Many parts of the Southeast are currently facing their most severe drought since 2007, with parts of Georgia and the Carolinas seeing the driest conditions since 1895. Drought advisories are unfolding and water restrictions are being implemented by water districts and municipalities. There have also been early stretches of hot weather. The combination of heat and drought has made things challenging for golf course superintendents as drought stress leads to reduced turf growth and discoloration. Add in intense cart traffic during the busy spring season and turf becomes even more vulnerable to long-term damage.
If your water supply is limited, or your irrigation coverage isn’t optimal, this is the time to shift to a deficit irrigation mindset and prioritize critical playing surfaces like greens, tees and fairway landing zones. Shifting your management practices to a more site-specific and targeted approach will conserve water for where it’s needed most. Utilizing portable moisture meters to establish watering thresholds and incorporating evapotranspiration-based scheduling into your irrigation program are two ways to dial-in water usage during this stressful period.
Raising mower heights, reducing fertilization during stressful weather, and applying soil surfactants can all help keep turf as healthy as possible until consistent rainfall returns. Prolonged drought conditions can lead to rootzones becoming hydrophobic – particularly on the sandy soils that are common across the Southeast. Hydrophobic conditions often lead to the development of localized dry spots (LDS), which many courses are battling right now. Utilizing wetting agents will reduce surface tension, allowing much-needed water to enter the soil profile and help relieve droughty turf conditions.
Golf courses will also need to rethink their traffic management plans. Restricting carts to paths, either throughout the course or on a few holes on a rotating basis, or implementing the 90-degree rule can help combat stress. Pairing up players to minimize solo riders and establishing walking-only times in the early mornings and late afternoons are additional ways to mitigate damage to drought-stressed turf.
Navigating this “flash drought” requires a pragmatic balance, relying on precise data-driven irrigation, the grit to protect your golf course and a proactive strategy to communicate the realities of the current weather to golfers, course officials and communities. By leaning into conservation strategies and maintaining a focus on long-term turf health, superintendents and golf clubs can weather this current drought.
Southeast Region Agronomists:
Jordan Booth, Ph.D., senior director, USGA Course Consulting Service – jbooth@usga.org
Chris Hartwiger, director, Agronomy – chartwiger@usga.org
Chris Neff, senior agronomist – cneff@usga.org
Mitch Leininger, agronomist - mleininger@usga.org