Across the Southeast, the pandemic has impacted golf in many ways. Many golf courses have experienced record numbers of rounds following the spring, which is usually the time of year that play slows down at many southern courses. Summer is typically the period when bermudagrass fairways and roughs get extra TLC and conditioning with aeration, vertical mowing, added fertilization and sometimes sand topdressing. These practices help ensure peak turfgrass quality entering the fall, helping to carry the golf course through the cooler months when growth and recovery is impeded by lower temperatures and reduced sunlight hours and intensity.
I have visited many golf courses where increased rounds coupled with single-rider cart policies have negatively impacted the turfgrass. As an example, whereas the average number of summer rounds on a golf course in south Florida may normally be 30 to 60 per day, some courses are seeing 150 or more daily rounds during what is typically their slower season. Factor in single-rider carts and those 150 rounds now equate to even heavier traffic if every golfer takes a cart instead of walking. Here are a few things to consider about traffic on the course as we continue through this highly unusual year: