What Happens When Golf Courses Are Feeling the Summer Heat

What Happens When Golf Courses Are Feeling the Summer Heat

Summer is a great time of year for golf, but it can also be a challenging time
for course maintenance. Long days and hot weather
create a delicate balance between providing the best possible conditions
and keeping the grass healthy. If your golf course has cool season
grasses like bent grass and Poa annua. They’ll be stressed
when it’s hot and humid. Superintendents may mow less often
or raise the height of cut to give these grasses a break. That may cause green speeds to slow down
until things cool off a little. On the other hand, warm season grasses
like Bermuda grass, love the heat and grow so well in the summer,
that they’re hard to keep up with mowing. All that growth means slower green speeds, less bounce and roll on shots. And you can expect some disruption
from practices like aeration and verticutting that are used to manage
the impact of summer growth. No matter
what kind of grass your course has, careful water
management is vital during the summer. Because too much water
can be just as damaging as too little. While most watering takes place
overnight, expect to see the maintenance staff out using hoses
or running a few sprinklers on a hot day. It’s also totally normal to see some brown patches
during a stretch of hot or dry weather. Don’t worry because they’ll green up
after a good rain. You may also see large fans running
near some greens. They might be a little noisy,
but they help keep grass alive by moving stagnant air when it gets hot. The maintenance staff also needs
to be ready for heavy summer rains. Repairing bunker washouts and cleaning up debris
after a storm can take several days. And there may be cart restrictions
until things dry out. If you have any questions
about weather impacts or golf course conditions,
give the golf shop a call. and next time you’re feeling the heat
on the golf course, remember, the grass is feeling it too. And the maintenance staff is out working
hard to keep the course in good shape, not only for the summer, but beyond.

Summer is a great season for golf, but it brings many challenges for golf course maintenance. Here’s a look at how superintendents keep courses in good shape through those long, hot days.

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