Storms continue to hit, some heat returns next week

 

The forecast looked wet this week and it has not disappointed. A wet weekend was followed up by another storm Tuesday night that brought around an inch of rain to the property. Another .3" fell Wednesday night and has left us pretty wet and shaggy this Thursday. Hopefully the storms tonight miss and we can get the fairways mowed down for the weekend. We were thankful for a dry Monday and we took advantage with a variety of topdressing, including the bent greens on the South.

The range tees also got a quick dose of sand Monday and they have been soaked ever since.

The verticutter made an appearance on the North greens first thing Monday and we have lowered the height even more since a few weeks ago. With the humidity finally here these leafs have fattened up so there was plenty of grass to take off these greens to aid in ball roll.

The topdresser was following directly behind the verticutter.

More than a dusting was applied since rain was on the way.

The Champion greens were brushed and blown off and ready for another week of play. 

As we mentioned with the humidity the use of growth regulators has been consistent the past few weeks. This normal summer weather produces a plant that holds a high percentage of water (80-90%!) for most of the day.  When the humidity is 100% in the morning and only drops slightly through the day, the possibility of the plant drying out and the leaf itself shrinking to where we can get better greens speed is minimal.

The South team continues to make their constant rounds through the bunkers and they have been looking solid. The faces have grown in nicely over the past few weeks but bermuda runners into the sand continue to keep the guys busy.

We have started to incorporate the bunker machine more as we prepare for a mass exodus of college student help next week. The machine does a nice job in the larger bunkers but we have to watch the entry and exit points for excessive wear and sand build up.

Fingers crossed we can dry up a little to round out the week. The mechanics have been busy trying to keep all our reels sharp and set in order to keep up with the wet August growth!

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