During the heat of the summer our biggest concern is maintaining the health of our greens. With Bent/Poa pushups we are constantly walking the fine line of achieving the playability we desire without pushing the greens to the point of no return. The practices we utilize are designed to produce firm, fast conditions without much emphasis on the color. The fact is, these greens can be pretty ugly during the heat of the summer. Doesn't mean they're not healthy, just a result of our turf types that tend to be more susceptible to disease and summer stress.
Below are pictures of a disease called Summer Patch. The disease starts out yellowing the turf, with dark green outer edges. Over time the disease will weaken the roots, mainly on the edges. The good news is it specifically attacks the Poa, rarely do we see issues with the bent. As summer progresses we will see bentgrass fill the voids left from the damaged Poa annua. The pictures were taken recently on #17 green.
Water management, appropriate fertility and a solid preventative fungicide schedule are just some of the keys to success. Another tool we have used over the last couple of years is continued topdressing throughout the heat of the summer. Instead of using our heavy equipment to apply the sand we are now using push spreaders to apply a light dusting on a weekly basis. The sand helps keep things smooth and firm while also keeping the greens from getting puffy.
Next week looks like there could be some relief in the forecast. Cooler temps with a chance of much needed rain.
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