Pythium, algae, brown patch, flooding and more

I returned from the International Turfgrass Society meetings on Friday afternoon and was greeted to a slew of new diseases in the region. At the research facility, algae and brown patch were taking off due to the recent rains and high temperatures. The recent rains were not without their own problems as it caused major flooding at various golf courses in the region. Most notably, Merion Golf Club had many bunkers wash out and even had holes under water for a period of time (Image of hole #11 fairway and green, courtesy Matt Shaffer). Also hanging on in many regions is the Type II fairy ring species on both putting greens and fairways. I have yet to see these rings collapse in the Northeast, but it is likely that some superintendents are dealing with more severe cases.

Dr. Landschoot indicated that Pythium blight was also active on his fine leaf fescue variety trials. Although I hadn't seen any Pythium around the facility, I did notice that half of my Kentucky bluegrass lawn was wiped out on the side of my house. This area receives little light or air movement and has a swale that carries the water from about 10 properties away from entering my basement!

Overall, I would say that this summer has been a cake walk as far as disease and heat problems are concerned. Although we are not completely out of the woods, we are getting close.

On the lookout...I have not heard any reports of gray leaf spot yet, but this is one disease that is likely just around the corner and preventive treatments should now be close or in place already depending on your location.

Do you have anything happening at your course worth sharing? If so, feel free to add your story to the comments section or send images to be included in a future posting!

OH! I almost forgot, everyone keep an eye out for Frank Wong's posting this week from the American Phytopathology Society Meetings in Portland. I hear they are seeing some interesting things in the streets of Portland this week!

It's US Open Week in the Northeast

This week marks the start of the 2009 US Open Championship hosted by Craig Currier at Bethpage Black. In 2002, Bethpage was the first public facility to host a US Open Championship. That week was met with great success and a lot of rain as Tiger Woods went on to win his 2nd US Open (and now is the defending champion). Now according to weather.com, there is a 40% chance of rain each day of the event. So based on the accuracy of most weather forecasters, it will probably be perfectly sunny and dry.

As golf course superintendents head into their own tournament season, the thought of heavy rains and golf course preparation comes to mind. One of the busiest times of year for me is immediately following the golf course tournament season. Visits to golf courses during this time often are met with thinning turf stands, weak collars, and dead or dying greens. In many cases, this was caused by "pushing" the greens to their limits in preparation of a particular event. It is important to know the limitations of your greens and always follow some basic rules to prevent damage (especially during excessively wet weather):

1. Never mow greens that are wet. Mowing greens that are excessively wet can result in severe damage. Wet greens tend to be spongy and are susceptible to scalping from mowers.

2. Remove standing water ASAP. During the hot summer and heat of the day, heavy rains can result in standing water. This water can heat up to levels that result in direct scald of the turf.

3. Improve drainage. While this is a long term fix, many golf courses in the Northeast are in need of supplemental drainage to their native soil putting greens. The addition of drains such as the XGD system can be completely relatively quickly with minimum disturbance to the putting green surface.

4. Keep a level head. When things get busy during the summer, stick to the basic agronomics that you know have worked for you in the past. Know the limitations of your course and "try" to avoid the pressure to do things that you know are bad for the turf. Avoid being tempted by the member comments of "I don't care if they die, just get the speeds up to 12!".

Now I know that there are some things that are unavoidable, but do what you can to prevent causing the damage yourself. There are plenty of other things out there that we don't have control over, so let's try to manage the things we can control.

AND...GO TIGER!