Buckets and Buckets

In the last week the course has received over 8” of rainfall. At first, this was definitely a blessing with pond levels at an all time low and the city water pumping continuously. I had to drain the middle pond (by 4 tee) into the lower irrigation pond in order to have enough to water at night. The daily rains have helped to reset our pond levels and thoroughly hydrate the soil.

The issue now is that while we needed these rains to reset, they are now becoming a burden. When the turf and the soil below are completely saturated, trying to mow becomes an impossibility. Mechanical damage from mowers increases dramatically. The soft turf can easily be scalped, torn, and ripped from the roots leaving lasting damage for weeks. 

We will try our best keep good green speeds but the health of the turf always comes first.

The punching we just finished will help tremendously to quickly move water away from the surface but we still need to assess each morning whether its safe to mow.

As for the rest of the course, we are behind in our typical mowing schedule. Grasses in the rough and fairways have been unmowable this week with almost 4.5” of rain in the last 4 days. Hopefully we can catch a break, get some sun and wind to help dry things up and get back to our normal schedule.

This pic was taken a few days before venting the greens.

Almost identical downpours after slits.

The aerification with bayonet tines relieves compaction, allows gas exchange, and creates channels for new roots and water to flow.