Brutal summer conditions - Closed courses

[C. Squier]

Played 90 holes over the last 3 days in Philly and walked 54 of them. It's a touch warm, no need for the cashmeres.

[JR Potts]

I feel bad for our Super.  We've been trying to get through a grow-in this summer ... the greens are great but fairways are under real stress from the heat, humidity and rain ... and now he has to deal with this days before our big member-guest.  [We got 7.6 inches of rain on Friday night in 7 hours.  And I've never seen standing water in any of these areas before - let along lakes there.]

[Dan Herrmann]

I went to a Level 42 concert last night  -  got out at about 10:45pm.  Driving along the PA Turnpike at 11PM, and it's 90 degrees.

It seems like a muggy version of Phoenix

[Stephen Britton]

I heard a rumor today from across the street that Winged Foot has lost at least some of their greens.

If it was a rumor "you heard", and you didn't see it for yourself, why would you say something like this on a public forum?

[Anthony_Nysse]

I heard a rumor today from across the street that Winged Foot has lost at least some of their greens.

In a time like this, where everyone is on highten alert, FACTS are very important. Each and every Superitendent is busting their hump to keep their grass, but also communicate with their memebership EXACTLY what is going on with their turf.  With courses already closing and Superintendents fighting hard to save their courses, the last thing that they need to hear about is some rumor. There are A LOT more people who read GCA that anyone really realizes.  If it's a rumor, considering the magnatitude of this situation, there is no need to post it. Keep it to yourself.

[Carl Nichols]

Ryan:
Where is that? 

[JR Potts]

That's Medinah.  And the second and third pictures from the bottom are of the #3 course - and there are no creeks at those locations and I've never seen water there....even puddles.

The amount of water is staggering.

[Carl Nichols]

Wow -- I was just there on Monday and didn't recognize it.  I guess the bridge would've given it away if I looked closely. 

[Sean Remington (SBR)]

   When it comes to dealing with the heat Mr. Randy Wilson has some good advice:

http://www.turfnet.com/tv/

[Tim_Cronin]

Ryan,
Those pictures are amazing. Here's where Lake K. being part of the DuPage flood control system doesn't help, because you can't just open the lock and drain the lake to save the bunker. Reminds me the the deluge we had on my end of town about a decade ago. 16 inches in a day in some areas or something close to that.

[Steve Lapper]

I heard a rumor today from across the street that Winged Foot has lost at least some of their greens.

If it was a rumor "you heard", and you didn't see it for yourself, why would you say something like this on a public forum?

Because this guy doesn't lack for opinion about near anything and combined with a lack of expertise (other than digging ditches) about much else, has ZERO problem making a tough situation worse.


Last I recall, he was using his GCA "expertise" to infer template designs where they never existed at said course. Must be the heat!

[Ronald Montesano]

Ballyhack was the coolest of the course we played on the Virginia swing; Kinloch was an absolute hummum, although our caddies bore the brunt of the burden...we just drank water, sweated, drank water, hit golf shots, drank water and marveled.

Williamsburg was another story all together.  100 degrees every day (Buffalo was in the 90s while we were away.)  This global warming fiction is so overrated...

Ballyhack had just hosted the big regional match play, so they were letting their greens rest a bit.  The other courses did the same, albeit for reasons unrelated to major tournaments.

[Jeff Spittel]

We're having some of the same problems at the home club in Houston. Playing a temp green on one hole and have been dealing with multiple diseases on the greens. You know the weather's been bad when Bermuda can't handle it in the summer.

[Ian Larson]

I just got off the phone with a good friend of mine who supers a course in SE Pa. and has come through so far without a single incident and we talked about some clubs he played at recently with the same thing.

It makes me wonder, with turf and soil management styles being as unique as fingerprints from super to super....are the guys getting through this just flat out lucky? Or should they be commended for managing turf and soil in a way that their course will survive no problem. There are microclimates to take into consideration but just like in golf where everyone is playing the same golf course, an entire region is experiencing the same nightly lows (highs) and the same rainfall. With the numerous variables that are presented with when and what a super does with his program I find it nearly impossible that the guys getting through an extrordinary situation lucky. I would be interested to see and hear what unique things these supers did or did not do that they felt helped ease through this and how they are going to execute it through the rest of the summer. There has got to be some interesting success stories out there.

[JR Potts]

Ian - I think luck has a huge deal to do with it.  For instance, with the rain I posted about above, we recevied 7.5 inches of rain in a 7 hour period.  Olympia Fields, 20 miles south, received approximately one inch.  Shoreacres, 20 miles north, received 2 inches - but got killed three days earlier in a storm that totally missed the western and southern suburbs of Chicago.

The hot temperatures, coupled with extreme humidity will wreak havoc on bent grass alone - now couple it with a foot of standing water.  The first two conditions can be managed - add the third, and I don't care how good someone is, there is going to be turf death.  

This summer - in my opinion - luck is playing a large part....then again, I've seen signs of stress on every course I've played.  

For instance, Merion, with one of the most accomplished supers around, had issues when I was out there.  Their first and second greens didn't look so hot - any idea how they are doing now?

[Jay Kirkpatrick]

We're in the Piedmont of NC.  Interesting dichotomy at my home course.  We just re-did all the fairways in zoysia... and it couldn't look or play better.  Just thick, full carpet of grass despite brutal conditions.  The bent greens, however, are really suffering.  We've "lost" a couple and almost all of them are showing severe stress from long periods of major heat and then quick downbursts of heavy rain.

[Ian Larson]

We all know there is always a certain element of luck with mother nature. One course getting inches and inches more rain than others is obviously unlucky. And I agree, any super with standing water in 80 and 90 degree weather is just screwed no matter who it is or what he's done.

But what about in a region where all of the courses are generally saturated with the same general temps and the same general humidity without standing water? When the playing feild has been leveled in a region by the weather is there anything to be said about all of the completely different styles of soil, water and turf management leading up to this? I'd also have to say that to even begin to think about you have two categories that really can't compare to each other, soil pushup greens and sand based greens.

So that brings something else to mind. Of courses that have suffered the most loss of turf on greens, has their been more casualties on soil pushup or sand based? I only assume the soil pushup because they have much less control of soil moisture levels than sand greens but my assumption could prove to be wrong.

Hopefully the season has seen it's worst and will only get better and allow some recovery. I spent the mid to late 90's trying to keep bentgrass alive in coastal south Carolina while in college which I think was at the time the farthest south bentgrass had been planted for greens. My experience taught me it was all about keeping the rootzone on the dry side rather than saturating the he'll out of it. The greens ALWAYS suffered the most when it would rain and moisture control was out of our hands.