Golfing Tall - Pike Lake

Drought

Finally, the turf at Pike Lake can breathe a sigh of relief.  After 2 long weeks of dry hot weather, it rained 1.25” on Sunday. With the amount of damage that the surrounding area incurred from the intense winds, the golf course was lucky to be spared.  It’s ironic that a recent post on this blog was in regards to rain and course conditions under wet weather – and this one is about intense heat and drought stress. 

Just like you and I – grass needs water on a regular basis.  Otherwise its normal functions fail and the plant will go dormant – and if they fail for long enough, the plant will die.  Last week was full of “stressful days” for grass.  The temperature was high, the UV index was high, the winds were strong and the humidity was low (believe it or not, they manufacture sunscreen for grass).  All of the weather conditions above are hard on plants – just as they can be hard on us.  If the turf isn’t receiving adequate water, it’s root systems are the first to diminish.  This is why it is important for us to create a healthy soil environment in the greens – so that the roots are plentiful and strong for when the stressful conditions of summer arrive. 

Just like during times of extreme saturation, there are several things golfers can do to help the golf course (and the saneness of the maintenance crew) get through the drought with limited damage.  The first is learning and following the cart path rules.  The 90 degree rule is often misunderstood as the “drive to your ball in the fairway rule.”  It’s human nature to take the most direct route to their destination, especially if that route has been taken several times before them.  The tracks of death in the grass start to mimic a “path” for golfers.  When driving a cart please keep in mind to travel on the cart path as long as possible and enter the fairway where appropriate. This will help to prevent “death tracks” like in this picture where everyone enters the golf hole immediately after they leave the tee deck.  If a cart drives over extremely stressed turf it will leave tracks in the grass.  Hence the term – “death tracks.”

The second way golfers can help is to keep their carts in the fairway as much as possible.  It’s a misconception that since fairways are manicured more than the rough you are better off not driving in the short grass.  But it’s because they are manicured more that they’re able to withstand cart traffic more than the rough.  The irrigation layout is much friendlier to the fairway than the rough.  And if you imagine the amount of energy the grass in the rough would have to use to stand itself back up as opposed to a fairway grass which doesn’t need to stand back up – that’s usually a good indication. 

So in conclusion – we can all help the course out by following cart path rules, keeping the cart on greener pastures and not being a sheep in regards to where we enter and exit fairways! Maintenance staff included! We and the grass thank you!

Good luck to those competing in the Club Championship and the Pike Lake Open – the green speeds will be increased slightly over the next couple weeks – weather dependant.  Enjoy.