Responses to Comments/Concerns
COMMENT: There seems to be an awful lot of crabgrass on the tees this year.
RESPONSE: There is actually very little, if any, crabgrass on the tees. The weed you are seeing is goosegrass. The 6 holes with noticeable populations of goosegrass are the same 6 holes where we struggle with cart traffic on the tee slopes. That equates to a goosegrass problem along the edge of the path which in turn equates to a goosegrass problem in the areas where foot traffic leads. Another reason for the issue this year is the record setting heat and the corresponding earlier germination period for goosegrass. The goosegrass we have now will die with frost in the fall. A remedy for this issue next year is to re-sod the worn areas at tee slopes in conjunction with the regularly scheduled preventive herbicide application.
COMMENT: What caused some of the spots on tees to die.
RESPONSE: During the peak of the heat this summer those spots simply got too hot. We worked hard with hoses on tees and greens, but temperatures exceeded the limit that bentgrass can tolerate. We will re-seed in some of these areas and some of them are small enough for the existing turf to fill in naturally.
COMMENT: The ball marks don't seem to be healing very well.
RESPONSE: This is a function of the weakened state of the turf and its inability to recuperate as quickly as normal. In many cases these ball marks were repaired incorrectly or not at all. It is two fold this time of year. With cooler nights the turf will start to recover quicker from scars like ball marks.
COMMENT: The greens seem slower than normal
RESPONSE: Due to the extreme conditions we raised the mowing height from .115" to .125". Also, as the roots die back in the heat the greens require more frequent watering which may make them softer and a little slower. When the weather breaks and we recover from fall aeration they will probably putt faster.
COMMENT: The greens seem faster than normal
RESPONSE: Thank you.
RESPONSE: There is actually very little, if any, crabgrass on the tees. The weed you are seeing is goosegrass. The 6 holes with noticeable populations of goosegrass are the same 6 holes where we struggle with cart traffic on the tee slopes. That equates to a goosegrass problem along the edge of the path which in turn equates to a goosegrass problem in the areas where foot traffic leads. Another reason for the issue this year is the record setting heat and the corresponding earlier germination period for goosegrass. The goosegrass we have now will die with frost in the fall. A remedy for this issue next year is to re-sod the worn areas at tee slopes in conjunction with the regularly scheduled preventive herbicide application.
COMMENT: What caused some of the spots on tees to die.
RESPONSE: During the peak of the heat this summer those spots simply got too hot. We worked hard with hoses on tees and greens, but temperatures exceeded the limit that bentgrass can tolerate. We will re-seed in some of these areas and some of them are small enough for the existing turf to fill in naturally.
COMMENT: The ball marks don't seem to be healing very well.
RESPONSE: This is a function of the weakened state of the turf and its inability to recuperate as quickly as normal. In many cases these ball marks were repaired incorrectly or not at all. It is two fold this time of year. With cooler nights the turf will start to recover quicker from scars like ball marks.
COMMENT: The greens seem slower than normal
RESPONSE: Due to the extreme conditions we raised the mowing height from .115" to .125". Also, as the roots die back in the heat the greens require more frequent watering which may make them softer and a little slower. When the weather breaks and we recover from fall aeration they will probably putt faster.
COMMENT: The greens seem faster than normal
RESPONSE: Thank you.
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