Are You Ready?



By Stanley J. Zontek, Director
June 28, 2007

The Fourth of July traditionally has been the beginning of the Mid-Atlantic Region summer stress period. Summer has come early, and it is here with a vengeance! As this update is being written, air temperatures are more than 90 degrees F, and it has been very dry with the exception of those locales that experience the sporadic thunderstorm.

Are you ready for a hot, dry summer? Is your course ready? Is your staff ready? Are your communication channels open and ready? Read on.

Traditionally, our Web site updates concentrate on agronomic preparation for summer heat stress periods. We discuss the obvious - raising mowing heights, switching to solid rollers, mow less and syringe more. This Web site update deals with the people aspects of managing a golf course through the heat of the summer. Most of these comments are from my personal experience while visiting golf courses that subscribe to the USGA Green Section’s Turfgrass Advisory Service. Here is my list:

• Park in the shade. You stay cooler, as well as the seat on which you sit and the steering wheel is cooler. You may even think better.

• Wear a hat. It is amazing how many people do not wear a hat on a bright, sunny day. There are obvious implications as it pertains to sun exposure, skin cancer risks, and heat stress problems.

• Drink water or activity drinks with electrolytes. With the hot, dry weather, you perspire rapidly and without oppressive humidity, your sweat dries so fast you may not appreciate that you are dehydrating.

• Drive in a covered golf cart. Trade in your open vehicle for something with a roof.

• Wear sunscreen and reapply frequently.

• Slow down. This includes your employees. Take breaks, especially when working in full sunlight. There is nothing wrong with an employee who is cutting grass or raking sand in a bunker to take a break, drink some water, and not get overheated.

• Are your communication channels open and operating? Does everyone appreciate that when it gets hot, play may have to be interrupted for hand watering, fairway syringing, etc.?

While it may be obvious to the maintenance staff, it may not be obvious to golfers that when it gets hot and dry you need to cool the grass. The same lines of communication need to function when you may decide not to mow one day, change hole locations, etc.

Mowing grass that is under wilt stress can damage the grass and even promote diseases like anthracnose. On hot afternoons, golf may be light so why risk a dead or dying hole plug just because it’s policy to change holes every day. Less may be more in this instance. People need to know that the golf course is under stress and you need to be conservative in how their golf course is maintained.

Are you ready for the summer? It sure seems to be arriving, for once, with the calendar, and well before the Fourth of July week. Preserving the health of the grass as well as the well-being of the maintenance staff are important items to consider.

As always, if the Mid-Atlantic Region agronomists can be of assistance, contact Stan Zontek (szontek@usga.org) or Darin Bevard (dbevard@usga.org) at 610/ 558-9066 or Keith Happ (khapp@usga.org) at 412/ 341-5922.