It’s hard to believe the summer solstice is in the rear-view mirror. We are now closer to Labor Day rather than Memorial Day. The short-cut turf is holding up fairly well as we reach the midpoint of the season. Intermittent rain events have kept the fairways and rough a nice even green.

In the month of May we received extensive rainfall followed by prolonged stretches of cool and cloudy days. These conditions created a perfect opportunity for soil pathogens. A turf sample from the 7th green was sent to the UMass Plant Pathology department. The pathologist confirmed it is Take all Patch and I believe it has affected some of our other greens. This disease compromised the rooting and we will be monitoring these greens closely. The positive news is that this disease is only active in spring and fall. In the future, we will implement cultural practices during the shoulder seasons to reduce the chance of this disease.

Recently the greens were aerated with a solid tine. These small holes promotes the exchange of beneficial oxygen and displaces toxic carbon dioxide in the soil profile.  Venting also improves water infiltration, and helps keep adequate rooting during the stressful summer months. Venting greens temporarily makes the greens softer. They will firm back up soon as we are rolling greens six times a week.

I always strive to promote environmental stewardship on this property. Early this season we replaced worn out blue bird boxes and installed two American kestrel boxes on the property. I am pleased to report we have a nesting pair of kestrels behind the 3rd green. The eggs have hatched and I expect that in the coming weeks they will exit the nest box.

I will send another update in August about projected fall cultural practices and other course improvements. Ill see you out in the fairways!