Weather killing golf greens

**WUTiger** · August 8, 2010

On Friday I went to an area course which I play often. Three weeks ago, the course looked fine, except for a few spots on the greens. On Friday, I found they had lost four greens, and two more were about gone. The areas are bare except for some green "dust" (??) here and there.

Two problem greens were in groves of heavy trees, and four were on water holes. The course uses poa annua , a common turf grass for greens in the central states. One of the greens keepers told me they would have to rebuild the base to improve drainage, and start a replant this fall. He said heat, fungus and excessive rain was lethal.

This problem evidently is a national epidemic, according to the article The Ugly Summer of 2010 , by John Paul Newport of the Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ...f_journal.html

How are your local courses doing?

Does anyone know of a course that uses zoysia for its greens? Some turf guys were working on this several years back. Early problem was that zoysia grass blades were a bit too coarse for putting greens.

**jamo** · August 8, 2010

The course I player yesterday had totally dead fairways, but the greens were surprisingly lush. Pretty much all of the courses near me are like that now. But we live in very different parts of the country and we haven't had rain in months.

**MMouse** · August 9, 2010

I'm in Canada, but we've had some different problems. Severe rain has had the course closed on numerous occasions, open only to walking ( which I don't mind ), had two par fours changed to par threes due to excessive standing water and another par 4 shortened to avoid balls landing/golfers walking on a very very damp area. Another par 3 has been closed on several instances as the green has been soaked ( after it was opened I hit the front half and my ball literally disappeared into the ground )

All in all I guess it's been fortunate. The par 4's which were turned into par 3's are now par 4's again and have recovered quite nicely from the flooding and subsequent kill.
There are still many many areas on the course where one must take relief from the standing water or excessively wet fairway, but it's still playable.

**DavidFehertysBike** · August 9, 2010

Alot of the courses around here got burnt out by the dramatic Rain/Heat spells we had a few weeks ago. It would rain really hard for a few hours or maybe a half day. Then then 90+ degree sun and heat would come back out and cook the grass in the water like it was soup. Even the better kept country clubs have had alot of their fairways and greens burn out.

**Bullitt5339** · August 10, 2010

My home course swapped to a heat resistant grass for the greens about 4 years ago, and the greens have been perfect and fast all year until they just punched and sanded them in preparation for the club championship. The Pro told me the type of grass it was, but I can't remember off the top of my head. He said that, and religious care of them by the members and staff is the only reason we have perfect greens, when most in the area are almost bare sand, even the much nicer and expensive courses in and near Pinehurst.

**Chilli Dipper** · August 10, 2010

I've been playing a lot on courses with dwarf bermuda grass, and they are right in their element in hot weather.

**Lefty-Golfer** · August 12, 2010

it is ugly here here in PA. My club has lost 3 greens since middle of july, 2 more are come and go, at times all of the greens have been closed, members are not happy...and we are not alone in the area.

Sod god · August 12, 2010

I played Palmetto Dunes Fazio Course last April and they just resodded all of their greens to "Diamond" Zoysia. It's a very fine textured zoysia and provided a very good putting surface.

**sam004** · August 12, 2010

Right there with WUtiger. The Mid West summer has been rough. Every day of July seemed like it was hot and humid with a chance of rain, 90 + heat indexes. I was noticing some of the nicer courses I play, even they are having trouble growing grass.

**alf174** · August 12, 2010

According to a course owner I know, its the humidity that is creating grass killing fungus conditions. They'd rather have hot sunny weather then they just water enough to match it.

**TN94z** · August 13, 2010

Many courses around here are suffering. It is just hard to keep them in good shape unless you let them get shaggy. If you keep them tight, then you have to water them a lot right now, and the more you water, the greater chance of getting a disease. It's a tough time right now. I heard they closed one of the RTJ courses....Schoolhouse maybe...can't remember. There are houses in my subdivision that have bermuda yards with sprinkler systems and they are usually immaculate. With this weather, they are all but brown. If someone with a small yard can't keep their yards in good shape, I can't blame any courses that have issues.

With that being said, I played a new course in MS that had Mini-something bermuda and it was in great shape.

**Lefty-Golfer** · August 13, 2010

Many courses around here are suffering. It is just hard to keep them in good shape unless you let them get shaggy. If you keep them tight, then you have to water them a lot right now, and the more you water, the greater chance of getting a disease. It's a tough time right now. I heard they closed one of the RTJ courses....Schoolhouse maybe...can't remember. There are houses in my subdivision that have bermuda yards with sprinkler systems and they are usually immaculate. With this weather, they are all but brown.

It is not a matter of blame, it is a matter frustration. Having spent 20k to join another 800 or so per month to be there and knowing that all members are going to be hit with an assesment when the budget comes up short due to rounds, drinks and food being down in volumme....there are some issues.

**TN94z** · August 13, 2010

It is not a matter of blame, it is a matter frustration. Having spent 20k to join another 800 or so per month to be there and knowing that all members are going to be hit with an assesment when the budget comes up short due to rounds, drinks and food being down in volumme....there are some issues.

I can agree with that, but in my area they get blamed. And they get blamed hard! We don't have courses around here that costs that much to be a member. Around here, the nicest course can be joined for no initiation fee and like 230 a month. Everyone just expects that because you have Bermuda greens that the weather shouldn't be afffecting them and when it does, they get pissed. It's kind of like when the weather does the opposite. When it rains for weeks straight and no one can play and the course loses revenue, do the members get hit with an assessment then? They still lost the volume in the rounds, drinks, and food.

**msd3075** · August 13, 2010

There is a course here in town (Fianna Hill CC) that completely lost half their greens within the last few weeks. They had a "freak" isolated thrunderstorm that formed over the back 9 in the middle of the afternoon and absolutely flooded the course. It moved out and then was sunny with 100˚+ temperatures and "boiled off" all the grass. Right now, it's almost like putting in the bunker instead of on a putting green. The worst part is that they have a huge regional oil-field tournament coming up in about a month, and there is really nothign they can do in that type of time frame to fix the greens.

**rdwoody** · August 13, 2010

Greens are near non-existent here. Of course, I'm from the same town as TN94z, so it has been said already. There are only two courses I've played recently whose greens are still all there and green for the most part.

**Jay-Bird** · August 13, 2010

All of the Zoysia fairways around here are doing great. All of the Rye (winter grass) is dead and overrun with crab grass. The greens are fine.

GRey · August 13, 2010

i have noticed the opposite in the gc near my house. in flanders valley gc, nj, the excessive heat and occassional heavy downpoar has destroyed fairway greens. large stretches of fairways are now barren browns. less than great maintenance and lack of proper aeration during the off season has caused this. the putting greens are still in good conditions.

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**Bullitt5339** · August 13, 2010

I asked the pro at my club tonight what grass was on the greens, since they were the only ones still alive and looking perfect, and he said they were Champion Bermuda. He also said that he wouldn't be surprised if the other courses in the area switch after this summer, they are losing a ton of money because the greens are dead. Everyone is coming to Scothurst to play on nice greens. The fairways have some spots that aren't particularly wonderful, but the greens are perfect.

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