Cool Weather Woes

The dust has settled from our big project and we are starting to settle into a rhythm.  The course is well behind its typical form for early May due to cool weather, but we are starting to see improvement in small steps.  Aeration recovery is our primary frustration at the moment.  We expected a little longer recovery period due to the size tine we used, but the frosty mornings following aeration and the low 40s we've been seeing these past few days are holding us back.  A pre-aeration fertilizer application was actually a little more robust than normal, but soil temperatures are the driving force.  We just started to see clipping yield in measurable amounts this week.  For the past month the greens mowers were getting nothing more than a dusting of grass, if anything, in their buckets.  That's great for ball roll in season, but when you're trying to get aeration holes to cover over, it's nice to see some grass growing.  Over the years I've decided that Southshore bentgrass, the variety we have, is not a fan of cool weather.  That's why we don't aerate earlier in the season.  Unfortunately the forecast for the next week is low 40s at night with low to mid 60s during the day.   

The zoysia is not a fan of recent weather either.  It is waking up from winter, but not close to where we'd like it to be.  The range tee is a good example as you can still clearly see divots from last September.  In the next few days we'll be treating them with a product to control green kyllinga.  That is a weed we fight due to our poorly draining soil and it has started to pop out over the past week.  Unfortunately, this product can and usually does turn the zoysia an ugly color for a few days.  We will be mixing it with a micronutrient cocktail to hopefully mask some of the discoloration, but be prepared for a few days of ugly.  It is a small price to pay compared to having a blanket of weeds.  Warmer weather will eventually arrive and all will be fine.  

Lastly, we are going to be putting soil back along the edges of the new cart paths.  We will have to remove some sod, regrade soil, and replace sod in a few places where the new concrete is higher than the existing soil.  This may require some minor disruption to play on the hole we are working on, but we'll work as fast as we can to get out of your way.  Once completed, we'll need some help keeping carts off the newly grassed areas.  For this reason, the three holes in question will remain path only for a little longer.  

I have a lot more to share, but don't want to pile it all onto one update.  Stay tuned for more soon.