FROM THE GOLF COURSE OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT
It is incredible how hot it has been so far this year and the forecast looks like we might be heading for a record year. Here are just a few statistics I have compiled over the last day or so. As of July twelfth we have already had thirty-one days above 90 degrees with the next fourteen days projected to reach that or higher. If you compare this to last year in Louisville the differences are quite astounding. In 2009 we only had twelve days at or above 90 degrees with a temperature of 92 being the hottest day of the year. We have already had multiple days above 95 degrees with 97 being the hottest temperature recorded so far in 2010. Last year the most consecutive days to reach 90 were four and so far in 2010 there have been sixteen. Most of the golf course has held up very well to these extreme temperatures and humidity however there are a few greens that have become stressed.
Some of the members have voiced their concerns about the condition of these few greens and asked why they are struggling. I would like to take this opportunity to explain some of the science behind these conditions and dispel some misinformation that is going around. Most of the greens are very healthy and doing very well considering the extreme heat over the last few weeks. However, during the sixteen straight days in late June of high 90 degree weather the greens were infected with a disease called pythium. Pythium attacks the roots and weakens the plants resistance to heat and the stress of foot traffic. The thin areas on the greens have nothing to do with poor mowing practices or aerification. In fact, if we had not aerified the greens with the needle tines on July sixth we would be in a much worse situation. The aerification process opened up the soil allowing the greens to breathe (CO2 buildup in the soil from decomposing organic matter is replaced with oxygen from the atmosphere); this allowed the infected roots to recover from the pythium and strengthened the other roots to help deal with the heat. We are always on a preventative fungicide program to prevent Pythium and theses fungicides and fertilizers were all applied at the correct times and at the correct rates but the extreme heat and humidity, along with poor air circulation on some of the greens, were just too much for some of the areas to handle. As soon as the infection was spotted, we immediately applied a fungicide to cure the plant and arrest further damage to the greens. The greens that were most affected were eight, twelve, thirteen and fourteen. This is mainly due to the fact that they receive very little morning sun, which is very important to the newer Bentgrasses varieties, and they are blocked from the prevailing wind due to houses or trees. I want to be clear, the disease is under control it has been eliminated and will not be spreading; in fact, the turf around the affected areas is so healthy that the thin areas are already filling in.
Now that you understand why we have this situation and what corrective measures we have taken thus far, I would like to explain what we are going to be doing in a broader sense. We have 135,000 square feet of greens and approaches at Hurstbourne and of that less than 4000 square feet have what I would consider unacceptable turf coverage. This represents less than 3% of the greens surface. First of all there is nothing on the greens that will not heal with a few weeks of good weather. However, to speed up the recovery process, we have put out temporary fans on four of the greens to increase air circulation and help cool the turf canopy and are in the process of obtaining pricing for permanent fans for greens eight, twelve, thirteen and fourteen. These fans will be similar to the fans on nine and sixteen which used to be two of our weaker greens but as a result have become two of our more consistent greens. We have increased our fungicide applications to prevent any future outbreaks and we have slightly increased our liquid fertilizer applications to help stimulate growth. We must be careful though not to over fertilize the greens this time of the year because that will increase our potential for more disease and the effects of heat stress. A few areas will not fill in on their own and will need to be plugged out; this will take place as soon as the weather breaks and we get a few days in a row with temperatures in the mid 80’s. The idea of temporary greens has been suggested by some of the membership but at this time would be an extreme measure. Currently, the turf on the greens in question is healthy and recovering nicely; the foot traffic that they see daily is not hindering the recovery. If there comes a time when temporary greens become necessary we will take the steps required to protect the greens.
I have also had a few questions about the areas we have sprayed out on a few of the bunker faces. These areas had become overly contaminated with Bermuda grass and needed to be removed. Unfortunately to successfully eliminate the Bermuda it will take three or four applications of Roundup over a six to eight week period. Once we are sure the Bermuda is dead we will sod the bunker faces with Fescue. Sorry for the inconvenience but it is a necessary practice.
Current course updates are always available on our blog at www.hcclouisville.blogspot.com. As always, the Department of Golf Course Operations is working very hard to keep not just the greens but the entire course in the best possible condition for your golfing enjoyment. If you have any questions or concerns about the course please feel free to contact me.
Walter K. Pritchett, CGCS
Director of Golf Course Operations
