08 Aug Beating Summer Turf Stress
Posted at 16:23h
in Turfgrass Management
Summer weather can be an enormous challenge to your golf course maintenance. The stress on your turf can be brutal- here are some cultural and mechanical tips that can help you survive the summer heat and thrive throughout the year. Conditions can be brutal due to the high heat and humidity we often see. Excessive stress can cause turf decline that can affect playing conditions. Being proactive with your actions can help minimize stress and maximize play.
I talk a lot about soil and grass, but water needs some attention too - the company is called Soil & WATER Consulting! A well-placed water feature can aid with irrigation and the general beauty of the course. Today I thought we'd touch on some tips to identifying issues in golf course water features, like ponds and lakes, and how to potentially address them. 
Golf courses are a special animal. On the one hand, it's a sport built in nature, designed to be played on long, emerald fairways. Golfers appreciate the natural elements - the grass, the sand, the water - it is vital to the art of the game. On the other hand, while golfers are dependent on nature to play their sport, they need that nature to be curated and controlled and nature tends to fight back. One of nature's strongest armies are weeds. Course managers are waging constant battle on these persistent threats, often with chemical warfare, which can run contrary to a deep appreciation of nature. But, new research is showing nature may be able to fight itself in the form of fescue. 
Temperatures this week have been a bit... extreme in the Northern US, in case you haven't noticed. There are endless news reports about the impact these temps are having on people, travel, and every other thing, but I can't help but think to Spring and what this dramatic cold snap will do to my clients' courses across the Northeast. While cold weather can do some good, like killing off all the crabgrass, Winter Kill can cause major headaches for turf managers. I thought I'd talk a bit about what it is, how to help prevent it (not this year!), and how to recover from it. 
Great turf starts with healthy soil, but what does healthy soil start with? Before we dive into the specifics, it needs to be recognized that for something to have “health”, it must be a living thing. So how can soil be alive? It’s a vital, living ecosystem, full of organisms like bacteria, algae and fungi. It’s not just a growing medium, but its own entity. 
A lot of people can get turned off by the term consultant. Sounds like a middle man, an extra step that adds cost to a project that can be avoided with a little research and legwork. But, I assure you, when it comes to creating a vibrant, lush golf course, bringing in an expert that uses testing and data to back up recommendations can be an absolutely invaluable move. So just what do I do? 
If there’s anything I’ve learned in my 30+ years playing or working on golf courses, it’s that I’m never done learning. It’s impossible to know it all, and it’s an industry where change is constant. But, there are a few things I’ve witnessed throughout my time about superintendents and what makes the best ones. Here are a couple of mistakes I’ve seen made that could be the difference between amateur and pro status.