Yesterday's Rain Total: 1.0"
Year to Date Rain Total: 76.1"
During the last couple weeks, I've been asked on multiple occasions, "All this rain has to be good for the golf course?" The answer is simply, "No, it isn't."
Don't get me wrong, some rain is great. It enables the perimeters of each hole to get water that normally wouldn't by way of irrigation. Also, the atmospheric nitrogen that is delivered with each rain event keeps the grass nice and green. However, the downside of this much rain far outweighs the positives. Consider the following:
1. Whenever the turf stays this wet for this long, root systems shrink down to nothing. The creates multiple issues.
2. Managing turfgrass diseases becomes more difficult because the moisture creates a breeding ground for fungus. The wet surfaces make it more difficult to make fungicide applications. In addition, the amount of time that the fungicide lasts in or on the grass is dramatically reduced.
3. The golf course isn't as fun to play!
4. It is very difficult to maintain consistent, fast green speeds.
5. Mowing is difficult and skipped when it is too wet. It's also difficult to achieve a high quality of cut on wet ground.
6. Turf thins and suffers under long periods of cloud cover- similarly to the way turf struggles in shade.
7. In our roughs, the bentgrass and other non-desirable species gain a competitive advantage over the Kentucky Bluegrass.
These are just seven examples of why the excess rain hurts the golf course rather than helping the golf course.