Tall-grass areas on a golf course are referred to by many names – e.g., fescue, native, naturalized or no-mow – and can have a wide range of conditions and expectations. Figuring out what to call these areas or illustrating the differences in expected conditions and aesthetics could be an article in itself, but right now I’d like to focus on how these areas change from the beginning of summer to the end.
While uniform texture and density might be desirable, the reality is that tall-grass areas will vary throughout the golf season. In spring and early summer, it can be easier to find time to manage density and weeds that pop up and tall-grass areas often look and play pretty well. As summer stress arrives and lingers, staff time should be prioritized to taking care of closely mown turf over tall-grass areas. In addition, preemergence herbicides wear off and weeds become more noticeable. If it’s been a wet spring and summer, density in these areas can increase and it may get more difficult to find and play shots. More weeds and more lost balls toward the end of summer is a recipe for golfer complaints, but I recommend most courses resist the urge to reallocate highly skilled labor to tall-grass areas until the closely mowed turf is no longer under summer stress. Tall-grass areas can be mowed and postemergence herbicides applied when time and cooler temperatures allow.
When making applications in tall-grass areas, consider using boomless nozzles, which are commonly used to spray horizontally over difficult-to-reach areas. Increasing in popularity for tall-grass area management are retrofitted sprayers with boomless nozzles and arborist-style spray guns. These tools make applications from alongside tall-grass areas more efficient, eliminate the issue of leaving tracks in the tall grass, and protect very expensive sprayers from getting damaged by unseen obstacles.
There are many ways to control weeds in fine fescue naturalized areas, just temper expectations during summer when the golf course is under maximum stress. When favorable weather returns, consider using a combination of a boomless nozzle and high-pressure spray guns to quickly treat weeds in tall-grass areas. If necessary, start mowing problematic areas down earlier than you might normally. Feel free to contact your regional USGA agronomist to discuss the tall-grass management program that best fits your course.
Northeast Region Agronomists:
Darin Bevard, senior director, Championship Agronomy – dbevard@usga.org
Elliott L. Dowling, regional director, East Region – edowling@usga.org
Brian Gietka, agronomist – bgietka@usga.org