Something we have wanted to define for a while now was the difference between an unrepaired ballmark and a properly repaired one that still ends up creating a void. This mark was created on Monday and fixed immediately. It was wet and >90 degrees. The mark bruised up Tuesday and was dead by Thursday. Going back to the other weeks blog, there is just not much you can do for cool season turf when a golf ball slams into it. These marks will recover slowly depending on the weather. Bottom line is when you see these marks on the course, they are not from "people neglecting their marks", they are just from people playing golf!
We were able to get some dry topdressing out on Wednesday before the storms rolled through. Some cooler night time temperatures will bring some relief for the bentgrass.
Overall our greens have performed well this summer despite the heat and heavy rains. Yesterday we were again able to go to the research field day at NC State. Their research backs up the fungicide rotation that we have been using this year on the greens. The experimental fungicide that we tested for Virginia Tech on the putting green last year was put to market this year and we put it right to use. This new fungicide in combination with older fungicides produces high quality turf like in this left plot above. Without the new product you just get what the Manakin greens always looked like this time of the year, on the right. Much better!
These research field days put on by the universities are invaluable for our industry. Being able to have open lines of communication with the professors is always helpful and makes sure we are at the front of any technology that will help us produce great conditions.
Back on our campus the guys continue to work through the heat and mow around the thunderstorms. We have started picking a few of the new bunkers and scraping the top layer of accumulated silt off of them in order to expose the white sand underneath. New sand is added where necessary and tracked in.
Summer is far from over but this next week of below 80 temperatures looks unbelievable. Enjoy some refreshing air while you can!
