Pictured here is the outflow pipe at the end of the creek on hole 5. On Saturday, June 12th, heavy rains overtook the bank and ran over the cart path. The area around the pipe is starting to erode.The turf on the fairways will not tolerate much traffic when the soil is saturated. To alleviate the risk of compaction we will often restrict carts to "rough only" and reduce our mowing practices- sometimes skipping the wettest areas entirely. You will also notice the extensive use of ropes to divert traffic from areas of concern.
Bunkers are severely damaged by heavy rains. We outlined the painstaking process that repairing the bunkers entails in an earlier blog posting. It seems that as soon as we get the bunkers to an acceptable playing condition another large storm rolls through and nullifies days of hard work.
Green are soft but speeds are steady in the 10 to 11 foot range on the Stimp Meter. Tees are also performing well.
Pictured above is a tree that stands behind the red tee on hole 7. A bolt of lightning was witnessed striking the tree this morning. You can see where the bark was split vertically down the trunk. Below, a tree on the right side of 11 fairway was blown over by a gust of wind which preceded the storm.
The excess moisture coupled with high temperatures and humidity is a recipe which significantly increases our risk for a turf disease outbreak. Be assured, we will be diligently scouting for any symptoms.
