Tee Leveling

We've started with some tee leveling this month.  We wanted to get started on a few earlier in the season but the weather didn't help us very much. 

Last week we completed the red tee on #13 Hill and that should be back in play by the end of next week.  This week we are doing the gold/red tee on #2 Lake and hope to have it completed before the weekend, and back in play in two weeks.  Next week, weather permitting, we'll head to the gold/red tee on #3 Hill.

To hear the process described, it sounds relatively simple, consisting of three steps: 1) remove sod; 2) level tee; 3) replace sod.  But all three are time consuming, especially steps 2 and 3 that require a large amount of finesse and hand work.

The pictures to the right are of the tee after the sod has been removed and leveling is just starting.  And the other is of the rolls of sod taken off the tee.

On both tees we have been able to enlarge the teeing surface a little bit.

Dollar Spot

Last week I mentioned that we had been holding up pretty well against dollar spot.  Well.........that didn't last long.  It sprouted up on the tees last night and with the forecast calling for rain at almost any given time until Thursday, we may see a pretty good outbreak by the time it can get treated.  But, unlike the anthracnose that hit #6, 7, and 8 on the Lake Course,  it is largely superficial at this point and will bounce back quickly after we hit it with a little propiconazole and chlorothalonil followed by another shot of fertilizer. 

What a summer!

Like most regions of the country, it's been quite a summer here in WNY. The long, hot, dry spell has put a tremendous amount of stress on our turf opening the door for anthracnose on #6, 7 & 8 greens on the Lake Course. The rest of the greens have handled it quite well with not so much as a splash of any other diseases out there.

Surprisingly, I have seen almost no dollar spot on tees and fairways yet this year despite having only one preventive application on tees and only the Lake Course fairways treated. We'll see what happens later this summer as the nights get cooler and the dew gets heavier.

Power Outage

We lost power this afternoon and power company says it will be out for 24 hrs. Not good with this heat. Lake Course #6, 7, and 8 greens are taking quite a beating with this heat and lack of roots from the wet spring.

Because of this, we will skip the morning mowing and roll greens instead. This will help ease the stress level for a very long day tomorrow. Normal mowing practices will resume Saturday morning, assuming we have power back.

HOT, HOT, HOT

It has been a few years since we've had a summer this dry, and the next few days are going to be hot as well. Fortunately not as hot as the Midwest has seen recently (upwards of 110* in some areas), but hot by our standards.

I read on a turfgrass disease blog recently that cool season grass roots pretty much quit growing around 77*F at 4" deep in the soil. Our temp on #13 Lake Course green yesterday was 82*F at 4" deep at 4:00pm. It is going to be a tough stretch for the rest of the summer.

What does the heat this mean for golfers? Not much other than tolerating some daytime irrigation to keep the grass alive until we get some cooler weather. Also, please be patient with some of my boys who are out trying to repair irrigation leaks and wiring issues. They are instructed to be courteous and get out of the way when golfers approach, but please give them a heads up when you are approaching so they know you are there.

Drink lots of water!

Home Lawn Care

As we head into the heat of the summer, be careful of when and how you mow your lawn. Try to keep the height of cut around 3" and, if possible, mow after a rain rather than in the middle of the day during a hot, dry spell. If things are getting shaggy and you can't wait for a rain, then mowing later in the evening is your best choice as it is cooling down and has all night to recover before the next day's heat.

Happy 4th!

This has been one our better 4th of July weekends for weather in a long time. Hope everyone has had a chance to play.

Enjoy your day!