The weather continues to be the story. Thirty plus days of 90F + high temperatures along with 20% of normal summer rainfall have certainly taken their toll on Midwest courses including Ridgemoor. Maintenance practices have been adjusted, including raised mowing heights, in favor turf health throughout this difficult weather pattern. So far we are fairing well!
Irrigation cycles are run closer to daybreak in order to reduce leaf wetness and disease pressure through the warm muggy nights.
Supplementing irrigation cycles with hand watering throughout the day takes care of localized dry areas.
Bunker Work: Jose and Alejandro check the sand depth in each bunker and relocate or remove sand from any areas that need adjustments.
Bunker Work: Areas that remained soft from early season edging are then compacted using a vibratory plate compactor.
Etiolation - def: The process of plants grown in partial or complete absence of light. It is characterized by long weak stems, sparse leaves and pale color due to lack of chlorophyl.
Bentgrass in the Chicago area has been exhibiting a strange response to the prolonged heat. Interestingly you can get this same response by covering your lawn for a few days with something such as a kids pool. When you remove the pool, the grass may be long and yellow as it has been struggling to grow towards the sunlight. You may have noticed this uneven growth or "etiolation" especially on collars during the last heatwave. Academics are still unclear as to the cause on golf courses, but research is ongoing. For now our best management practice is to reduce stress on the plant by decreasing mowing frequencies and raising the height of cut. Once temperatures dropped below 90F for a few days, these symptoms disappeared completely.
Heat Stress & Mid-Day Wilt - Sometimes no matter how diligently we monitor greens, the weather changes faster than we can react. On this particular day the wind and temperature rose quickly, while the humidity dropped. This resulted in tremendous stress, and ultimately some minor wilt. The good news is these areas are not lost, and will recovery quickly with a little TLC from staff. Interestingly the photo on the left shows a clear footprint, amazing how just a step was enough to send the grass plants into stress mode.
