump to add water from the Potomac River to refill our pond. Hopefully, once we fill the pond back up, we will make it the rest of the year without having to pump again.

Lastly, relying for so long on the irrigation system alone is very inefficient. Even a brand-new system will start to form wet and dry areas over a long period of use. However, our system is very old and is showing its age. The irrigation system was put in long before our 2014-2018 renovation, so it does not match the current course. Likewise, when the irrigation system was put in there were different turfgrass species on the tees and fairways. All of this contributes to dry areas even near sprinklers, or areas that are too wet. We have contracted with a consultant to start the process of replacing our irrigation system, but we are several years away from reaping the benefits.

In many ways, being too dry is more manageable than being too wet- we can add more water, but it is very hard (or impossible) to remove excess water. Nevertheless, we would still like some rain.

 

 

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:

Golf Cart tips

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org