It was nice seeing the entire Bob Jones event completed without rain. However, last night we received another 1/2" of rain, bringing the total to 5.5" for the week. Cart will be permitted on fairways, except for holes #6, #9 and #11. The forecast continues to show a 50-70% chance of rain for each day this week.
When we deal with this much rain and lack of sun, it's important to back off the aggressive maintenance practices like excessive rolling and multiple daily mowings. In order to prevent damage to the greens, we'll be sticking to a single cutting schedule until the weather improves. In addition, tomorrow we'll be spiking greens in the morning (no disruption) and topdressing with dry sand in the afternoon. We will also be using 1/4" pencil tines in a few areas that tend to hold water or are exposed to excessive foot traffic. Expect the greens to remain "slower" this week as we attempt to get past this weather pattern. Rainfall is important but saturated conditions are not beneficial, whatsoever. The roots of the turf suffer and grass doesn't recover from foot traffic as well when we are under constant cloudy conditions.