Nobody wants to play golf on a course that’s brown or patchy with grass. And while some turfgrass care tips are obvious (i.e., watering and fertilizing), there are some other hacks that groundskeepers have picked up along the way. Let’s take a closer look at some of the turfgrass tips you need to know—from the basics to some other pointers you may not have heard of.
As the winter weather rolls in and all of us that reside in colder temps take a break from outdoor turfgrass management, it doesn’t mean it’s the time to get lazy. There is work that can be performed indoors and research that can be done to prepare for the upcoming spring. And when it comes to turfgrass, the work to create ideal turfgrass never stops!
Though the bodies of water across a golf course are beautiful to look at, most golfers try to avoid them at all costs. For Superintendents, they are something they definitely can NOT avoid. They are an aspect of the course that requires constant attention, care and maintenance—ensuring that the water is clean and the quality high. The struggle lies in that it’s not easy or cheap to accomplish this, but it’s unavoidable.
Winter is just around the corner, so as course traffic begins to slow for many clubs in the North, that doesn’t mean the course maintenance does. If you think about it, during the prime golfing season, a super’s focus is on general course maintenance and making sure daily play is the best it can be. But during the months when it’s too cold for golfing, this is the time to catch up, get organized and start planning for the next year. Here are some suggestions to help you be prepared come spring. Can you check all of these off your list?
Though we like salt on our food and on snowy streets, one place you don’t want to find high levels of salt is on a golf course green. However, it’s a common golf course enemy due to the increased use of recycled water in recent years. In fact, according to Golf Course Magazine, “Recent estimates are that 13% of golf courses in the United States use recycled water for irrigation.” Let’s break it down and figure out how to best identify and solve for this problem.
For the turfgrass on a golf course to be healthy and thrive, it needs four standard things: good soil, sunlight, nutrients, and most importantly, water. Having an irrigation system distribute the water evenly and frequently across the course helps managers keep up with that challenge. But when the irrigation sources are varied (which is common on any golf course), it can be tricky to protect the quality of the water. There are many elements that can easily get into it, and then cause costly problems when it’s regularly sprinkled across the grass. Therefore, it’s important for managers to regularly test it to stop any problems before they get started.
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.
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?
A perfect golf course is so much more than just lush, healthy turfgrass. It's the balance of grass, sand, water, and the interaction with the surroundings that give you that "this is gonna be a great game" feeling. Rolling up next to a pond covered in green slime infringes upon that feeling. But! You can't just nuke all the plant life in your waters because they contribute to the ecosystem's health. Like so many things in this industry, it's about balance. Here we talk about algae and its role in your ponds.