Tough Weekend for Grass

These conditions are brutal for golfers, staff, and the golf course.  The staff has been amazing this summer and especially over the last few days.  Ryan Funkhouser (Assistant Supt.), John Gordon, Alex Johnson, Andrew Sexton, and Richard Davis have braved the heat from sunrise to late afternoon scouting greens and tees for any signs of stress.  Even with all our efforts we expect to see some damage from this heat.  We can add water with hoses to areas that are dry, but we are powerless to keep temperatures from rising.  Greens that are in pockets surrounded by trees and/or in low lying areas will suffer the most.  Lack of air movement makes it impossible for evaporative cooling to keep the turf canopy from overheating.  You've probably seen fans on greens at other courses and may have wondered what they were for.   This weekend would be a great time for us to have a few fans.  We'll bounce back from whatever setbacks we suffer this weekend.  It's just a tough time for bentgrass and those of us who grow it.